A Bird and his book | Sports Daily Newsletter

A funny thing happened after Fox’s game coverage showed A.J. Brown reading a book on the sideline during the Eagles’ playoff win Sunday.

A day later, Inner Excellence by Jim Murphy was No. 1 among Amazon’s best sellers in books. The previous day, it was No. 532,733. That’s the kind of worst-to-first story any sports fan can appreciate.

The self-help book’s rapid rise is a prime example of the incredible draw the NFL has on us all. The bookish Brown went viral on social media Sunday during the Eagles' beat-down of the Packers, saying afterward that he brings the book to every game and reads it in between drives to help him refocus.

Whatever works.

Said one reader in Amazon’s review section: “I came for the game and stayed for the book circle. This book isn’t just a snap read, but also doesn’t need a tush push to get through. It’s a great call for everyone.”

The story offered a brief respite before we gear up for the Eagles’ next playoff test on Sunday against the Rams.

— Jim Swan, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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What was behind Tyrese Maxey’s struggles to end the 76ers’ latest loss to the Orlando Magic? Was it their lengthy defenders and increased intensity? Was there more to the sniffle he displayed during postgame interviews? Whatever the reason, Maxey wasn’t his usual self Sunday down the stretch of the Sixers’ 104-99 loss.

While he finished with 29 points, Maxey didn’t attempt a shot in the third quarter before scoring seven points on 2-for-8 shooting in the fourth. “Am I sick? No, I’m not sick today,” Maxey said. “I’m feeling great.” The Sixers star chalked up his slow second half to simply failing to convert. “I missed some shots,” he said. “We got some good looks, and we couldn’t stop them from scoring.”

The next two games for the Sixers will not be easy, either. They’ll play the Oklahoma City Thunder and the New York Knicks back-to-back.

On Monday morning, the Sixers’ parent company and Comcast announced that they had entered into a “50-50 joint venture to build a world-class, state-of-the-art arena in the South Philadelphia Sports Complex that will be the new home of the Philadelphia 76ers and Philadelphia Flyers.”

The Sixers had feuded openly with Comcast over the Sixers’ previous plan to build an arena in Center City, but a third party brought them together and helped broker the deal: NBA commissioner Adam Silver.

While the last few years have been barren ones for the Flyers, there have been plenty of great moments over the last 25 years, including the run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2010.

On Monday, the Flyers recognized some of their great players from that time, selecting two Quarter-Century teams. Former captains Claude Giroux and Mike Richards both earned first-team honors, but who else made the list? Hint: One current Flyers player made the grade.

Speaking of Giroux, the Flyers took on one of his former teams on Monday night, the reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. After trailing 2-0 after the first period, the Flyers roared back and picked up their eighth third-period comeback victory with a 4-3 win over the Panthers.

Everyone’s still talking about the Eagles defense that held the Packers to a measly 10 points. The players sum up their success this way: In Vic Fangio we trust.

“We trust that Vic is going to make the right call,” edge rusher Josh Sweat says about the defensive coordinator. “And we just went and executed it. It’s nice when you ain’t got to worry about what’s being called, you just trust in it and just go. That’s what happened.”

The defense will soldier on without linebacker Nakobe Dean, who suffered a torn patellar tendon in his left knee on Sunday.

Among the telling stats in the wild-card win: Jalen Hurts completed only 3 of 9 passes and was sacked twice when he was pressured.

Detractors will say the Eagles beat the Packers in spite of the quarterback. Advocates will say he did enough to win and that is all that mattered. Jeff McLane examines both sides of that argument.

We learned Monday that the Dallas Cowboys and coach Mike McCarthy are parting ways. That might open the door for Kellen Moore’s exit from Philly to return to Dallas, Marcus Hayes writes.

According to reports from CBS Sports and ESPN, Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen is moving on to take the same position at Clemson. Two key Nittany Lions players are not going anywhere, though, after their run in the College Football Playoff. Running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen announced that they will return for the 2025 season.

Who has made the most career field goals for the Eagles?

A) Jake Elliott

B) Tony Franklin

C) Paul McFadden

D) David Akers

We asked you: How can the Eagles get their passing game back on track? Or should they keep leaning heavily on the running game? Among your responses:

I think as Hurts settles in after being out, the passing game will return to form. However, if the running game is working, that’s a good thing. Our defense has been spectacular. The Birds have relied on a next man up mentality and that’s how you show your greatness and win championships. — Kathy T.

All depends on the game plan. Who cares as long as we win. Vikings or Rams? With the Rams who we beat up a month or so ago, it will most likely be big passing plays. Vikings are a much better team defensively. We’ll just run it down their throats on the ground and pick ‘em apart in the air. Makes no matter who we play because we are going to wind up playing in Detroit. Then to New Orleans we go. — Ron R.

The Eagles passing game started out ugly most likely due to none of the starters playing at all last week. I think the inactivity hurt them, and the Packers really came to play. The defense rose to the occasion and was outstanding with some super individual efforts. That and an excellent effort by the O-line and Saquon kept us in there for the win. … We need to throw more to DeVonta. I think the guy has the best hands in the NFL. And how about Goedert’s in your face TD. What a great play by one of our quietest heroes. — Everett S.

Hurts said the passing game against the Packers was off because they didn’t find a rhythm. The Eagles have become a running team primarily, and Hurts did not practice much, and had few reps leading up to the Packers game. A practice plan this week that emphasizes the pass game should remedy this, as long as Smith and Brown get the same increased reps that Hurts gets. The opposing team will focus on stopping the Eagles run game, and the Eagles should be leaning on the pass to set up the run. — John W.

I was very displeased with the passing game plan. Only one catch for all-world Brown, only 4 for the evasive and talented Smith and a couple to the backups. It was good to get Goedert back into the passing game. They need to reset the game plan with a balanced split between run and gun. Our receivers need to have plays called for them more often and they then need to get open. I think sometimes they don’t work as hard as they should, getting open when Hurts is in trouble. … Since most starters rested last week and Hurts was out I saw a little rust in the team. It was a good game to work out the kinks as the next games will be difficult. — Vince O.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Marcus Hayes, Ariel Simpson, Gabriela Carroll, Jeff McLane, Olivia Reiner, EJ Smith, Jeff Neiburg, Jackie Spiegel, Keith Pompey, Jonathan Tannenwald, Devin Jackson, Anna Orso, and Sean Collins Walsh.

By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

That’s a wrap on another busy day for Sports Daily. Bella will be at the newsletter’s controls on Wednesday. Thanks for reading. — Jim