Roseman: “we’re trying to be less judgmental about young men in their 20′s in college”
BREAKING NEWS, Eagles Draft, News, NFLDraft Friday, April 20th, 2012
We all know that the NFL can be a very humbling sport for the players and coaches, but yesterday we learned that it can also be just as humbling for GM’s around the league.
Eagles GM Howie Roseman emphasized the fact that the Birds are reassessing many things about their prospect evaluations. I mentioned in the other article about how they are de-emphasizing the Combine and All-Star games, as well as not drafting for needs but trying to draft the best player on the board at the time.
I give Roseman a lot of credit for being so open about admitting to the failures of the team’s recent drafts. It gets me a great deal more confidence in what they’re going to do in the future. Many times you see people in the public eye deny shortcomings, but he sat with about 20 local media persons for over an hour and talked about how they were making corrections with their draft process.
In addition to the change regarding the Combine and All-Star games, along with not drafting for needs, he talked them reevaluating their analysis of players backgrounds and off the field conduct.
To put it simply, the Birds want to do a better job of differentiating what is normal college behavior. At one point Roseman said, “we’re trying to be less judgmental about young men in their 20s in college living a college lifestyle.”
Check out the following comments by Roseman in whic he all but says, the Eagles downgraded the character of a player they didn’t draft, while giving a great evaluation to another player who they did draft.
“I can’t tell you that we got a clear-cut answer on it, but we’ve tried to make up some tiers of things that are acceptable and unacceptable,” Roseman said. “This has come through trial and error on some of the guys that we’ve gone through and been right or wrong or about . . . It’s a very thin line on trying to figure that out, and being right. Some of the guys that you would have met with and looked at their background and said there’s no chance they’ll be successful in the NFL . . . they end up doing really well, and there’s guys that you think are going to be great guys and they don’t end up being as great as guys as you think”.
In my opinion I believe Roseman was thinking about Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul and Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham as he was making these points. Graham had an advantage over Pierre-Paul when they were coming out because he played four-years at Michigan, while Pierre-Paul played only one year at South Florida before having to turn pro because of his family situation.
There were rumors that Pierre-Paul had something bad in his background partly because he jumped from one junior college to another from his freshman to sophomore year before transferring to South Florida for his junior year. Who knows maybe he got in trouble at school for doing something stupid like a college prank.
Whatever it was hasn’t hurt his play on the field, because the year he had in 2011 was one of the greatest seasons I’ve ever seen an NFL defensive lineman have and remember I played with Reggie White. I saw Reggie get over 20 sacks in a shortened season.
Think about the season that JPP had. He was one of only two Associated Press All Pro defensive ends despite starting only 12 games. The second- year star had 16.5 sacks and was just as good against the run as he was against the pass. He was the first defensive lineman in NFL history to register a sack, force a fumble and block a kick in the same game. JPP was the best defensive lineman on a team with Pro Bowl talents like Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck.
These are staggering facts and a hard pill for the Eagles to swallow when you realize they could have had this young man, but passed on him and let the arch rival Giants select him. Then they had to sit and watch JPP help New York win a Super Bowl.
It’s obvious that Graham hasn’t been the player the Eagles thought he was going to be. He still wears the big smile he was wearing a couple of years ago when the Eagles drafted him and his still says all the right things, but there’s not much else to show. In fairness he has been injured, but that probably doesn’t help Roseman and the front office when they see what kind of player JPP has developed into in such a short period of time.
If the Birds draft another defensive end in the first round of this draft, it will be a sign to me that the Eagles don’t think very much of Graham’s future.
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Im with Navy on the whole Brandon Graham thing going on here… He was a beast in college. He was 6-1 268/270 lbs coming to the combine, had the speed and strength to play the DE position. He was by no means a project player. He was MVP of the Senior Bowl and dominated the competition there all week. JPP was according to some scouts, GM’s and other NFL know it all’s a risk because he was a 1 year wonder at USF. He played in Junior College the year before so many talent evaluator’s did not have enough tape or knowledge of what type of player they were getting out of JPP. When the Eagles traded up in the draft the year Graham was selected many thought they moved up to select Earl Thomas FS from Tex. There was even speculation that it may have been for Derrick Morgan out of Ga Tech. I don’t think anyone saw the Eagles going after JPP. The fact is the NYG hit a Homerun when they selected JPP with their 1st rd pick. As Eagles fans we are going to have a much better idea as to what kind of player Graham is. After ACL and Microfracture surgery at the end of 2010 Graham was no where near %100 last season. Give this guy one more season before lableing him a bust. Comparing him to just JPP isn’t fair. Compare him to all DE’s taken in the 1st rd of the last 5 years.
kuelchly is ass….graham is ass…nate allen is ass
Graham was a Top 2-3 De/Pass Rushign Prospect in the 2010 Draft..
Anyone want to bet that if Graham was drafted by th eNY GIants and heatlhy, they he would probably be an All_pro by now.. The Giants develop has a history and a progem developing DL (Strahan,Umenyuri, Tuuck, Kiaqwanuka, and now JPP) , I would bet most here probably heard very little of the these players when they were coming out of COllege)
The Eagles on the other hand, do not have any strong recent history of developing young drafted DL to excell at the Pro Level and outside of Trent COle, have had to acquire Free-Agents DL to have any suceess there and just think of DL’s like J McDougal, Bryan Smith, V Abriami, JB Bunkley, T Laws, Teo, R Sapp, B Graham (to date)
p-man do u see the birds moving down in the 1st or up in the 2nd and taking QB brandon weeden the 28 year old .. , see it now weeden is ass .
kidding aside people are talking him up !
I like your Mock Sully
I am not excited about your 3rd Round Selection in OT Stephenson
I would rather add a player at Safety/WR or TE in the 3rd Round who can make an impati soomer and waiting until the 5th/6th Rounds for a developmental OT who won’t be needed most likley for a couple of seasonsdouwn the road
To Navy, I don’t believe Jenkins has Punt Return Duties experience at the U If Florida .. Jenksins does come with bagger, 2 Marijuana Charges at FLorida and was then dismissed, also charges with resisiting an arrest and affray charges after a bar fight, threw a punch last year at an opponent while playing fo rNorth Alabama and was suspended for a game…
A lot of Scouts liken his style of play at CB to the Eagles Samuel but is much more physical and likes to get after recevers and ball carriers..
Hey Nev,
I could see the Eagles grabbing QB Cousins over Weeden only if they are able to get another 2nd Round Draft Pick either by trading down or some kind of deal involving Samue to move up.. The rumor is that many teams are looking to trade down after the Top 6-8 Picks or so, do the return in value picks wise by trading down may be minimized any maybe just not worth it to do.. I do belive a couple of teams later in the 1st Round (Patriots/Packers/Bengals/49ers) may all want to move up to target a specific player and potentially be good trade partners
I think Weeden is a good QB and is mature enough to probably play some his rookie season if not be year 2.. He is limited athletically, but gets rid of the ball quickly nad has natural leadership skids…
Kind of an interesting tid-bit, is that Weeden and his Oklahoma St Cowboys beat head to head QB ALuck and Stanford, RG III and Baylor and Ryan Tannehill of Texas A&M, so say what you will about his age, but Weeden is a winner and knows how to win ballgames..
I see him going early in the 2nd Round to the Cleveland Browns, Buffalo BIlls, Arizona Cardinals and possibly be on the board at #46 when the Eagles Select unless a Team moves up to get him but in the end, the Eagles have too many other areas to address and have VIck as their Franchise QB and would probably be interesting in adding a 3-4 years developmental QB which Weeden does not have the kind of time on his side and probably needs to play by 2013..
