PHILADELPHIA — A.J. Brown had a novel ideal to pass time on the bench during the Philadelphia Eagles’ wild-card playoff game.
The Eagles wide receiver passed on the playbook and checked out an inspirational title — Brown casually flipped through the pages of “Inner Excellence” by Jim Murphy.
Brown had time for some light reading with only one catch for 10 yards in a 22-10 win over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night.
The book is described on the cover as one that will “Train your mind for extraordinary performance and the best possible life.”
Brown said he often reads on the sideline but added: “Y’all caught me that time.”
Brown, who had 67 catches for 1,079 yards and seven touchdown this season, described the lessons in the book as useful because football is “90% mental and 10% physical for me.”
“If I score a touchdown or drop a pass, it’s something how I refocus,” Brown said. “I always revert back to the beginning of the book. It states if you can just have a clear mind and remember that nothing else matters, clear conscience, nothing matters negative or positive. You’re willing to take risks. It also says if you’re humble, you can’t be embarrassed.”
“Inner Excellence” was the book of choice for Brown and maybe the rest of the Eagles.
A better story for the Birds on Sunday: Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley and one of the NFL’s stingiest defenses securing another home playoff game in a season they hope comes with a happy ending — a Super Bowl win.
“I’m just going to stay free, play free,” Brown said.
Brown later shared a photo of the book on social media with several passages highlighted in yellow.
The next chapter? The NFC East champion Eagles host a division game next week at the Linc.
