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.”
Yeah G-Cobb I love Dawk just like the next fan but… Just because Ed Reed wasnt asked to play LB doesnt mean a thing he is a safety. A safety who was asked to score TDs. Ive never seen a safety make as many plays as Reed does. He is simply amazing. On top of that he scores TDs. He is the best safety Ive ever seen ummm behind Ronnie Lott. . I do like Dawk better than Polamalu b/c of injury issues. From what other players not affiliated with the Eagles are saying HOF maybe one day but not anytime soon b/c so many other great players are waiting and Dawk is behind 2 safties still playing. The only players clamoring for his HOF induction right away are players and fans who have a history with him.
GCobb, while I agree that all three should be HOF bound. Reed is/ has been the better play maker of the 3. Polamalu is more comparable to BDawk. IMHO, it is unfair to compare the 2, because BDawk has 7 more years of experience. But Polamalu is/ was just as good. Big difference is Polamalu’s SB’s. It’s ashame that, that might be a difference maker, in the HOF voting, of the 3. It shouldn’t be, but it will more than likely will be. Also, there are only 8 Safeties, all time in the NFL HOF, so that’s another thing to take in to consideration, because it seems as though the voters value Safeties as much as Reid does the LB position. It isn’t a glamor position like the offensive play-makers, QB’s, DE’s, or CB’s. Look no further than, all of the top 100-500 players of all time lists that are thrown around. You won’t find many Safeties, so it is going to be tough for them to go in. But that doesn’t change my love, respect & admiration for him, as a father, a man, a human being & a football player.
Great Article Mr. Cobb
Dawkins was a complete football player.
Some of these guys, are so out of shape you don’t even see muscles on them.
Some of them spend all their time complaining about being traded.
(samuel)
or not getting enough money in their contract. (Jackson)
or decide not to give their all and stop running.(McBum)
His leadership has not been replaced.
If the article is true…That the Eagles have had the 3rd most probowler’s behind the steelers and the ravens, then it only proves my point against FAT ANDY.
That means he has had the most talent in the league, minus 2 teams, and has not won a superbowl.
Not that I needed an article to point it out.
The Eagles have had the best QB in franchise history,(McNabb)
The best Safety in franchise history,(Dawkins)
The best RB in franchise history,(westbrook)
The best WR in franchise history,(TO)
The best Tackle tandem (runyon and thomas)
Best Cornerback tandem ( your choice…troy vincent era or sheldon brown)
and one NFC championship against a weak Atlanta team, to show for it.
Ronnie Lott(SF) was the greatest strong safety of all time. Ed Reed is the greatest free safety. Deion Sanders Cover Cornerback. Rod Woodson (steelers) cornerback.
Ist ballot…book it.G’s right…he did things the other two were never asked to do. All the things they have been asked to do Dawk did….deep third,run support,get us a turnover.
Is Reed on par with Dawk…no doubt…Troy is a step below cause hes always hurt. My opinion.
I disagree about 1st Ballot HOF and really, does it even matter anyway…
Dawk was a great player and leader of the Eagles Defense, but he will not be a 1st Ballot HOF for the Safety Position just does not get the recognition it deserves and without any Championships, MVP’s’, Player of the Year awards etc,etc it will be a few years befor he gets enough votes to make it in…
What’s important is the memories and lessons that he gave to the Fans and to his Teammates while playing in Philly, if he makes the HOF, great, if not, who cares for it does not diminsh what he accomplished on an off the field as an Eagle
All the failures in the Championship games are on McNabb. The bigger the stage, the smaller he became. Sorry. I realize other aspects of those games are in question. But this is the NFL and it always comes down to the QB. Those were all there for the taking and McNabb behavior I can only describe as bizzare. Dawkins showed up.
bsm – it’s not probowlers – it’s ALL PROs – two different things. Mind your details man, it makes a difference.
jmac – LOVE DAWK. But he did NOT show up in the big games – other than the Atlanta game. He did NOT play especially well in the Superbowl (granted, NE had our defensive calls and were cheating against Dawk and the d….). He did not have particularly big games in the other conference championship games either… just stating the truth here…
Shiller you are exactly right. The defense with Dawkins came up real small in alot of big games. Lets not act like when New England, Tampa and Arizona was torching our defense he wasnt on the field.
