PHILADELPHIA — No current coach in the NFL knows better than Kansas City’s Andy Reid about the challenge of winning season after season. He’s got three Super Bowl rings now and he’s been to the title game six times as a head coach and twice as an assistant.
So what’s the challenge of repeating?
“Focus,” the former Eagles coach said during the NFL Annual Meeting in late March. “Just making sure that everybody keeps their focus. You get patted on the back a lot when you leave the building after a big game or a big season. It’s about how you handle that.”
Reid would love how Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown has handled his first season as a Super Bowl champion. Brown is a social media butterfly who loves sharing what he’s feeling on his X account.
He shared this surprising revelation three days after the Eagles won it all:
“I’ve had time to reflect on being a champion. I tried to feel how everyone made made it seem to be a champion and unfortunately it was short lived ... two days to be exact lol.
“I’ve never been a champion at the highest level before but I thought my hard work would be justified by winning it all. It wasn’t. My thrill for this game comes when I dominate. It’s the Hunt that does it for me. It’s when the Db drops his head and surrender because he can’t F with me. The intense battles. Early mornings. Late nights. Sacrifices. I love putting smiles on people faces, don’t get me wrong but it just wasn’t what I thought it would be. It’s the journey I love the most. BACK 2 Work!”
And so began another fascinating offseason for the Eagles’ star receiver.
“The parade was very special,” Brown conceded. “I celebrated and it was very fun. After that moment, it was back to work and try to find a way to get better.”
Brown, who just finished his sixth season, admitted he was surprised by his feelings following the Eagles’ Super Bowl win.
“It did, because coming into the league we were taught we are playing for this reason and we’re playing for this trophy,” Brown said. “And we got the trophy and I thought everything would be fulfilled ... but now I know it’s the journey that matters the most and means the most. Those are the moments that you look back on with your teammates, you’re spending that time and going to war and you’re suffering together and you’re winning together.
“That’s the beautiful moments in it. You can’t take the trophy home with you. It’s cool it’s in the history books, but we’re going to remember the moment more than the ring.”
Those words were just part of what has been a fascinating and eventful offseason for Brown.
Just days after returning from the Super Bowl in New Orleans, Brown kept his promise to visit 10-year-old Trey Howard, who had protected his sister from flying debris during the February medical plane crash that killed seven people in Northeast Philadelphia.
In late April, his 2022 Mercedes GLE Maybach was stolen from his home in Haddonfield, but with help from Brown and a GPS system in the car, the alleged thief — 25‑year‑old Luis Segurra — was found, arrested and charged. Before the arrest, Brown sent out an Instagram message warning that he was coming for the thief, but that he’d be willing to forget about the entire thing if the car was returned.
Earlier this month, Brown proposed to his girlfriend Kelsey Riley inside the Four Seasons Hotel in Center City with assistance from a video made by music legend John Legend.
“He’s a big Eagles’ fan and he went to school here at Penn,” Brown said. “It just kind of teamed up perfectly for me.”
Brown’s latest big moment this offseason came 11 days ago when he gave the commencement speech at his alma mater, the University of Mississippi.
“I’m still very thankful the chancellor invited me to do that,” Brown said. “I just wanted to put out a message about pushing through hard times and that you’re your own investment. That was special for me because that’s the school I chose and where I played.”
The one stop Brown didn’t make was the White House when many of his teammates visited President Trump on April 28.
“I had a personal reason I was dealing with that day,” Brown said. “It wasn’t about politics or who was in the office or anything like that.”
Now, Brown is back at work with his Eagles’ teammates getting ready for another season and that is truly his happy place..
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Bob Brookover can be reached atrbrookover@njadvancemedia.com