NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – The Titans visit the hottest team in the NFL Sunday in Philadelphia but all anyone is going to talk about this week is AJ Brown.
On draft night, Titans general manager Jon Robinson pulled the trigger on one of the most controversial trades in team history, sending Brown to the Eagles for a 1st and 3rd round pick.
Contract talks with Brown had collapsed to the point where the Titans viewed trading the receiver their best, yet inconceivable, option.
Robinson used the picks to draft wide receiver Treylon Burks from Arkansas and quarterback Malik Willis from Liberty.
Brown did not go quietly immediately landing a massive contract extension in Philly worth around $25-million a season.
Since then he has tweeted about his former team and their breakup and then removed those tweets after sparring with scorned Titan fans.
Brown is a talented player with big personality and both should be on display Sunday in Philadelphia. The Eagles are 9-1 for so far in the season. If the Titans get distracted by the talk and the circus things could get ugly fast.
Titans head coach Mike Vrabel says there is no reason for his team not to be focused, “This is the best team in the National Football League. They ran for 360 yards. There will be plenty of challenges. It is a good football team, on the road. We have proven to be, and hopefully who we are. We’ll just have to have to prepare this week, show up, try to do things that we know are successful, and not start changing things or pointing fingers but just be accountable, make the corrections, figure out why, ask questions, learn from it, and make sure that we look at the things of what we do well and have success with and look at what we do when we don’t.”
Brown is having a big year with 53 catches for 831 yards and 7 touchdowns. He has two 100 yard games, but just one since the season opener when he burst on the scene with 10 catches for 155 yards.
The Titans know Brown can take over a game, they have seen it do it for them.
“Oh, that is going to be awesome.” said Titans star safety Kevin Byard, “Obviously, AJ is my guy. I’m happy he’s having success in Philadelphia. I know he’s going to be amped up during the game.”
There will be plenty of pressure on Brown not to make the Titans pay for anything, but to prove to them he was worth the astronomical pay day he wanted and ultimately landed with the Eagles.
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For the Titans there is sure to be plenty of pressure on Burks. He was drafted in the 1st round out of Arkansas to replace Brown whether the Titans acknowledge it or not.
After a slow start, and a toe injury, Burks has popped for the Titans with 11 catches for 181 yards in the last two games including two big 50 yard shots downfield.
It is not Titans versus AJ Brown or Brown versus Burks, but it sure will feel like it.