Hey schiller im not trying to bust your balls here. But i am asking you to show me where i can find those stats you just mentioned. About Bdawk not showing up in big games. you get noticed by your peers for the pro bowl votes in big game moments. Im trying to figure out if your statments are just opinion based or factual. if you dont mind can you post those stats on here so we can all understand why the Eagles cut the greatest leader they had.
If not then please just say IN YOUR OPINION… Dont talk about the game showme the proof. I dont know how old you are and how much football knowledge you really have here becasue you and i seem to have watched two different players. Now football knowledge im talking about is not cheering on sundays or reading someone elses quotes. Im talking how many years total did you play organized football and at what level? Do you know what different players jobs are on the field have you ever been in a locker room other than gym class? Im only asking becasue a lot of people on here talk like you lived the game.. Im just saying. I know you are going to ask me the same and yes i come form a FOOTBALL background. I have 4 relatives, uncles and cousins that played pro ball, ALL the males in my family played, i myself played from pop warner to semi pro for two years where i was rthe captain of the last team i played on. And one of my realatives you are on this website talking about him in this years draft so i know football and Bdawk doesnt com eup short in Big games..
The entire Eagles Team, Coaches and many Players came up small in big games From Coach AR,MM to JJ to the Big Players (McNabb,Westbrook,& Dawkins all did not play their Best in the Biggest Games)
The worst performance to me was the last NFC Championship Game to Arizona which was over by halftime after Warner torched the JJ and the Eagles Defense to a 24-6 Halftime lead essentially putting the game out of reach..
Some Current Eagles NEws
Broncos no longer interested in making a Deal for CB A Samuel but news is that the Atlanta Falcons would be open to discuss Trade options for Samuel
The Falcons have 6 Draft Picks and no 1st Round Selection this years since they traded away their top Pick to Cleveland Browns as part of the Julio Jones Deal from last year.. Falcons probably looking at 4th/5th Pick to the Eagles..
I still think a good deal would be Eagles sending their #15 Pick + CB Samuel and a 5th Round Pick to the Jags for their 7th Overall Pick for the Eagles to Select DT Fletcher Cox…
Falcons proabably
scramz – for probowl votes – it aint just your peers. Fans vote for probowls. media vote for probowls. And probowl votes are done DURING THE SEASON, not the playoffs. So while Dawk of course was big in many “big games” for the Eagles, he wasn’t particularly big in some key playoff games including the Eagles SB loss, and the NFC Championship games (other than the Atlanta game that clinched the SB birth – Dawk was key in that one). So Probowl votes DO NOT take playoff performance into account.
Do the research yourself buddy – I’m admittedly going off of memory. .I watched those games, and it’s been widely confirmed by many that Dawk just didn’t have some of his better games those times. I’m not saying HOF one way or another, or disparaging the great BDAWK. Just stating a true distinction.
And the Eagles didn’t cut Brian Dawkins. He was never cut by any team in his NFL career. His contract expired, and the Eagles made him an inital offer (which is how deals are done in the NFL, you start with a low offer from the team and negotiate up). Him and his agent told the birds they’d allow the birds to match other offers and continue negotiating. But Dawk and his agent broke that promise and signed for big money with Denver. He was NOT cut by the Eagles. The Eagles thought they were in a negotiation process with him and DAWKINS WALKED ON HIS OWN ACCORD.
I never played football. I do understand the positions. I really do.
But let me be clear – nobody is saying “Dawk doesn’t come up short in big games” – that’s a general statement and includes regular season Dallas games/games against teams that were doing well…etc….THAT’S NOT WHAT I SAID.
I mentioned 3 SPECIFIC GAMES. That were not only “big”, but ones that resulted in the Eagles seasons ending.
Remember, this is not about deciding what kind of player Dawk was or his HOF status – I say he’s a HOFer and was the best Eagle ever – my opinion. But this specific point was about Jmac’s point that Donnie was soley responsible for the SB loss.
Take a deep breath and review what I just wrote – it’s a specific comment I’m making, not general Dawkins bashing. The Dude was a BEAST and a compplete, smart, incredible football player and safety.
Scramz — Dawkins cost us the NFC Championship game against the Panthers when he got turned around by Muhammad Ali Astabar Mufasa. He came up short. Don’t act like the guy was perfect.
scrzms – no ball busting from me either. I hear your passion – I’m not knocking Dawk, just making sure we are accurate and fair. Again, I loved EVERYTHING he did as a player and I cannot emphasise that enough. I personally don’t like the way he handeled his free agency and the fact that he left for Denver without continuing negotiations with the Eagles.
Let’s agree on this, the Dawk was the Heart and Sould of some very Good Team and if a sure-fire Eagles HOF, Ring OF Honor, Jersey # Retire and for us Eagle Fans, that’s all I care about it.. Let’s make sure we honor the man and the player the right way regardless of what does or doesn’t occur for the NFL HOF or National Media nad Fans perceptions of him… I am sure Dawkins like any great player would love to make the NFL HOF but being honored and treasured by his Philly Fans is not a bad place to be..
For the sake of argument. People used to always rip Jim Kelly for his performance in those four SBs and the criticism was valid. But I always said, what did the great Bruce Smith do? You would expect he would have had at least 4-5 sacks over those four games, right? He had TWO. HOF, one of the best DEs of all-time who averaged almost a sack a game for his career had TWO sacks. I would also aske what did Thurman Thomas or Andre Reed do? Um, Thomas had 135 yards against the Giants and a TD. The other three games combined? 69 yards and scoreless. Reed caught 27 passes and never put it in the paint once.
Its not all about the QB. McNabb was pretty bad in that he uncharacteristically turned the ball over in those big games. But B West did nothing in the SB or against Arizona. And Dawk and the defense sucked in all of those games except the Carolina game. I love Dawk but he never made plays in those big games and pretty much invisible. JJ was out coached to an embarrassing level by Gruden, Weiss and Wisenhunt. We always put everything on Donovan and Andy but you have to look at the bigger reality. They all failed together. Dawk included.
Paulman…the Arizona game was lost primarily by one David Akers. His stat line for the day. He missed a makeable FG in the first half. He then shanked a kickoff OB to give Ariz the ball at the 40 and a gift FG before the half. Later, he missed an XP that caused a missed 2 pt conversion attempt. Thats five missed points and three gift points in a game we lost by seven. He was about as horrible as a kicker can be. But Akers was a popular player so we forget these things. After he missed a FG that could have put us in position to win the GB game, I was done with him. He was not clutch anymore. The first FG in the GB game was excusable. To miss a 33 yarder in the fourth quarter of a winnable playoff game is completely inexcusable. Yeah I know about his daughter but its no excuse. He should have made that kick if he was being chased by tigers. Its a 33 yard FG.
My preference in order for the first Eagle pick in the draft:
1) S
2) DT
3) LB
4) CB
5) WR
6) DE
7) QB
8) OT
Mark Barron or Fletcher Cox would make my Spring joyous. I would be happy with Kuechley. I could live with Gilmore or Kirkpatrick. Or even Michael Floyd (because I suspect Maclin is never going to be a number one and clearly Jackson never was). Copples would have me throwing things like I did with Graham. Tannehill would depress me because I am not sure he has a bright future and it would mean Reid is always going to be our coach no matter how many times he fails. An OT would depress me for the same exact reasons because it will not be Kalil but some other reach and again mean Reid is here forever.
I agree Jbird about Akers which is why he is no longer kicking for the aAgles,but in that Arizona Game, JJ and his Defense did nothing to stop the Cardinals Offense in the 1st half when the game was decided in my opinion..
JJ was outcoached and an excellent defense came up very small. I agree. But despute the terrible start we did take a 25-24 lead in the fourth. If not for Akers horrendous errors, it should have been minimally 27-21 at that point. I’ll forgive him the missed FG but the XP and kick OB were unforgivable. He was awful. He was worse than Kaeding in that playoff loss to the Jets when he missed three FGs. I am still shocked that one of the ten best PKs in history was so wretched that day. Not even Paul McFadden ever pissed me off that bad!
Paulman…what is your prediction for how the Eagles are going to infuriate us Thursday night? I am guessing they take a Player that’s a likely RT like a Mike Adams. Or they reach for a Jerel Worthy because the better DTs are off the board (so much for BPA) or they trade down.
An annoucement on trade of CB SAmuel to Falcons may be made as early as tommorrow as the Falcons and Samuels Agent hammer out a new deal..
Word is that the Eagles will also send their 4th Round Pick (#114) along with CB Samuel to the Falcons for their 3th Round Pick (#84)
I saw a mock up today that had us taking no LBs in the entire draft. Imagine that since there is nothing left in FA? Would they really try to give us Ryans, Chaney and Rolle and call it a done deal? We are in a bad spot with Reid because he will not give any of the players from the last two draft classes anything other than an incomplete grading until next year. So he is going to depend on some of these guys helping and a lot of them are LBs. BIG MISTAKE. I do not see much there. Now I will be totally surprised by one of these guys and feel like an idiot. That happens on every team. But I cannot see putting a lot of stock in them helping the team to the degree that Reid is going to. We just better hope other things go well because we are not adding much. Right now we improved one of 53 positions. We also downgraded one of the most critical positions on the field so the offseason thus far is a scratch. Where will the upgrades be? Hopefuls are Vick, Maclin, Jackson, Kelce, Watkins, Nnamdi, DRC and Allen. Do not see anyone right now that is going to bust out into a big time player here.
Paul….are you talking shit to annoy us or are they really going to give Samuel away to move up thirty spots in the draft? FYI. I hate it when you ignore my questions. Its kind of rude when I address you directly.
I believe if the above Trade does goes thru then the Eagles will Trade the #15 Pick and a 3rd Round pick (#88 from the Texans swap) to the Jaguars for their #7th PIck and select DT Fletcher Cox
If the Eagles don’t move up (and Fletcher Cox is off the board)
then at #15 the Eagles will select DT M Brockers, CB S Gilmore or
WR M Floyd in this order based on who is available
I was typing the Falcons Trade info when you sent me a direct question…
in which i just responded, C’Mon Man..
jbird – remember man, mocks are HORRIBLE in terms of accuracy rates after drafts actually happen. You seem to be letting yourself get too caught up in them.
And Paulman IS talking out of his ass – he always does. He has 0 – ABSOLUTELY ZERO edge over you or me in terms of knowledge or inside information as to what will actually or is more likely to happen.
Don’t let the proximity to the draft (I’m itching for it to come now too…) cloud your sense of reality.
Paulman’s Mock NFL Draft (Top 14 PIcks)
#1) Colts – QB A Luck
#2) Redskins – QB RGIII
#3) Vikings – OT M Kalil (though they try to trade out of spot)
#4) Browns – RB T Richardson
#5) TB Bucs – CB M Clairborn
#6) SL Rams – DT F Cox
#7) Jagaurs – OLB M Ingram
#8) Dolphins – WR J Blackmon
#9) Panthers – LB L Kuechley
#10) Bills – OT R Reiff
#11) Chiefs – OG D DeCastro
#12)Seahawks – DE Q Coples
#13) Cardinals – WR M Floyd
#14) Cowboys – SS M Barron
#15) EAGLES – ???????
Could it QB R Tannehill, I sure as hell hope not for I think his not NFL Starting Material. If the Miami Dolphins whose OC is Mike Sherman and who coached and recruited Tannehill at Texas A&M doesn’t feel strong enough and passed on QB Tannehill with the #9th Pick, then this is a pretty good indicator that Tannehills upside is really not that good.. Who elese on this Planet better knows Tannehill true Talent Level and Upside than former Coach Mike Sherman…If Dolphins pass at him at #9, I thnik Tannehill drops
way late in the 1st Round and possibly to the Browns in the early 2nd Round which is about where he should be drafted..
If my Mock Holds True, I believe the Eagles select CB Stephon Gillmore at #15
My sources down at the novacare tell me the eagles want to draft brockers from lsu. My source is the bugman, the exterminator the novacare complex overheard this discussion. And he said that reid and washburn were talking brockers big time. We have been going back and forth for months about who the eagles will pick and the bugman cracked the case. We shall see.
ORKIN MAN LOL
Good grief Paulman. Gret rid of Asante and draft a CB? Thats probably exactly what happens.
I HAVE THE BEST SOURCES ON HEAR LOL
I meant here my bad
I strongly believe th eagles are gonna pick dre kirkpatrick or stephon gilmore after trading asante.
Somebody give that “Bugman” a Pay Raise… Wonder if Banner would approve it..
The Eagles should draft Cody Pearcy… WOW this guy is lighting fast! search him on youtube on his pro day comment what you think?
And it just so happens the Giants are scouting him! yay! I guess after losing Mario Manningham we may draft him in the 3rd round.
More Eagle rumors…
Eagles Trade #15, Brandon Graham and a 3rd Ropunder (#88 Overall) to the
New England Patriots for #27,#31 and WR/Returnman Wes Welker…
Welker wants long term deal and Pats offered $9 Million per Season which is turned down, Pats are like the Eagles, they make you 1 Offer, you don’t like, they move on.. Pats have signed WR Brandon Lloyd, Anthony Gonzales, Donta Stallworth this off-season to go along with the returning WR’s Ocho CInco, D Branch, J Edlemen and T Underwood plus they have many Draft Picks…
Remember, you heard it here…
Its being reported that Asante Samuel deal is almost done and it looks like a 6th round pick. lol. Something just doesnt seem right. Someone needs to ask Howie Roseman how does it feel to f^&k up this whole situation. It was reported last year they could of had a 2nd round pick for Asante but that wasnt good enough. So you kept a unhappy pro bowl player for no reason and now your getting rid of him for practicaly nothing.
Its being reported that Asante Samuel deal is almost done and it looks like a 6th round pick to Atlanta. Something just doesnt seem right. Someone needs to ask Howie Roseman how does it feel to f^&k up this whole situation. It was reported last year they could of had a 2nd round pick for Asante but that wasnt good enough. So you kept a unhappy pro bowl player for no reason and now your getting rid of him for practicaly nothing.
That is horrible compensation for that type of player. The ATL would have a pretty nice secondary.
Not so fast Dag,
The Deal, from what I heard with Lions last year, fell thru because Samuel didn’t want to renegoitiate his Contract and not because the Eagles held out for better picks that the Lions offered the Eagles (a 2nd Round in 2012 and a Conditional 2nd to 3rd Round in 2013) … This is a great example on why you don’t see many Trades in the NFL, Contracts are not that east to re-do and a lot of give and take has to happen on all sides, bth teams and the players Agent on the Contract Side let alone plus whatever the amount of Picks or Players involved as Compensation between the 2 Teams
I still think trading Samuel would bring more Value as part of a move up deal.. Example, Offer Samuel and 4th or 5th Rounder for another Teams 3rd Rounder to get a better prospect in return..
That’s what you get with a “pencil pushin” no football experience GM at the helm. Not even a 3rd or fourth round pick for an elite plamaker like Samuels…smh.
A 6th round pick? *Shakes head in disgust*
Eagles are making a mistake here… I dont have faith in Cromartie.. I think the Eagles are focusing on their pockets in this move and it will bite us in the ass this season..
If Asante is willing to restructure his contract, do it and keep him.
A 6th round pick for this player is absurd..
One good thing is the Eagles should have the most cap space (after Samuel trade) in the NFL. Anywhere between 22-26 million depending on which site you trust.
I believe JH reported this possible trade weeks ago and said it would come either draft week or during the draft. Lets not ignore his and his superior sources. JH is awesome.. haha
Either way you look at, The Eagles needed to move Samuel last Year once they signed Asmo and Traded for DRC… I find it hard to believe that the decision on what to do with Samuel wasn’t discussed or thought about last year before these other acquisitions were made.. We all know that Samuel is the sensitive type and he has the type of personality who once he feels shunned by an organization, that he will quickly become unhappy and a distraction and didn’t GM Roseman and Coach AR think of this when they acquired both Asmo/DRC so to cry about it a year later is another example of poor Roster MAnagement by the Eagles which is why they will never truly contend for a Championship with this Front Office & HC that they currently have.. As a GM, you not only have to blend talented players,but lots of ego’s and personalities to a Team every year. As a HC, you have to steer your GM to build a roster that refelcts your teams personality/character and your own knowledge of the Lockeroom and Players.. for anyone to say the acquiring both Asmo and DRC wasn’t going to negatively affect Samuel and his attitude and therefor his overall play doesn’t know Samuel too well..
Good points Dag about the Salary Cap Space,
and remember that Teams must Spend 95%-97% of their Cap Sapce on Player Salaries so once this deal is done, look for extensions to both McCoy & Maclin and possibly even DRC and maybe a Free-Agent or 2 once the Draft is complete to sure up some positions if the Eagles can’t get who they are targeting in the Draft..
(Safety, FB, back-up RB, maybe that big Red-Zone WR)
Old News JH,
Paulman reported this last August once the Eagles obtained Asmo/DRC
Everyone and their Grandmother know the Eagles were going to move/trade/release Samul this year and at Draft Time.. This is not Rocket Science