Brandon Graham earns Eagles nomination for Walter Payton Man of the Year

One day, many years from now, we’ll look back and discuss Brandon Graham‘s tenure as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles. That discussion will probably include the organization’s decision to trade up in the 2010 NFL Draft to select him, their decision to ignore Texas Longhorns safety Earl Thomas in the process, the slow start to his career, a more than respectable finish, and the greatest strip-sack in NFL history (one in the Super Bowl versus the greatest quarterback and dynasty the NFL has ever seen). Who knows? We may even talk about the time he took home the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Trophy.

The first Monday of December brought with it great news. The names of every player nominated for one of the NFL’s most prestigious awards were announced. Our beloved B.G. earned the nod as the Philadelphia Eagles nominee.

PhiladelphiaEagles.com details released a nice story shortly after the news broke. That one is definitely worth reading when you have a moment. Here’s the full list of every team’s nominee:

Eagles Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie released a statement. Here it is and a few more highlights from Eagles Twitter:

Place Brandon Graham’s name at the top of a list filled with great guys from the Eagles roster.

Though no one would question the validity of Brandon Graham’s nomination, it must be difficult for Philadelphia to make this decision annually. This is an organization littered with so many men who are examples of how to play the game the right way, men who contribute positively to the lives of others. They are fantastic people on the field and off of it.

Selecting one man out of that bunch could be a tough ask, but here’s what we know. No one would debate whether or not B.G. is deserving. Truthfully, you could nominate him for a humanitarian award every season. He’s truly that special.

All of his 13 NFL seasons have been played in Eagles green. He won’t play forever. We all realize that (even if it seems like he could sometimes), but we can all testify to the fact that we’ll miss him when he isn’t doing so.