Eagles WR A.J. Brown explains why he was reading book on sidelines

Wide receivers have a tendency to get into some shenanigans on the sidelines during NFL games, and it can sometimes involve yelling or frustration when they are not getting the football.

That was not the case with Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown on Sunday in their wild-card game against the Green Bay Packers. During the second half of the Eagles’ 22-10 win, the Fox cameras caught a glimpse of Brown doing something you do not normally see on an NFL sideline.

Reading a book.

Not a playbook.

An actual book. 

Specifically, “Inner Excellence,” written by Jim Murphy.

Brown was asked about it after the game. 

As he explained it, he brings the book with him every week and this just happened to be the first time TV cameras actually caught a glimpse of him reading it. 

Brown said it gives him a sense of peace, and that it has a lot of mental parts that he likes to go back to after every drive whether he scores a touchdown or drops a pass.

Here is his full explanation. 

It is honestly kind of impressive he does this every week, and after every drive, and it is the first time anybody noticed it. It is also completely fascinating and a different approach from most players in games.

Whatever the reason, and whatever Brown is doing, it has worked for him as he has become one of the NFL’s best wide receivers. 

He caught just one pass (on three targets) for 10 yards in Sunday’s game. During the regular season, he caught 67 passes in 13 games for 1,079 yards and seven touchdowns. He has topped the 1,000-yard mark in each of his first three seasons with the Eagles and in five of his first six seasons in the NFL overall.