Eagles notebook: How A.J. Brown is helping a younger teammate originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
As A.J. Brown walked out of the visiting locker room at Gillette Stadium on Thursday night, he had an unprompted message for a few reporters who were waiting in the hallway.
Brown called Joseph Ngata the star of the game.
In the Eagles’ 14-13 win over the Patriots in the second preseason game, Ngata had 5 catches for 88 yards to lead both teams. It was his best showing all summer — and he thanked Brown for his help.
Brown, who was a first-time captain last season, is one of the leaders on the offensive side of the ball. And he was really into a big first-down catch from Ngata on Thursday.
Ngata said the one thing he has really been trying to work on all summer is his mentality and keeping his emotions in check.
“I’m just really emotional,” the second-year receiver said. “I really love football and I love to compete so sometimes I can be over the top. Just controlling my mentality, controlling what I can control, controlling my breathing, controlling my thoughts.”
Ngata, 23, has been getting help from a bunch of different people on that mission. But one guy who has really helped is Brown, who has been taking the time to have extra chats with Ngata.
They talked the day before the game, twice on game day before kickoff and then a few times during Thursday evening between series.
“He just helped me calm down a little bit,” Ngata said. “Even during the game. It’s really nice having him out there.”
Most improved
After Thursday’s game, Nick Sirianni was asked to single out one player who has improved the most from last year.
His choice?
“I think Fred Johnson is continuing to develop as a really solid football player,” Sirianni said. “He works his butt off. He’s a big man, right? You see that, and it’s hard to get around him. He just continues to put the work in that he needs to put in to develop at his position. I’m really pleased with…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/eagles-notebook-j-brown-helping-110000810.html
Author : NBC Sports Philadelphia
Publish date : 2024-08-18 11:00:00
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