I didn’t think there was going to be a part three to this little series on my favorite NFL team, the Philadelphia Eagles.  But then, this past week, Brandon Graham retired.  

Everybody in Philly loves BG and with good reason.  His story is inspirational, even if you aren’t into football- or worse yet, are one of those people who hate the Eagles and their fans.

But if you know anything about him, you can’t hate on BG.

I don’t want to get long winded and write a whole bio on Graham- plenty of people have already done that type of thing and you can find it in several different places, some of which I’ll post below.  But just to give you a sense of why BG is so special, here are some highlights.

  • After his first few seasons were marred with injury, a bad fit with his position coach, and underachievement, he was labeled a “bust” by Philly fans and media
  • He overcame the label, and improved consistently throughout his career, even to the end.
  • He played an unprecedented 15 seasons with the Eagles
  • BG made the Pro Bowl twice and has the third most sacks of any Eagles in history
  • He made arguably the most important defensive play in franchise history; a strip sack on Tom Brady that enabled the team to win the Super Bowl after the 2017 season
  • BG is a legendary trash talker, but does it with a smile and good sportsmanship
  • He made himself a standout citizen of the Philadelphia community, and was nominated for the NFL’s Walter Payton Man Of The Year Award multiple times
  • Back in the spring, BG announced that he would likely retire after the season.  He was supposed to be a seldom used back-up player this past year, sort of on a farewell tour; but instead became a major contributor until he tore his tricep in mid season.
  • He rehabbed the tricep much quicker than expected, and joined the team again to play in the Super Bowl, which the Eagles won.

If you pay attention to Brandon Graham’s story, you learn how to persevere through difficult times, overcome self-doubt, and adopt a mind set that enables constant improvement. You see an excellent example of how to care for people, how to be a good human, and how to spread positive energy.

For all of those things as well as for the football plays, I say- thanks BG!

Links to more Brandon Graham info:
BG making the world better.

BG mini bio

BG farewell video from the Eagles

BG talking trash

BG stories from Eagle beat writers- podcast

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