It was a Wednesday night, just a few sleeps before the Eagles lined up against Dallas at Lincoln Financial Field on November 5th, and defensive end Brandon Graham was doing a walk-and-talk session with a few dozen Season Ticket Members and he stopped in the tunnel where the players come in and out on gamedays.
Graham, the personable veteran who Sunday will set a franchise record by playing in his 189th regular-season game as an Eagle, stopped and reflected on a question about the feeling he gets running out during pregame introductions and hearing the fans, nearly 70,000 of them, cheering and yelling his name and showing their appreciation for all that he’s done in his time in Philadelphia.
“It’s my 14th season (tying Pro Football Hall of Famer Chuck Bednarik for most in Eagles history) here and I can’t tell you how much it means to me to be here, every day,” he said. “I wish the days could slow down. I am cherishing every moment, because I don’t know how many more I’m going to get.
“I just want to give it my all because, man, I love this so much. Every part of it is just so much of my life. Anything I can do to help this team win, I’m doing it. So, when I’m standing in the tunnel and my name is about to be called, my heart is just pounding and I’m so hyped and happy. How many more times am I going to hear my name called?”
A first-round draft pick in 2010, Graham is the dean of Philadelphia professional athletes and, over the course of history, one of the most beloved. His career has been one of perseverance and resilience. Graham has overcome two major injuries (an ACL in 2010 and an Achilles tendon in 2021), he’s been with four head coaches, has been tried at multiple positions. For many years, Eagles fans lamented the choice of Graham in that NFL Draft, but his seasons of improvement and finding his place and the big plays – oh, the big plays – have won everyone over. He is one of them. They are part of him.
“The fans, they can get after you and I’m saying that as a good thing,” Graham says, smiling. “They love the Eagles more than anything, so if we aren’t doing our jobs, they are going to let us know all about it. I think for some guys it’s tough. I admit early in my career, I would drive home from the facility and I would be listening to the radio and I heard what they were saying. It was tough. I didn’t really have that feeling that I have now, the confidence of knowing what I can do.
“We started winning and then we won the Super Bowl and everything changed. Then you feel the love.”
