CeeDee Lamb vs. A.J. Brown? Eagles WR Wrongly Rips Cowboys Comparisons

Philadelphia Eagles star A.J. Brown called for a relative, if not temporary, ceasefire to the long-standing NFC East rivalry with the Dallas Cowboys.

A.J. Brown is tired of getting compared to CeeDee Lamb. But it's not because of the supposedly mandatory hatred of the Dallas Cowboys said to be required for members of the Philadelphia Eagles. Brown, in fact, finds the long-standing NFC East battle fairly overrated.

The reveal came when Brown chastised a tweet from Pro Football Focus that asked if viewers would rather have him or Lamb as their top receiver. Brown felt there was no debate ... and did so motivated by maybe unexpected reasons.

"Respectfully stop comparing me to CeeDee he plays slot and I play outside and inside," Brown tweeted. "Compare him to Cooper Kupp or guys like that. It's not the same." 

Brown's clarification held no punches back on his indifferent thoughts on the eternal Cowboys-Eagles bout. "I'm not taking a shot (at) him either because he is cold,'' he said, "and y'all know I don't care about the rivalry, either."

First, to the "slot'' thing: According to Pro Football Focus, Lamb lined up as the slot receiver on 93 percent of his snaps in 2020. So, he's a "slot receiver''? No, because that number dropped to 40 percent in 2021. And then in 2022, he was in the slot 63 percent of the time.

So Brown's point - passionate and newsworthy as it may be - is based on his misunderstanding of what the Cowboys do on offense. And he is therefore wrong. And Cowboys fans would surely like to point something else out here, too ...

In 2022, Lamb totaled 107 catches for 1,359 yards and nine touchdowns.

Brown meanwhile totaled 88 catches (13th NFL) for 1,496 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Those numbers - "respectfully,'' combined with the facts of where Lamb truly lines up, makes PFF's "comparison'' question completely valid.

The Super Bowl LVII participant would delete his initial thoughts that probably united both blue and green sides in annoyance. He'd explain himself in other social media postings ... which were likewise deleted, though his comments were archived on SI.com.

“I don’t get caught up in the rivalry because that leaves room for emotion,” he said. “I play at the highest level and the only thing on my mind is dominating. Not talking, but dominating."

Brown said he's used to putting rivalries aside while still maintaining gameday intensity thanks to his participation in the Egg Bowl rivalry. He was born in Starkville, home of Mississippi State, but instead went to play for their rivals at the University of Mississippi.

“I will do my job and go home, get ready to do it again," Brown said. "I don’t care about the rivalry but I do care about wins and losses. I went to (Mississippi) and was born and raised in Starkville. We focus on the task, not rivalries, not emotions but simply dominating.”

Having come to Philadelphia from Tennessee last season via a blockbuster trade, Brown is relatively new to the shared trials of the Cowboys and Eagles. In his first two games on the winged side of the rivalry, Brown put up 170 yards and 11 receptions in the split set. Dates for the next two stagings are set to be revealed later this month upon the release of the 2023-24 NFL schedule.

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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