Pman – was just looking a sully’s mock and one of the youtube GCOBB clips has Jenkins listed as KR and PR as well – I do not think the birds will draft a CB before round 5 – actually – I don;t think they will draft one period.. I think they go with Asmo, DRC, Hansen and Marsh (is Lindley around? still)
Songs IS ASS
Eagles will draft Dre Kirkpatrick with their first round pick.
i think we’ll draft russell wilson he worked with the eagles and said some of the terminology is the same.. i think if he studies under vick he can be better than vick ..
Eagles still have Asmo,DRC,Hansen, Curtis Marsh,Trevor Lindley and Brandon Hughes all under contract besides Samuel so I am not sold that they have to go out and Draft one even if they trade Samuel…
New Secondary Coach Todd Bowles should be able to help coach the young players Marsh,Lindley and Hughes up to take the the next step
Word is that LIndley has put on on some 8-10 lbs and I see him competing with Hansen for that slot CB which would be a natural position for him instead of playing teh Outside spot.. Marsh is a complete wildcard and is athletic, good hands but doesn’t have a lot of experience and only played CB in College his final 2 Seasons after starting his College CAreer at RB..
Marsh does have some kick-off expereince and I expect him to get some reps ther and at 6-0 200lbs, could even see some reps at Free-Safety come camp time.. ..
CB Dre Kirkpatrick is a very good and versatile player, many Scouts project him more as a Slot CB due to his lack of top end speed to play the outside and many even project him as a Safety in the NFL due to his physicality and ball hawkig skills.. He’s 6-2 and about 190lbs and has the frame to put on 8-10 lbs pretty easily being in a Pro Conditioning system..
One CB who is really dropped is Nebraska’s Alfonso Dennard who back in Dec/January was rated as the 2nd/3rd Best CB and around the #15th overall best Prospect, but he was injured, did not run very well and had a average Pro Workday Day and has dropped to a mid-late 2nd Rounder. He only 5-10 and goes at 205lbs and many Scouts project him to be a Safety but questions about his durability.. He is proabbly another CB who is best suited as a Slot Cover CB/Nickle Back instead of playing out wide against bigger,faster NFL Receivers.. He was also arrested early this morning in Nebraska and were charges for resisting an arrest and assualt on an officer after a bar fight at about 230am.. He will now drop futher to probably a 4th/5th Round
@navy just because you found some Michigan fan that posted a mock draft on Yahoo that wanted to see Graham in Miami at #12 doesn’t actually mean he was 1st round pick material. I thought you would have known that.
I really didn’t see “Freakish” strength, I have yet to see Graham bull rush an O-Linemen into a QB or a RB…just to clarify that would be “Freakish” strength for a guy his size. What I did see was that he has/had a burst on his first step and had the ability to make himself very slippery almost like a running back. Against larger and faster tackles and after a ligament tear it could be problematic for him to maximize his skill-set that’s just a realistic evaluation.
At the end of the day he still presented as a limited skill pass rusher that probably wouldn’t do well as a 3 possibly 4 down DE in a 4-3 system and they still moved up and drafted him. That’s just retarded.
A couple of under the radar players who could be selected in the 2nd Round by the Eagles with the 46th & 51st Picks that they have..
CB Trumiane Johnson – Montana 6-2 205lbs (Very physical player with great ball skills ,many Scouts think he could excell at Safety in the NFL and also has had a few off the field issues that may have had him drop a little)
CB Jamal Fleming – Oklahoma 5-11 207lbs (Another player who could be groomed for Safety and or SLot CB, very physical and good playmaker on the ball, had a great Senior Week, Pro Workout Day and is rising up the board, but probably does not have great speed to probably play the outside in man to man coverage and is better for a Zone-Coverage Scheme)
OLB Bruce Irvin (6-3 245lbs) is probably the fastest LB off the Edge and is strictly a Pass-Rusher who is probably better suited in a 3-4 Scheme whose #1 job to do is to get after the QB or a 4-3 Team who blitzes their LB’s a lot which the Eagles have not been for a while, He also has had Character/Off the field issues but with the premium for Defenses on having multiple pass-rushing specialists, A team will take decide that his talents are worth the risk..
