NEW YORK -- Even with a 5-2 record and sitting atop the NFC East, the Eagles have had a noisy season.
There have been questions about how well A.J. Brown and Jalen Hurts are getting along, parking lot pow-wows for hours to get the offense on the same page, and concerns about whether they are going to run the ball enough -- it has been loud.
And yet last week, following a brutal loss to the Giants, the Philadelphia offense turned in its best performance, with Hurts delivering a perfect passer rating in a win over the Vikings.
Following this week's Fall League Meeting in New York, owner Jeffrey Lurie was asked to explain how.
"Being able, in today's world, to manage the noise in a way where it relegates it to a bare minimum -- that's a key to winning," Lurie told NFL.com. "You hope to have a culture that's able to do that. It's not guaranteed. But we purposely are very intentional about it."
Hurts, in particular, thrives amid the noise.
"It's one of the reasons we build the roster the way we do with some of the people we do, like Jalen," Lurie said. "You have to have that resilience and understanding, especially in the world today. If you can't block out most of the noise, you're not going to maximally perform. And Jalen is one of those where, the more noise there is, the better he performs."
The issues are not, of course, magically fixed heading into Sunday's rematch with the Giants. Brown, for one, was ruled out on Friday due to a hamstring injury. The issues among the principals also still exist, whether it's questions about how proficient the offense is being run, if there are enough targets to go around, and anything in between.
Still, knowing that the Philly media and fan base is going to be loud creates a certain preparation that has served the team well.
"If you know there's going to be lots of noise every single season, you prepare for how to deal with the noise in advance," Lurie explained this past week. "Players hear the noise. But they are very well-prepared players for noise. It's like OK, we're going to be as successful as we can be and we're hopeful to play our best ball at the best times. But there's going to be things along the way."
Among coach Nick Sirianni's superpowers is how to push the right buttons in the locker room. He values culture and fosters a strong one. So, when things aren't perfect, the foundation can hold it up.
That's going to be key for Philly this season as they look to repeat as Super Bowl champs.
"Culture takes care of things that provide both resilience and support systems and minimizes noise," Lurie said. "And that's a big deal in today's world of sports. It's a long season. There's going to be lulls and there's going to be noise. And if you know there's going to be lots of noise every single season, you prepare for how to deal with the noise in advance."
And if there is one thing Lurie and there rest of the brass knows, it's that the fans have the highest of expectations.
"We've had that for 25 years," Lurie said. "No one has higher expectations than us. We're very self-critical and disciplined and we hope that brings success."
Mark Davis weighs in on Crosby, season so far
While it doesn't seem that the Cowboys ever called the Raiders to inquiring about Maxx Crosby's availability, other teams have, sources say. The reaction from Las Vegas has been a resounding no -- so much so that team brass met with Crosby this past week to let him know he’s not going anywhere.
Asked about interest in Crosby and the team's decision not to trade him, Raiders owner Mark Davis told NFL.com he doesn't understand why people keep asking.
"I don't know how many times I've got to say it," Davis said this past week following the Fall League Meeting in New York. "It's really hard to keep getting asked the same question every month or week or whatever when the answer's going to stay the same. I don't know why anybody would think I'd change my mind or the organization would."
This past offseason, the Raiders signed Crosby to a three-year, $106.5 million extension through the 2029 campaign. Davis knows it's natural for teams to take a look around the league and covet what isn't theirs. However, he said "everything about Maxx is awesome" and he doesn't see him leaving.
"Everybody wants to have your great players," Davis said. "It starts there, it doesn't start with us."
As far as the Raiders' tough start to the season, sporting a 2-5 record as Geno Smith leads the league with 10 interceptions under new coach Pete Carroll, Davis said, "It's a culture change and I'm giving it a chance and observing and seeing what's going on. It's early in the season."
Jimmy Haslam wants to see more of Dillon Gabriel
Even with the Browns coming off a resounding win over the Dolphins last week, the questions have still come about when Cleveland will play backup QB Shedeur Sanders. While owner Jimmy Haslam said "the coaches will decide that" when asked when Sanders might play, he indicated the team isn't done evaluating third-round pick Dillon Gabriel yet.
"Dillon has played three games, and that's not a great sample (size)," Haslam said of the rookie Gabriel, who is 1-2 as a starter and completing nearly 60% of his passes with three TDs and zero INTs. "And one of them was in a monsoon. You could say he played two games. Shedeur's making progress in practice, so we're going continue to work with both of those guys."
Regarding last week, a blowout win after three straight losses, he said the building felt far different.
"The difference between winning and losing in the NFL is almost unexplainable if you're not part of it," Haslam said. "We've been through a tough series of games, we lost three games in a row. The difference is monumental between winning and losing. It's pass/fail. You either pass or you fail. And every week was the same. And to get a win is huge."
