Dawkins will truly be missed

I haven't been able to post on this for the past few days hoping that my emotions will die down and I can look at this logically and rationally.

If you haven't yet heard (and I can't imagine how you haven't), Brian Dawkins has signed a 5 year, $17 million deal with the Denver Broncos. The contract has $7.2 million in guaranteed money, with another $1.8 million if voided after two years. Obviously, there's very little chance Dawkins will see the final 3 years. Essentially it's a 2 year, $9 million deal.

This one hurts.

This one hurts more than Barkley or Iverson, guys who basically forced themselves out of town. Or Schilling or Rolen, who were so disgruntled with management you knew it was coming.

You'd have to go back to 1993 when Reggie White bolted for the "greener" pastures of Green Bay to find a departure that hurt so much.

It's not just what he brought on the field. I can see football reasons for letting him go. Granted, I could see the argument more if we had spent the resources to have a legitimate starting-level safety groomed in the wings behind Dawkins. I don't think Demps is it, and I think we waited too long to address the situation. I could see ushering Dawkins out the door for a younger replacement if he were a liability and we already had the replacement in tow.

While I can acknowledge that Dawkins had to be "hid" in coverage, to the point of playing more of a Strong Safety or even outside linebacker role, he was still a valuable contributor. Anyybody who witnessed the last 1/3rd of the season could readily see this. He wasn't just fitting in on a defense playing well. He was leading a defense playing superb football. He wasn't hanging along for the ride, he was a catalyst.

Obviously, the team felt Dawkins was still a valuable contributor, as they reportedly offered him a 2 year deal for less guaranteed money. In the end, this came down to money.

The Eagles had a reported $40+ million in cap space heading into free agency, a number Banner has said we would be unlikely to use all of. That, combined with the possibility of next year being in uncapped year, it would be hard to imagine they couldn't have found a way to fit in the couple million to match Denver's offer.

But this goes beyond that. The Eagles, by and large, have been correct in their assessment of when to move on from players. I truly believe this is a situation where even if they're right, they're wrong. They didn't just lose a productive player who has built a hall of fame resume. They also lost a great teammate, a great leader, and a great member of the community.

There aren't many people who you let go out their terms. Brian Dawkins is one of the select few. This should have been resolved before Dawkins hit free agency. If this were a football decision, one where they felt he could no longer be productive and they had his heir apparent waiting in the wings, I could (begrudgingly) live with this. But as it comes out more and more that the Eagles were interested in bringing him back, the fact that we saved a few million offers me no solace. If every dime of the Eagles cap isn't used up this year, the fans aren't going to tolerate this move.

The thought of Brian Dawkins coming back to the Linc in a Broncos uniform next year is a hard one to swallow. Enjoy the caliber of man you're getting, Denver. He's the type of leader who can never set foot on the field and still make your team better.

Even if the Eagles don't feel the loss of Dawkins on the football field, the fans will be reeling from this development for many months to come. Never has there been a player who epitomizes the city and whom the fans can relate to more than #20. We, as Eagles fans, thank you for 13 years of incredible play, leadership, and off the field work. We couldn't have asked for more.

Just a sad, sad day for Eagles fans.

Of the videos below, one thing that was apparent (other than how obviously hard it was on Dawkins during the Derrick Gunn interview) was the Denver reporters repeatedly trying to bait him into taking shots on the Eagles and Philadelphia fans, and Dawkins shooting that down right away. Maybe Dawkins went for the money (and, at 35, I can't really blame him). Maybe he felt insulted by a lowball initial offer. I don't know. But I do find it obvious that he loved this town, team and fans.

Videos

Dawkins breaks down in interview with Derrick Gunn:



Denver Press conference pt. 1:



Denver Press conference pt. 2: