My favorite Eagles player of all time, Brian Dawkins. There will never be another player like him. Ever. I am so excited to see him retire as an Eagle tomorrow night. His passion is unmatched. His energy is untamed. I miss him on the field. But as the old saying goes, all good things must come to an end. And tomorrow night, that end is official. Nobody will ever wear number 20 again for the Eagles.
The house will be packed and roaring tomorrow. I think that Dawkins being in the house will energize the team and they will perform well. Because we all know that they need too. Especially on offense. Here I go again. Just like a broken record I’m still gripping about the offense. But I have right to don’t I?
But enough about that. For now, anyway. Not only is it a prime time NFC East showdown between my Birds and the hated New York Giant, it’s also a night to celebrate the great career of Brian Dawkins. The reason he is my favorite player of all time is because, to me, he understood Eagles fans. He embraced us. I felt like he was out there on the field playing for me. Representing ME. And he never let me down. He just has that kind of connection with us Eagles fans. Something I think no other professional athlete that ever played in Philly can say.
I was fortunate enough to win tickets to Brian Dawkins last home game in Philly as an Eagle. Of course nobody realized at the time that it would end up being his last game in Philly though. But man, what a great night it was. I’ll just let the video speak for me. I was in section 107. Corner endzone lower level. Right behind the players entrance. The same corner of the field where Clemens returned that fumble for a touchdown.
So, as Dawkins is being sent off in style I hope all of the young Eagles players can take a look at Brian Dawkins career. Take a look at how he prepared and approached not only the game of football, but life itself. He is a greater man than he was a player. That’s saying a lot because he was a great player. He is the type of player I would love to build my defense around.
Brian Dawkins was a great run stopping safety. Great blitzing safety and the kind of player that would put his entire body on the line without second guessing it for a fraction of a second if it were for the greater good of the team. And I think the video above shows that well. Brian Dawkins is the only player that when he left Philly I actually shed tears over. It hurt when he left. But during his time in Denver he always remained an Eagle in my heart. And always will.
So to a player that epitomized Philadelphia passion and heart I thank you. To a player that defined Eagles defense, I thank you. To a player that we will never be duplicated, EVER, I thank you. The player that excited fans with his pregame entrance’s, I thank you. To the player that when I die I want to be burried in your jersey, I thank you. And to the player that I felt was a part of me and my life, I truly can’t thank you enough. Brian Dawkins, I thank you.