Denver's jerseys are close, but the Eagles 75th Anniversary uniforms are the closest thing the NFL has to Wolverine's costume

The future of Brian Dawkins has already been written…

In Marvel comic books.

Before we go into the future of Dawkins, here’s what the Eagles front office had to say about the departure of the best Eagle I ever had the honor of witnessing play in my lifetime.

Jeffrey Lurie:

Brian Dawkins has been one of the pillars of this franchise for 13 years. 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.

Andy Reid:

Brian is one of the best players in franchise history and one of the most popular players to ever play in the city of Philadelphia. The Eagles organization, as well as the entire fan base, will miss him not only as a player but as a tremendous person. This is the toughest part of my job, no question. He gave this city 13 years of emotional, energetic football. We wish Brian and his family nothing but the best as he continues his career in Denver.

Hopefully Dawkins won't go down as painfully as Weapon X

But back to the future of Dawkins.

Weapon X still can use his fists (claws) with the best of them, but his fumble-causing tackle/punches won’t work if he can’t get within reach of opponents.  If B Dawk can’t stay on the field on passing downs it’s going to be hard for him to be the leader that Denver expected when they signed him, plus his heart doesn’t seem to be fully committed to Denver.

Dawkins unfamiliarity with the new system in Denver will expose his weaknesses, just like Magnito exposed Wolverine.  It’s going to be hard to watch when it happens too, just like it was hard to watch Magneto use his magnetic powers to rip Wolverine’s metal skeleton out of his body back in the day.

Although Dawk will survive, his sense of indestructibility will be severely damaged.  Weapon X will never be the same, and neither will the Eagles.

Mikell will help continue Brian Dawkins legacy of aggressive and physical play to the Eagles Safety position in 2009

Dawkins leaving town has us all spinning.

But one way or another, life and Eagles football will go on.  Jim Johnson will still call his style of aggressive defense, or at least I pray he is able to.  The prospective 2009 Eagles secondary may be built more like the past than we think, and may have the potential to be an improved unit in the upcoming season.

Asante takes Lito’s place as the gambling, INT making #1 corner (which is an upgrade), and Sheldon is better than he has ever been as a #2.  They may be the best 1, 2 corner combo in the NFL.

Hanson has cemented his spot as the Eagles nickel corner this off-season, even if only due to the contract he was given.  Hanson has shown flashes of playing every bit as well as the #3 corners of the past few years like Roderick Hood, Dexter Wynn and William James.  Troy Vincent and Bobby Taylor haven’t been with the Birds since 2003, but it seems like a whole lot longer.

At Free Safety, Dawkins has always been the enforcer, emotional leader, and last line of defense for the Eagles secondary.  He has been coupled with quite a few Strong Safeties to mixed results.  Michael Lewis was a physical SS who got exposed for his lack of coverage skills after his Pro Bowl season in 2004, then walked away in Free Agency and didn’t amount to much in San Fran.  The Considine experiment was a miserable failure, and then Mikell stepped up.

Click here to read why we think Mikell is ready to step up in the void left by B Dawk

I had the whole case for signing McFadden outlined, and the post was scheduled for 7:30 tonight.  Of course, the good-for-nothing Cardinals had to ruin everything and sign McFadden to a 2-year, $10 contract at like 6:00 PM.

Not only does this impact the Eagles depth at corner, but also could undermine the sinister plot to trade for a #1 WR.  Trading Sheldon for Boldin doesn’t work if the Cardinals are now content with the CB depth.

Although frustratingly tardy, click here to check out the now outdated case to go after another quality CB like Bryant McFadden

Today marks the first “Bloggers are SOBs too” post here at Sports On Broad, a weekly series highlighting (somewhat) Philadelphia related stories, opinions and minutiae from across the web.

The Good, The Bad,  The Ugly, it’s all here:

Eagles

• The Pattison Pundit pretty much sums up how I feel about Dawkins’ departure.  Heartbroken.

• Bleeding Green Nation addresses the Eagles obvious need for leadership on the defensive side of the ball
• We’ve seen it year after year from the Eagles front office, but it didn’t start here in Philly.  The NFL stands for Not For Long, and GCobb knows it.
• Philly.com’s Eagletarian blog gathered some angry/delusional/heartfelt reaction quotes to Dawkins’ departure.

Phillies

• With all the negativity that the Eagles/Sixers have us dwelling in, its comforting to know that the Phillies World Series Championship trophy tour continues marches on.
• The Good Phight stands up for Howard and Myers against the evil New York Times.
• The Phillie Phanatic loves Hooters girls just like the rest of us.

Sixers

• The Depressed Fan takes a statistical look at the Sixer’s recent lack of success.  No wonder he’s depressed.
• The 700 Level’s got an early look at the Charles Barkley reality show. The only problem I’ve got with the show is that it’s on the Golf Channel, not VH1.

Flyers

• With the NHL Trade Deadline rapidly approaching, Broad Street Bull’s got the rumors and innuendo covered.

• The Frozen Fan remembers Brodeur stonewalling the Flyers for over a decade as well.

mmmmm, links.  Delicious.

Jeffery Lurie, you scumbag SOB

Ah yes, somebody had to be the first SOB of the Week and Jeffery Lurie sure earned it.  There are a number of people who could be blamed for the travesty that occurred on Saturday afternoon in Denver, and Andy Reid and Joe Banner also deserve consideration.

When it comes down to it, the Eagles are Lurie’s team and it’s his money that Banner and Howie Roseman are toying with.  For him to deny the fans and Brian Dawkins the opportunity to finish his career in Philadelphia is an insult to us all.  Dawkin’s deal says five years, but in reality its a guaranteed 2 year, $7.5 million contract.

