A.J. Brown and the Eagles’ motivation, Coots vs. Michkov (not really), and other thoughts

First and final thoughts …

The Eagles have met the enemy, and it is us. Us, as in the reporters and media members who noticed what A.J. Brown said on a Twitch stream the other day, when he casually described the offense and his muted role in it as a “[bleep] show.” Us, as in the reporters and media members who asked Brown and coach Nick Sirianni and quarterback Jalen Hurts about it. Us, as in the outsiders and haters who want nothing more than to tear down a 7-2 team that’s coming off a Super Bowl victory.

“Seems like there’s a lot of negativity going around there,” center Cam Jurgens said Friday. “But we’re pretty positive.”

» READ MORE: Former players, media members defend Eagles WR A.J. Brown: ‘Just make me feel like you want me’

On Wednesday, Sirianni tried to dodge and dance away from several perfectly appropriate and legitimate questions regarding Brown’s comments before he finally voiced his frustration with the entire line of inquiry: “Guys, I’m close to being done answering these questions with this.” Hey, don’t look at us, Nick. Look at Brown: a terrific player, a smart and sensitive and introspective soul who hasn’t yet mastered the art of holding his tongue for the good of himself and his team.

But one thing this entire (and latest) Brown kerfuffle has done is that it has given the Eagles a convenient motivating factor ahead of Sunday’s 2024-25 NFC championship game that should have been, against the Detroit Lions. Book it: If the Eagles win, move to 8-2, and reaffirm that they are the best team in the conference, afterward you’ll hear all about how the noise and distractions galvanized the team, even if that noise and those distractions were coming from inside the NovaCare Complex. Or during an online video game.

Of all the damaging aspects of social media, one of the most corrosive, at least when it comes to covering and following sports events and other news stories, is that it can strip a moment or action or statement of its proper context. The recent Matvei Michkov-Sean Couturier “controversy” was an ideal, if relatively insignificant, example.

The backstory, quickly: Immediately after the Flyers’ overtime loss last Saturday to the Ottawa Senators, Couturier was asked a direct question about how the Flyers’ players have done to try to keep Michkov’s spirits up through his recent goal-scoring slump.

“Yeah,” Couturier said, “he’s a great goal-scorer and has a lot of skill. I think you’ve just got to find a way to contribute to the team in other ways when you’re struggling. You’re not always going to be scoring goals every game. I’ve seen improvement in the way he’s not cheating as much and being on the right side of pucks. I’m sure it’s a little different for him, but if he sticks to playing the right way, I think it’s going to be better for him overall.”

That rather innocuous answer mushroomed into a ludicrous trending topic on Twitter/X, where Couturier, the Flyers’ captain, was accused of one of the worst crimes an athlete can commit during an interview: He had thrown a teammate under the bus. And not just any teammate, but Michkov, the Flyers’ superstar-to-be.

The outsized reaction to Couturier’s quotes stemmed in large part from a nifty bit of editing by some posters on Twitter: They cut the relevant question to which he was responding. Dozens of Flyers fans (who spend waaaaaay too much time online) seemed to think that Couturier had just meandered up to the assembled media members and said, Hey, everyone, wanna hear me be all passive-aggressive about Matvei for no reason? Because, you know, that sort of thing happens all the time.

Hmmm, where is that sarcasm font when you need it …

Over his previous five games ahead of Friday, VJ Edgecombe had made 27.9% of his shots from the field, made 25% of his three-point attempts, and was averaging 9.4 points. It is worth pointing out those statistics not to suggest that Edgecombe won’t become an excellent NBA player. He is, of course, just 20 years old and in his rookie season. But it is to suggest that maybe, just maybe, those comparisons to Dwyane Wade from last month were a tad premature.

» READ MORE: VJ Edgecombe navigating NBA grind after surprise start to his career: ‘I’ve got to give myself some grace’