Eagles Brandon Graham Is Coming Into His Own
BREAKING NEWS, Defensive Line, Eagles, News Saturday, December 15th, 2012
The guy who stood out the most in the Eagles-Bengals contest was Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham. He’s been coming on of late and making people take notice. He couldn’t get on the field for Jim Washburn, but now that the defensive line coach and Jason Babin are gone, Graham has been the Eagles best pass rusher.
Washburn has such a commitment to the veteran starters that he wouldn’t shake things up when they were failing to get the job done. Graham is showing us that he deserved an opportunity to show what he could do.
On Thursday night he contributed 2.5 sacks and forced Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton to fumble. Graham was using his speed to beat Cincinnati right tackle Andre Smith like a drum. He was either beating Smith or forcing the big guy to hold him. The young defensive end was showing off the burst, which got him drafted so high.
Graham beat Smith around the corner and hit Dalton’s arm as he tried to throw to force a fumble which was recovered by Trent Cole. He’s starting to resemble the player the Eagles were dreaming of when they drafted him out of Michigan. Although undersized, he was explosive off the ball and he used his short frame to get up under Smith. On another play he tripped up Dalton as he tried to scramble to the far side for another sack.
He shared a sack with defensive tackle Fletcher Cox. Graham and Cox could get to be a nice combination in the future.
Graham made a big tackle on another play he came from the left side and tracked down Dalton as he tried to scramble downfield.
He’s been playing with a chip on his shoulder since he was labeled a bust a year ago. Graham has been under pressure to produce because of being drafted ahead of Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, who has already been selected to the Pro Bowl and led his team to a Super Bowl title.
“As long as I keep bringing the same attitude and effort like I’m coming from behind”, Graham said. “I feel like I’m still the No. 2 guy and I’m still trying to prove myself. That’s going to be me until I’m done playing.”
The former Michigan Wolverine will need to keep this performance up for awhile in order to erase the talk of him being a bust, but he’s well on his way.
“I’m trying to step into that role of being a leader for next year,” said Graham. “Trent taught me a whole lot, Babin and those guys, just looking up to them and trying to be a leader because I really want us to go to the playoffs. I haven’t been in the playoffs since I’ve been here — my first year I got hurt when we went. I want to be in the postseason trying to go for a championship.”
Graham is saying the right things for Eagles fans and he’s playing the right way, but he needs to keep it up going forward. Next year he will likely be a starter on the defensive line. He needs to be getting to the quarterback like he did on Thursday night.
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Posted by GarryCobb
on Dec 15 2012. Filed under BREAKING NEWS, Defensive Line, Eagles, News.
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Is it time to go knocking for Larry Fitz..? D-Jax and a pick?
Just a thought.
DJax’s with his new contract couldn’t get you a pick from anyone and certainly not from Arizona, after Kolb’s play
and Players don’t want to come to Philly ( the birds are the worst team in the NFC) and have to deal with Howie & Lurie’s erasable free agent contract ink
bugs, I’d drive DJax to Arizona!
Anyone (lawrd) who think Luck will not be a top 5 qb in this league for years to come, is moronic. What’s even more stupid is the fact that you think Josh Freeman is better. Yikes
He’s a racist, Vick lover, his thoughts are meaningless!
Frank, if you were unawareof lucks draft status , the hype, and just looked at his body of work to date, you would be saying the same about him or worse as yousay. for foles. the quarterback luck is overhyped
Luck, RG3, Tannehill, Wilson all look good
playoffs will determine who is great
Nice conversation but it sucks that all those young successful QB’S have one very important thing in common. None of them play here. Let’s see if we can swindle the Skins into trading us Cousins.
I would offfer the Cardinals QB Vick, WR D-Jax, & OL Todd Herremans for Ftizgerald straight up.. They may be interested in a deal like that..
I expect Denver Bronco’s OC Mike MCCoy to be the next HC of the Arizona Cardinals who desperatly need a QB
Jake- I agree that just by the numbers, which are still good, minus the picks that you wouldn’t not day automatic R. O. Y. But being able to watch football and understand the game a little bit, you can see he has the potential oozing out of him. Big, smart, athletic. He’s a beast
I would take luck over RG3 everyday
Frank, Apples & Oranges! I’d take etiher here! But RGIII might have issues staying healthy, with his style of play. Shanahan, might have to tweak his style, & OF a bit, like he did with Elway! A few legit WR’s would be nice too. Garcon, Morgan, Moss, & the rest of the garbage they have, leave little to be desired. Kid is a beast, but he needs to tweak his style!
Add another name to the HC list for the Eagles
Ron Rivera per reports in Charlotte that he will probably not be back depsite the Panthers Decent Finish to the Season, Remember that the Panthers Fired their GM mid-Season and word is that Mike Holmgrem will return to the Sidelines as a Coach next Year..
