49ers DB could reignite feud after blatant troll of Eagles WR duo
49ers DB could reignite feud after blatant troll of Eagles WR duo 49ers DB Ji'Ayir Brown insinuates he could cover Eagles star WR duo
It's funny how things change. Had you polled most Philadelphia Eagles fans about ten years ago, they would have probably told you they have the utmost respect for the Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers.
Both teams wear gold. Sure, they're different hues of gold, but gold nonetheless. Once upon a time, it seemed that those weren't just team colors. They were standards, but that is no longer the case.
It's hard to respect the Niners and the Pack now. Both teams lost recent playoff games in Philadelphia, including the NFC Championship Game ahead of Super Bowl 57 (San Francisco) and last January's NFC Wild Card Game (Green Bay). That wasn't the upsetting part. What was most disturbing was that they couldn't take the losses and move on.
Neither team is technically a rival, but both are definitely on Philadelphia's most wanted list, and recently, a Niners defensive back fanned the flames of an already consuming fire.
Ji'Ayir Brown trolls A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith on social media.
Youngsters these days... They can't stay off social media. They, at times, lack self-awareness. Welcome to Ji'Ayir Brown's portion of the conversation.
Most Birds fans have never had a problem with him. He played for the Penn State Nittany Lions. He hails from Trenton, New Jersey. He could have said anything and gotten a thumbs-up from the Philadelphia faithful. Instead, he decided to wear the black hat in an attempt to antagonize them.
Clips that were shared initially by Brown are circulating. They contain two plays showing Ji'Ayir playing tight coverage on A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith in coverage.
Okay, perspective is needed here. A few things need to be stated, and they must happen immediately. First, while Brown plays well on two carefully selected plays here, no one believes that he can consistently stick with A.J. and DeVonta in coverage.
Ji'Ayir Brown doesn't even believe he can stick with A.J. and DeVonta in coverage. Per Pro Football Focus, he boasted a 69.5 coverage grade and a 53.6 run defense grade. Those numbers rank 33rd and 105th among 171 qualified safeties, respectively. He also missed seven tackles. It's safe to assume that, if A.J. and DeVonta line up across from him, Philadelphia's duo would win on the play more often than not.
Here's something else to mull over. Brown entered the 2024 NFL season as San Fran's presumptive starting safety, but after struggling, he was benched in favor of rookie Malik Mustapha. This year, he may be needed by his team again. Mustapha is recovering from a knee injury, and Talanoa Hufanga left during free agency. Perhaps that's where he should center his focus.
Philly doesn't play the 49ers during the regular season. Boy... Could you imagine if they did? Maybe they'll cross paths during the postseason. It feels like it's about time for another grudge match.
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