Brown: Eagles had players question coaches
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Brown: Eagles had players question coaches
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
For eight seasons, whenever Sheldon Brown spoke, everyone listened.
Now members of the Cleveland media will be rushing to Brown's locker after games and practices to get an honest view of what's going on with the team and the franchise.
But Brown took time last week to close the book on his career in Philadelphia during a pair of WIP radio interviews, and as always, he had some interesting things to say.
Most notable was Brown referencing some of his former teammates failing to buy in to what the coaching staff was selling.
"I just think, we as a defense in Philadelphia, you just have to believe in what coach [Sean] McDermott preaches and follow the plan," Brown told Howard Eskin and Ike Reese. "You know, sometimes I look back at last year, the season, I feel that we had some players that really was questioning some of the things that were being done. And [we] never had that situation since I've been there. And first and foremost, you have to believe in the system, believe in the plan, or you lose before you even go out there. And if the guys can remember to do that, stick together, they'll be fine."
So, who wasn't buying into McDermott's message? Brown might have been speaking in generalizations, or he might have been talking about one or two specific players.
I went back to look at some stories, columns and blog posts from during the season, and the name that seems most logical is Asante Samuel.
The Daily News' Paul Domowitch wrote about Samuel's unwillingness to play press coverage in a column after the Eagles' two losses to the Cowboys:
"We just didn't do a good enough job on the screens," McDermott said. "When you don't press, that's what happens. You leave too much room in between you and the next blocker and they get a hat on a hat and get up the field and that's when you have problems."
Asked why Samuel didn't press on [Miles] Austin's touchdown, McDermott said, "It was designed to be pressed."
And here's what I wrote about Samuel in Man Up after the loss to the Saints:
He was matched up one-on-one with Devery Henderson on a 3rd-and-12 in the second quarter and was nowhere near the receiver, who picked up 17 yards. Samuel also gave a big cushion to Colston on a 13-yard gain in the third quarter. If you re-watch the game, you'll notice that Samuel stayed in for the next play but then was replaced by Ellis Hobbs for the remainder of the series. He didn't appear to be injured. This was before he suffered the stinger. Was this Sean McDermott's way of sending a message to Samuel to not give up so much ground?
More from Brown:
"Sometimes when guys come from other places, and you feel as if some guys in house that have been working hard feel as they're not appreciated, then obviously in any workplace, it's gonna become a problem."
Samuel, of course, signed a six-year, $57M deal in 2008, after arriving from New England.
Brown clearly felt that with the Eagles cutting ties with guys he had been around for so long - Lito Sheppard, Brian Dawkins, etc. - it was time for him to move on as well.
"It was just one of those situations where the guys I that had been there with throughout the years were no longer there, and then some things happened from a locker room standpoint, chemistry-wise, and it was just time for change for myself and my family," Brown told The Morning Show.
When asked what he meant by the locker room/chemistry comment, Brown said he'd rather not go into it.
Other nuggets:
* Brown did not sound bitter. He praised Andy Reid, McDermott and said he spoke with Howie Roseman. But he did say: "It's good to once in a awhile want to be wanted."
* For years, observers have speculated about the Eagles potentially moving Brown to safety. After the trade, Roseman said: "We talked about that, like we talk about all things, but Sheldon wants to play corner, he views himself as a cornerback, and that's kind of where that ended."
Not so, said Brown:
"The only thing that frustrated me about the whole deal was no one never once asked me to play safety. I'll clear that up because I read something that a gentlemen said that we talked to Sheldon about playing safety, and he still said he was a corner. That's not true. For me, I'm such a team guy. Wherever Cleveland wants me to play, I'm gonna play there. And wherever Philadelphia wanted me to play, I was gonna play there because those guys in the locker room depended on me."
* Maybe I'm the only one who would find this one interesting, but Brown talked about the Eagles' defensive representative at the weekly press conferences, and after games. For years, it was Brian Dawkins. Last year, it was going to be Stewart Bradley, but that changed when he went down with a season-ending injury in training camp. Then it became Quintin Mikell. So why wasn't Brown at the podium? "They came to me with that, and I said with the situation that I'm in right now, you guys probably don't want me to be that guy because I was gonna answer questions all year about my happiness, and I wasn't gonna deal with that."
Definitely would have provided for more entertainment.
* Brown called leadership "overrated" but it was pretty clear that he thought he had a different definition of the word than fans and the media. "The thing that sometimes the fans and everyone miss out on, is we had an opportunity to learn from some great guys," Brown said. "What I don't want people to fail to realize is that I didn't do this alone. Lito [Sheppard] didn't do it alone. [Brian] Westbrook. Westbrook had Duce [Staley]. I had Troy [Vincent] and Bobby [Taylor]. Lito had Troy and Bobby. Mike Lewis had Brian Dawkins. So there were veterans in place that had great qualities about them, and we understood that. And we fell in line and learned how to be pros, and I think that that's key."
A major issue for the Eagles going forward, which is more concerning on defense than offense.
* To that same point, Brown talked about how much the defense missed Dawkins last season. "I think it's just a locker room presence," he said. "It's great to have a guy like that in the locker room where a younger guy can come in and see how it's supposed to be done. ... I can go back to Troy. I learned from Troy and people like Dawk. They would show how to play through injury, how to tough it out, how to fight, sit down and talk to you as a young buck and tell you what it's gonna take for you to achieve the goals that they have achieved. That locker room presence is huge."
