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What a week it’s been for Philadelphia sports. First, we had the Flyers and Sixers both advance as under-dogs and the Phillies have been heating up after an abysmal start. Now of course the Flyers (0-2) and Sixers (0-1) are losing there series and we still have over 100 games left for the Phillies season. Things are quiet with Eagles. As long as you ignore the report about how AJ Brown is definitely getting traded or draft talk, it’s quiet. We’re going to breakdown a bonafide Eagles legend, Brian Dawkins.
I’ll be honest, Brian Dawkins is my favorite Eagles player of all time. My go-to game-day jersey is still a Dawkins black jersey. It heavily relies on nostalgia and that he was the best player on the team during the early 2000’s but that doesn’t matter. If you breakdown the player he was in the off or on the field, it’s hard not to be a fan of his.
Speaking of on the field, he was a freak talent at Safety. Even if you look at the two other premier safeties during his time (Ed Reed and Troy Polumalu), he stacks up very well. The only argument I’ve seen is that he’s more of a hybrid between the two. Troy was a blitzing safety while Reed was a ball-hawking interception machine. My question is, if you can have both, why not take both? To this day Brian Dawkins is the only player in NFL history with 20 interceptions, forced fumbles, and sacks. Those three stats alone are all drive-killers. Now let’s take a look at some of his career highlights with the Eagles. Yeah sure some of those are penalties now but they were legal then so let’s just enjoy.
His pregame speeches and routines to this day get me ready to run through a brick wall. Two come to mind, the first is his iconic entrance. You watch that and you don’t think you’re about to face a man, that’s a wild animal. Given what we saw in the highlights, I’d take my chances with a large wolf compared to that man.
He also inspired (occasionally terrified) his fellow Eagles defenders. There was the time he told Takeo Spikes he was going to, “take *the other player’s* soul.” If that’s not the type of guy you want standing near you on defense then you better learn route trees or blocking because you are not a defender. Theres also my favorite speech preaching about the heart. Putting your heart into every game and play is what gets you to that legendary status in Philly. As long as you show that, I’ll always support you.
For someone so intense you’d think he stayed that way off the field. Truth is he’s been very vocal about how he’s adjusted post career. Those antics often stemmed from his own internal issues. Sure some tough guy might call him soft for that but imagine that type of aggression in the grocery store. Totally uncalled for to suplex someone just because they took a loaf of bread you wanted. No seriously, the capacity for growth shows you just how legendary that man was and why he’s always been my favorite player. Until next time, Go Birds.
sources: Scott Anderson photo, NFL Throwback on YouTube, Oliver Smith YouTube, CBS Sports YouTube, NFL Life Line YouTube, Gabagoolsite YouTube
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Hello, I’m a greater Philadelphia native writing mostly about the Eagles and the rest of the NFL. Articles aren’t … More about Kyle Lavin
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