Mike Missanelli: I have thoughts on A.J. Brown, Rob Thomson and Sixers

Before last Sunday, I wasn’t really sure what the Philadelphia Eagles were.

I expected there would be SOME attrition from the Super Bowl season, simply because it’s so difficult to maintain that level of excellence from season to season, and because the smart people in Vegas made their over/under total an underwhelming 11.5. I also thought that Saquon Barkley would have about 1,000 fewer total yards than he had last season because defensive coordinators aren’t as dumb as stumps. Is it really that difficult to put together a defensive game plan when the data says the Eagles’ success is based primarily off the running game?

Now, I see that they’re still pretty damn good and still a league contender.

And also, I’m still obsessed with the enigma that is A.J. Brown.

There’s a concept in law that goes a little something like this: you cannot move to a hazard and then complain about the hazard. In other words, if you buy a house next to a busy train station, you can’t sue for the noise pollution.

A.J. Brown is a diva. OK, let me take that back. Because when I called him a diva on the radio, or tweeted out that same message, I got broiled by the millions of fanboys out there who love their players unconditionally. That’s fine. Let’s just say he is a “restrained” diva, because, while he doesn’t exactly break loud glass during an emergency, he is a master of the passive/aggressive complaint  -- see: the semi-absurd motivation book on the sidelines, or a pointed walkout of a locker room, avoiding the press, after a loss – and maybe even a little more aggressive/aggressive behavior such as an occasional sideline spat, or him being seen mouthing, on Sunday, “just get me the damn ball!”

A.J. Brown has TWO tuddys on the day! pic.twitter.com/uxnd4h6IAt

— On Pattison (@OnPattison) October 19, 2025

Let me also add that pretty much all wide receivers are divas. Why? They are talented, but mostly spoiled brats because of their talents, most tending to think the world revolves around said talents. Also, they have it easiest of any other player on the field. Oh yes, they run the risk of getting blindly buried by a hard-charging safety over the middle. But pretty much they are allowed to run freely on a football field, without having to take a hit or give a hit on every play like running backs, or offensive lineman, or anyone who actually hits and blocks. If you have it the easiest, its easier to be a brat.

But let’s get back to that train station analogy.

If you move to the hazard, you deal with the hazard. Hence, if you hire a diva, you just patronize the diva. A.J. Brown is most happy, most productive, when he is involved in the action. So, get him the freaking ball early and get him engaged in the ball game! One of the most unstoppable plays in the Eagle offensive scheme is the quick slant to the 235-pound receiver. How do you stop it? You really can’t. He’s quick enough to beat, and strong enough to ward off any cornerback. All the quarterback has to do is be aware of where the outside linebacker is. I’m loathe to bring up T.O. here, but when the Eagles acquired Terrell Owens, they KNEW he was kind of insane. So, they pretended he wasn’t? When you hire a kind of insane guy, you make sure to patronize the guy, or you’re asking for big emotional trouble. And surely they got it.

You want A.J. to be most productive? Get him the damn ball.

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Rob Thomson is coming back as Phillies manager. OK. It’s not what I thought would happen. I assumed that Rob would be kicked upstairs and Dave Dombrowski would look for a new voice, his voice, since Dombrowski didn’t hire Philly Rob. But I can accept this because at the end of the day, I think Thomson’s a pretty good manager.

The measure of a good manager is not, in my opinion, how he can X and O. The measure is how comfortable he makes the players in his clubhouse, how much confidence he can instill in them, so they can go out there to play their best. Baseball is hard. Good pitching will beat good hitting. Hitting coaches aren’t irrelevant, but baseball mostly is a game of mano a mano, where once a hitter steps into a batter’s box, it’s totally up to him. I think Thomson, like Charlie Manuel, does a decent job of making his players (except for Nick Castellanos) feel comfortable. The cynic just read that and said, well, what, he can’t make them feel comfortable when it really counts, in the post-season? To that, I have no retort.

Trea Turner on Rob Thomson’s future

(Via @TimKellySports) pic.twitter.com/ItXySEc9HD

— On Pattison (@OnPattison) October 10, 2025

I will rip Rob in one area: I think he has totally messed up Bryson Stott’s confidence, When the kid came up, I remember hearing baseball people say Stott was a talented enough hitter to one day win a batting title. Now he looks scared. And Thompson hasn’t done him any favors by pounding into Stott’s skull that he can’t hit left-handers. I’ve said my piece.

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I hope the Sixers have a great season; I really do. I hope Joel Embiid can come back from degenerative knees, and Paul George can come back to again be a dominant star player. I hope the young kids can be difference makers to thrust the Sixers into the upper echelon of the wide-open Eastern Conference.

I just ain’t buying it.

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I’ll let Anthony SanFilippo handle all my thoughts on the Flyers.

This is the first in an occasional series of columns by Mike Missanelli about Philadelphia sports for On Pattison. Mike will begin hosting a pair of podcasts for the On Pattison Podcast network beginning on Monday morning with a look back at Sunday's Eagles game. And then beginning October 30, he will host the weekly On Pattison Podcast at 2PM.