Undefeated Eagles Try to Remain Grounded Amid Phillies Celebration

Brandon Graham and A.J. Brown talked about staying in the moment and not letting Super Bowl thoughts enter their minds

PHILADELPHIA – The Eagles fully understand what’s happening at Citizens Bank Park, right across the street from where they practice every day.

They saw how much fun the Phillies had winning the National League pennant and rolling into the World Series.

“They’re doing some special stuff right now,” said Brandon Graham on Wednesday as the Eagles began preparations for hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday (1 p.m./CBS). “I’m just happy they’re doing it. They ain’t done yet. They have to finish, but I am excited. Philly is on fire right now.”

The run the Phillies made these past few weeks allowed Graham, 34, to do some reflection during the bye week, reflecting on his 6-0 team and how it felt back in 2017 when it was the Eagles doing special things that led to a Super Bowl championship.

“I just dream about a team like this where we’re playing together, we’re undefeated, we’re trying to do something different and special in Philly,” said the longest-tenured player on the Eagles’ roster. Every year you just never know what you’re going to get.

“Like the year we won the Super Bowl, that snuck up on me. Nobody expected nothing from us that year because of what we did the year before. And then it was over. I was like did I enjoy it enough? 

"We won but I was like man I want to go through it again. We’ve kind of got like a similar chemistry going on right now. I just want to stay in the moment because we don’t know what the future holds. I just know that what I love right now is our mindset coming off the bye.”

A.J. Brown has never been to a Super Bowl, but he kept it real when he held court at his locker.

He grew up in Starksville, Miss., a town of about 25,000, and one without a pro sports team. He has seen a fan base, as Graham said, “on fire.”

He sees it with the Phillies and he saw it when he went to a Sixers game during the bye.

“It’s just different being in a sports city, and the fans who love their sports,” he said. “I think it’s the best, to be honest, and the way the Phillies are playing right now, it’s definitely giving the city hope. 

"I really hope they win. Baseball is so hard, but I really hope they win. I saw how the fans reacted. I went downtown and that was just for going to the World Series.”

Brown was asked if what is happening with the Phillies has motivated him and made him think about what it would be like if the Eagles built on this 6-0 start and made the Super Bowl.

“I’d be lying to you if I didn’t think about it,” he said. “I’d be lying to you. But we’re going to try to stay grounded. We got a long way to go.”

Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglesmaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.