Brian Dawkins’ Versatilty Separates Him From Reed and Polamalu
BREAKING NEWS, Eagles, News, Secondary Tuesday, April 24th, 2012
For more than a decade, Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson built an outstanding Philadelphia Eagles defense around Pro Bowl safety Brian Dawkins. He was probably the most complete safety which I’ve ever seen. He was outstanding in every facet of the game. I think it would be a shame if he wasn’t voted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. He did everything to warrant his selection.
With the passing game being emphasized more often in the NFL game more than in the past, Johnson utilized Dawkins in every facet of the game. I had seen defenses built around defensive linemen and linebackers, but Johnson’s scheme was the first time I saw a defense built around a safeties. It was a wise move by Johnson to build his scheme around his best player.
Johnson would put Dawkins up on the line of scrimmage, in the box, when he wanted to take away another team’s running game. Dawkins became a linebacker during these times with his tenacious hitting and tackling ability. Baltimore would never ask Ed Reed to become a linebacker.
The defensive coordinator would have him lock down a tight end to take away one of the opponent’s top weapons. I’m sure Michael Vick remembers the hit Dawkins put on Atlanta Falcons tight end Alge Crumpler. That hit played a major role in that game.
Dawkins was utilized as a blitzer in order to get to the quarterback, sack him, knock the ball loose or strip the passer of it before he could get rid of it. Dawk did a great job of disguising his intentions until a split-second before the ball was snapped.
Jim Johnson had no problem lining up Dawkins on a wide receiver. I remember Dawkins working with the cornerbacks during training camp in one-on-one coverage drills. The Steelers would never ask Troy Polamalu to cover a wide receiver. He never had the quickness or speed to do the job.
I think Dawkins’ versatility separated him from other current safety Hall of Fame candidates, Reed and Polamalu.
Eagles head coach Andy Reid released a statement about the retirement of the long-time Eagles great.
“The NFL will miss a player as talented, ferocious, and determined as Brian Dawkins. He was one of the most dedicated and hardest working players I have ever coached. Whether it was on the practice field, the film room or the weight room, Brian always put in the extra hours it took to become the star player that he was. And he transferred all of that and more onto the field on Sundays. He poured everything he could into doing whatever was best for his teammates and this organization. He was the unquestioned leader of our defense. He will go down as one of the greatest Eagles of all-time and I have no doubt we’ll be celebrating his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I wish he, his wife Connie, and his family all of the best during the next phase of their lives.”
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Were a day away from this draft and the Eagles have managed to confuse us more than ever. On this site ive heard every position as a possible target in the draft. Paul for instance keeps throwing out name after name after name all in an effort to hit on one of these guess so he can come on here and say “I told you about that guy”.. Your bound to hit on someone, youve named every top tier player in the draft as a potential pick haha so funny.. But i still think the eagles go DT, in the beginning i thought it would be Devon Still and as time went on he began to drop and we could get a better understanding of where each guy may get drafted at (Though we wont really know until tomorrow night). But after hearing Roseman talk the other day about how deep the DT position is in the draft it makes me think that they may look elsewhere at 15. Thats where i believe Quinton Coples comes in. Hes a DE that can play DT but is primarily a DE. The Birds may take him there then draft a DT later. There is some depth at CB as well this year. I dont see them taking a CB at 15. They are a team that does value the position and always has but there is value in later rounds. So i see Coples being the pick while they draft there DE,CB,LB and even S in later rounds.
Paul everyone said Asante should be traded but only JH said it would happen draft week or during the draft. You said it was gonna happen last year haha you was way off. Anyone can come on here and make 20,000 predictions and hit on at least one. Get outta here man haha.
While on the topic of Dawkins, i dont know if it was mentioned but Dawk was the beginning of the hybrid DB meaning at the safety position the guy had the ability to cover WRs and of course TEs. Before Dawk we didnt see safeties covering WRs. He revolutionized the safety position. Now you have the Polamalu’s and Ed Reed’s covering WR’s. Dawk changed that position forever. He deserves all the accolades and is a lock Hall of famer.
Decenta article by Domoatich in Philly dot com – on eagles drafting :
remember Domos words – not mine:
I’m not trying to suggest that the Eagles are the best drafting team in the NFL. They’re not. But they’re also not The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight.
I compared the Eagles’ last five drafts with those of the Patriots, Giants and Ravens, who have three of the league’s most highly regarded personnel departments. The results might surprise you.
The Eagles have harvested 15 players from those drafts who either were starters or played in sub-packages last season, which is one more than the Ravens, two more than the Giants and four more than the Patriots.
