Brandon Graham on Contract Extension, Iconic Tom Brady Strip-Sack, and the Big Chip on His Shoulder

[Music] appreciate y'all for tapping in with off the edge with me your host Cam Jordan I'm sitting here just truly blessed uh to sit next to a Philadelphia Legend an eagles Legend if you will you know he's technically a Michigan Legend a lum go Blue uh my my guy BG Brandon Graham uh draft class year before me 2010 man heading into year 15 I don't even know like the beginnings of of my wildest dreams is year 15 I just told you this I'm like man you're headed there you know congratulations on on just signing that that oneyear extendo with with uh with Philadelphia Eagles uh you know we met just to to preface all of you we met 2011 yeah yeah yeah we was uh we was out at the fight yeah no no shoot uh oh no uh was I camp yeah no no it was it was it was um it was it was your big blue guy uh from from Pittsburgh Steelers uh foot foot oh um no no uh Lamar Woody Lamar wood big yeah big Woodley uh he had he had a camp out in saging all big sag nasty Michigan and met you out there and then you know just just learned learned of your greatness man cuz 15 years in Now You Super Bowl champ with Philadelphia Eagles been to another Super Bowl like you know just how does it feel going into year 15 you know what going into year 15 especially how we've been practicing and all that stuff it's not as bad because I've been trying to take care of myself but you know of course injuries uh happened for me on year 13 um T my achilles came back off uh rehabbed all the way and man ended up you know playing at a high level when I came back but it was just I think it's just more of me taking care of myself man taking care of my body uh the way we practice it's not like old school days when I first came in cuz man I definitely would have made it to 15 cuz uh days the pre pre you the CBA before the lockout which means you was in double day time double day real double day practice in the morning 245 of them I'm saying get you a little nap in then you got to come on back yeah that's guys really losing weight like now you you have to fight to lose weight in Camp yeah and then them camps hit different tell me why Jaylen Herz was the first person you called after you signed your extension oh man cuz uh me and Jaylen you know over the years uh that he's been here we just been building uh we actually stay around the corner from each other n so it's been it's been cool just on how that relationship evolved I feel like it's way more than you know just football with us uh and that's what I try to make it man because sometimes you know how it is it's like it could be a work relationship with a lot of people and you know when they leave and go home and doing what they do um I know that for me I try to keep in contact try to check on people especially if I know they ain't playing no more trying to get insight on you know what you what's some some of those feelings you going through uh just so that I can be as prepared as I can be uh when that time come but a lot of guys say they just need that purpose for actor and so that's why always tried to make sure I did things like the Brew camps and the um you know business combine with uh Caleb Thornhill um we just did that um I do a lot of just off offseason stuff you know while I got the shield on when I can get into some of these rooms you know the business boot camp I'm not a business man I'm a business man hey trying to trying to be all all Jacks I mean Jacks all track yeah yeah got to do look got to do that stick your hand in into the Hat see what you pull see if you like it if put it back cuz you know while we're playing NFL NFL going to use the hell out of us so let's figure out what we can get from them too oh 100% Man O why is it so important for you to commit to play your entire career with the with Philadelphia Eagles well it it just became that um once I won the Super Bowl the way we won it you know uh with with the strip and it just it just boosted me even more and then I started of course you got to play at a at a high level where they still believe in you and I know for me it was more about just serving the guys too cuz that's why I feel like I'm still here because we lost Kelsey we lost uh Fletcher Cox and I know that they just don't want to lose everybody um you know just everybody just you know how you got to get go to rehab and you trying to wian off certain people being you know it's like the same thing it's like he don't they a want to just cold turkey drop everybody and of course if I ain't played good last year I wouldn't probably been uh with a coach just being real like this a production league and so uh how we we talk and just serving the guys man trying to help them get to their next level on just working hard taking practice serious you know how it is you got to you call by the first name me hoe you know you sat down chopped it up not a lot of you know not a lot of lot not a lot of people able to just go up top and be like hey this is on my plate this was on your plate let's keep it a buck cuz this league like you said is a business a business you know and if you hadn't play your production they gonna tell you a 100 