Lurie wishes Dawkins never left Eagles

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Looking back on it four years later, Eagles owner Jeff Lurie says he wishes the whole Brian Dawkins nightmare had ended differently.
He wishes Dawkins had finished his career in Philly.
I think we all would have loved to have seen that, Lurie said Monday. We have remained close ever since, and I just wanted what was best for Brian at all points, and he got a couple extra years in Denver. I think he enjoyed them. We always talked, and hes always going to be an Eagle. Really, one of the greatest of all time.
Dawkins announced his retirement Monday after 16 NFL seasons, 13 with the Eagles and the last three with the Broncos (see story). Dawkins played in 183 games as an Eagle, more than any other position player. Kicker David Akers played in 188.
The Eagles on Monday announced plans to honor Dawkins at their home game against the Giants on Sept. 30.
Lurie said in August of 2009 at Lehigh that no Eagle would ever wear No. 20 again, as long as he owned the team.
The Eagles havent said they plan to retire Dawkins number, but it wouldnt be surprising.
He embodied everything that was great about Philly and he tried hard no matter what, Lurie said. He gave his heart and soul to the NFL and to the Eagles. He was not only all heart, but a great talent. It is so difficult in this league to find great safeties. You have Ed Reed and Troy Polamalu, and Brian Dawkins was right up there as a spectacular player.
Brian embodied everything about a working class city. He was talented, worked hard, appreciated who you are, be comfortable with yourself, look in the mirror and dont try to put on airs, just be hard, tough, and want to win.
He loved the fans, and I think they knew it. With a lot of players, theres a barrier sometimes in being able to connect with the fans in terms of communicating from your heart. Brian always communicated from his heart. The way hed run out onto the field and the way he played. Its one thing to be alive and energetic, but to play with that consistent intensity every game of his career was, for me, extremely special.
No Eagles fan will ever forget the site of No. 20 coming out of the tunnel before a game during player introductions. Usually flexing his guns. Always sending the crowd into a frenzy.
Every time Brian ran out, Id get goose bumps, Lurie said. It was upliftingyoure excited for every player on the team and youre excited for the game to start, but when Brian went through the tunnel, it was like you felt physically different. You felt goose bumps, and it was like, lets get the game going and lets watch No. 20 out there. It was very, very special, and its hard to explain. He was just a very special football player and person.
What he meant and will always mean is that he is a very special person, over and above being a great player. An even better person.
Dawkins arrived in Philadelphia in 1996, only two years after Lurie bought the Eagles from Norman Braman in 1994.
The Eagles didnt win a playoff game in Dawkins first four years, and he survived a three-year stretch from 1997 through 1999 in which the Eagles won only 14 games. His last nine years with the Eagles, they reached the playoffs seven times, won 10 playoff games and went to the NFC Championship Game five times.
The thing Ill always remember about Brian was, way back when we were building the team and our record wasnt that great, every single game, whether we were competing to be in the playoffs or not, this guy was out there going 100 miles per hour and set the example for the whole building of the franchise, Lurie said.
There were other elements, of course, including getting a franchise quarterback Donovan McNabb, but the whole tone was set by Brian Dawkins. For me, thats why hes one of my favorite players in the history of the game. From my ownership of the team, Ive always said that hes my favorite player that Ive ever had.
E-mail Reuben Frank at rfrank@comcastsportsnet.com.

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