FOXBOROUGH - Standing ovation for Mike Vrabel and Nick Sirianni. The two head coaches understood the assignment to start Wednesday’s joint practice between the Patriots and Eagles. They gave the 12,000-plus fans in attendance and more media than anyone ever needs to have congregated in such a small area exactly what they came for: a one-on-one rep between A.J. Brown and All-Pro Quinyon Mitchell.
Mitchell lined up in press coverage but took a step back at the snap, allowing Brown to utilize a stutter-step before he released vertically, attacking Mitchell’s outside shoulder. Brown appeared to have a little more explosion than we’ve seen in camp, gaining the advantage within 10 yards. The third-year cornerback didn’t allow that gap to widen, staying glued to Brown’s inside hip. There was some tugging from Mitchell, but there was still enough room for Drake Maye to drop the ball over the wideout’s shoulder and into his left hand. However, Brown could not complete the catch, much to the disappointment of the crowd.
"Q got away with a little holding,” Brown said after practice. “I won; he pulled himself back into the play, and I just have to finish the play. My right hand didn't get to the ball quick enough. My left hand got on the ball. That's on me. Attention to detail - catching the ball high, not letting it get low.
"... It's never about who I'm going against; it's the little things. That could have been a 40-yard bomb, but now it's a long foul ball. Those are the things I'm focusing on."
For the stat keepers, Brown would go on to have his most productive days during 11-on-11s, catching four passes from Maye (there might have been a few more, but there were sacks/pressure/penalties that negated them). The majority of those came on slants and crossing routes, which have been the duo’s bread-and-butter through these nearly three weeks of the summer. Yes, you’d like to see more down the field - there have been a couple - but this relationship remains a work-in-progress.
“We're definitely in a good spot right now. We're going to continue to keep building…” Brown said, adding that Maye is, “very special. He has a lot of arm talent. He can place the ball anywhere.”
It was not hard to take Brown’s words about his new quarterback and contrast that with how he grew to feel about his old passer, Jalen Hurts, especially with the Philadelphia media getting their first crack at talking to Brown since the trade. The questions came fast and furious, and while Brown did his best to be polite and non-controversial, it was telling that he admitted he and Hurts had not spoken in the two-and-a-half months since the trade. In fact, all he could muster was a single word, “No.”
That shouldn’t come as a surprise. Brown vocalized his dissatisfaction with