WR Mohammed Sanu (Rutgers 6-2 212lbs) a tough, physical WR/Returnman who can play lots of positions. He projects as a Slot WR in the NFL due to his lack of outside speed and his physcial size and strength..
He also would play wide in red-zone formations where speed is not as important.. Ran some Wildcat Packages at Rutgers during his 1st 2 Seasons there and also return Punts and Kick-offs.. Had 210 Career Repections which is the Career Record holder not only fo rRutgers, but the Big East as a Conference and still had 1 year of eligibility left but decided to go pro..
Another strength is his ability to block.. Think of Jason Avant, but bigger, faster and much more athletic and tversatile and that’s what you have in Sanu
MLB – Mychal Kendrikcs – California – 5-11 244lbs (Smart,Physical player that is best suited for a traditional 4-3 Scheme the Eagles employ..He will & hit and tackle anytone in his sight and is good in pass coverages and will make a Special Teams Demon his first couple of Seasons..) He would make a nice back-up and eventual for Demeco Ryans…
OT Mitchell Schwartz (California 6-5 318lbs) a very polished OT who probably lacks the foot speed to play LT at the NFL, but could very well handle the RT spot. He will compete for Starters time by his 2nd Season whoever drafts him.. He’s a smart, tough player wholse brother (Geoff) played for the Panthers & is now with the Vikings
WR – Juron Criner (Arizona 6-3 224lbs) a very underrated WR who has size,hands and polished route running skills who will make many teams wonder why they passed on him in a couple of years
DE – Tyrone Crawford (Boise State 6-4 275lbs) a very good pass-rusher and solid all-around Player.. Lacks the explosion off the snap that a COle?Babin have, but is solid tackler and very good against the run
Had 76 Tackles 26 tackles for a loss and 13.5 Sacks his last 2 Seasons at Boise State where he was on a pretty good DL Rotation on a deep team
Dude – give it UP – you fucked up – you spouted a bunch of bullshit, you have all your facts wrong and now you are just embarrasing yourself…. you are wrong, and will continue to be wrong – I can find 25 different PRE 2010 draft commetns from multiple sources –
here ya go – Waltercamp: going to atlanta in first round
I’m a bit torn between Sean Weatherspoon and Brandon Graham here, but ultimately, I decided on the latter because of positional value, which Thomas Dimitroff is a big fan of. Dimitroff has had three first-round picks, which were spent on quarterback, left tackle and defensive tackle – three of the five highest positions of value. Defensive end could be next.
Also, the Falcons must upgrade a pass rush that produced only 28 sacks in 2009 – that’s their No. 1 priority this offseason.
I’m concerned about Brandon Graham’s height (6-1), but there’s no denying his talent level. He’s a tremendous pass-rusher, and he’s great against the run. He can take Jamaal Anderson’s spot in the lineup.
NFL draft dog:
At 6′ 1″ 272 pounds, Graham doesn’t have prototype size, but he is extremely explosive.
Graham has been super productive this year, ranked #1 in the nation with 26 tackles for loss (TFL) and 10.5 sacks.
Scout.com
17. Brandon Graham, DE Michigan 6-1, 268 (OLB)
After destroying everyone in the Senior Bowl and the practices leading up to the game, he stepped up even more in the Combine with 31 reps on the bench and a nice 4.72 40. Always working and always looking to crank out the big play, he’s explosive, has great closing ability, and is all over the field. He’s not an elite athlete and is a bit of a tweener, and there will be times when he gets erased by talented tackles. While he worked out well, he’s an even better football player
here ya go from bleacher report which was one of the groups that wanted graham to play in a 3-4:
Defensive Ends:
The first thing that stands out from this group is the absence of perhaps the most productive college ends, Brandon Graham and Jerry Hughes (TCU). Both players, I believe, would succeed most as 3-4 outside linebackers at the next level.