reasons why you can't make the money that you want to make or whatever it is are they going to try to incentivize your contract for whatever it is but you can go go up and talk and you talk hey this how long I want to play y this what I want to do what you got that's it and that's what it was and that's what I can respect because he want to keep all his draft picks uh you know if if that if he can and so what I tell young boys now it's like man make it work because or if they close make it work with the team that drafted you because you'll be the first to go when you get that big contract at elsewhere no doubt know what I'm saying I'm not going to lie but boys boys leave and I'm like hey bro sometimes the grass isn't always just CU they dangle that T-Bone in front of you you may not get to the real part you know what I'm saying you may not see that n they going they going to throw that big that big contract at you but how much of it are you going to see when you get drafted they they they expect you to see it all and they and they're going to help sometimes guys fall you know the production isn't what it is and yet their team still wants wants well for them y so you know so that's the thing like that's where I I try to you know talk to some of them I know you trying to get to the bag but like you say if you going to the 49ers it's like man you you know how much tax out there you ain't going to see all that that's a big number that's just going to help them you know what I'm saying at the end of the day I mean you going to hopefully you save all your money cuz it's life changing for sure but you got to know that you paying taxes in the all these different states and I want eight of them to at least be in you know a great state like Tennessee you got Florida I mean Texas Philly up Texas you know stuff like that but I know uh for me I'm glad that I did you know stick it out the try to work it out uh with the team especially after I won that Super Bowl uh because it was a moment before uh uh we even got there where I wanted to make an emotional decision and bet on myself because of how how my career was going with them right you know you feel like you being played with a little bit but uh you know it's just like I'm glad my wife helped me in that like you know be logical on it she was just you know just sat me down cuz I really wanted to the I had to go with security you know for my family and at the time Chip Kelly was there um they just wasn't offering what I thought was fair but it's all good like you know uh I mean I learned a lot in that situation but man I'm telling you man cam I be trying to serve these young boys now man take care of yourself take care of your body man and and and pass it on too don't you know like you we all need each other to get to where we going if I got some info that's going to help you you know when your time come just know I'mma help you as best I can hey whatever info I got let's let's make it clear pass it and pass it on because at the end of the day man like you said it's it's the organization they going to take care of what because they going to be here be like they they here now for a lot of people that I I looked up to like a JP them boys they they retired gone and you know they they own to the new batch so you better do all you can for your family while you there absolutely bro you talked about you know playing against play playing uh with Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox and them not being part of the franchise no more uh whether they retired or whatever that is um but how special was it to have such a core group for 10 plus years you got Lane Johnson uh yeah Jason Kelce you Fletch like that's a strong core everybody knows like your locker room carries a lot and when you have that same core you're able to build and and and create a culture how is it how was it building that culture with those guys to where where is it where will it go I think um it was great because people had people in different rooms uh you know you got Kelsey then at the time we did have uh we stole Malcolm from y'all so Malcolm was kind of in there for a minute and then was Bing with y'all Bing you know what I'm saying I know and so um you know having those guys in different rooms that's why I was saying the year we won Super Bowl that we had guys like blunt in the running back room we had um um Malcolm Jenkins who had them boys together Cory Graham you know at the time uh he was a big mentor to a lot of the guys then you got in our room me and Fletch uh then the linebackers we had uh uh Nigel uh you know he was he was really you know taking over at the time Jordan Hicks he was hurt but he he kept you know leading at that time and man it was it was special I mean and then Kelsey was making his name as he was going um it's even more shout out to my dog Mike Kendricks by the way yeah Mike Kendrick yeah Mike kend uh you you know what and and Mike was too like Mike of course um with Mike you got to just make sure you keep him right at the end of the day and so boys made show made show uh it just worked just worked out man absolutely and Mike uh man that's funny you said that cuz U I seen Mike uh we did a signing they did