Dawkins done?

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

discuss.

Can I just say that I find this habit of yours highly irritating. What are we, your farging guests at a round-table or something?
If you don't have anything to say on a subject, don't start a thread about it.

Dude, he's a "successful businessman", and he drives a Cadillac.  That means he should be able to do or say whatever he wants without coming under fire for it.  Duh.

[General_Failure]

HE DRIVES A DODGE STRATUS!

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

I'M A UNIT MANAGER!  PEOPLE FEAR ME!

[rjs246]

I just wish you weren't a liar.

[Susquehanna Birder]

discuss.

Can I just say that I find this habit of yours highly irritating. What are we, your farging guests at a round-table or something?
If you don't have anything to say on a subject, don't start a thread about it.

That pisses me off, as well. It you want to ask a question or make a point, do so. If it's worthy of discussion, then discussion will naturally follow.

[Geowhizzer]

I'M A UNIT MANAGER!  PEOPLE FEAR ME!

I'm a middle school teacher!  People think I'm crazy! 

[shorebird]

Troy Vincent >>>>> IGY ?

I'd say, Joe Thiesman>>>>>IGY!! No question marks.

[mikey418]

Pat Summerwho?  >>>>> IGY

[PhillyPhanInDC]

Dawkins Highlight Video.*




*Credit estasi from the EMB

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

Dawkins Highlight Video.*




*Credit estasi from the EMB

Next time, start a new thread instead of bumping a stilloncrack special.

[Diomedes]

Word

[mussa]

oh man! he's hands down my favorite eagle, ever! awesome video. 

[Feva]

A pretty good Q & A with Dawk...

Q&A with the Eagles' safety

Brian Dawkins sits down to discuss the future at the safety position, Terrell Owens and the mindset of the Eagles

By Trent Modglin (tmodglin@pfwmedia.com)
March 23, 2006

A 10-year veteran and four-time Pro Bowler, Brian Dawkins is well-regarded as one of the game's elite safeties and the Eagles' leader on the defensive side of the ball. He ranks ninth on the Eagles' all-time list for games played (141) and finished last season tied for second on the team with three interceptions and third with 125 tackles, the second-highest total of his career. He also added 3.5 sacks as one of the game's most versatile defenders. Dawkins spent time with PFW to discuss a variety of topics, from the drama following Terrell Owens to the improving respect level for safeties.

PFW: Has the safety position changed in the past few years, where you're seeing more versatile guys like yourself out there?

Dawkins: It's definitely changed. I think a lot of that is because you now have a better respect level for the position. Back in the day, you were either run stopping or lining up deep in the middle of the field and just trying not to let anybody get behind you. Or just making the signal calls to get everybody lined up. That really was the extent of the position. But now, because there's more respect, they're coming in wanting to play the safety position instead of being put there, saying that, 'Look, you're playing safety because you can't play corner.' It was a position that was looked down upon, but now you've got guys making plays all over the field, whether it's blitzing, covering guys or covering the slot receiver. Or being able to blitz your corner and having enough confidence in your safety that he can still cover the No. 1 receiver outside. There's a lot of things that safeties are being asked to do every game more often now.

PFW: You've got to enjoy the versatility involved in playing the position.

Dawkins: I'll tell you what, I'm not just saying this because it's me, but I've been doing this for a long time. Even in high school, I was used all over the place. In college, I was used all over the place. I would have to cover the best tight end sometimes, I would have to go cover guys outside. I've been doing this a long, long time, so it's not anything new for me. Even when I got to the NFL, Emmitt (Thomas) used me all over the place covering guys. But when Jim (Johnson) came in (as defensive coordinator) is when he allowed me to utilize the talents I've been blessed with as far as blitzing and everything is concerned. ... You can't just look at my position on the field and say, 'He's only going to do one thing. He's only going to blitz, so we have to look out for him.' Now I'm not only going to blitz. Sometimes I'm going to cover a guy, and have good coverage on him. And you're seeing that from a lot of guys right now.

PFW: What is that level of trust like with Jim? Is your role defined by him, or is there more free rein on your part?

Dawkins: Well, when he came here, he said he looked at film and saw the potential for me to do more things. Be more included in the defense. And so he began to put things in for me, being able to run different blitzes because of the abilities I've been blessed with as far as my range. So he looked to add more and more to his defensive package. Jim just tries to find ways to utilize his different weapons, and a lot of other defensive coordinators don't do that. They may blitz a safety because it's part of their normal package, but they don't put specific things in because of the talents a guy may possess and try to utilize that to the best of the defense's ability. With Jim, I trust him. I completely trust him. If he says a gap is going to be open in a blitz, I'm going to trust that it's going to be open. Now I may get my block knocked off, but that's the trust that I have in him.

PFW: You have to have that trust nowadays with all the constantly changing schemes and things, don't you?

Dawkins: Oh, you have to. Have to. I trust him and the defenses he's going to put us in. I know he's going to make the necessary changes from last year to this year. I do have free rein. It's not to go outside of the defense, but I do have free rein as far as disguising, as long as I get back to where I need to be. And with each guy, you have to know your limitations. I may line up at five yards (off the line of scrimmage) and get to the deep middle, whereas another safety may only be able to line up eight yards (off the line) to be able to get back to the deep middle. You have to know your limitations.

PFW: With Troy Polamalu and Bob Sanders and some of these younger safeties, is it fun for you to see these guys coming of age, or do you wish you could go back a few years to being one of the few safeties who could change the course of a game?

Dawkins: You know what? I still do what I do regardless of who's around, but I definitely love the way that the safety position is getting more and more respect. Now you're seeing Adam Archuleta getting paid what he's getting paid because the respect factor is growing.    We used to always be looked down upon for so long, but you have these guys making so many impact plays in the game because they're being utilized and the talent is shining through. So when you have your Ed Reed, your Troy Polamalu, these young guys playing the way they've been playing, it only adds to it.

PFW: Is there anybody you used to watch growing up, or anyone you used to emulate?

Dawkins: Well, two people. First of all, it was Ronnie Lott. The way he could take control of a game by making a big hit, an interception, whatever was called for. I definitely looked up to him when I was younger. When I got a little older, it was Darren Woodson. ... How the Cowboys used him through the Super Bowls and after that. It was always a certain way. And with those two players, you and I both can agree on one thing, and that's consistency. And that's what I try and bring to my team and to my play. I probably will never go out and give you 11 picks in one year. I may never go out and give you 200 tackles in one year, but you can depend on me to be consistently a certain way every year. That's what I've always tried to be is consistent, because those two players that I've looked up to were consistent in every way.

PFW: The Eagles had some disappointing numbers against the pass last year. What didn't work for you guys, and how do you plan on tweaking that this offseason heading into training camp?

Dawkins: We had a lot of issues that contributed to that. First of all, when you lose some of the guys that we lost to free agency, and then you plug in new guys into a system, that's one thing. Then N.D. (Kalu) was coming off an injury and we were trying to depend on him. Then, we lost Jerome (McDougle) early in the year. After that, Darwin Walker got hurt. So the rotation was affected, and our defensive line is predicated on being fresh in the game and being rotated. So when you have these guys having to play more snaps than normal, it wears on them. And then you have rookies on the line, having to play basically starting roles without too much subbing going on. ... And then mistakes were made in the secondary. Some miscommunication. And after a while of giving up (big plays) and losing a little bit, you try to press and make more plays, and that cost us. This year, we're looking to get rid of some of those things. We added Darren Howard for some help in that rotation and get us some pass rush. We got Shawn Barber back in the linebacking corps to give us some more help, and then we're going to get Lito (Sheppard) back, so we're going in the right direction.

PFW: What's something that the average fan doesn't know or doesn't realize about life in the NFL?

Dawkins: Probably that it's not all peaches and cream. We still have our issues (in life) that we have to deal with. One of the things that separates some of the great players is that they're able to get rid of all those things that could hamper them emotionally on the field. We still go through things, whether it's in the household or whatever, and those are the things that some of the guys can't get off their minds when (it's time to play).

[Feva]

continued...

PFW: Any thoughts yet as to what it's going to be like facing Terrell Owens twice next season? Has it even crossed your mind yet, or is it something you try to distance yourself from?

Dawkins: To me, it's not even a big deal because I've faced him before. Had he been on another team and I never had to face him and now I have to, OK, let's talk about it. It's not a big deal now. He's on another team just like he was before he got to the Eagles.

PFW: Can you imagine what the hype is going to be like when he first plays you guys? Of course most of it's media-driven, right?

Dawkins: (Laughs) Really? Oh, I didn't know that. No, it's definitely gonna be hyped. I've already been a part of what T.O. brings to the team as far as the media is concerned. And I'm not talking about all bad now. I'm talking about the good, too. But that's all going to be there, and then that week, whenever we play them, I can only imagine how many questions I'm going to be asked. And not about the offense in general, but one player.

PFW: What do you think is the most difficult part about covering him and keeping him under control?

Dawkins: You just have to make sure that you're close enough to him when he catches the ball. Being one of the best receivers to play the game — to ever play the game — he's going to catch balls, and you know that. But you want to get as close as possible to him so he catches it, you punish him just like anybody else.

PFW: What is the mindset of this team right now, after all the drama from last year and all the injuries?

Dawkins: You know what? You can kind of equate this to playing cards. You have to play with the cards you're dealt, and last year we weren't dealt a real good hand (laughs).

PFW: A lot of deuces and fives?

Dawkins: (Laughs) A lot of deuces, man. We had a bad hand last year. But this year, we've got new cards. And in that, you have a new sense of what we can do this year and what the possibilities are. And also, it's a sigh of relief and you can finally exhale. Last year we were holding our breath the whole time. We didn't know what to expect with injury after injury and then all the stuff that went down with Terrell and Donovan at the end. You just never knew what to expect. Now it's a fresh start, and you don't have to worry about any of that stuff. We're going to bring in whoever we're going to bring in, we're going to get some guys back from injury. And I consider this year to be a success already.

[PhillyPhreak54]

Good read.

Hopefully he gets himself an extension during the season. They better. He deserves to retire an Eagle.