Dawkins Does Denver; Fickle Philly Fans Frustrated

If this is true, and if I were an Eagles fan, I'd be FURIOUS. It's one thing to cut guys to gain cap space when they're on the downside of their career. But when you're the Eagles, perennially flush with cap space, it's inexcusable to let this guy go. Yeah he's old, he gets burned in coverage, but his leadership and emotional impact on his teammates is invaluable. Not to mention he can still hit like a ton of bricks.

This is the kind of thing that makes me thank the good Lord for Danny. I'd rather have someone who does everything in his power. It's the far better alternative to having a cheapskate ownership like Philly does.

I agree with you on this 100% Schneed.

Well, obviously they made a mistake here. Have we not made worse mistakes? The bottom line is they absolutely do a solid job personnel wise, which was my only point all along. Otherwise they wouldn't have gone to 5 NFC Championship games in the past 10 years (how many have we been to in that span?).

I don't like it one bit, but it's not really up for debate who the better team has been since Snyder bought the Redskins. And bringing up Snyder's private plane as an argument is really funny. Not to mention Sean Taylor's funeral. I'm sure the majority of owners would have been extremely generous in such a difficult time. Snyder handled Sean's death with grace and compassion, but who is to say Jeffrey Lurie wouldn't have done the same?

And yeah, they are a-holes and still do a good job with personnel. Football is a brutal business. Winning comes before feelings. That said, losing Dawkins was stupid and unnecessary, but Lurie had some pretty nice things to say:

"Brian Dawkins has been one of the pillars of this franchise for 13 years," Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said in a written statement posted on the team's website. "He helped lead us to five NFC Championship games and one Super Bowl. Brian embodies everything you look for in a professional athlete and human being. I have been fortunate to witness his impeccable character, his passion for the game of football and his commitment to being the best player he could be. I look forward to continuing a close relationship with him once his playing days are over. His legacy as an Eagle will last forever and will ultimately land him in Canton as a Hall of Famer."

This may all sound like I'm an Eagles fan. Absolutely not even close. But I'll take their front office over ours any day. Hopefully Vinny and Co. will prove me wrong.

All valid points GMScud. I'm giving my opinion purely as a fan of the sport. I understand the business end is tough. But Dawkins just seemed indespensable, the way he has and is playing and what he meant to the team and fans. As I said before he was the Darrell Green of the Eagles. Imagine how we would have felt if he was delt the same deal. Im still pissed about Monk. He should have retired a Redskin. I probably sound like a Eagles fan. Im not. But I have to admitt I am a Dawkins fan


On a side note: I know your not a Eagles fan:)

I think this was a 2 way street, The Eagles were going to sign him (just not right away) and the Broncos offered him a surprising deal that was a no brainer. It's not like someone put a gun to his head to sign now.

If this is true, and if I were an Eagles fan, I'd be FURIOUS. It's one thing to cut guys to gain cap space when they're on the downside of their career. But when you're the Eagles, perennially flush with cap space, it's inexcusable to let this guy go. Yeah he's old, he gets burned in coverage, but his leadership and emotional impact on his teammates is invaluable. Not to mention he can still hit like a ton of bricks.

This is the kind of thing that makes me thank the good Lord for Danny. I'd rather have someone who does everything in his power. It's the far better alternative to having a cheapskate ownership like Philly does.

Let me just say that I agree totally with your first bolded statement. Letting Dawkins walk for what is essentially a 2yr $9M contract with Denver was just dumb.

My argument with CRedskinsRule is that I would take their current FO over our current FO. They win more than we do. Plain and simple. And, as you point out, they are perennially flush with cap space. So if they win more and spend much less, I'd say that makes them better on and off the field.

I don't know if I'd "thank the good Lord for Danny." Sure, he does everything in his power. But he has a history of kidding himself into thinking he's a football mind, and that power you speak of has often turned into foolish big spending.

I would however thank the good Lord for Danny if he gave personnel autonomy AND a blank check to a solid group of football minds and said, "build me a winner the right way."

Again, I apologize to all if I sound pro-Eagle in these posts. I'm just trying to take my fandom out of this and judge the situation based on facts.

Let me just say that I agree totally with your first bolded statement. Letting Dawkins walk for what is essentially a 2yr $9M contract with Denver was just dumb.

My argument with CRedskinsRule is that I would take their current FO over our current FO. They win more than we do. Plain and simple. And, as you point out, they are perennially flush with cap space. So if they win more and spend much less, I'd say that makes them better on and off the field.

I don't know if I'd "thank the good Lord for Danny." Sure, he does everything in his power. But he has a history of kidding himself into thinking he's a football mind, and that power you speak of has often turned into foolish big spending.

I would however thank the good Lord for Danny if he gave personnel autonomy AND a blank check to a solid group of football minds and said, "build me a winner the right way."

Again, I apologize to all if I sound pro-Eagle in these posts. I'm just trying to take my fandom out of this and judge the situation based on facts.

