FOXBOROUGH - A.J. Brown had little interest in revisiting his Philadelphia exit on Thursday. He brushed past the subject of Jalen Hurts, kept the answers short, and made it clear he’d rather talk about what’s in front of him now.
Brown said he has not spoken with Hurts since the Patriots acquired the three-time Pro Bowl receiver in June. When asked about his former quarterback, Brown laughed, shook his head and made it clear he wanted the conversation to stay away from old baggage.
“Philly, y’all are tough, man,” Brown said, referencing the reporter who asked the question. “Man, it’s love though.
Listen. Honestly, guys, none of that stuff even matters, guys.”
“You all should want to report something positive. You know asking the question, it’s going to turn negative so let’s not get into that and let’s keep everything positive.
It’s love my way. Just move forward.”
Brown’s tone changed quickly when the focus shifted to Drake Maye. The connection between the receiver and the Patriots quarterback is still a work in progress, Brown said, but he sees plenty to like in the young passer.
“He’s very special. He has a lot of arm talent,” Brown said. “He can place the ball anywhere, and [so is] the way he sees the game and sees the field.”
That pairing showed up in a big way against the Eagles, where Maye and Brown hooked up seven times. Brown said the work isn’t perfect yet, but the talent on the quarterback’s side makes the job easier.
Brown’s practice also came against some familiar faces. He jogged past former Eagles teammates early in the session and didn’t look back. Quinyon Mitchell, who spent the past two seasons with Brown in Philadelphia, said the receiver still looks like the same dangerous player, maybe even a better one.
“Looked a little better. Looked a little better,” Mitchell said.
“Looked a little faster. Like I said, he’s a great receiver.”
There had been offseason concern about Brown’s knee, with Eliot Wolf describing it as a degenerative knee condition. But Brown won his lone 1-on-1 rep of the day against Mitchell, then had the play slip away when Maye put the ball where it needed to be and Brown couldn’t finish the catch in front of the end zone.
“The first rep, man, Q got away with a little holding but I won and he pulled himself back in the play,” Brown said. “I’ve just got to finish the play.
My right hand didn’t get to the ball quick enough and my left hand got on the ball. That’s on me.
“Attention to detail. Catching the ball high, not letting it get low,” he added.
“It’s those little things. It was never about who I’m going against, it’s the little things.
That could have been a 40-yard bomb and now it’s a long foul ball. Those are the things that I’m focusing on, and just trying to get better each and every day.”
Brown handled the day in a straightforward, workmanlike way, and Mike Vrabel said he’s seen growth in him over the years.
“It’s funny, just not being around him day-to-day for whatever years it was from Tennessee to Philly, now here,” Vrabel said. “Just an overall maturity, the way that he communicates with coaches, the way he communicates with players.
“It’s just, I would say, an overall maturity. So, he’s accountable.
He gets mistakes corrected. You can coach him hard.
Todd [Downing] can coach him hard. Josh can coach him hard.
He wants to do well for the entire offense, and he wants to be a contributor.”
Brown said there’s no need for closure after facing the Eagles for the first time. His focus, he said, is on the Patriots and the team he’s with now.
“It’s not about no closure or anything, man,” Brown said. “It’s love. I won a Super Bowl ring with them and it will always be love no matter how anyone feels.”
“I love Philly, and I will always love Philly but I’m here now. That’s where my feet are and that’s what I’m focused on.”
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