Out of the tunnel he crawls, slowly at first like a hunter. You feel the intensity as the transformation has begun. He continues his pre-game ritual with each movement more intense than the last. Without warning, he leaps to his feet lets out a mighty roar and sprints past his cheering teammates slapping each hand on his way. Now, the transformation of B-Dawk is complete. The Wolverine is in the house.
Brian Dawkins played 13 years in the city of Philadelphia and is considered one of the greatest NFL safeties, Philadelphia Eagle, and Philadelphia athletes of all-time. He’s one of only five players in NFL history with at least 25 sacks and 25 interceptions, one of only two safeties with 25 or more sacks and only two players at his position made more Pro Bowls than Dawkins’ nine.
While his career statistics (1,131 tackles, 26 sacks, 37 interceptions) are Hall of Fame worthy, his legacy extends far beyond the playing field. Dawkins’ off field performance is filled with mentoring and building relationships with other players, giving back to others, showing leadership on his team and as a member of the NFLPA Executive Committee, and sharing his faith.
During halftime of Sunday night’s Eagles Giants game, Dawkins joined other Eagles’ greats as the team retired his #20 jersey. In this Pro Player Insiders exclusive interview, we had the chance to catch-up with Dawkins and get his thoughts on his life and career.
PPI: What does it mean to you to retire as not only an Eagles’ great, but also as one of the greatest athletes to have played in the city of Philadelphia?
BD: I don’t think there will ever be a time that I get used to that, or get used to somebody saying that, because I couldn’t have imagined this. I couldn’t have in my biggest dreams believed that I would be considered one of the best players for the Philadelphia Eagles or one of Philadelphia’s [best] athletes period.
My dreams weren’t big enough to have seen that. So for people to be saying those things [today] it’s a humbling thing. It’s a blessed thing. I realize and recognize that I had a hand in it, but the Lord has blessed me, my teammates believed in me, my coaches believed in me. There’s a lot of things that happened for me to achieve this. This is a great honor.
PPI: What was your experience like playing for Coach Reid?
BD: Andy’s a great guy, he’s a great coach…He really allows the leaders on the team to lead, and empowered us to do those things and that’s something that made us a better team because of it.
PPI: What was it like playing for Jim Johnson?
BD: I loved playing for Jim, the mad scientist. As far as cooking up blitzes and different ways to attack schemes, blocking schemes, I played with nobody better. He was one that believed in the motto ” If I’m going to go down, I’m going to go down blitzing.” As a defender you love that.
PPI: How did your style of play fit into Johnson’s play scheme?
BD: If it was not for Jim, using me the way that he used me, I don’t know if I would’ve had the career that I had. When Jim got there he allowed me to just go crazy doing stuff. He’d blitz me more, he’d put me in the box more, he’d move me around [and] basically made me one of the focal points of the defense. To be a safety and be a focal point of the defense is unheard of, but that’s the way he began to use me.
As he saw my God-given ability he began to dial my number up time and time and time again. I’ve always said, and will continue to say, that the reason why I made so many crunch plays in the 4th quarter, sacks or big hits, is because Jim called my number every time in crunch time. He believed in me and believed that I would do anything.
PPI:Are there people who have influenced and helped you grow as a player?
BD: Troy Vincent is one of them. He was there when I was young in my [faith] walk and is still there to this day. That’s my big brother. Irving Fryar and Marc Woodard are two other players that were there for me. Along the way you meet different people that influence you. Reggie White was a huge one. I met him a couple of times and got a chance to laugh with him but his walk had a profound influence on mine. When I saw Reggie White play, I saw a man of God that went out and dominated the field of play… and when given the opportunity, professed the name of Jesus Christ and was not ashamed of it. That let me know that I can be who I am as far as a player on the football field, tenacious, enthusiastic, … and that does not change the fact that I’m a man of God.
PPI:How has your faith in God impacted your life and career?
BD: My faith in the Lord has shaped me in every form and fashion, my decision making, being patient, the way I handle adverse situations, all those things have been shaped by relationship, my growing relationship with the Father.
PPI: Who are a few current NFL players you enjoy watching?
BD: I’m a big fan of [Darrelle] Revis and the way he conducts himself and controls the field. He shuts down ½ of the field. On the offense I love to watch Fitz, Larry Fitzgerald. Not the most outspoken of dudes, not a whole lot of rah-rah, but when it comes to making the big play at the big time, and making every catch that comes his way, you can count on him every time.
PPI: As you look back on your career, is there a play you made that stands out in your mind?
BD: It would probably be the play against Pittsburgh in ’08, in my last year there [Philadelphia]. It was the 4th quarter and they were driving, we needed a stop defensively, it was 4th down they were going for it. I was able to beat a block off the edge. I just jumped in the air parallel to the ground and swatted the ball out of Ben’s [Roethlisberger] hand. I was also able to recover that fumble, and that caused us to win the football game.
That play [also] stands out to me because the week before I gave up a couple of big plays against Dallas. They were coming down hard on me as far as “this is it, my time is done” and all those things. And for me to be blessed to go out and make that play in crunch time like that was a tremendous blessing.
Many of us remember Dawkins knocking, then Falcons tight end, Alge Crumpler out of a playoff game with a vicious hit over the middle or his belly to back suplex of former Redskins and Eagles wide receiver James Thrash. “Every football fan loves a big hit. But it goes way beyond that here [in Philadelphia],” Dawkins once told long time NFL reporter Rueben Frank. “There’s a desire among those in the fan base to watch us just demolish somebody, and it’s passed down from generation to generation. When you can deliver a bone-jarring, snot-bubbling lick on somebody, it’s almost there’s something inside the fans that feasts on that. That’s what they want. That’s the kind of football they want.”
But in the end, to Dawkins and fans alike, the play that stands out most when thinking about his 16-year storied career is Dawkins coming hard off the edge, flying through the air like a superhero and swatting the ball from Roethlisberger’s hand. Wait, it was a superhero… it was Brian Dawkins, a.k.a a man of faith and the Wolverine.