Beyond those two, Derrick Morgan has the highest ceiling and the remaining prospects have at least one thing working against them.
• Jason Pierre-Paul (South Florida) lacks experience.
• Carlos Dunlap (Florida) might be too immature.
• Everson Griffen’s (USC) motor seems to need a major tune-up.
• Greg Hardy (Ole Miss) lacks consistency.
In fact, the two most intriguing prospects might be from the smallest schools. Alex Carrington (Arkansas State) has an NFL-ready frame and Austen Lane (Murray State) is explosive off the snap but needs to add strength.
Brandon Lang (Troy) is also a tantalizing prospect in the mid-rounds.
so they put Graham in as an OLB -
NFL Draft experts seem to have come to a consensus on the top two positions in the draft with both offensive and defensive tackle in either order.
It’s hard to disagree with that but two players I moved into the outside linebacker grouping helped tip the scales. Brandon Graham and Jerry Hughes are disruptive, high-motor backfield wrecking machines but their size (comparisons to Elvis Dumervil and Dwight Freeney notwithstanding) likely indicates a move to the linebacker corps, preferably in a 3-4 defense.
The top two 4-3 prospects are Sean Weatherspoon (Missouri) and Sergio Kindle (Texas)—each of who could go in the top 32.
Hughes’ TCU teammate, Darryl Washington, is also a fine prospect who should go near the end of round two.
There are six or seven other players who should all be picked before the third round ends Friday night. Among them are; Koa Misi (Utah), Eric Norwood (South Carolina), Jason Worilds (Virginia Tech), Ricky Sapp (Clemson), Navorro Bowman (Penn State), and Thaddeus Gibson (Ohio State).
That’s some serious talent and depth.
just to break it off in your ass one last time – Real Clear Sports lists a table of 10 Mock drafts – ESPN (Kipper and McShay) CBS. NBC, Fox, SI – all the big ones and every single mock draft had GRaham drafted in the first round..
everywhere from 11th CBS Sports to 31 – but ALL in the first round
wait – here is Don Banks with an explanantion for why maybe the eagles moved up:
If Pierre-Paul gets to them and Graham is still on the board, the Titans will be staring at their two top options for jacking up their pass rush. We’d probably go with Pierre-Paul in that scenario. But since he’s gone to No. 8 Oakland in our mock, the Titans snap up Graham just before teams like the No. 17 49ers, the No. 19 Falcons and the No. 22 Patriots get the chance.
I mean really – give it up – stop trying to re-write history to conform to some lame ass argument you are trying to make – dude started MORE games his rookie year (I notice you completely backed off all your claims to him being Healthy scratch and 150 pounds and all the other BS you were posting)
and the final nail – thorugh the first 10 gams 0 graham started more games then JPP, Grhama had more tackles then JPP and Graham had more sacks then JPP….. get it – Graham blew out his knee – JPP got much better – shit happens – its like Shawn Andrews – who the fuck knew he was going to go from being the best guard in the NFL to depressed and injury prone?
now – just stop sniffing yuor self and go play wiht little Jakey
Brandon Grahm could of been a good player f they used him correctly.. hes not the type of guy you put in at DT the eagles have some schematic problems .. i like joe mays also . they were too complex after JJ passed away .. joe mays couldnt even play he was too busy thinking..also babin was here playing on the wrong side ..and you could see the explosion but barely got any playing time.. then we sign him again for 25 million put him on the left and the guy has 18 sacks.. still weak against the run but 18 sacks is 18 sacks
Larwd – odd use of past tense there. B Graham is still on the team. And Washburn is too. So he will be in a new scheme, one that has made players better on the regular. Hence, with some health, the guy is likely to shine soon for the Eagles.
If thats the case we shouldnt be drafting a DE at all in this draft . We have cole , babin , hunt, and graham.. hunt is even more athletic then graham .. brockers is a guy the think can play both DT and DE possibly.. But brockers is so young and might never develop.. coples played DT the year before last so he could probably play both ..