Two players from those drafts made it to the Pro Bowl – wide receiver DeSean Jackson (second round, ’08) and running back LeSean McCoy (second round, ’09). That’s as many as the Giants and Ravens and only one fewer than the Patriots.
Only 12 of the 50 players they’ve taken in the last five drafts, or 24 percent, are out of the league. That’s better than the Giants (30.7) and the Patriots (34.7), and only three percentage points higher than the Ravens.
he wrote this about Belecheck:
Yet, if you inspect the Patriots’ drafts from 2007 through 2009, you might wonder whether Belichick brought in a fourth-grader to make the team’s picks during that period.
Their 2011 Super Bowl team included only two starters from those three drafts. Of the eight players they selected in the first three rounds of those drafts, only four still were with the team last season, and only linebacker Jerod Mayo and safety Patrick Chung were starters. Fourteen of the 28 players they selected in those drafts no longer are even in the league. Fourteen!
I have always stated and believed that when given a set of real, definable standards that do not change the Eagles under Andy Reid have been a solid drafting team when compared to the rest of the league –
can they get better – sure – which team couldn’t do better – sure you can pick holes (here comes the ‘when is the last time we drafted a Pro Bowl D player – Trent Cole and 14 other teams have gone longer) but how about Q Mikell (UFA signed by birds?)
Team is going to do great this weekend – going to snap up 3 solid D players in first two rounds
starting to hear about this guy from ‘Cuse – the DE – anyone have any thoughts?
JH,
I stated that if the Eagles wanted their best value for Samuel, that they needed to move him last year and yes, I was correct.. Everyone knows that at 31 Years of age and Knees that swell up and get sore every December and with $20 Million over his final 2 Years of his Contract is only going to lose value as each season goes by and be in high demand by most teams…
That’s DE Chandler Jones from Syracuse who is 6-5 about 266lbs who I like a lot better whan the overated, moody Quinton COples.. Jones has speed,and strength and plays the run real well.. He has very long arms and the bod type to put on 8-10lbs very easily, I also like the fact that he can pass the QB from the DT position on passing situations for he has the size,length to play inside
I would like this pick very much for he provides great upside, value and versatility and is a bright kid with godo background.. There is a lot to like about Chandler Jones and he’s been moving up the charts over the last 2 months..
I have now seen a couple mocks that say this is the guy – he will be there at 15, been flying under the radar -
I don’t know Pman…I have read mixed reviews on Jones, but if they want him in the 2nd or 3rd round I would be ok with the move. The know I read mostly sited a lack of consistancy and being slow off the snap at times. They say he has tremenous upside, but that it depends how hard he intends to work at it. Given the success that Washburn has with players, if he (Washburn) believes that Jones is his type of player, I would tend to trust the coach.
From what I can tell, The Birds have been having Washburn workout and interview the DLine candidates. Hopefully they will listen to his evaluations, which I have no reason to believe that would not. I think the difference this year from many in the past is that while we traded up to take Graham a couple of years ago, we then took that investment and handed it to Coach Segrest…stupid move for the franchise. If they move up to take a DL player, we will be handing him over to an experienced and successful coach in Washburn. However, just as we did when drafting Graham, if we take a LB with that 1st pick, we are turning over to an unimpressive coach in Caldwell being lead by an unimpressive DC in Castillo. For this reason I am hoping that they take a DL player with that 1st pick.
Paul now your calling Coples overated? Your bugging. Then you say hes moody? Haha what do you care about him being moody for? You dont have to live with the guy. Hes been productive in college and has the ability to change the game. Hes a game changer. Can play all over the defensive line. Hes extremely versatile, long, fast, athletic.. Get out of here.. And you threw another name out there Chandler Jones. I guess Mayock mentioned him so now your on the bandwagon bc anything Mayock says is gold in your mind haha.. Funny..
Haha and like i thought Mayock mentioned Chandler Jones yesterday and put him in the top 10 as the 9th overall player in the draft.. Like i said paul loves mayock and will come on here and talk about guys that mayock mentions. Hes been doing it for awhile now, i just decided to call him out on it now haha..sheesh
Packers release former Pro Bowl safety Nick Collins who had a serious neck injury a year ago and wants to continue his career but is taking a huge risk. When healthy hes one of the very best safeties in the NFL. But he may never be the same…
Safety Nick Collins is done for just like OT Chad Clifton that they released earlier in the week too.. PAckers cleaning house on Veterans who are not starters anymore due to injuries or plain losign their jobs to younger,better Players
DE Coples, WR J Blackmon and OLB Cortney Upshaw are players that are Dropping from early 1st Round selections to mid-later 1st ROund Selections ..
