Brandon Graham, Philadelphia Eagles Defensive Lineman

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There's a lot to listen to, so get started and download the free Odyssey app today. We continue it as the Zach Gelb Show Coast to Coast on CBS Sports Radio. What a week it was for the Philadelphia Eagles. It started off on Monday Night Football, where they dominated up against the Minnesota Vikings. And yesterday, they opened up a can of whoop-ass on their old quarterback in Carson Wentz.

They sacked him nine times. Brandon Graham in the game had two-and-a-half sacks, and the Philadelphia Eagles are 3-0, and they welcome in Doug Peterson back to Philadelphia upcoming on Sunday, and Brandon Graham's kind enough to join us. BG, congrats on the victory. It's been a while. How have you been? It's been good. Enjoying the season.

Trying not to let it pass by too fast without enjoying it all. What did your defense prove to the rest of the NFL in these last two games? Because now people are starting to realize nationally, okay, the Eagles are pretty legit this year.

You know what? We know that we got a lot of work to do. We got to make sure that we keep that name across the league, but it's going to take work.

And so I think we got a big task with Doug and those guys coming in, because looking at the film already, we can tell how athletic their team is, and they want to run the ball. I mean, man, this is going to be a big challenge for us this week, but I think with our attitude and our standard of what we just do in practice each and every day to carry us throughout the year, we make sure we maintain that. Well, you guys are a good team. I also think you're a likable team as well. A lot of people are easy to root for inside that organization, inside that locker room. Just kind of give me the vibe inside that Eagles locker room right now.

You know what? The vibe is good. Everybody's all smiles right now.

We all feel good. I love it because of how competitive our team is outside of football. We do a lot of stuff. We play ping pong. We got a bunch of ping pong players. We got a bunch of hoopers that be shooting in the rim. I feel like we got a real good team that we're building right now based on just how he even lounges around the facility after hours. I think it's heading in the right direction.

We got people that's all in. It's only going to show even better as we continue to go through the season. Well, we know you're a pretty damn good football player. How are your skills at ping pong, though? Hey, you know what? I haven't touched that table yet, but my side has been better on the hoop.

So I've been just sticking to that. Who is the best ping pong player on the team? You know what?

It's between Avante and Josiah Scott. Them boys be going at it. Even when we was in training camp when we was in Miami and Cleveland, they brought the ping pong table. That's how serious it was.

They had all the same stuff we had at the facility there. It got real. It's a lot of fun. Brandy Graham here with us. You've been with the Eagles since 2010. Nothing surprises you about Eagles fans anymore. But it must be nice to have an extra home game each and every year because every time you go to the Commanders' place, man, those Eagles fans are everywhere.

Yeah, they're everywhere. That game right there felt like a home game. Whenever you got the home team doing a filing count, that's when you know it's serious. Brandy Graham here with us. I love that. What did you see out of Jalen Hurts so far this year, and what has he proved to you really the first three games? Well, you know, I see him every day. I knew during the offseason it was going to be something special because of how dedicated he was in that locker room, even in the weight room. I was rehabbing, so I got to see him a lot more. Even with him, I just felt like he knew his issues.

He knew what he needed to work. This year, I feel like he's knowing the cause, knowing exactly what it is that the coach is looking for. I feel like the coach and the player relationship is really great because of how him and Nick and all the coaches got a great work relationship.

I feel like when you're the guy and they show you that you're the guy by their actions and how they pour into you, I feel like it's a lot easier to really work a lot harder when people make you the guy. I'm happy that Jalen has at least two years with them because he really didn't get the chance to be the guy under Doug as much or be the guy during the offseason where he could pour into him and give him everything like he did Carson. But now I feel like in year two, now with Nick, he's showing a big jump already.

It's only going to keep getting better. I knew he was the quarterback for sure. I'm just happy he just kind of sees a lot of people. Is Jalen going to be the future or not? I think that he's established that so far and he's only going to keep getting better. So you're confident that he's the Eagles franchise quarterback moving forward, right? Oh yeah, I'm confident. I know that this is his attitude alone, how he handled that whole little thing with everybody being unsure.

He just stayed the course. Now it's starting to show and I hope that it's continued to keep getting better so that we can put a ring on it for him. And he's also starting to look a little MVP-like as well. I know it's early, but he's really taking the league by storm this year. Everything is going great right now.