Dawkins deserved two years guaranteed from the Eagles.  Even if he fell off in the second year, he has done enough for the organization to deserve a few million.  The prospect of an uncapped 2010 makes the money situation even less of an excuse to let Dawkins walk.

The Eagles will continue to fall short of their Super Bowl aspirations as long as the front office continues to operate with this kind of arrogance.  Reid, Banner and Lurie think they are smarter than everyone else; cutting aging players, benching players, salary cap tricks, long undervalued contracts to young players, trading out of the 1st round, etc.  Sometimes it works out, but even a broken clock is right twice a day.

Congrats to Mr. Lurie on becoming the first SOB of the Week, he set the bar pretty high.

Les Bowen interviewed Brian Dawkins on Sunday.  Dawkins thanked the fans for al of their support over his 13 years as an Eagles.

“For so many years, they’ve allowed me to come into their living rooms, to laugh with them, to party with them, to celebrate with them, to cry with ‘em through tough losses, to bleed with them. I just really appreciate the way they accepted me, a little safety from Clemson.”

Here’s the part of the interview though, that shows that Dawkins is hurting as much as we are about his departure from the City of Brotherly Love.

The day after, it would not be stretching to say Dawk sounded like he had regrets – buyer’s remorse, at the very least.

“In a couple of weeks or a month, I’ll be excited about this team,” Dawkins said. “I’ve got to get used to saying that — I’m a Bronco.” Then he paused. “I’ll tell you one thing — I’ll always be an Eagle.”

Then he paused again, and excused himself.

Dawkins will always be an Eagle to the fans as well.  It is going to be tough to see #20 in the opposing defensive backfield next year when the Broncos visit Lincoln Financial Field, but I think it’s safe to say that no opposing player will have ever gotten the kind of reception Dawkins will get.

I’m still not even close to being over the loss of Brian Dawkins, and it appears as though BDawk is still struggling with the idea as well.  Derrick Gunn interviewed Dawkins on Saturday and after less than two minutes, Dawk breaks down and has to step the interview.

SOB Nation will miss you, Brian.

Brian Dawkins is officially a Denver Bronco.  I don’t want to get into this too much because honestly I’m depressed about the entire situation.  Dawkins wasn’t just my favorite football player of all time, he was my favorite athlete in any sport ever.  I don’t know how I’ll be able to handle seeing Dawkins in a Denver jersey next year, but I would imagine it won’t be well.

In the Eagles defense here, the reported deal was 5 years for 17 mil.  A 5 year contract for a 35 year old safety is just lunacy.  Didn’t the Broncos learn from the John Lynch experiment?  Based on those numbers it’s not tough to see why Dawkins took the deal  and why the Eagles didn’t match.

This doesn’t in any way make up for the Eagles letting Dawkins reach free agency and test the waters.  He would have signed for a lot less than that to stay in Philly if they just would have gotten a deal in place before he could test the waters.  The Eagles though underestimated the market for Dawkins and tried to play hardball.  Well Andy, good job.  You successfully allowed the heart and soul of your team - the only true leader you had - to leave because you couldn’t get a deal in place.  Maybe the time you spent baby sitting and catering to Donovan McNabb would have been better spent negotiating with Dawkins.  At least Donovan got what he wanted.  That’s what’s most important.

Good luck, Brian.  There will never be another one like you in Philadelphia.  Oh… and Andy, you better do something amazing to win the fans back because right now you are public enemy #1 in my mind.

Multiple conflicting reports out there right now about Dawkins and Denver.  Adam Shefter of NFL Network is reporting that a deal is NOT done and that Dawkins hasn’t even reached Denver yet.

Contrary to published reports, free agent safety Brian Dawkins does not currently have a deal with the Broncos. However, he is en route to Denver.

Hmm…. so maybe the deal is not yet in place and maybe there is still a chance the Eagles resign Dawkins.  Could all of the news of Dawkins signing been floated out there by Dawkins agent in order to create a frenzy among the Eagles fans to show the FO just how the fans would react to the idea of losing Dawkins?  Who knows at this point, but if Dawkins still hasn’t reached Denver, I doubt he is signed, sealed, and delivered.

So it appears, at least for now, my previous post might be a bit premature.  I apologize, Andy.  Please digest your cheesesteak properly.  For now.

I think my best course of action until this all settles is to go out, forget about free agency for a while, and enjoy a wonderful open bar at McFaddens.  Goodnight SOB Nation, I hope to return to you with good news concerning one Mr. Brian Dawkins.

Seriously Andy, WTF?!?!?!?!?!?

It appears as though the unthinkable is now very thinkable. CBS4 out of Denver is reporting a confirmation that Brian Dawkins, the heart and soul of the Philadelphia Eagles for the last decade, is signing with the Broncos.

CBS4’s Vic Lombardi has confirmed All-Pro Safety Brian Dawkins has signed with the Denver Broncos.

The NFL veteran has spent his entire 13 year career with the Philadelphia Eagles…until now.

Dawkins is expected to arrive in Denver Friday afternoon to formalize the deal reported to be for 2 years. Details of how much Dawkins will make have not been released.

This story has been around all afternoon, but up until now the only report cited as one from a San Francisco Chronicle blog.  This report certainly makes it seem much more official though.  If this is true, this is a very dark day in the history of the Eagles and a day that Eagles fans will not let Andy Reid and Joe Banner forget for a very long time.  If Dawkins only signs a two year deal, the fan base will flip out.  The Eagles have $48 mil in cap space with a reported uncapped year coming in 2010 and they couldn’t pony up the bucks for a freaking two year deal?

I’ll wait for the final details before saying this is an unforgivable offense from Reid and Banner, but I can’t see it being otherwise if Dawkins only signs a two year deal.

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