Brandon Graham is a credit to Michigan

Submitted by drz1111 on

Setting aside how well he played, Graham has been a walking advertisment for Michigan throughout the last several days.  He's thoughtful, energetic, a good interview/quotable, and clearly the leader of the Philly defense.  He constantly improved as a pro from a pretty crappy first few years.  I think if he wants it (I imagine he wont NEED it financially) he'd be a great coaching prospect. 

 

I don't know what sort of outreach the program does to successful alumni, but I hope they're keeping Graham involved as much as possible.

mgokev

February 5th, 2018 at 11:51 AM ^

In lieu of just saying "I agree" and to actually spark some debate, what is it about Graham that makes you think he would be so great at coaching? 

That said, I'm happy for him and he has been a great representative of Michigan. 

drz1111

February 5th, 2018 at 12:15 PM ^

A number of points:

 

(1) he's not just a good player (which is not really a qualification for coaching at all!) he's clearly a leader.  That is a qualification for coaching and he's got it.  If you can lead men as a player you generally can lead as a coach.

(2) He wasn't good when he came into the league and he turned himself into a good player with a ton of work.  That's unusual for a high-drafted bust (which, lets be honest, he was at first) and suggests work ethic and also an understanding of skill/technique/scheme.  BG didn't become a very good pro because of raw talent; he became a very good pro by learning to become a pro.  He openly admits that in interviews.

(3) He's got charisma and quotability.  That matters. Did you see his quote, was in a couple of national newspapers this AM:

 

"We knew were going up against the best.  How nuch sweeter it is that we beat the best today."

 

I mean, damn.  That's what you're looking for right there.

(4) He's got the raw material to be a recruiter and to convince prospects he knows how to get them to the next level.  Compare with, say, Hart, who I love but doesn't have pro credibility.

(5) He's smart.  When they interviewed him before Ertz it was obvious who was the brains of the operation, and it wasn't the Stanford guy.

mGrowOld

February 5th, 2018 at 11:58 AM ^

I watched the game at my next door neighbor's house and he's from Boston and he's a HUGE Patriots & Brady fan.  His wife is also from Boston and her parents were at the party too.  I wore my Michigan gear (as did my wife) and we were all rooting for the Pats & Brady.

When Graham strip-sacked Tom in the closing moments and basically sealed the game for the Eagles I was the first to speak.  I said "does anybody happen to know wear Brandon Graham went to college?" When nobody answered I said:

"Same school that produced Tom Brady."   Didnt make them feel any better but I liked it.

 

LSAClassOf2000

February 5th, 2018 at 12:03 PM ^

In those highly awkward years at Michigan in the mid-late 2000s, Brandon Graham was always someone that simply stood out as a player that was likely going to be really good at the next level, and that has turned out to be the case. He is an awesome representative of the University Of Michigan and, although coaching seems like one of those things where you never know who might succeed, it would be interesting to see where Graham's post-playing career takes him, whether it is indeed coaching or something else. 

Yostal

February 5th, 2018 at 12:13 PM ^

The Tuck Rule game that, in many ways, began the Patriots dynasty, was Charles Woodson strip sacking Tom Brady in a playoff game, only to have it called back.

This Super Bowl saw Brandon Graham strip sacking Tom Brady, only to not have it called back.

Michigan men in the spotlight.  Al Michaels did frame that fact during a split screen of the two.

Plus, I mean, Brandon Graham won the Chicago Tribune Silver Football as Big Ten Player of the Year in 2009.  That's amazing considering everything else that happened that season.

The Krusty Kra…

February 5th, 2018 at 2:16 PM ^

Graham is a better representation of Michigan and its values than Brady is. As Brady illustrated last night by pouting his way off the field, dude can win but he is also a damn sore loser despite having FIVE rings.

I think best of all though, BG is a Michigander through and through, he managed to get out of Detroit and have great success due to self-motivation and some of the leadership he learned while playing at U of M despite the uncertainties of his final two seasons. This was a great read from before his last game in Detroit which was Thanksgiving 2015.

 

Zoltanrules

February 5th, 2018 at 4:20 PM ^

Brady was gracious, and yes disappointed, in his post game prolonged presser 15 minutes after the final gun. He has been an exemplary player on and off the field and family man who come back to campus to support the school. To knock his values or love of Michigan is stupid.

I was happy for BG and think the world of him too.

BOTH are terrific representatives of UM.

 

Zoltanrules

February 5th, 2018 at 6:01 PM ^

He played an incredible game, without his top two receivers, against a terrific defense, and was not the reason they lost the game despite BGs huge single play. Yet afterwards he manned up, gave credit repeatedly to the Eagles, didn't blame any one else or make any excuses - he just said it sucks to lose a couple of times.

I am no Pats fan but have found him gracious in victory and defeat and more than patient and cooperative with the press.

Many former players were not really welcomed back from the Rich Rod/ Dave Brandon era. Once Brady came back he has been more than true blue.

 

 

Ali G Bomaye

February 5th, 2018 at 2:54 PM ^

One minor correction - Graham wasn't "pretty crappy" his first few years. He was a good rotational defensive lineman as a rookie, then missed almost all of his second year with an injury. He's been very good since then.