Eagles’ A.J. Brown on the fallout from reading on the sideline: ‘I do my job and that’s all that matters’

A.J. Brown was not on the practice field at Lincoln Financial Field on Wednesday as the Eagles began their on-field preparations for their divisional-round playoff game vs. the Los Angeles Rams.

No, he didn’t play hooky and go to a Barnes & Noble. The Eagles are continuing to manage Brown’s lingering knee injury in a similar way they did last week. Brown said he felt fine after the game and felt fine Wednesday afternoon. He expects to be on the field at practice Thursday afternoon.

The topic of the day quickly changed from Brown’s lingering knee injury to the fallout from being caught on camera reading a book on the sideline during Sunday’s victory over the Green Bay Packers, something he and his teammates say he does often. The book has been in Brown’s possession on a game day prior to Sunday. It was a whirlwind 72 hours, more so for the author of Inner Excellence, Jim Murphy, whose book rose up best-seller lists and brought him and the book national media attention.

» READ MORE: A.J. Brown and the lessons from ‘Inner Excellence’ sideline book reading: ‘Clear mind and unburdened heart’

As for Brown, the reaction has been mostly positive, though some fans and national media talking heads have chimed in with negative responses.

Asked for his take on it all, Brown said there was “a lot” on his mind, but “but none of that stuff really matters.”

“I’m going to continue to be myself,” he said. “I’m not pretending. It’s not a facade or anything. Who cares who don’t like it. I’m a three-time All-Pro. Yes, I’m gonna pop my [stuff]. I do that for myself. I’m not a distraction. Most importantly, I go out there and do my job. So all the other [stuff] doesn’t matter.”

Brown didn’t expect there to be a big reaction, but said he sometimes forgets how big his reach is.

“I’m very humble and sometimes I forget who I am in the sense of how big stuff can get blown out of proportion,” Brown said. “I’m just being myself. I’m not trying to cause a distraction. Hats off to Jim. I talked to him. He’s a great guy. The book is amazing.

“I appreciate the positives. But most importantly I do my job and that’s all that matters. Regardless if I’m reading a book or throwing rocks on the sideline, it doesn’t matter. I do my job.”

» READ MORE: A.J. Brown’s sideline book hits No. 1 and gets some funny reviews from Eagles fans

Brown caught a season-low one pass on Sunday on three targets as the Eagles’ passing offense struggled in Jalen Hurts’ return to action after missing two-plus games with a concussion. Brown said he was optimistic the Eagles would get the passing game back on track Sunday vs. the Rams, though he’s expecting a much different game than when the Eagles rolled to an easy win in November.

Brown in that Nov. 24 game had six catches on seven targets for 109 yards and a touchdown.

“They’re a completely different football team since we played them,” Brown said. “They’re flying around. I think they’re playing their best football right now. We got to play our best football and try to be mistake-free.”

Brown wasn’t the only Eagles player sidelined Wednesday, though he was the only player missing with an injury designation. Saquon Barkley, Cam Jurgens, Jordan Mailata, and Josh Sweat all missed practice with a rest day.

Kenny Pickett (ribs) and defensive tackle Byron Young (hamstring) were listed as full participants.