like a temp to championship team we had did a signing together and uh got to see him he's looking good had a big old blue uh little jacket on he looking smooth like he always do uh but man it was um it it was people in every room man that helped uh be able to Echo the car so now with them gone I gotta see who the next man is who gonna be the next one that's gonna be them I don't want you to be Kelsey I just hope that you learned what you could from him every day uh when you seen him in that room and now you know what it take and you seen on the field um what you got to do off the field the film you got to watch the film you got to talk about uh with your coach and stuff like that cuz if you going to be the quarterback of the um you know of the line I mean I got to be able to Kel was smart like I mean you know you got to be able to make them calls and be able to know who bluffing who ain't you know what I'm saying you ain't gonna always get it right but you got to make sure you keep everybody together because I mean we we go as the center go AB we go as that as them calls for sure cuz man if we ain't on the same page you know Bombs Over bag D for us we can't get there we never can get there if DBS if the ball out quick it take it take two it take two it take me it take it take marshan Latimore take I need I need you like you need me let's work together let's work together but they got to believe in that dream too absolutely you know I think yeah man it's uh it's going to be tough because it's going to be new territory but we going to make our every year everybody that team was that team what we going to be and I ain't worried about what we did last year is what we going to do this year cuz um I know we we should feel a little steam from what we did last year so right let's let's go out there every day you you know what it took to do that we work hard every day and you know we got to make sure that we that we uh stay on the same page cuz it just wasn't on the same page like we like it should have been um knowing what we know for sure I mean you know they they we should have been seeing each other too just I know I ain't going to bring that up I know you had to talk about that man look look I was cool with y'all winning that year because had Minnesota won yeah it wouldn't would like that would have been the stain in my life you know like Minnesota Miracle derailed us they y'all with Nick fos I said they get Nick FES and next thing you know Nick FES is out there destroying the skull clap and I said okay I said okay Lord man atast we didn't want to see y'all I ain't going to lie I mean just for me personally we wanted to see y'all cuz think we had played earlier that year and I was like I was like yeah we like we like this match up we had already picked out like you know Shawn Peyton was like was like hey was like after we get done with him we got Philly I said no I hate anytime a coach like for like foreshadows what what it's going to happen I like I got nervous i' be like damn don't say that don't do it do it everybody know that already we just got to get there we got to get we got to get there uh then you end up with the strip sack and you know the strip sack the seal the Super Bowl and The Legend Continues you know like if you if you just think about that that strip sack right Tom Brady Super Bowl 52 that changed the trajectory of your legacy with the Philadelphia Eagles yeah like it that that led you into a a moment that's gonna be iconic forever when they think Philly Super Bowl they're gonna be like Brandon Graham sh shrip sack yeah no it's it it's it's something special man that I don't take for granted you know I really look back and be like man I was really mad at Philly for a minute because it was just Earl Thomas this we could have got this guy and all that and I was about to leave because of that you know and and You Gonna Leave You GNA leave because because it was so much like I told you it was tough in the beginning of like making that emotional decision because I didn't feel I was being treated right it was more with the fans and stuff like that cuz I mean I would have good good some I was playing okay but then earol Thomas that's Errol Thomas was playing you know at a high level and we went went I went right after well I think he went after me yeah 14 you know we had a chance to get him that's why they thought we traded up because uh Brian Dawkins just left all that stuff and then Pierre Paul got uh right the him too you know he was balling he end up winning Super Bowl that next year or an 11 and so I had to hear that man for so many years and I ain't really like being there at first and then when we won that Super Bowl for that moment you know it was like Wow everything changed and like you said uh um things change where I can go up to H and be like so what's going on that's where you buildt that confidence and we finally got us one and I mean yeah you still got to play at a high level but I think for me that's when things changed and I was happy that I I stuck in there man cuz I mean you you know how hard it is to get I mean you you living it right now right you know we going to compete uh we got a good team coming back too but