Eagles WR A.J. Brown: 'It's Time to Get Off Mat' as Offseason Program Ramps Up

Philadelphia Eagles star receiver A.J. Brown was referring to the team's Super Bowl LVII loss, while center Jason Kelce and tight end Dallas Goedert added their thoughts as well.

It’s time, as A.J. Brown said on Wednesday, to get off the mat.

Super Bowl LVII is in the rearview mirror, still closer than it might appear, with the 38-35 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs just over three months out.

“In terms of that game, you just can’t dwell on it,” said Brown, who was one of several players who were unavailable in the immediate aftermath of the loss, either at one of the postgame podiums or inside a locker room that was mostly deserted when reporters where finally allowed in.

“That’s life. Not everything’s going to go your way. At some point, you have to get off the mat and get back working. I think that’s where this team’s at right now. We definitely have that chip on our shoulder, but still taking it day by day. It’s still early. It’s like building a house brick by brick.”

Not many teams have been able to win a Super Bowl the following year after making it to the Big Game. 

In fact, there have been just three: The 1971 Dallas Cowboys, the 1972 Miami Dolphins, and the 2018 New England Patriots.

“Adversity happens,” Brown said. “That was a big one. It was the Super Bowl, but as athletes, we face adversity all the time. …I look at it in terms of - it’s life. Of course, you can want something so bad, but if it’s not your time, it’s not your time, and get back to work.

“Don’t quit, because you never know because next time could be your time. We’re one day at a time. We’re not trying to look ahead, the season is far ahead, but we’re working one day at a time.”

Tight end Dallas Goedert couldn’t wait to get back to work, something the Eagles are doing this month as they gather for OTAs.

“After the Super Bowl, I couldn’t wait to get back,” he said on Wednesday. “That was the toughest loss I’ve ever had in my career. The only thing I wanted to do from that time on is get back, start this new season, so we can go out there.

“I think if anything it puts a chip on the entire team’s shoulder. Based on what we’ve done in OTAs, it looks like that’s the entire team’s mindset, and we have a lot of guys who are super-hungry to try to replicate the season we had last year.”

Veteran center Jason Kelce, who won a Super Bowl with the Eagles in 2017, said the loss didn’t hit him until a few days had passed.

“The Super Bowl was confusing because of my brother (Travis) over there, mom on the field, there were a lot of emotions going around,” he said on Wednesday. “You were happy for your brother but pissed off for you and your teammates.

“I think when it really set in probably the most, was a few days after the game, if I’m being honest, when you really think about plays you could’ve had back. That game could have very easily gone a different direction. You start second-guessing every little thing that you could have done to make an outcome different than that.”

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Ed Kracz covers the Philadelphia Eagles for SI's EaglesToday.

Please follow him and our Eagles coverage on Twitter at @kracze.

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