A.J. Brown is no stranger to producing highlight reel plays that circulate the internet to much interest.
But in the Philadelphia Eagles' 22-10 playoff win over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, it was a different type of video clip featuring the wide receiver that went viral and led to widespread discussion.
The FOX game broadcast cut to Brown sitting on the bench during the second half, showing him calmly reading a book, a surprising sight in such a high-octane game situation.
Brown told reporters after the game that the book, revealed to be titled Inner Excellence: Train Your Mind for Extraordinary Performance and the Best Possible Life, was suggested to him by a teammate at the beginning of the season, and has become a staple of his game-day routine as he turns to the pages regularly in the midst of any contest.
"Man, it gives me a sense of peace. That's a book that I bring every single game. My teammates call it 'the recipe,' " Brown explained after the game. "It's the first time I heard that y'all got me on camera, but it's not the first game. It's got a lot of points in there, it's a lot of mental game, a lot of mental parts about it, and you know for me this game is mental.
"I fiercely believe I can do anything and everything, but I've got to make sure my mental is good. It's something like how I refresh every drive, regardless of if I score a touchdown or I drop a pass, I always go back to that book every drive and just refocus and nothing matters, nothing happened, just rely back in."
While quarterback Jalen Hurts later confirmed that Brown does indeed carry this book with him on a regular basis, Brown's mid-game ritual nevertheless brought on significant speculation that the choice to sit and read on the sidelines might have stemmed from frustration with the way Sunday's game was going.
Though Philadelphia took home the win, the passing offense couldn't get into a rhythm for most of the afternoon, with Brown specifically falling by the wayside and recording just one catch for 10 yards on three targets, lower than his totals in any game this season.
But Brown dismissed those theories, reiterating in a social media post after the game that frustration had nothing to do with his reading habits.
"This game is 90% mental and 10% physical for me. I bring it to every game and I read it between each drive," Brown's wrote. "I use it to refocus and lock in despite what may transpire in the game good or bad. People tend to create controversy when they don't know the truth."
Fans will likely be on the lookout for another appearance of Brown's book in the team's Divisional Round matchup next weekend, looking to continue their quest to return to the Super Bowl in what could be a storybook ending for the Eagles' impressive 2024 season.
