Brandon Graham keeps motor running for Super Bowl encore with Eagles

DETROIT – For the final lesson, the grand takeaway to conclude a four-hour football camp on the hallowed grounds near downtown where Tiger Stadium once stood, more than a dozen sweaty kids encircled Brandon Graham with rapt attention.

“Why not me?” Graham bellowed. “It’s all about the mindset, all about the grind. A lot of people are faking out here, but they get exposed on game day. Do it one day at a time!”

The message came straight from the heart, as the Philadelphia Eagles defensive end was once in their shoes.

But this time, as he hosted his fourth annual camp at the Police Athletic League complex in his hometown in early July, the words had a bit more juice. Graham, 30, is a Super Bowl hero now.

“Mostly, these kids want some hope,” Graham, set to report to Eagles camp on Thursday, told USA TODAY Sports. “That’s what we’re trying to do.”

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Nearly 150 kids attended the camp. While Graham worked with the boys in the drills, his wife Carlyne conducted a program for girls that included sessions on journal-writing and self-defense. “Team Graham" is the M.O.

His mother, Tasha, said the camp is about never forgetting your roots. His dad, Darrick Walton, sees it as another layer of his son’s resilience as a self-starter.

All told, it was a snapshot of success and inspiration. When last seen in action, Graham engineered the strip-sack of fellow Michigan alum Tom Brady that proved to be the knockout blow in the waning minutes – and perhaps the only big defensive play in a game that featured 74 points and an NFL-record 1,151 yards – to seal the Eagles’ Super Bowl LII victory.

Now what?

“There has to be something that fuels me, other than winning the Super Bowl,” Graham said. “I enjoyed that moment, but now I’ve got to get some extra motivation.”

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Some of that may come from a payday. For all that Graham has done to validate his status, he’s heading the new season with some uncertainty and needing another strong season to maintain his market value. He’s entering the final season of his four-year, $26 million contract, undoubtedly underpaid as just the 26th highest earner at his position.

Recovering from offseason ankle surgery, Graham hasn’t suggested that he won’t report to camp on time like other key players around the league on holdout watch. Yet talks with the Eagles seemingly haven’t progressed far. The Vikings recently struck long-term deals with defensive ends Everson Griffen (four years, $58 million) and Danielle Hunter (five years, $72 million), but it’s unclear how much those contracts will factor into a potential deal for Graham. At the moment, the wide range of possibilities include becoming a free agent next year…or restricted by a franchise tag.

In any event, there’s no shortage of incentive – for Graham or his team. The Eagles are hoping to become the NFL’s first repeat champion in 14 years.

“I think we’ll have the right mindset,” Graham insists. “We’ve got some great leaders. And it’s like, ‘That stuff is over. We ain’t underdogs no more. People know about us.’ “

No, Graham may never have to buy a meal again in Philadelphia. Long-suffering Eagles diehards finally have Super Bowl bragging rights, thanks to Graham and a few of his close associates, including backup quarterback Nick Foles and the resilient coach, Doug Pederson.

Graham’s such a Philly legend now that he was tapped to officiate a wedding uniting Eagles fans and back home he’s picked up a few more relatives, like the man at the camp who mentioned the connection of their bloodlines.

Yet his big moment also served as a reminder of the challenges on his journey. Before Pederson replaced Chip Kelly in 2016 and brought along Jim Schwartz to run the defense, some labeled Graham as a first-round bust.

“When we won the Super Bowl, all I thought about was, ‘Man, what if Chip let me go, like he did DeSean (Jackson) and them boys who are mad because they didn’t get a ring and they were here most of the time?’ " Graham said. “I just thank God because I know He had a hand in all of it. I’m proud of persevering through all the garbage that I went through.”

His coach at Crockett High, Rod Oden, can vouch for the test. Oden has been a rock for Graham for years, going back to when he was Graham and Carlye’s freshman year English teacher. He’s one who can tell you how Graham tied a state record with 17 sacks as a freshman, then blossomed as one of the nation’s top middle linebackers…while carrying a 3.6 GPA.

“We knew he was a pro in the ninth grade,” Oden told USA TODAY Sports. “He’s always done things the right way. My thing to our other coaches was, ‘We just need to get out of his way. We can’t screw this guy up.’ “

Yet years later, Graham wondered whether he’d ever reach his full NFL potential, as Kelly had him out of sorts as a stand-up linebacker in a 3-4. He praises offensive tackle Jason Peters and former Eagles defensive end Trent Cole for their support.

“They kept me up when I was depressed that they called me a bust,” Graham reflected. “It got to me a little bit, but people like them told me, ‘The noise is going to go down when you start balling.’ “

Graham flourished the past two seasons in Schwartz’s Wide 9 scheme, teaming with the likes of Fletcher Cox, Chris Long and Derrick Barnett on a D-line that is Philadelphia’s deepest unit. He had a career-high 9 ½ sacks last season and since 2016 has rated as one of the NFL’s best defensive ends, tallying 142 pressures and 15 sacks.

And there’s no denying the grit. Currently on the mend from offseason ankle surgery, Graham played during the Super Bowl with a high ankle sprain and pulled hamstring.

But Super Bowl hero or not, Graham can attest to the kids that life in the NFL means the next challenge awaits.

Follow Jarrett Bell on Twitter @JarrettBell.