Longest-tenured Eagle reveals how HC Nick Sirianni won him over

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni wasn't the most popular hire when the franchise chose him to lead ahead of the 2021 season. And after a shakey first impression, there were serious doubts about Sirianni before he'd even coached a game. 

On Thursday, just over a week before the Eagles play in Super Bowl LVII, defensive end Brandon Graham revisited Sirianni's notoriously bad introductory press conference in 2021, revealing how it led to the head coach winning him over. 

"I feel like he came in to here and gave us his honest answer on how he felt — he was pissed about it," Graham told reporters. "I love that. Because a lot of coaches won't admit when the media get under their skin."  

After a dreadful introduction, Sirianni drew criticism from the Philadelphia fans and media alike. Sirianni stumbled over his words and was sometimes difficult to understand during his first meeting with reporters after landing the Eagles' job, leading many to wonder if the team had made a horrible mistake. 

The 41-year-old survived the rocky waters, and just over two years after the incident, he has the Eagles a victory away from winning the franchise's second Lombardi Trophy since 2017. 

Graham's backing comes with weight. The longest-tenured Eagles player, Graham has seen several coaches and regimes come and go during his time in Philly. And like Sirianni, Graham wasn't embraced by Eagles fans immediately. 

Now, 13 seasons into his Eagles' career, Graham is responsible for perhaps the most significant moment in franchise history, a strip-sack of Tom Brady in Super Bowl LII, and has an opportunity to create more memorable moments two Sundays from now.

With 178 career games played, Graham is only six games away from passing Hall of Famer Brian Dawkins (183) for the most played by a defensive player in an Eagles uniform and 11 games from the franchise's all-time leader, kicker David Akers (188).