Last year was sort of a breakout year for Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham. He was one of the most disruptive players coming off the edge.

Graham’s sack numbers (5.5 sacks) are not indicative of a dominant pass rusher. That doesn’t mean he didn’t have an outstanding season.

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The good players always look to improve their game and build from year to year. For Graham, taking the next step is getting to the quarterback and finishing the job.

“My next step is to get off the ball a lot faster. Last year, I wasn’t getting off the ball as consistently as I could have,” Graham explained on Sirius XM NFL Radio. “That’s the separation from having 5.5 sacks to having 15.5 sacks. There are a lot of times where I am one step away, but I could have gotten off the ball a lot faster.”

Graham said he wanted to work on making his path to the quarterback more streamlined. In addition to getting off the ball, he feels he needs to make sure that he is ‘running and not chopping his feet’ which slows him down.

Another way to improve his pass rush is keying his eyes on the right things. Graham acknowledged how his eyes kept him from getting a jump on the snap. This year he plans to keep his eyes on the prize.

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“Sometimes it’s about what you are looking at. Sometimes I am not looking at the ball,” Graham explained. “I am looking at the man. The man can be late because he’s tired. That’s why you have to look at the ball because it’s never going to lie to you.”