Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

The Squeaky Wheel

Posted November 13th, 2025 | 3 Comments »

AJ Brown is a great wide receiver. He is also a first class drama queen. We know most good receivers are divas and can even be head cases so this isn’t totally surprising. It is frustrating because he’s an established star, well paid, coming off a Super Bowl win and on a team that could repeat as SB champs. There isn’t a lot to be upset about.

Brown is having a down year in terms of production. He’s 31-408-3. Poor Jalen Reagor would kill for those numbers at midseason. Brown has expressed his frustration on social media multiple times this year. He had another public complaint on Wednesday.

Ugh.

It is absolutely fair for him to be frustrated. The Eagles passing game wasn’t good on Monday. It’s been erratic for much of the year. But taking complaints out in public just isn’t cool. The team is 7-2. It is winning. Does the passing game need to get better? Absolutely. At the same time, don’t get too frustrated after playing in the first cold game of the year against a Top 5 defense. GB also struggled to throw the ball. Neither offense was good.

Part of what makes Brown great is that he’s ultra-competitive. He wants the ball on every play. He wants to show what he can do. He wants to help the team win. That’s great, but you do have to fit that into a team paradigm.

It must drive him nuts to see Puka Nacua and Jaxson Smith-Njigba putting up insane numbers. Brown would love that. He would love to be in an offense that fed him the ball by design. He was in a run-heavy offense in Tennessee. He’s in a run-centric offense in Philly and has to share the ball with other stars. DeVonta Smith gets frustrated, but keeps his emotions under control.

I don’t know how Brown’s issues will affect this team. We saw TO destroy the locker room in 2005. Brown doesn’t have the same star power TO did. There are also other big stars on this roster. Very different dynamic. But Brown could have an affect on the players and coaches. Does that last play against GB happen if Brown is quiet? Was that Jalen and the coaches trying to get him a big play to keep him happy?

This issue will be addressed in the offseason. If Brown wants out, the Eagles will find a trade partner. For now, they need him to do his part, whether the ball is coming his way or not. Brown will sound level-headed at times, but then awkward a minute later. It is hard to really know where his head is.

Let’s hope the passing offense is able to pick up. It has looked good at times this year and we know the potential is there. The passing game got better in 2024 in the second half of the year.

Being frustrated is fine. Wanting to contribute more is fine. Bitching about is publicly is where things get weird. You then put pressure on your coaches and teammates. You bring extra tension to the locker room. Brown has got to be better. He’s a team leader.

Detroit plays a lot of man coverage so hopefully Sunday will be an opportunity for Hurts to get Brown the ball more. Both are at their best when going against man coverage. Things might always be sunny in Philadelphia, but they can get pretty weird with the Eagles. Never a dull moment.

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Alexander Update

Posted November 11th, 2025 | 2 Comments »

Jaire Alexander didn’t travel with the Eagles when they went to Green Bay. That seemed odd at the time. The team leaked that he was focusing on getting healthy and learning the defense. We found out there is more to the story.

This all makes sense now.

Alexander is a 2-time Pro Bowl player. He’s been a star. Now he’s coming off an injury and having to fight just to get back on the field. That’s not easy to deal with, physically, mentally or emotionally. Football isn’t a casual sport. You must be all-in to succeed. Think about how hard it must be to go from star player to guy battling to play.

I’m sure Alexander thought the change of scenery would bring out the best in him. He’d be reunited with DBs coach Christian Parker. He would go to a team that is known for getting the best out of veteran acquisitions.

The flip side is that the Eagles are an ultra-competitive team. Nothing is given. Alexander may have seen how things operate in Philly and wondered if he’s still up to it. Veteran players sometimes struggle as their body breaks down and they have to decide what they want to do. Jason Kelce has told some stories like that. Alexander isn’t that old, but his health isn’t ideal for a CB.

The Eagles will be patient with him. They can activate Jakorian Bennett and bring him back to the mix. That would give them another veteran CB for depth. Alexander can figure out if he wants to play or to walk away.

*****

Here is a sign of good coaching.

I don’t know if it was Vic Fangio who pointed that out to the players or one of the assistants, but that’s impressive. The players got the nugget and filed it away until a critical moment in the game.

The Eagles defense is now up to 10th in points allowed and 18th in yards allowed. That’s not the same as #1, but the unit is heading in the right direction. I’m excited to see how they do against the Lions on Sunday night. That will be a huge test. Having Jaelan Phillips will certainly make a difference.

In case you missed it, the Packers didn’t have any sacks and weren’t credited with any QB hits. The Eagles had 3 sacks and 8 QB hits. There is no doubting that Micah Parsons is a great player, but Phillips only cost a third round pick and sure looks exactly like what this defense needed.

*****

Saquon Barkley ran for a long TD in the Eagles win over the Giants. His longest run against the Packers was just 15 yards. But he came oh so close to breaking off a 55-yard TD run that would have sealed the game.

Smart move by Parsons to trip him. If they call it, you only give up 15 yards. The refs didn’t call it so GB got lucky. That run would have put Barkley above 100 yards for the game. Too bad.

This is a reminder how special last year was. All those long runs were great, but not normal. It takes a lot to go right to get one of those. It makes me happy that Barkley had such a magical season at the same time as the team. All the more fun to celebrate Barkley’s greatness while also celebrating a great season and Super Bowl win.

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