The Darkest Day

The city of Philadelphia lost a great man yesterday. A man with more heart, spirit and dedication to the city than anyone before him. The Philadelphia Eagles, who are roughly $47 million under the salary cap, declined to re-sign safety Brian Dawkins. Dawkins signed a 5-year, $17 million contract with the Denver Broncos.

Earlier this week, Donovan McNabb said he would not consider signing an extension with the Eagles until he saw a commitment to improve the team around him by the front office. How did Andy Reid respond? With a disrespectful and down right pitiful one year offer to the heart and soul of the Eagles for the last 12 seasons. As sad as I am to see Brian go, I'm glad he's going to a team who wants him. The Eagles should be ashamed of themselves.

Anyone who has ever attended an Eagles game knows the effect Dawkins has even when he's not on the field. His optimism and encouragement is unparalleled. The tenacity and all-out effort he exerts on every play has left him suffering self inflicted wounds from his bone crushing hits. He did that for the other 52 guys on the team, for the coaching staff that put in brutal hours to prepare the team and for every member of the city of Philadelphia.

Brian Dawkins wasn't just an athlete in Philadelphia, he was Philadelphia.

As stated by sportsonbroad.com:

Enjoy your cheesesteak tonight Andy. I hope you choke on it.