Holmgrem to the Panthers with QB Cam Newton
River to the Eagles with QB Nick Foles to build around
But that not too take anything away from RG3. He’s a beast in his own right, I just really think Luck is going to special
Its not the quarterback position.. Every quarterback in the NFL is capable .. What makes a good quarterback isnt the quarterback..Its the team built around him
Except for Ryan Leaf, JeMarcus Russell, Jimmy Clasuen, Brady Quinn
and Mark Sanchez… These guys I listed all that bad and do not belong in the NFL or last very long
larrwd,
I totally disagree with that statement. The QB position is the most important position on the field, and a good QB can make-up for a lot of deficiencies at other positions.
The great Vince Lombardi said that a team could have 21 better players but if he has the better quarterback he could win.
Put Manning on any team and they will be good. Put JeMarcus Russell on any team and they will be bad…
Agree Irish, the QB position is everything…the redskins might win the division all because they have a QB now…look at the Colts…If we would have landed Manning in Free Agency, Andy Reid would be our coach next year.
Bears All-Pro LB calls out Chicago Bears Fans for booing them on their home field as they did yesterday after losing game and division to the Packers..
I agree ,alot of the guys you listed dont want to play. Leaf didnt care Russell didint care.. . guys that dont want to play and guys that cant take a hit .. I knew kolb wasnt going to cut-it the first time he got hit by clay mathews.. He looked like he didnt even want to play football anymore..
Except that wasn’t his first game
Kolb had a couple of nice games before that Clay
Matthews incident
I always supported Brandon graham and thought the bust label was very unwarranted. We never really had a chance to see what the kid was all about due to the knee injury. I was also a little biased in my belief in him due to my brother graduating from Michigan the year before Brandon. He did not know him but was always talking good about him as a person around campus. I watched a lot of Michigan football even though I am not a fan of Michigan. I don’t know him personaly, obviously, but he seems like a high character guy and a solid football player. Hopefully with the succes he is having he can carry it over to next year and really step up his leadership role with the team. I see him and think he has a little high Douglas in him, to make a comparison.
We need to hire Vic Fangio as the next HC, then change our DF to a 3-4 DF. Brandon would be a great 3-4, outside, rushing LB, like Spencer, Ware, Orakpo, & Watt. That’s were he should have been playing in anyways!
*where*
They say BG is too stout and has arms that are too short to play OLB
In a 34…that’s also a reason why Hugh was traded by Parcells to us…
James Harrison excels at the position despite his size because
Dude is freakishly strong
Luck has better weapons than we do .. Reggie Wayne Donnie Avery and T.Y. Hilton are much better than what we have.. And he is performing worse than our quarterback as far as efficiency. He has thrown alot of yards because they throw a ton, but has also thrown a ton of picks..
I just dont think jackson Maclin and Avant are that good.. I wanted T.Y. Hilton
Jackson is the hilton
maclin is the Avery
we dont have a reggie wayne
Exactly latwd that is why is difficult to judge foles playing with the junior varsity , how world he fair with the colts weapons oreven a healthy eagles first team , look beyond the results, look at his presence, confidence, eagles now need to hire the right coach to develop him
Larrwd- if you had a choice of luck or foles who would you go with?
Luck at this point, but im hoping Foles can develop foles may have a higher upside but way more risk. I was just stating that he has better weapons. Russell Wilson has been the most impressive. He has done more with less and has better stats than all.. The eagles were actually going to select Wilson before Foles but the seahawks beat them to it leaving us with foles.
Luck at this point ?? Are you kidding me Larrwd..
Luck will be a 10-12 Year Starting QB with multiple Pro-Bowls and on his way to a Potential HOF Career..
Foles is no where in his class as a NFL QB, now or in the future..
Not sure if any of you watched Luck play much this Season but this kid is the Real Deal as far as his Total Package.. wait to the Colts develop their OL and actually have a running game though Rookie RB Ballard (out of Miss State) has flew under the radar and has come on strong the latter part of the Season.. With Rookie TE’s Fleener & Allen and WR TY Hilton
They had an Excellent Draft Class in 2012 wouldn’t you say..
Hats off to GM Ryan Grigson who is building this Colt Team in his likeness which is tough,sound,physical football with Talent on the outside and a QB who will make the Colts a legitimate Playoff Team for the next 10 Years
(they are playing with 4 New Starters on their OL as well this Year)
Very well said
Luck is the correct answer. He does have some weapons but the colts did a great job drafting these guys Hilton, Avery, fleener etc.. Colts are going to be a force in the next couple years, for a long, long time.
Lucks looks good but not very-good or great by any means. Hes a good player simply said..
But you have to look ahead man… Where do you see luck in 4 yrs? I see him with a MVP and a ring!
Really? We are comparing Foles and Luck today? wow…..
Its time to slow down boys.
There is no compareison… That’s what I’m trying to get across
you are projecting Luck based on what pedigree paulman, you are good football man on gcobb, but that’s far as it goes
I agree with laarwwd that based on his body of work to date he is overrated based on the hype, his draft staus, from a tools standpoint he does not show all that much better than foles, and there is much more projection physically with foles than Luck
Luck will be given every opportunity to show that he is worth the number one pick overall, just like mike vick did, foles, on the other hand, will get little opportunity to prove he belongs just as a starter becuse he is a third round project, and Foles playing with a putrid team that has quit