Bleeding Green Nation
Rest in peace.
Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl LII champion Bryan Braman died on Thursday morning, according to his agent Sean Stellato.
The 38-year-old Braman was battling “a rare, aggressive form of cancer” that was originally diagnosed in February.
News of Braman’s condition became widely public earlier this month, leading to Eagles fans being among those donating to a GoFundMe campaign that was organized on his behalf.
Needless to say, it’s very sad that Braman’s life came to an end way too soon. We’re all wishing the best for his family.
When it comes to his NFL career, Braman was an underdog story after going undrafted out of West Texas A&M. He made a seven-year career out of being a fierce special teams player. It was hard not to root for a guy who played with the tenacity that included making a tackle without wearing a helmet:
Or becoming Brock Lesnar and flat out suplexing another player:
Or delivering an impassioned speech to fire up his teammates (warning — NSFW language):
Or who played with the self-stated mindset of “Kill, maim, and destroy.”
When it comes to Braman’s contributions to the Eagles’ championship success, there are two plays that really stand out:
1) Braman blocked a punt in the Eagles’ Divisional Round win over the Atlanta Falcons. The Matt Bosher punt only traveled 22 yards, which allowed the Eagles to take over at their own 28-yard line with 0:46 remaining in the second quarter. The Birds were able to drive 37 yards (in part due to Torrey Smith catching a Nick Foles pass that bounced off Keanu Neal’s knee) and make a 53-yard Jake Elliott field goal in a game they ultimately won by a final score of 15 to 10.
2) Braman made a special teams tackle on the Eagles’ final kickoff in Super Bowl LII. The New England Patriots tried to go with a tricky kick return that included a Dion Lewis lateral to Rex Burkhead but Braman stopped the Patriots at their own 9-yard line with 0:58 left in the game. The Eagles were obviously able to hold on to their 41 to 33 lead.
Braman’s contributions could be considered small relative to, say, Nick Foles ... but there are many different factors that go into winning a Super Bowl and Braman certainly did his part.
Rest in peace, Bryan.