* When asked who the leaders could be next season, Brown pointed to Mikell on 'D' and Jason Avant on offense.
* His favorite memories were Jim Johnson meeting his family for the first time and the NFC championship game against Atlanta that sent the Eagles to the Super Bowl.
* Thanks to Lance over at Eagles Mix for pointing me towards the interviews.
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Farewell to a solid guy that I HOPE can be replaced without lost production in a key spot on the "D". I was dead wrong about the loss of Dawk last year, as I thought "Q" would just step into the job and make it HIS. Here's hoping the defense will come together under McDermott. With all the new folks coming to the "D" next year, it will be tricky getting everybody to mesh together and play solidly.— TBear- I loved Brown as a player. He brought his lunch pail to work every Sunday. I don't disagree with the Eagles trading him. He gutted it out but he was hurt all of last season. You can't blame McDermott for the defensive woes. He did his best with what he had. Only one good pass rusher, undersized DT's, an absolute nightmare at EVERY LB position due to various injuries, one corner who avoids contact like the Hanta virus, and no FS. I think he did ok. The best offseason move the Eagles have made besides trading McNabb has been bringing in Dick coach— pflynn20
Comment removed.- I loved Brown as a player. He brought his lunch pail to work every Sunday. I don't disagree with the Eagles trading him. He gutted it out but he was hurt all of last season. You can't blame McDermott for the defensive woes. He did his best with what he had. Only one good pass rusher, undersized DT's, an absolute nightmare at EVERY LB position due to various injuries, one corner who avoids contact like the Hanta virus, and no FS. I think he did ok. The best offseason move the Eagles have made besides trading McNabb has been bringing in Dick Jauron for defensive help. McDermott and Jauron and a ton of draft picks to bolster the defense is something to look forward in 2010. Is 2010 a rebuilding year? More like a transition year maybe. But this franchise has turned over pretty much it's entire roster and I don't think it's going to miss a beat.— pflynn20
- Contract aside, there is some credibility to his assessment about player/coach(es) discord. Many players, including us prognosticators, think we know more than a coach whom sees and interacts with players everyday. I'll go on record as saying, "Trading McNabb now was a mistake, he should have retired as an Eagle. You let he and Kolb, compete for the starting position, and I believe he is man enough to accept what the outcome is." Now off my horse, a coach needs 80-90% of good talent and can piece meal the rest. However, a coach with bad players will result in a bad team, and it's just the way things go. Clearly, there is a gap between the Eagles and Dallas, let's see if Andy Reid can up the talent percentage by drafting well. This is where he makes his bones.— AJW2009
- Comment removed.
- Sometimes there are posters that critisize many of us who listen to the sports talk shows as it being only garbage, but there are at times interviews that provide a players insight of what is happening that you don't get from the paper or internet. It's coming directly from them. Many of the players that Sheldon mentioned as leaders came from the Ray Rhoades era. Reid was fortunate in having those players in place when he took over; there was a lot of talent here, even though the record didn't show it. I agree with Sheldon in that I have issues with not keeping their core players when they are still young and their contracts run out, and they sign outsiders for a lot more money.— watsonmr
- We're really going to miss Sheldon. He had his contract problems last year, but came and played like a champ, had a great year. I wish him the best in Cleveland. FO should probably have thought of keeping some veteran leadership around.— allen_jones
- We're really going to miss Sheldon. He had his contract problems last year, but came and played like a champ, had a great year. I wish him the best in Cleveland. FO should probably have thought of keeping some veteran leadership around.— allen_jones
- The Eagles have had a lot of success other than a SuperBowl under Andy Reid. Although I hate to be teased their success has been comforting. Like the Bills who lost 4 SuperBowls. Bottom line, they need to get secure on defense and they can run the table.— njones9
- Stop coddling the guy. He had a great career here and he's no longer the stud he was. No sensible biz will invest long term in a guy who's skills are declining. Don't take it personally, remember these guys are just assets at each position. Their skills are all the coaches are interested in. When skills go south it's time to look for a "fresh start" elsewhere.— stoneman
- Asante has probelms. 9 interceptions is a misleading stat. So was Brown's career high 5 interceptions. Both gave up lot of big plays last year, and neither had a lot of big hits. Thos interceptions are game changers, but they both probably got burnt twice a smuch as they should have last year. We need better cornerbacks. Brown peaked and I think it was a smart move to send him to Cleveland. Asante is still an issue. Eagles fans are use to having great tough respectable corners. Asante is not Eagle material. Send him to Oakland or something.— Ben Dawkins
- sheldon brown was one of the best, brightest and classiest players ever to wear the eagles green. his play, presence and effort will be greatly missed. i just want to thank him and wish him luck in whatever he does.— amrts
- Brown was good - wish him the best. In life their doesn't have to be a win/lose...the move can be good for both sides...someone doesn't have to be the 'bad guy'. Team chemisty is different than chemistry in the science lab. It is easy to look back and know it wasn't there, but almost impossible to predict for the future...you make your choices and do the best with what you have— ziggy
- the eagles should have broke rank and re-upped sheldon's contract,...there are just too many question marks back there to go into another year with this defensive coordinator as young as he is— SyddBarrett
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