Graham disagrees with Cowboys' Bryant
"It's a big stamp on you, saying that you're selfish, that you wouldn't fight for your teammates," said Eagles rookie Brandon Graham about Cowboys WR refusing to carry his teammate's shoulder pads.
Brandon Graham knows he'll have to take the defensive linemen out to dinner.
Other than that, he hasn't seen much hazing as a rookie with the Eagles.
But if his teammates asked Graham to carry their shoulder pads, he would - unlike Dez Bryant.
Graham explained why he disagreed with Bryant's move to not carry the pads of teammate Roy Williams.
"I'm used to the hazing part because that's what I was brought up on - being hazed, when I first got there [Michigan] as a freshman," Graham said during an interview with WIP. "It's a continuous thing. It's just all about respect. That's all. You should respect the ones that have been there before you. If I was Dez Bryant, I would have did it, because it's not anything that they're trying to do that's a bad thing. It's just a fun experience to go through because later on, there'll be memories."
Graham went on to say that Bryant sent the wrong message to his new teammates.
"It's a big stamp on you, saying that you're selfish, that you wouldn't fight for your teammates, because him saying that he's here for the Super Bowl and stuff, that's a lot of talk for him," Graham said. "He's a selfish guy if he doesn't do what they ask him to do because he knows it's going to come. He knows coming in, that's what you have in the back of your mind. 'I'm a rookie again. I know I'm about to get hazed.' But some people just really don't like that stuff and you can't get around it."
MORE Q&A
Continuing our series with Bill Barnwell of Football Outsiders...
Q: With Kevin Kolb as the starter, do you think Jeremy Maclin could have a bigger season than DeSean Jackson? What are your thoughts on the two receivers?
A: I think it depends on what we define "bigger season" to be. If it's more receptions, I think that could certainly be the case. Maclin actually had slightly more catches per start last year (4.23 to Jackson's 4.2), and Maclin's going to be running the shorter routes. If the bigger season is receiving yards - or general impact on the offense - I still think Jackson's the more important player.
Note: The 2010 FOA projects Jackson to have 73 catches for 1,214 yards and seven touchdowns. They predict 51 catches for 784 yards and six touchdowns for Maclin.
Q: We saw Brent Celek make a big leap in 2009. What's in store for him in 2010?
A: It's easy to look at Celek's numbers from those two Kolb starts - 16 catches for 208 yards and two scores - and just pencil him for an enormous season at tight end. I don't think he'll put up numbers quite like that, though. He should have a good connection with Kolb, going back to their days on the second unit, but there are going to be too many guys eating into his targets - namely McCoy and Cornelius Ingram. I think something similar to his 2009 line would be reasonable, although you'd like to think he'll drop fewer passes this time around.
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