We're not trying to fall into the trap of, I know how it goes. Everybody's feeling good about everything right now, but I know for us, we've got to make sure that we put that work in every day. And I think that Coach Nick Sirianni does a great job just making sure that we reel it back in because he wants us to enjoy the season, enjoy the ups and downs, but he tries to make sure that we don't get too full of ourselves and we're always in the room of getting better.

So I think that it starts with him first to keep our mindset focused on the little things that can kind of get away, but I think that he's done a great job just keeping us all motivated to just keep working. Talking to Brandon Graham, you've been around a lot of coaches in Philadelphia. When you bring up Nick Sirianni, how did he win you over? Was it last year? Was there a certain point he won you over or was it more so the start of this year, the offseason?

What was it specifically with Nick? I think it was more for him. It's just his attitude every day. You want to make sure that it's consistent. It's consistent every day. When you've got consistency, that's always a great start in anything.

It takes time though with guys to kind of believe. I think that he came right in. He had a good report from other people, the other references that other people he's worked with. They let us know that we got a good one.

It just was cool that everything that they said was cool. We knew we could build off that. What I love most about Nick is his attitude and how he holds everyone accountable, not just the young guys. He gets on us too when things are not right. That's what you need in a head coach.

You need to not be afraid to get on your bench sometimes when they make mistakes. We all sometimes need to be real back in. I'm just more excited that he's here. I'm just excited that he's having success and he's about the details.

Now we're just trying to continue to keep proving what it is. Our goals are for the year that they come out based on how we work and how we make sure we take care of those little things. Brandon Graham here with us. You talked about the belief the coaching staff had in Jalen and how their relationship only keeps on getting better and better with time. Last year you guys were 9-8. You made the playoffs.

You impressed some people. I know it wasn't the way that you wanted the season to end in Tampa Bay. I was really curious, Brandon Graham, about the approach Howie Rosebun was going to take this offseason. When he traded for AJ Brown, that to me seemed like a move to go support Jalen and it was also a win now move. How did you guys process that and some of the big moves at Howie made this offseason? I was more like how Jason Kelce reacted when he was on screen. Yelling and screaming saying, what? They let him go?

What? We got him? Even with Jordan Davis, I knew I liked him just from what I've seen. The combine and stuff like that and he just had a nice buzz.

I was screaming and yelling. Howie just never seems to amaze me on how he pushed up together, how he gets money out of nowhere and makes a big splash. I trust in Howie. I was one of his first guys when he got hired as GM. I'm always appreciative of him and I'm always trying to pick his brain of what he's thinking on certain stuff. It's just been a good work relationship over the years. Talking to Brandon Graham, yesterday's performance, especially with how it ended in Philly with Carson Wentz, was that a little extra personal for you? Not really personal, but I knew we had a chance because we know each other and he knew me too.

We talked before the game and I told him I hope he has a great season, but not today. Carson, for the most part, we knew that if we got pressure on him, as any quarterback, once you get pressure on him, we'll see what they're all about. I was just happy that we were able to put together a nice, fat game, especially up front. That's the first time in a long time since the Jets. I think when we had that type of game, that was probably 2019, I want to say, when I had that type of game. That was so much fun. Boy, it was even more fun because of the type of team we have now going into it, going 3-0 right now.

I'm trying to continue to keep going 1-0 every week. I know that Doug's definitely going to come in here trying to crash our party. What does that relationship mean to you with your time with Doug Peterson looking back at it a few years later? We know what you guys accomplished in Philadelphia, but how do you look back on that relationship?

It's always going to be there. Doug was cool. For us to let Doug go and get Nick, we couldn't have gotten two great coaches.

Both of them, I felt like, are almost the same person. Real players, coaches, played the game the right way, coached the game the right way. Those guys were somebody you would run through a wall for. When we lost Doug, for sure I was like, man, where are we going? He brought us our first one, but for us to lose him and for who we've got now, I'm thankful for both. I learned a lot from him and I'm learning a lot from Nick too. I'm always going to have that relationship with Doug.

Every time I see him, it's all love. We got our first championship together in Philly. That will always be close to me. We know the big role that you played in that game and we know that you won that Super Bowl and you'll always be a Super Bowl 52 champion. Do you get a sense since you've been through it before that this team has a little bit of a Super Bowl feel?

I do feel like that. I do feel like if we handle the success the right way and the ups and downs the right way, we got a shot. We got a shot to put ourselves in a great position to make a run. I just know that it's going to take that work every day and we got to stay healthy. We got to make sure if some stuff do happen that people are always ready because that's why I try to get on the young guys about just making sure they stand prepared, stand ready because you never know when your name is going to get called.

