It was 2010 and hot and defensive end Brandon Graham remembers what it was like to pack up and make the trip to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, the then-home of Philadelphia Eagles Training Camp. The players slept in dorms on one end of the campus, ate their meals in another spot, and had meeting rooms in between. The practice field required a drive over a hill and into a valley, where there were thousands of Eagles fans waiting, every single day, for the team to get on the field for another day of practice.
"Exhausting. Every day. Coach (Andy) Reid had real two-a-day practices back then and I remember being so tired after the morning practice that I would take a shower and have somebody grab me some lunch and bring it to me near our locker rooms and then I would sleep the rest of the time until the next practice.
"My first Training Camp, man, it was tough. I remember going against Winston Justice on my first 1-on-1 rep. We had all of those guys just ready to take it out on the first (draft) pick (Graham was the 13th player selected in the 2010 NFL Draft). It was a rough time."
Graham roomed back then in a multi-player suite, he recalls, with defensive tackle Mike Patterson and linebacker Ricky Sapp. It was all about proving that he belonged in the NFL, so Graham did everything he could to earn the respect of his teammates.
"Working against Winston and guys like Jason Peters, I just had to work and keep battling," he said. "We had some battles and I think I showed that I could play here and help the Eagles.
"I can still picture it – the locker room, sleeping there, eating when we walked downstairs and had a big dining hall. So many hills everywhere. It was crazy. And then you'd get to the field and the Eagles fans were hyped. They were ready. They brought it every day and that helped us bring it every day."
As a rookie, Graham also was "welcomed" by the veterans, who would clink their glasses no matter where they were and Graham was made to sing – usually some Marvin Gaye "What's Going On?" because that's what he knew.
"I was good, too," he said, laughing.
So much has changed since 2010, hasn't it? The NFL has gone through some big changes – 16 games to 17 games, some significant new rules, a new kickoff play ahead, international regular-season games, and more – and Graham has been here for it. He's in his 15th season, and he says it is his last, and the memories come flooding back as he cherishes every moment of every day in 2024.
The Eagles brought Training Camp to the NovaCare Complex in 2013 and Graham has since gotten married and had children and now can sleep in his own bed. There are no two-a-day, on-field practices with a lot of contact – instead there is a practice and then a walkthrough and teams do everything they can to save players for the regular season.
But the fans remain – albeit in smaller numbers at the NovaCare Complex (although Thursday night's Public Practice at Lincoln Financial Field attracted nearly 50,000 fans) – and Graham is thankful for their enthusiasm.
It makes a difference, folks. The players feed off that passion.
"No doubt about it," Graham said. "You're going against the same guys every day and it gets kind of boring, but you know the fans are watching and they are keeping score, so you have some extra energy to win every rep. That's what gets my juices going."
Another change in the routine is the addition of joint practices and the chance to see new faces and new schemes and hit opposing players.
"I love them, love them," Graham said. "Seeing some new guys, it's just fun. Plus, you don't really know what to expect, so you have to be ready for anything and everything. I love talking and playing and getting out there for those practices and getting after it."
There are times when Training Camp has come and gone and by the end of it, Graham just doesn't remember what happened. That's the kind of life this is – living in the moment, looking ahead, not wallowing in the past.
"My approach has always been that I'm getting ready to be at my best in my job, so I report to Training Camp in the best shape of my life and then it's all football," Graham said. "It is a lot of fun for me. I'm always going to think about Training Camp and the things that happen, but when you're in it, you kind of just not overthink anything. It can paralyze some guys.
"It is a test, that's for sure. If you aren't ready for how fast things are and how guys are playing for their paychecks, you won't last long. This will eat you up."
