Brandon Graham Reveals the Moment Nick Sirianni Won Him Over

PHILADELPHIA - Nick Sirianni is proof you can overcome a bad first impression.

The Eagles coach has rebounded beautifully from an awkward introductory press conference in January of 2021 that had many wondering what the heck Jeffrey Lurie was thinking.

Fast forward 25 months and Sirianni is set to lead the 16-3 Eagles in Super Bowl LVII against Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, and the Kansas City Chiefs in Glendale, Ariz. on Feb. 12.

Since a 2-5 start in 2021, Philadelphia is 23-6 and 22-3 when Jalen Hurts starts at quarterback, an amazing turnaround for the coach that preaches five core principles: connecting, competition, accountability, football intelligence, and fundamentals.

Sirianni has admitted to reporters in the past that he has used the reaction to his first Philadelphia presser as motivation and a teaching tool to his players.

On Thursday, veteran Brandon Graham also pointed back to the moment.

“He won me over when he first got here,” Graham, a Super Bowl LII holdover, said. “That press conference he had where he did all that stuff, said all the wrong things and you all got on him, I just felt like he came in here and gave us his honest answer how he felt about it, and he was pissed about it.”

The interaction highlighted a human part to Sirianni and the coach’s first goal of connection was quickly accomplished with a key leader in the locker room and the pulse of the Eagles on a day-to-day basis when it comes to energy.

“I love that (reaction) because a lot of coaches wouldn’t admit to, sometimes when the media gets under their skin, so it was cool, down to earth, cool, cool guy,” Graham said.

Graham, like most of the veterans, was loyal to Doug Pederson but also willing to give the new coach a chance.

“He had a good rapport from a lot of guys that were with him that I talked to,” he said. “They said you got yourself a good one. Hopefully, him being a head coach won’t change him, and from what I’ve seen it didn’t change him.”

Had Sirianni undersold his poor first impression perhaps things would have gone off the rails, especially after the 2-5 start, but owning it resonated and kicked off an impressive run to Super Bowl LVII.

“That’s when he won me over, just coming in being real about how he feels,” Graham said. “I know sometimes you can wear your emotions on your sleeve, which he does, but I think he does a good job of owning it and moving on.”

-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Football 24/7 and a daily contributor to ESPN South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen