PHILADELPHIA — The Eagles are like the U.S. Postal Service. Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor a nine-game winning streak nor an MVP-caliber running back stays this franchise from its lurch into controversy. Let’s take some stock of the Jalen Hurts-A.J. Brown situation, Brandon Graham’s role in adding a dash of napalm to the flame, and the narratives and realities that spring up from stories like this one.

It wasn’t just A.J.

One big problem with the Hurts-Brown “feud,” if one can even call it that, is the way it has been framed. Maybe I should have put “Hurts-Brown” in quotes, too, because the issue goes beyond their relationship and Brown’s frustration.

After the Eagles’ 22-16 victory Sunday over the Carolina Panthers — and after Hurts’ subpar performance, in which he accounted for just 83 net passing yards and on multiple occasions had Brown wide-open and didn’t throw the ball to him — Brown wasn’t the only Eagles player who was frustrated. He wasn’t even the only Eagles wide receiver who was frustrated. Anyone who spent 30 seconds around DeVonta Smith in the locker room could tell he felt the same way that Brown did. And though Smith, when asked what the issue with the offense was, wasn’t as succinct and cutting as his teammate (“Passing,” Brown said), his comments were similar in content and tone. Here’s a sampling of them:

“I think we can do a lot better. I can’t speak much on the run game because I don’t know exactly what they’re doing up front. Looked like it was looking good. But the passing game, we can be a lot better.”

How?

“Just being on the same page.”

Was the offense out of sync because Smith had returned to the lineup after missing two games with a hamstring injury?

“Whether I’m in there or not, the routes are the routes. The concepts are the concepts. Doesn’t matter who’s in there.”

It looked like Smith and Brown were showing their frustration on the bench during the game. What was their mood at that time?

“I’m not going to speak on it,” Smith said. “Everybody handles things differently.”

No one lodged a complaint about Kellen Moore’s scheme or play-calling. The consensus was that the system’s implementation and aim were fine but the overall performance wasn’t. “We’re a little leaky right now,” tackle Jordan Mailata said. Even Hurts himself acknowledged: “We did a bad job, and that starts with me.” If Brown had been the only guy speaking critically about the passing game, it would be fairer to label him as selfish. But he wasn’t the only guy. This controversy isn’t really about any clash between his personality and Hurts’. It’s about throws that Hurts should have made, didn’t make, and has to make if the Eagles are to have any hope of winning the Super Bowl.

Get the story straight

The primary reason people think the controversy is about just Hurts and Brown, of course, is because Brandon Graham appeared on his WIP show Monday night and pretty much said it was about just Hurts and Brown. Within 24 hours, Graham then apologized for and retracted his assertions, admitting that he “didn’t know all the details and still don’t.”

Both Graham and Jason Kelce are among the most beloved Eagles in franchise history — and rightly so. Both of them, for the duration of their careers, have been terrific to speak with and get to know a little: honest, friendly, open. And both of them, just this year, have had to walk back comments they made during their various podcast, radio, and TV appearances because those comments were so incendiary and/or so inaccurate. It’s a good reminder that the transition so many athletes try to make from being on the field to being in front of the microphone is often more difficult than they expect.

Sirianni’s pivotal role

This will be a telltale moment for head coach Nick Sirianni. The Eagles fell apart last season after a 10-1 start, and he was powerless to stop that collapse. Hiring Moore to be the offensive coordinator and Vic Fangio as the defensive coordinator improved Sirianni’s coaching staff. More to the point, Sirianni has said before that Moore’s and Fangio’s presences have freed him to oversee more of the daily operation of the entire team. “I think it was known last year that I was more involved,” Sirianni said. Presumably, then, he could turn more of his attention to quelling whatever tension Sunday’s game and its aftermath might have stirred up.

“Obviously, when you’re wearing more hats, you have a little less time,” he said Wednesday. “So you still go through all those processes that you go through with the offense and the defense and the special teams, but yeah, you are able to step out a little bit more. I think I’ve talked to you guys about this: I’ve been able to go to the defensive-line room for a meeting as opposed to always being in with the quarterbacks or the offense. So that applies here as well, yeah.”

What was the quality that Jeffrey Lurie said he always seeks in the Eagles’ head coach? Emotional intelligence. Time for Sirianni to wield as much of his as he can.

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