AJ Brown Talks 'Main Issue' Plaguing Eagles Offense
The Philadelphia Eagles are 4-2 on the season so far, but the offense isn't where you'd likely expect right now.
That arguably has been the talking point of the season so far for Philadelphia. People have been weighing in with their opinions all year to this point, but most aren't in the room itself. AJ Brown is someone who obviously is involved with the offense. He spoke candidly about the offense this week about what he thinks the "main issue" is right now.
"It comes down to executing and doing our job," Brown said. "Right now, we're in a heavy phase of being accountable, holding guys accountable and just taking that step forward..."Main issues...self-inflicted wounds. Sometimes just a lack of execution at the wrong time, you know. If it's the first down, you are going to lack the execution, it may not be the end of the world. But when it happens on third down or puts us behind the sticks, that's hard to recover in this league. I just think being on the same page and communication and lack of execution."
The Eagles offense has room for growth
The Eagles are in first place in the NFC East, but there's clearly room for growth. Right now, the Eagles are ranked 30th in the NFL in total yards per game (274.5 yards), 30th in passing yards per game (179.2 yards), and 25th in rushing yards per game (95.3 yards). None of those metrics are where the Eagles want them to be. The rushing stat is arguably the most surprising as the Eagles were one of the best rushing teams in football last year behind Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts and both are still in town.
Last year, the Eagles' passing offense wasn't too far ahead, despite all of the drama this year. The Eagles finished 29th in passing yards per game in the regular season with 187.9 yards per game. On the flip side, the Eagles finished second in average rushing yards per game with 179.3, behind just the Baltimore Ravens.
Brown isn't wrong about execution as well. For example, the Eagles are 27th in the league right now on third down conversions with a success rate of 34.67 percent. Last year, the Eagles were 11th in the league at 40.28 percent.
There's clearly room for growth and the offense has the vast majority of the pieces from last year. Now, it's just about executing and being put in the right position. Last year, things didn't click until the Week 5 bye. The Eagles have had a mini bye this week after playing Week 6 on Thursday night against the New York Giants. Philadelphia had some time to regroup ahead of the Week 7 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. Will that result in a similar turnaround like last year?
Kendre Miller will EXPOSE the Bears' biggest defensive deficiency
There is a lot of emphasis on the story of Kendre Miller seeking revenge against Dennis Allen in the New Orleans Saints' Week 7 contest versus the Chicago Bears. That extra motivation isn't the only reason to think a big game is on the way for Miller. Stylistically, this is a favorable matchup as well.
The conversation has been a focal point this week, with good reason. The third year running back has more momentum right now than he's ever had, and he's with a coach that believes in him.
That seemingly wasn't the case with Allen at the helm. Miller's obviously had his injury concerns, but for all intents and purposes, Miller's final injury last year was handled too harshly. He was put on injured reserve when that was reportedly far from the case. That sounds like a coach saying, "I'm done with you," and is definitely a reason for Miller to hold a grudge.
The Bears can't tackle and Kendre Miller can't be tackled
Let's look beyond the juiciness of the storyline, and see why a Kendre Miller revenge game is plausible. Per NextGen Stats
Football has its complexities, but sometimes it truly is that simple. Miller is a hard player to tackle, and the Bears have allowed consistent yards after contact. They also have one of the worst run defenses, in terms of pure rushing totals, and the Saints have two talented rushers. Run the ball.
Also, Alvin Kamara is still working through an ankle injury. Because of this, you could see more of Miller. As long as Kamara still plays, the two running backs seeing around the same amount of touches is likely.
On Wednesday’s episode of the Saints Squad Show, three of the analysts’ bold prediction centered around Miller. Whether it was 100 yards, Miller scoring the first touchdown or 100 rushing yards and two touchdowns, the expectation is for a big game out of Miller. The Bears struggles against the run open the door for Miller to deliver on that expectation.
Revenge is a motivating factor on top of all of that. Motivation doesn’t suddenly give you super powers, but it will make the eventual explosion even sweeter.
