A frustrated Nelson Agholor vented some in the visitors’ locker room at AT&T Stadium following the Eagles’ 29-23 loss to the Cowboys on Sunday night.
In a profanity-laced few answers, Agholor said he was tired of talking about drops (see story).
Those remarks made their way back to the head coach. And he wasn’t pleased.
“I’m disappointed in [those] type of comments,” Doug Pederson said on Monday afternoon. “I think each individual has to be responsible for their own job, obviously. We gotta make good, smart choices. And everybody’s mad and disappointed and angry after tough losses after we just came through.
“Cooler heads prevail. We just have to bite our lip sometimes and just suck it up and get to work. That’s what we have to do this week.”
Agholor, a first-round pick from a year ago, caught three passes for 25 yards on Sunday. He dropped one pass on a 3rd-and-6 in the first quarter.
“I don't look at no drops, none of that type s---,” Agholor said to reporters on Sunday night. “I'm tired of hearing that s---. That s--- (is) stupid. We play football. I dropped the first one, I ain't drop one after that. What does it matter? Because if we lose, now it's like one play is blamed.”
While Agholor contributed to the drops on Sunday, he wasn’t the only one. In all, the Eagles had six drops on Sunday against the Cowboys. They have 16 drops on the year.
So while Agholor might not want to make a big deal about the drops, his boss thinks they’re a big deal.
“Anytime you drop the ball, it’s a problem,” Pederson said. “Everybody has to do their job. I talk about it every week with the team. You know, you have to do your job. You have to do your assignment, no excuses. And you have to own up to them. There’s some drops in the game last night that were crucial. Yeah, that’s part of it. We just gotta continue to work and get better and keep putting those players in situations to make those plays.”
The Eagles’ receiving corps continues to be a disappointment in 2016, which has added fuel to the fire with reports about their wanting to trade for a receiver before Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline.
Last week, Pederson refuted those reports. As of Monday, he said, nothing had changed.
"As far as I know, we’re not making any moves,” Pederson said. “The guys we have are the guys we have. We’re going to continue to work and get better at that position.”
Drops and all.