Great points here GMScud

Let me just say that I agree totally with your first bolded statement. Letting Dawkins walk for what is essentially a 2yr $9M contract with Denver was just dumb.

My argument with CRedskinsRule is that I would take their current FO over our current FO. They win more than we do. Plain and simple. And, as you point out, they are perennially flush with cap space. So if they win more and spend much less, I'd say that makes them better on and off the field.

I don't know if I'd "thank the good Lord for Danny." Sure, he does everything in his power. But he has a history of kidding himself into thinking he's a football mind, and that power you speak of has often turned into foolish big spending.

I would however thank the good Lord for Danny if he gave personnel autonomy AND a blank check to a solid group of football minds and said, "build me a winner the right way."

Again, I apologize to all if I sound pro-Eagle in these posts. I'm just trying to take my fandom out of this and judge the situation based on facts.

Well what the hell you want to do that for? :)

All valid points GMScud. I'm giving my opinion purely as a fan of the sport. I understand the business end is tough. But Dawkins just seemed indespensable, the way he has and is playing. As I said before he was the Darrell Green of the Eagles. Imagine how we would have felt if he was delt the same deal. Im still pissed about Monk. He should have retired a Redskin.

On a side note: I know your not a Eagles fan:)

44, aren't you a closet eagles fan? :lol:

On this website we mention character a lot, and think this applies to this situation. McNabb has been a prick all season, acting like a diva (just like TO), yet the team retains him and get rid of a good character guy like Dawkins.

44, aren't you a closet eagles fan? :lol:

On this website we mention character a lot, and think this applies to this situation. McNabb has been a prick all season, acting like a diva (just like TO), yet the team retains him and get rid of a good character guy like Dawkins.

According to Giantone yes.:vomit:
NBCSports.com >> NBC Sports Blogs (http://blogs.nbcsports.com/home/)
Click on an audibly emotional Dawkins

Can't say I'm sad to see him leave the division. But I am definitely surprised the Eagles let him walk. He is still a serious baller too, even at 35. He was the heart and soul of that defense.

Let me just say that I agree totally with your first bolded statement. Letting Dawkins walk for what is essentially a 2yr $9M contract with Denver was just dumb.

My argument with CRedskinsRule is that I would take their current FO over our current FO. They win more than we do. Plain and simple. And, as you point out, they are perennially flush with cap space. So if they win more and spend much less, I'd say that makes them better on and off the field.

I don't know if I'd "thank the good Lord for Danny." Sure, he does everything in his power. But he has a history of kidding himself into thinking he's a football mind, and that power you speak of has often turned into foolish big spending.

I would however thank the good Lord for Danny if he gave personnel autonomy AND a blank check to a solid group of football minds and said, "build me a winner the right way."

Again, I apologize to all if I sound pro-Eagle in these posts. I'm just trying to take my fandom out of this and judge the situation based on facts.

The reason the Eagles win more often than we do isn't their front office and their scouting. The reason is the QB. Donovan McNabb is (and has been) a far better QB than anybody we've been put on the field during the past 10 years. Other than that, their front office has not acquired an appreciably greater level of talent than the Redskins have.

Their first round DTs, Bunkley and Patterson are starting to come into their own, but neither has reached the Pro Bowl, and when you're picked that high you should. Their attempts to find a TE worth a darn have been a dismal failure - franchising LJ Smith and giving him top 5 TE money? Their best offensive lineman, Shawn Andrews, has major mental problems and has trouble staying on the field. The rest of the linemen can't drive block to save their lives, and consequently the Eagles can never run the ball successfully on 3rd and 1 or 4th and 1. Their linebackers are solid, but underwhelming. Safeties and corners are underwhelming, except for Asante Samuel. And I don't think I need to get into the WRs.

The Eagles have had some success, but so have we. You have to be thrilled with Brian Westbrook in the 3rd round, just like you do with Chris Cooley. Trent Cole has developed into an impact player, just like Mike Sellers. Overall, there is nothing about the non-QB personnel that makes me think the Eagles are better than the 'Skins. And it showed last year, we swept them.

While the Redskins have made boneheaded mistakes in free agency, like Adam Archuleta, the Eagles have made the mistake of doing too little. What's the bigger crime? Having a franchise QB capable of taking you all the way, and doing NOTHING to give him a significant weapon in the passing game, even though your team has both the cash and the cap space to do so? Or shelling out as much money as the cap allows to fill out your team, but missing badly?

See, the thing is, if the Eagles were willing to spend in free agency like the Redskins, combining that with Philly's ability to avoid the blunder on such decisions, and combining that with a franchise QB? You'd have at least one Super Bowl right now, and there's no Eagle fan that doesn't feel that way right now. How can you leave your fans thinking that McNabb's great career was wasted, all because the front office wouldn't sack up and pay a receiver?

I'd rather have Danny and Vinny any day. They'll make mistakes, but at least they'll try. And hell, even a blind squirrel has to find a nut eventually. When McNabb is done in Philly and they have to rely on Kevin Kolb, that team will enter a VERY dark period.