y'all boys going to be tough too you know what I'm saying like needed look hungry hungry is the word for all the wins bro if you look back at your rookie self with everything that you know now would that change anything for you cuz you talked about your trials and tribulations with jpp going after you you talk about you know everybody sort of wanting you know Earl uh from your draft class and then you know for to where you are now you're the Legacy guy you know jpp's retired Earl has you been retired for a couple years I don't know if he's come out and said it but it's that just is what it is um what would you tell younger your your your younger self your rookie year I would say uh to not worry about nobody else at that time you know uh I felt like even when I got hurt I remember saying man them boys don't even get it they they out here getting days off and I'm over here working we working I was a little you know I don't know why I was uh you know just looking at that I just felt like we like as a rookie I just had all this pressure on me and then I had watch bur too watch bur was a tough coach boy and I just you know nothing could nothing I did what I felt like was making him you know happy at all and did I'm eating and yet he's still looking at me like I'm starving yeah taking care of these you know the the older guys at the time and then just giving me the crumbs just so much so I was just like man I want to break too just like them boys and then I got a long break I tore my knee and I was like at that point I was like man I ain't going to worry about nobody else cuz I ended up going through a lot of stuff during that time when I was coming back from injury and that's when the Earl Thomas and all that we could have had this guy and we got this this dude and so I would say I love the perseverance I had uh because it was tough but I had some guys like JP uh uh at the time Trent Cole them boys man to be able to help me uh in in a dark time that I didn't know was dark until I got out of it know because I was still smiling being me and all that little stuff but I ain't go out nowhere I ain't do nothing as much uh you were affected but not it wasn't an Affliction yeah it wasn't nothing like that yeah it was just more like man like you can still go out still have fun enjoy yourself uh I I was even not even talking with family you know that type of like I was just in the house most of the time so uh if I could talk to myself like I said just not worry about nothing else everything got a season you know even when you going through your your worst times it's only for a season and then it's going to switch up it might not switch up all the way up here but it it's going to switch up you know but uh you know it was a grind man you got to stay with it got to how bad do you want it you gotta talk to yourself in a positive how bad do you want it is always don't don't don't sell me the dream sell me the vision I like I need to see what our plan is and how we going to get it like when you when you figure out your way and you figure out your plan and you set like how I'm going to dominate the day that's when them days start stacking and that's when you see real significant change but tell me about um you know you you talked about how you almost left Philly do you think you know and into the Giants at that right like what what came down in 2015 when you were thinking about leaving versus staying vers Giants which staying in in division is crazy work to me to stay in the division like that's lowkey arrival yeah like you know like clearly it's Giants Cowboys and but it's also phly in that thing too like y y'all in a little three-way triangle it's always I mean and then Redskins every now and again I don't like nobody nobody sure I like I like like this year some of the coaches that they got like a d tap who you know I play with knowah his energy like he got his first little spot as a dline coach I mean they got a good staff I would say abolutely and you know how it is having a staff I mean if you got you a solid staff you you you going to be all right you usually have your main rival but then and then somewhere in your division somebody else just pops a head up every couple years like we Rivals but but them three we've been a three-headed we had mon for a minute uh but um yeah man I think um just for me in that moment it was because I was just feeling a certain way about the fans y'all want me all right bet I'm do do that and I'm come see y'all twice a year I'm going show y'all Y should factor I do love good Petty Factor that's why I say they was offering a one year at the time and then Philly was offering me that fouryear deal I end up signing anyway right uh so I went with the security cuz I had my family so that's what you meant by security one verse four got yeah and so uh at the time it was baby girl you know on the way and I was just like ah you know wifey just talked some sense to me at that time uh and it just was it was it was cool uh because I got to go with the security I went with the security I probably seen chip one more year after that and then we end up getting uh Doug played through that first year with Doug second year we went Super Bowl right you know and panned out well it never would have like happened if I it's it's it just showed me that much more on how much life is full of choices and you got to make sure you know you exhaust everything that you can cuz me and wifey had to talk we had a little real long talk about it cuz it got serious for a minute cuz um my agent like hey what we going to do cuz you know they it's only going to last for a minute it's going to be on the table and I was just like you know what let me talk with wifey a little bit we sat we talked and it was like yeah you started here but at the end of the day if you're not feeling good you don't have to but I don't want you to do it for that reason and I was just like you know what uh she was just like you know if if they offering you four years you obviously doing something you know where they want to they want to keep you so like let's just go with that and let's see see what happens but I know for me um it was like all right well bet that's what still kind of I got this chip on my shoulder now because it's still the same as like y'all wanted to get rid of me for real like you know or the fans that's how it was but then I came back and I I persevered through everybody knows about them Philly fans though and man man hey they're the best when y'all when y'all winning and they the worst when y'all when y'all doing anything but oh yeah so wifey wifey talk some good sense to me and it became that I want to just had that just want to prove them wrong and you know I'm like they going to eat them words that's just something I used to carry with me all the time and and man when it happened three years later it was like wow like you know just the power of the tongue on top of you know just making making sure you putting that putting that that uh that plan in place of that belief all right man it ain't going to be it's going to be hard to get to to do what you want to do you got to do it one day at a time and this what you got to do right now so I I feel like man thank I shout out to my wife uh cuz she definitely talk some sens to me um and then of course my mom uh cuz her work ethic I seen every day yeah uh that helped me uh in those moments um when I wanted to give up definitely for sure and then mom moms will Dro some gems that you ain't really trying to hear but you needed to hear yeah but what do you what do you looking back at your your 14 years completed what would you say is the your proudest moment of your NFL career I mean with it not being done I mean I'm loving the the the role I have right now um like I told you I'll be serving the guys but if I had to if I had to say it was that year we won Super Bowl I mean that was everything man that was the first team I was ever on where I was like man we we was together I missed them boys you know what I'm saying yeah that that energy the the jokes I mean when you got jokesters on your team man you know we laughing every day I wish I had more video of our cuz we used to go out to eat every Thursday as a as a defense sometimes it's the it's the offense in there when it's supposed to be a defensive thing that's just let let that let you know a lot right there when other guys hanging offense defense and they like man come on come come to our defensive thing one person pay for it like I mean like me a vet right now I pay for the whole meal and then we all switch every week the guys that can that could do it and so um it was just that last meal man when we was about to play the Patriots it was everybody in that thing it felt like and I mean I can remember I can see maros laughing Chris miros he was a joker he was funny uh I mean man you got blunt them boys that came in uh cuz you know DBS messing with the running backs and little stuff and it's just yeah it was man it was a VI chemistry like every every year every year the locker rooms Chang change but like personalities changed with it twoo and some years you're closer than others but them years that you're close you're like like we're winning we're like you can feel the difference in the winning B you're like bro we're winning because of us like look at the dancing y doing after every touchdown and y'all boys we got we got coordinated stuff that y'all believe is going to happen for real you know what I'm saying and so I mean man it it just worked out that way so uh even the year we won the Super Bowl I mean lost the Super Bowl that was a close team too and they suck because we man that would have been my best team because I felt that Vibe too and we made it and it just was we felt we was man it was it was so good but Mahomes man he he he he the King right now we got to slay the king man we going to have to if we want to get there so uh but yeah man this though that moment we won that year we won Super Bowl was a special year for me so um but I'm not done yet cuz this could be the this could be the this could be it no no no I need this year you you can have year 16 but but what year is this this uh I'm coming up on 14 you you and Tyson was was you know class 2010 and then I was I was one year after man like I I need that this year look you've had you you've had your shots at it I need I need at least one shot at it yeah I got you but as you know as we're sitting here broadcast Workshop week um you know NFL puts on the broad broadcast Workshop what is it that you're looking forward to and and what do you look to gain from it as well as do your see yourself you know just leave like that what are you looking forward to this week I'm looking forward to just seeing myself being put to put to the test on some stuff that I'm familiar with but now it's about to get real like you know calling a game it's like that jump you haven't done that yet getting my getting my uh heart beating a little fast talking about it now it's like call a game okay let me see uh I'm G be as animated as I can be but um yeah man what I'm trying to get out of it is just the challenge of you know doing some stuff up getting uncomfortable with some stuff right and trying to get comfortable in a space where I think I can Thrive you know if really you know work at it like how the attitude that we have man it's like you know I know it's going to be uncomfortable but you can do it you know uh I tell people all the time it's one day at a time I mean don't look too far ahead on what you already don't know you got to find out be here be in the moment and I just want to I just really want to learn honestly uh this week and exhaust everything that's what I'm doing this year exhausting everything that I can see put myself to the test uh and and help people along the way okay and and be able to be able to help other people that's on their way out it's like man it's it's it ain't as bad as you might think or what you going through if you setting yourself up now man of servitude you know yeah abely just trying to have that that that feeling man of of serving and being able to get more experience and stuff that I never really got a chance to cuz I made excuses in the offseason I'm training I'm doing this but now it's like all right it's getting real B like uh what you really want to do all right come on you got some stuff that offered to you but it's come on do you really want to do that do you love that right and so that's why I'm I'm doing this right now to to to to see if I'm gonna love you know just coming to work every day why not all right well let's let's check out this this uh this segment called quick hitters I got three quick questions for you wrap this up I just want to know you've been in Philly for almost 15 years you said you moved there now full time uh what Philly slang do you catch yourself repeating uh that that me that you seen that John let me get that John let me get that John over there that over there yeah okay uh what's is there top three Detroit rappers or artists that you listen to oh um I mean man I SAR and you know it's tough the whole click of him cuz they grew up we grew up you know I'm knowing you know them um and and then let me see if I had to go let me D now you put me on a spot with that one and I'm trying to think I can't even think of no name s baby yeah s baby um and then it's um that's still the same tree um dang why can't I think of his name I can see his face uh peasy you know I just say I just say peasy and and AC crew all of them no meml I like I like EML no that's not that's not what you said that's crazy this is this is who who going right now right now you know that right now that I know okay if there was any moment in NFL career you could live one more time what would it be relive any moment in your NFL career oh I'm going back to that strip sack I'm definitely going back strip sa sitting on that bench after that oh man it was I I could I'm just saying I can't believe I just did that like I know you probably have moment like I've I've got there there's been games I'm just like I'm I'm just breathing Excellence but like you so that being said it strip sack do you still have that on as a license plate uh not no more not no more I had to get rid of it cuz it got crazy you you sat there on Escalade the strip sack was right there I just knew Philly was like giving you Royal Treatment I said oh he going wild with this one oh well it was cool you know you know who in there it really was cool but yeah it became that like you know it became on the freeway people you know honking and and now I'm I'm on alert like man let me make sure nobody follow me no I'm not a here stuff like that yeah yeah you know stuff like that boy going to roll down the window like give me that jum I'm always I'm you right they going to say all that but you know I just for me I I just really um I enjoy I enjoyed um just having that moment like you know it's something something that I always be able to have have for the kids yeah M I appreciate you tapping in with me my dog hey uh thank you for tapping in with off the edge with your host me CAM Jord my guy BG Brandon Graham sitting here Philadelphia Legend Eagles Legend you know um thank you for tapping in as well uh appreciate y'all listeners for even turning it on turning the pod on giving us to listen go ahead tell your friends about us tell your partners tell your Jones about us ask us for a five star rating leave us a review you can listen to us on Apple podcast iHeart Radio App wherever you get your podcast appreciate y'all God bless peace [Music]