CB Gillmore, DE Mercilus, DE C Jones, WR Michael Floyd and DT K Reyes are all moving up from late 1st & early 2nd Round Selections now up to Mid 1st Round pick range
To JH,
I have mentioned Cuse’s Chandler Jones for a couple of weeks now and like his upside.. Coples is dropping per most Draft Observors because of his attitide and lack of consistent work ethic from his past, I think Coples can be a very good player too. Now go back into your Mom’s basement and re-watch the Mavs & Heat NBA Finals from last year and tell us what went wrong with your LeBron-Bron…
Wait you first say Coples is overrated now your saying he can be a really good player. Classic back tracking. Your notorious for that. Think before you write, especially towards me because i know you realize your dealing with someone with not only excellent common sense but also book smarts. Im no idiot and i remember everything. Be careful what you say bc i will call you out on it. And you dont mention certain players until mayock mentions them. You expect us to believe that you go and research all these guys yourself? Your not an nfl scout, you live in the boones with your wife and 2 kids. Lay off it bruh and start mentioning Mayock more instead of acting like your coming up with this stuff on your own.
Talking about the draft, this article is about dawkins, show the respect to the best eagle of all time. Talk the draft elsewhere
well fellas you know what they say… you chop off the head and the body will follow…..
Coples has all the athletic ability to be a good Pro NFL, I just don’t it’s going to happen in Philadelphia.. I was talking up DT Fletcher Cox in late Decemeber when many of you had never even heard of him.. I do like Mike MAyock and think he brings up many valid points about many players, but I form my opinions by multiple sources and most importantly, I watch many College Football games and since I live in NC, I get to see lots of ACC/SEC Football on a regular bases and see many more of these Players for these great Programs from the South on a regular basis than you guys do living up north.. I was talking up Barron last year and thought he was going to join the Draft (as many people did) and I don’t think he played as well his Senior Season but will make a very good NFL Player and is currently better than anyone else on the EAgles Roster but he will be gone by #15 and the Eagles probably wouldn’t select him anyways
front page of the san diego sports section is an article about the chargers wanting to move up to 10 or 11 to try and get Barron..
Didn’t Chargers Sign Safety Eric Weddle to a big deal last year
They appear to have some bigger needs along their OL (OT in particular) and DE , CB & OLB…
It’s kind of funny when you think about it, when you look over the last 10 Seasons or so, there are a lot of similarties between the Chargers and Eagles where both teams have had consistent success in the Regular Season, have won their Divisions, but never seem to play well in the Playoffs.. and have missed many opporutnities to get to the Championship.. Many people have questioned how Norv Turner keeps his job as some do Coach AR… Both rosters are filled with Talented Players, but GM Smith from the Chargers is one cheap son of a gun and is not very well liked by players and agents where thre EAgles don’t seem to have this issue
Toady’s trade of Samuel is a prefect case, say what you will about Coach AR, but when it’s time to trad a Veteran, they seem to go out of their way and even to their detriment to make it right for the player.. Recent examples are the deals they did for McNabb, Kolb and now Samuel.. to be honest, most teams would have probably vut these players and move on where the EAgles found out where they want to go, their best situations as far a playing time and of course, trading to a team then is goign to pay good Salaries..
This is another reason why player like to come to PHilly, if they get traded, at least it appears that the player or his agent at least has a little bit of a say so whjich is whole lot more than how other teams treat their players on who they are about to trade or release…
this is from a guy named nick capena – think of him as the les bown of san diego
It’s still easy to find 11th-hour mock drafts that have the Chargers picking an offensive lineman with their 18th overall pick. Can’t buy it for a moment. Smith has addressed most every offensive need through free agency. He has to go defense, has to go defense plenty.
What Smith should do, after monitoring the first 10 picks or so, is make a trade and move up before Dallas’ turn at No. 14 and pirate Alabama safety Mark Barron. If he doesn’t, the transparent Cowboys almost assuredly will take Barron, and that will be a shame. I make him the best pure player in the draft.
I’ve given this some thought (hard for me), but allow me to tell you why. Strong safety is the one position Smith has failed to address since he allowed Rodney Harrison to skedaddle in 2003. He has solved half of his deep middle defense with the blossoming of free safety Eric Weddle into a first-team All-Pro. The strong part of it, no. Barron solves it. Period.
Smith could go pass rusher at 18, and it won’t be awful (unless the guy can’t play; always possible). But I wonder what Smith really believes. Does he really need one that badly — or need to take one at 18?
should be fun tommorrow