P man I think your right on with Bruce Irvin DE/ OLB from WV! This is the Andy Reid/ Howie Roseman Tweener that they like to draft every year. He will be a much better fit in a 3-4 as an OLB / pass rusher but I wouldn’t at all be surprised to see the Eagles draft him.
If the Eagles want 3-4 type guys then go to a damn 3-4.
If you want 4-3 guys look at what the Bears have.
Look at the body type and skill set for 4-3 lineman and stop trying to reinvent the damn wheel.
songs , i will agree with that ! remember i think his name” bryan smith ” a 245 lb. d-lineman a third or 4th rd pick
Larwd, I agree with that. I do not think they should draft a de until the mid-to-late rounds if they like a guy.
It’s the Eagles defensive line coaches that have stunk…
Graham had it all in college. A spin move, speed, and talent. Then he comes to the Eagles and those morons line him up at defensive tackle. Play him when he’s hurt.
Defensive linemen leave the Eagles and become all-pro’s:(babin and the guy that went to the raiders.)
The Giant’s defensive linemen look like “MR UNIVERSE” our defensive linemen look like “PEE-WEE HERMAN”.
If only Andy Reid could “THINK LIKE A MAN”
Congrats…Steve Harvey for winning the weekend box office and dethroning the children killing children games!!!!
bsm, wow, I actually agree with you for once. But don’t you agree that that’s fixed now with Washburn?
I think we all agree, that Graham was hurt, hasn’t played in 1.5 years & at least needs to be given a last shot. It’s not his fault, that the stupid, incompetent coaching staff, played him at DT, on many snaps. You can’t play a 6’1″ 265 lb DE against 2 320 lb monster, road-graters & expect him NOT to wear down & NOT to get hurt. BTW, they hung onto Abiamiri’s stiff @$$ for 4 years TOO long, why not give him a last shot. IMHO, the reason we don’t like him, is from the disappointment of not getting Earl Thomas & JPP. I wanted Thomas myself. But he deserves a chance to prove himself, but he better come to camp in shape, ready to go. He better not be on a cheesesteak diet again & come back like he did last year, or he’ll be done here.
So graham lost 15-20 lbs is down to 260.. 3 of our 4 ends are 260 pounds…
Dcar, good post. Kudos on your balanced view there. I hated the laws and abiamiri picks because of notredame. But with abiamiri, did keeping him longer hurt the team? I doubt it. He was usually on ir or pup or low on the depth chart. Wasn’t too long if there was no consequence…
And on Graham, I think it was Didinger who reported that he’s far recovered from the cheesesteaks/weight gain. That’s old news and he’s back in good shape.
“So graham lost 15-20 lbs is down to 260.. 3 of our 4 ends are 260 pounds…”
Actually he was close to 290lbs so he is back to his playing weight. 270
@sully.. he was quoted saying he was 260 lbs.. and that last year he was 275-280…. not saying its bad that we have smaller ends i think were good at end and we dont need to draft one… although i like bruce irvin alot ..that guy is a terror and has run as low as 4.38
B Graham should have been IR all of last year as I suggested. He could have focused 100% on rehab and improving his cardio-vascular which I still say is a big problem with him, I have never seen a Professional Athlete get so winded so quick as Brandon Graham.. Watch for out for this during summer camps/preseason where he gets winded after 3 plays and basically has to come off the field due to not being able to breathe and get his wind..
This would have taken pressure off of him and the Team by coming in with a clean slate for 2012..Another wasted Roster Spot last season which did the Team and Graham no real good when you think about it.. Now Graham hears and reads about being a bust everyday so you have to think his self-confidence is shaky at best. I think we will know by mid-August if Graham is going to have a decent to good Career as an Eagle.. If he is not in tip-top shpae, has is cardio-vascular sitatuoin straightened out, then he never will and will be a bust.. He cannot come into camp with the mind-set of playing his way into shape, he must hit these OTA/SUmmer Camp with his both feet running from the get go, anything lessfrom him tells me (and the team) that he simply doesn’t want it bad enough..
