Eagles WR A.J. Brown was seen reading a book on the sidelines during Philly's 22-10 win over the Green Bay Packers in an NFC Wild Card game on Sunday, Jan. 12. Former baseball player-turned-author Jim Murphy wrote the book called 'Inner Excellence'.
FOX Sports cameras caught Brown pulling out the book in a moment that went viral among sports fans.
"I haven't seen too many people read books [on the sidelines] but I've seen a quarterback eat a hot dog," said Tom Brady, the seven-time Super Bowl champion who now calls games on FOX.
Brown had just one 10-yard catch against the Packers, a very quiet game for the three-time Pro Bowler. In the regular season, he led the Eagles with 1,079 receiving yards and trailed only fellow wideout Devonta Smith with 67 receptions and seven touchdowns.
The Mississippi native said the book includes great advice to keep him mentally sharp for games.
"It gives me a sense of peace," Brown told reporters after the game. "That's a book that I bring every single game. My teammates call it "the recipe." Y'all got me on camera but that's not the first game."
Brown also shared a few snippets from Murphy's book on Instagram.
"Every performance, presentation, or problem you face is an opportunity to learn and grow and vividly experience each moment," Murphy wrote in one passage Brown chose. "You will find, as you take this journey with me, that your best moments always from a clear mind and unburdened heart. This allows you to take the risks necessary to be everything you were created to be."
Quarterback Jalen Hurts seemed surprised by his star receiver's quick reading session.
"I've never seen him read," he said in a postgame news conference. "I've seen the book in his hands. Everybody has a different thing and finds their flow in different ways so that's how he chooses to do it."
Once people figured out which book Brown was reading, Eagles fans helped it soar up the charts. 'Inner Excellence' was listed as the No. 1 bestselling book on Amazon as of Tuesday, Jan. 14.
Bird Nation also left some hilarious reviews on the book's Amazon listing.
"Whenever my QB is not feeding me the ball, I pick up this book and it immediately makes me feel better," one reviewer wrote.
"After seeing AJ Brown read this on the sidelines it was a must-buy," another person wrote. "I had a hoagie and glass of wooder for lunch on Mondee then ordered this on Amazon. Go Birds."
Some fans took a more philosophical approach.
"This book showed me that even though I may be starving for some targets, that the common goal always outweighs the individual," wrote another reviewer. "In the end I think the real book was the friends we made along the way. Go Birds and Fly Eagles Fly!!! 💚🦅🖤"
"I am buying this book for my 14-year-old son, who excels in baseball," another review read. "However, he tends to become discouraged when he struggles with hitting. I was inspired by AJ Brown's comments about how this book has benefited him both on and off the field as a football player."
Murphy told NBC10 Philadelphia that he was already an Eagles fan and knew Brown was reading 'Inner Excellence' before the book's huge moment during the NFL playoffs.
"I saw it on the sideline recently so I thought, 'Oh, that’s really cool,'" said Murphy. "I didn’t know he was bringing it to every game and reading it after every drive. So that’s really neat.
"I’m super excited for the Eagles fans to get it and for people all around America to learn the same things that I’m working on, he’s working on."
Murphy also said he was inspired to write the book after giving up more than half of his possessions and spending several years in relative solitude in a desert.
"The thesis for 'Inner Excellence' is that self-centeredness is the greatest challenge that we face in performance and in life," he said. "It leads to fear and selflessness is fearless.
"The essence of 'Inner Excellence' is how do you develop the habits every day of thought and action around the person that you want to become and what’s most important to you and how can you be fully engaged, heart, mind and body, in the moment and unattached to your results that are always temporary and always in the past and future."
Brown and the Eagles will bring Murphy's teachings into the NFC Divisional Round as they pursue the franchise's second Super Bowl victory. Philly will host the Los Angeles Rams at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 19.
You can watch the game on NBC or stream it on Peacock.
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