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Nick Sirianni addresses claim that Jalen Hurts and AJ Brown went rogue

This article was originally published on Larry Brown Sports.

Nick Sirianni walking to the bench
Aug 15, 2024; Foxborough, MA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni walks to the bench before a game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni was asked on Wednesday about two of his star players supposedly going rogue at a crucial moment in the team’s Week 10 win over the Green Bay Packers.

The Eagles were leading 10-7 and had a 4th-and-6 with 33 seconds remaining in their game against the Packers at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. Sirianni made the surprising decision to go for it on fourth down at the Packers 35-yard line. The play call was even more puzzling, as Jalen Hurts attempted a low-percentage deep pass to A.J. Brown that fell incomplete.

After the game, ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt asked DeVonta Smith about the fourth-down call. Smith seemed to suggest that the play call came from Hurts and Brown, not Sirianni.

“Whatever (Hurts) and (Brown) want to do, if that’s what they call and that’s what they wanna do, we rolling with it,” Smith said.

Philadelphia radio host Bill Colarulo then reported on Tuesday that Hurts and Brown “went rogue” with the play call on 4th-and-6.

Sirianni addressed the situation during his media availability on Wednesday. He seemed annoyed at the suggestion that his players overruled him. The coach emphatically repeated the same response twice.

“I knew exactly what the play was that we were calling and that was run in that moment,” Sirianni said.

There is a big difference between recognizing the play and calling it yourself, and it seemed like Sirianni intentionally stopped short of saying the deep throw was his decision.

Brown has seemed frustrated with the Eagles all season, as he is not being given the opportunity to produce like a Pro Bowl wide receiver. Philadelphia is 7-2 and looks like a legitimate Super Bowl contender, but Brown made some comments in a live stream on Wednesday night that got fans buzzing again.

There have been reports in the past of tension between Hurts and Sirianni. Most of those came before the Eagles won the Super Bowl. Even if Hurts did call an audible on the 4th-and-6 play, the Eagles won the game. That is probably all his coach cares about.

The post Nick Sirianni addresses claim that Jalen Hurts and AJ Brown went rogue appeared first on Larry Brown Sports.

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