It always happens when you least expect it. Just try to clear your mind of the mental clutter that tends to get in your head, especially if you're not playing as much as you would like. I try to tell them boys, practicing hard like you're playing in the game is only going to make you ready for when the game comes.

Make sure that they stay focused on what the task at hand for the week because you never know when your name is going to get called. Do you think this team has more talent than the team that won the Super Bowl in Super Bowl 52? Oh, I do. Oh yeah, no question.

No question. We have some talent now. You had Al Shein, them boys. We had receivers. We had a running game. The O-line was dominant. We got even better corners than we had because Darby and them guys was really good.

We got Slay and that boy James Bradbury and them boys locking down and Avante. I just feel like it's just different. But it's almost the same because it's all about the togetherness of the team. And that's what I feel. I feel that togetherness. I feel like it's natural.

It's not forced. And so, I mean, man, you always heading in the right direction with a team of 60-some guys that's all fighting for the same thing. And we all got our own, you know, goals. But, you know, you don't see it as much. You don't have people going crazy on the sideline when stuff's not happening. You really got people cheering for each other. And I'm like, even if they're faking it, they're making it look good.

But I don't think that's the case. I just think that we got a lot of guys that understand in order for us to have success, I'm going to need you just like you're going to need me. And some days, some games, you're going to be the guy. Some games, I'm going to be the guy.

And it just bounces off each other like that. But just make sure that you encourage each other and be happy for someone when they win it. Just like you want somebody to be happy for you. And that's how I kind of play it with the young guys.

Because it starts with the young guys. I try to tell them, like, y'all the future. And so, you know, I got to make sure y'all stay right. And it's going to start with me, too, you know, being a leader, showing, being that example for them. And so that's what I try to do when they winning. And we all winning. We all out there having fun.

I say, this is a group effort. You know, yeah, we might have our accolades where, you know, this guy get this and this guy get that. But he don't get that without this guy and without that guy. So you always got to know that.

So I always try to make sure I push that as a captain of the team. And there's no doubt in your mind that Jalen Hurts could be one of those leaders to get you guys to a Super Bowl this year? Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah, man.

That boy. I'm excited for him to keep on silencing those doubters. You know, and I know for him, it's just more about just staying the course.

That's what he say. Stay focused on the task. We know our standard and make sure when when we not, you know, plan at our standard that, you know, sometimes you need a kick in the butt, sometimes to kind of wake up, you know. And so and that's going off on somebody, not even going off, but just like, you know, talking to one of your vets saying, man, you ain't doing what it is that we, you know, strive to do. And sometimes you need that.

Even myself, if I ain't practicing the way I need to on certain days, that's what happens. You know, I need a little motivation. Somebody need to tell me, hey, man, remember what you told me. You told me you want to go here. But today, that wasn't it. All right.

I could take that because I'm a big boy. You know what I'm saying? And so I feel like it's all about that, man. It's all about how you how you accept the criticism and how you take it, because if we all got one goal, it shouldn't be personal. It shouldn't feel personal.

It should just feel like that guy. He want me that he want me to be better than I did. I already showed him that I could be better.

And when I at that standard, I got to say something. And I'm I'm always thankful for that because, you know, that's only going to help me in the end. Well, best of luck the rest of the way. Really do appreciate you giving us some time today and I'm sure we'll be talking throughout the season.

Brandon Graham, congrats on the victory on Sunday. Thanks so much. Let's go, baby.

Let's go. The Listening You Love is on the free Odyssey app. Your trusted local radio stations, coverage of your favorite teams, live news from your hometown and millions of podcasts on demand. Best of all, you can completely customize your listening experience. Follow topics you care about, like leagues and teams.

Pause or rewind your local sports and news and add shows to your queue to catch up later. There's a lot to listen to. So get started and download the free Odyssey app today. The Listening You Love is on the free Odyssey app. Your trusted local radio stations, coverage of your favorite teams, live news from your hometown and millions of podcasts on demand. Best of all, you can completely customize your listening experience. Follow topics you care about, like leagues and teams.

Pause or rewind your local sports and news and add shows to your queue to catch up later. There's a lot to listen to. So get started and download the free Odyssey app today. The Listening You Love is on the free Odyssey app. Your trusted local radio stations, coverage of your favorite teams, live news from your hometown and millions of podcasts on demand. Best of all, you can completely customize your listening experience. Follow topics you care about, like leagues and teams. Pause or rewind your local sports and news and add shows to your queue to catch up later. There's a lot to listen to. So get started and download the free Odyssey app today.