Donovan McNabb knows all too well about dealing with a No. 1 wide receiver who demands the ball and even let out a little laugh when saying the Eagles' offense has not been the same since A.J. Brown was seen on the sideline yelling at Jalen Hurts.
"It's been so inconsistent each and every week and I go back to before the—I can't say argument or maybe the complaint from A.J. Brown about not being more involved in the offense and getting the ball," McNabb told Jon Marks and Ike Reese during his 4pm Monday calls on 94WIP. "I go to that because I've seen it before, I understand it, I know as a quarterback you don't want to be involved in it. But what I'm seeing is, I'm seeing offensive play calls are being more catered to try to feature instead of establishing a tempo and a consistency from running the football, play action game, quick game to be able to spread the ball around. DeVonta Smith, I don't care what nobody say, he ain't getting involved in this offense.
"It goes back to last year, the first year A.J. Brown got there. Maybe in the first four or five games, DeVonta Smith looked like he was the true number even with A.J. Brown and A.J. Brown started getting more features. Now it seems like we're featuring more of A.J. Brown and pulling away from the true run game. We threw the ball over 40 times in that game, I believe right? In the Jets game. That's not our offense. Our offense is getting Swift about 18 touches, somehow in the passing game or running game. Get Gainwell about 12-15 touches and then Jalen gets about 5-6 carries if it's from a scramble or read-option, whatever it may be."
To McNabb's point, Brown has 60 targets in six games this season to Smith's 45, while tight end Dallas Goedert has just 36. And to make things look even more drastic, Brown has turned his 60 targets into a massive 42-672-2 line, while Smith has just 28-334-2 and has combined for just six catches and 50 total yards over his last two games.
Smith appeared frustrated after Sunday's loss talking about one of his worst drops as an Eagle saying, "I just (bleeping) dropped it."