Brandon Graham mentions Tom Brady in ‘incredible’ speech against Eagles – NBC Sports Boston

The Philadelphia Eagles are expected to head into their season opener against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium, but the home team still has a potential advantage.

The Patriots held a special ceremony for former quarterback Tom Brady, who returned to Foxborough on Sunday for the first time since retiring from the NFL. Many former Patriots players were in the building to celebrate Brady, who rang the bell next to Gillette’s newly renovated lighthouse before the game, bringing the crowd to its feet.

It was a tough environment for opponents, but Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham made sure his team was ready.

In a speech during Saturday night’s team meeting in Philadelphia, Graham sent a clear message to his teammates: Don’t be fooled by Tom Brady’s halo.

“That was part of my speech last night,” Graham told NESN.com’s Greg Dudek. “Just saying, ‘Don’t get fooled by the hype. He’ll be back. Respect the GOAT. But ultimately, the GOAT can’t help them. All he can do is bring some morale to them.

“But other than that, we have to make sure we execute out there because we know (Bill) Belichick and them, they have a plan. We have to make sure we execute our plan.”

Graham’s speech clearly resonated, with NBC Sports Philadelphia’s John Clark reporting that players had “goosebumps” after hearing the 14-year veteran speak.

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The Eagles were clearly undeterred by TB12’s presence, taking advantage of two early Patriot turnovers to take a 16-0 lead. However, New England powered on from there, outscoring Philly 20-9 over the final three quarters to give itself a chance to win late in the fourth quarter.

Alas, Graham’s words proved prescient: Brady couldn’t help the Patriots on the final drive, as rookie wide receiver Kayshon Boutte drained Mac Jones with 29 seconds left )’s 4th and 11th passes were unable to get his feet in bounds, and the game was over. The rest of the play was at Philadelphia’s 20-yard line.

The Eagles’ victory moved Graham to 3-2 all-time against the Patriots, with the most notable victory coming in Super Bowl LII. Thanks to Graham’s sack of Brady in the fourth quarter. While New England held its own against Graham and the defending NFC champions, there’s still plenty of work to do in the post-Brady era.