Shane Steichen preaches a selfless offense after A.J. Brown’s dominant week 1 performance

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Eagles a.j brown
PHILADELPHIA, PA – AUGUST 12: Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver AJ Brown (11) runs a route during pre-season game between the New York Jets and the Philadelphia Eagles on August 12, 2022 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia PA. (Photo by Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire)

Shane Steichen opens up on A.J Brown’s performance & the Eagles offense

A.J. Brown caught 10 passes for 155 yards on Sunday, proving to be worth every penny of his monster extension and then some. But, he also caught more passes than the rest of the team combined. Dallas Goedert had 3 receptions for 60 yards, but one of them was a 27-yard breakaway that inflated the line. Former first-round selection, DeVonta Smith, went without a catch for the first time in his career.

Eagles offensive coordinator, Shane Steichen, spoke with reporters on Tuesday and it didn’t take long for the topic to arise, mainly because of how much of a concern it was that Hurts struggled to come off of his first read last year.

No, I don’t need him to worry about that. Really wherever the ball is going, it’s first read, second read. He goes through his progressions, and that’s where it is. 

Shane Steichen on Jalen Hurts

The offensive coordinator backed his quarterback after an impressive game against Detroit before going on to preach how selfless this group really is.

 You know what the best part is? This group in general, they’re all selfless, and this is an ultimate team game, and it’s all about winning. Those guys understand that. As competitors, do they want the ball? Absolutely, they want the ball. But as long as we’re winning and we’re scoring points, I think everyone is going to be pretty happy.

Shane Steichen

What’s needed to run a selfless offense?

In theory, this works. All it takes is one look at the NBA’s Golden State Warriors to see a prime example. If Steph Curry can’t get hot, he’s got Klay Thompson to pick up the slack. If Klay is covered, there’s a physical big man in Draymond Green. If Draymond can’t go, they look to Jordan Poole. It’s the same basic premise, but one that requires all ego’s to be checked at the doorstep…something that proved to be impossible under the previous regime.

It’s also worth noting that DeVonta Smith once played in an offense with Jaylen Waddle, Henry Ruggs, and a flurry of other dominant receiving weapons. He’s used to not always being the main attraction and knows that he’ll get his eventually.

Anytime you score points like we did on Sunday, you’re going to give yourself a chance to win. I told the offense this before we went out there, it’s all about points, guys. However we need to get points, we’ve got to get that done. To score 31 — I’ll take 31 plus every week, and you’re going to have a chance to win a lot of football games. 

Shane Steichen

It’s valid to be worried that after spending $100M on A.J. Brown who commanded 70+ receptions in 2021 like their prized rookie did, ensuring everyone has a slice of the pie could be a problem. However, provided that the Eagles are all pulling in the same direction and the target-share issue doesn’t become a consistent concern, then there’s nothing to worry about.