Hall of Famer Brian Dawkins is gearing up for a return to the Philadelphia area this week. Big news in light of a scary injury to starting safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, right? Wrong. Dawkins isn’t coming back to reclaim his cleats and reprise the role of Wolverine in football pads.
While Dawkins won’t be heading down to the Eagles’ practice facility for a tryout, he will be at Lincoln Financial Field for the most storied rivalry in sports: Army vs. Navy, the 123rd meeting between the two service academies. This marks a first for the legendary safety who never attended the Army-Navy game before. He’ll be there as an ambassador for USAA — along with former Dallas Cowboys star Jason Witten — to gift recycled vehicles to veterans in need of reliable transportation.
“Blessed to have done some things in the past with USAA, and this was brought to my attention to be something that I could potentially be a part of and I’m thankful to be a part of it,” Dawkins told Heavy. “To see Army and Navy, first of all to see Army and Navy in person — I watched it on TV a couple of times — and obviously I’ve played in Philadelphia and it’s right there at the Linc. But now to be a part of it on this side and to see them battle, when it’s all said and done, knowing that when they walk off that field they’re basically teammates in doing something bigger.”
The Soldiers, Sailors, Marines& Airmen of @jointbasemdl are ready for the 2018 NFL season after our last #SalutetoService Boot Camp that included HOF18 @BrianDawkins providing tips & inspiration at the NFL-like combine. Overall, nearly 1K troops were part in our camps this year!
The fact that Dawkins and Witten will be sharing the spotlight once again is an added bonus. Those two had a mutual respect for each other throughout overlapping careers as fierce rivals in the NFC East. Dawkins also has a personal family connection to the military.
“I see me and Jason [Witten] kind of doing the same thing. We battled for many years, Eagles, Dallas — but now we’re both coming together to help announce this and celebrate those veterans who are going to be receiving that recycled ride by USAA,” Dawkins said. “My nephew served in the Army so he’s battling some things. It’s such a pleasure once again to bring some more awareness to what USAA is doing for those veterans.”
Dawkins: Jason Witten Was ‘The Big Fundamental’ for Dallas
One of Witten’s most iconic plays happened in Philly when he caught a Tony Romo pass and absorbed a helmet-to-helmet collision that knocked his hat off. The tough-as-nails tight end kept running and picked up 53 yards, plus a camera-ready bloody nose.
ON THIS DAY in 2007 — Dallas Cowboys defeated Philadelphia Eagles 38-17 thanks to Tony Romo’s three TD passes and this iconic moment …
Jason Witten running without his helmet for 53 yards #DallasCowboys
It’s been 15 years since Witten’s romp at the Linc but Dawkins still remembers it. He recalled all his battles with Witten with great fondness, calling it a “tremendous honor” to go against him and likened him to the NFL’s version of Tim Duncan.
“The way that I’ve always seen Jason (Witten) reminds me of what Shaq named Tim Duncan, ‘The Big Fundamental.’ Jason wasn’t the fastest of dudes. He wasn’t the most shifty, quick twitch of guys, but he was extremely consistent in what he did and he did it for a long period of time,” Dawkins said. “So, being able to go up against him and the consistency he had over his career, it was a tremendous honor for me to go against him. It was a blessing to go against someone like him. There were certain guys that I loved battling and he was one of those dudes at the tight end position.”
Dawkins Opens Up About Giants: ‘Right on the Edge’
The Eagles are preparing to face the New York Giants on Sunday, not the Dallas Cowboys. The Giants-Eagles rivalry was always the one that got Dawkins’ blood boiling, that stirred his competitive juices a little bit more. The Cowboys’ dynasty was fading; the Giants were the ones standing in Philly’s way.
“When I came through — I don’t say this from a bragging place — my record against Dallas is pretty heavily in my favor,” Dawkins said. “So it [Dallas] wasn’t a rivalry for me when I came through. For me, it’s always been the Giants. This is the week I was preparing for a very physical offensive line, right on the edge of being dirty. I’m not going to call them dirty, but right on the edge. I love that. I love going against a team that played the way that they played.”
Brian Dawkins on why the Giants remain his biggest rival: “Because a rivalry is usually back and forth, one team has it a couple of years and they get you. And then you get them. That was the Giants for us. They had our number. And then we had theirs.” #Eagles #FlyEaglesFly
It’s true: Dawkins went 17-8 against Dallas; vice versa, he went 11-14 versus New York for his career. He singled out former Giants like Jeremy Shockey, Brandon Jacobs, Tiki Barber, Amani Toomer, and Kerry Collins as the guys who fueled the rivalry.
“You knew it was going to be a physical game,” Dawkins said. “And I knew I was going to get beat up after it.”
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Brian Dawkins Returning to Eagles Nest Ahead of Giants Week