A.J. Brown hears the love — and the hate — but for Eagles fans, it’s only been the former thus far

A.J.! A.J.! Over here! A.J.!

As A.J. Brown took a knee, a group of youth football players shrieked for his attention. The cacophony of squeals weren’t much different than the ones some other players might have heard on the first day of Eagles training camp, but the wide receiver took off his helmet and turned his torso toward the sideline.

Brown then smiled and saluted the boys.

While similarly popular Eagles often tune out the spectator pandemonium during open practices, Brown acknowledged fans during their first opportunity to watch the prized offseason acquisition in uniform. The interaction continued afterward as he signed autographs.

“It was very passionate,” Brown said Wednesday. “As soon as I came out here, [there were] some cheers. I definitely feel the love. Ever since I’ve been here, Philly, the city has been showing me love. I appreciate it wholeheartedly.

“And now it’s my job to go do what I do.”

If Brown does what the Eagles expect after they traded for and sign him to a four-year, $100 million contract extension, the 25-year-old former Titans receiver should elicit a more fervent response than the one he has mostly received from locals since he arrived during the draft.

He has mostly kept a low profile since coming to Philadelphia. He threw out the first pitch at the Phillies game in May. And on Monday he posted on social media a video of himself and three Eagles fans after he bought them his No. 11 jersey at the Eagles Pro Shop.

Brown seemingly has the self awareness to endear himself to fans. It could be a match that matches previous fan-receiver love affairs here, especially if he exceeds his production in Tennessee, where a run-based offense limited his numbers.

But it’s not as if Brown is stepping into a potent passing offense with a top-tier passer. He will also need time to learn Nick Sirianni’s system and to develop chemistry with quarterback Jalen Hurts. The Eagles will be patient, but what if outsiders aren’t and the rabbit-eared Brown hears it?

» READ MORE: Eagles’ Jalen Hurts heads into Year 2 as the starter with A.J. Brown by his side declaring it’s ‘Hurts SZN’

While most of his social media postings are normal fare for a professional athlete, Brown has used Twitter to respond to Titans fans, real or troll, who have pointed the blame at him after his departure from the team.

“I’m human and I’m growing,” said Brown, who caught a couple of passes from Hurts during a light practice to open camp. “Bad things in the past, sometimes I may have said something. With good things, we all want to hear good things, but it’s that one bad comment that gets to us. Like I said, I’m human and I’m growing, most important.

“But where I’m at now, mentally, I play for no man. If I say the grass is green, someone is going to say it’s blue. It just comes with it.”

Recently, Brown used Twitter to defend Hurts after he heard criticism of the third-year quarterback’s performance during a spring practice.

“It’s important because No. 1, that’s the quarterback of my team. … And he’s my friend, No. 2,” said Brown, who wore a hat that said, “Hurts Szn” when he reported to the NovaCare on Tuesday. “And the story wasn’t true, too. False narratives come out about quarterbacks and guys got to understand it’s practice. Just like today, there was an interception. It was a great play by the [defensive back].

“These are the times we try things. I’m not going to win every rep. He’s not going to make every throw.”

Brown and Hurts, who first met when the latter tried to recruit the former to Alabama, have said they are similar in many ways. They said they were among the first to show for Wednesday’s practice, along with receiver DeVonta Smith, at 6:30 a.m.

Brown said they worked out “countless times” during the summer, although Smith, tight end Dallas Goedert and others were often alongside them. But there are apparent differences between the two, just as there are differences in their positions and the responsibilities that come with them.

In his recount of how Brown told him of his defense on Twitter, Hurts said he had no idea about the criticism.

“I didn’t even know he did it, to be honest,” Hurts said. “It’s just casual to me. Must have been a slow day.”

But the 23-year-old quarterback certainly understands how important the Eagles are to the region, and both the positives and negatives that come with that kind of fanaticism. He also knows Brown and may not have pushed for the trade had he thought he wasn’t able to withstand the scrutiny.

“A.J.’s a true pro. He’s a pro. He’s a person I know that he loves it,” Hurts said when asked what advice he gave Brown about playing in Philly. “He loves the energy, he loves the enthusiasm, and he feeds off of that. So I’m excited to see him embrace that.

“I think it’s funny. I like that type of stuff. That brings me energy.”

The expectations for Brown, though, are significant. The Eagles parted with first- and fourth-round picks for the 6-foot-1, 226-pound receiver and guaranteed $57 million of his new contract.

“I don’t worry about expectations,” Brown said. “I’m hard on myself. I know my own goals.”

Sirianni and general manager Howie Roseman, to no surprise, downplayed expectations for Brown and the 2022 Eagles. This year’s team is coming off a playoff appearance in Sirianni’s first season and Roseman’s offseason moves seemingly upgraded the roster.

But the addition of Brown isn’t viewed by many as potentially getting the Eagles over the top as the trade for Terrell Owens was 18 years ago. There are some inconsequential similarities between the two receivers, but outwardly they’re different.

Owens was as brash as they come. Brown, as Smith described him, is “soft-spoken.” But clearly he hasn’t been afraid to speak his mind via phone when he feels it’s necessary.

There wasn’t social media, of course, when Owens came to Philly in 2004. A lot has changed in the interim. The Eagles drew 20,000 fans at Lehigh for Owens’ first practice. They are restricted to a few hundred at NovaCare.

But that doesn’t mean Brown’s arrival hasn’t stoked Eagles fans’ enthusiasm.

“I was going in there to just see if my jersey was up, just fooling around,” he said when asked what precipitated his jersey generosity. “Saw some fans in there and they were just looking for some jerseys and I told them I would buy them a jersey.

“I just wanted to show love. I’m big on love, showing love. That’s just who I am.”