I feel the same about graham if he wants the opportunity is there .. i just watched college tape and he had better burst then all of the DEs in this years draft.. Too bad he didint get to play in the wide 9 his rookie year.. he gained 20 lbs of fat and played DT ..
@larrwd…This was on Iggles blitz under Brandon Graham update…Was just posting what I read on there.
“Graham admitted in an interview that he got out of hand with eating cheesesteaks. He guessed at getting up to 290. I heard that he officially weighed in at one point at 287 pounds. Liking to eat and having a surgically repaired leg that limits your workout options is not a good combination.”
@sully heres the one i saw its on philadelphiaeagles.com april 16,
“As soon as the season ended,” Graham said as he finished up the first day of the team’s offseason conditioning program at the NovaCare Complex, “I got after it. I’ve been focused on this for a long, long time. I’ve been waiting for this day to come.”
The way Graham sees thing, 2012 represents a new chapter in his NFL life. There is no looking back at two mixed seasons with the Eagles, a major injury and constant comparison to a certain first-round draft pick who is a Pro Bowl player with the Super Bowl-champion Giants.
No, Graham remains entirely upbeat about his situation here. He reported on Monday at about 260 pounds, down substantially from last season when the combination of a bum knee that he was rehabbing and the league’s work stoppage conspired to stack calories and fat and, yes, pounds on a frame better designed to be sleek and explosive.
“I’m in way better shape than I’ve been in for a while, all the way back to my junior year in college,” he said. “I’ve been eating right, training right, doing a lot of Olympic-style lifting and explosive movements. I’m going to let Coach tell me how I’m doing. It all comes from him.
“I don’t really know how I’m doing. That’s for Coach to decide. I’m just focused on the day-by-day part of my job. My knee feels great. I’ve lost a lot of weight and I’m faster and stronger and I feel great.
“The weight last year, it was hard to lose. I couldn’t run as hard as I wanted because of the knee and it was frustrating. Now, man, everything is so much different. My knee feels great. I’m where I want to be. I’ve waited so long to get the program started again, to show up here and show the coaches what kind of shape I’m in and that I am ready to go. I’m excited to be here.”
Graham has a long way to go to get to where he wants to be. The team’s first-round draft pick in 2010, Graham was starting and playing pretty well until he tore up his knee in December in Dallas. A long recovery ensued. The fact that Graham couldn’t work with the team’s athletic training staff didn’t help matters a bit.
The 2011 campaign was a washout. Graham was on the Physically Unable to Perform list for the opening seven games of last season and then was in uniform for just three of the nine games in which he was eligible to play. Graham had no impact, just four total tackles, and couldn’t wait to get right again.
“I tried to push through it because I really wanted to play, but the reality is that my knee was hurting, I wasn’t in the shape I wanted to be in and I couldn’t hide it,” said Graham. “The coaches saw it and that’s why I didn’t play. Once I got to the offseason and once I lost the weight, I realized how mental it all was for me.
“It was tough for me, but we’re here now and this is what I’m looking forward to. I’m going to be here throughout the whole offseason, be here as much as I can. I want to get back good with everybody here. I believe the coaches know what I can do, but it was important for me to show up in great shape, show the coaches that I took my time away from here and used it to my advantage.
“What I was doing before wasn’t working. I needed to change things up and I did and I’m excited about it.”
The proof comes much later, of course. Graham knows that. He has a lot of talent in front of him with Jason Babin and Trent Cole the starters, with Darryl Tapp and Phillip Hunt hungry for playing time.
Graham is back at square one, in a sense. The Eagles are counting on him to deliver the promise that made him a first-round draft pick. Is he that special player who the Eagles coveted so much that they traded up in the first round to acquire? Or is he just not the right fit in the league?
Or is Graham somewhere between the two extremes?
“Day by day,” he says. “I’m just taking it day by day.”