Over the next few weeks at The700Level, we'll be posting pollmatchups as part of our Philly March Madness competition.Examine thecases of the two fine Philadelphia athletesbelow,andcastyourvote atthe bottom as to which youthink shouldadvance tothe nextround. Andas always, feelfree to explainyourselectionand/ordebate the choicesin the comments section.
Before there was Ed Reed, before there was Troy Polamalu, there wasBrian Dawkins. Dawkins joined the NFL in 1996, when John Lynch andRodney Harrison—a pair of great players in their own right—were justbecoming starters, but no safety from that period was the total packagelike #20. All three were ferocious tacklers, yet Dawkins had superiorrange and a nose for the football. He could do everything—blitz, runsupport, hit, and cover. The Clemson grad was an instant starter, butwhen Jim Johnson joined the Eagles in 1999, his career took off. Thatfirst year, Dawk finished with 4 interceptions, 6 forced fumbles, 1.5sacks, and a trip to Honolulu. That line became typical over the nextdecade, as he appeared in eight Pro Bowls all together and was voted afirst team All Pro five times. A member of the 2000s All-Decade Team,Dawk became just the tenth player ever to join the "20/20 club" forsacks and interceptions, and in one of his most famous performances, hebecame the only player in NFL history to record a sack, interception,forced fumble, and touchdown catch in a single game, returning a shovelpass on a fake punt 57-yards against the Texans in 2002. So much successon the field could only be overshadowed by the man's love for the fansin Philadelphia. It has been speculated if one were to cut BrianDawkins, he would bleed midnight green. Sadly, he had to finish hisillustrious career elsewhere, but the man nicknamed "Weapon-X" willalways be a Philadelphia Eagle. -Kulp
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Philadelphia sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Once upon a time, before there were WFCs or "The Machine," there wasScott Rolen. Reaching the big leagues in 1996, Rolen was the first in aline of players who were saddled with the expectations of restoring thePhillies as one of the teams to beat in the National League. A formersecond-round pick, Rolen went on to win the Rookie of the Year Award in1997, and the following season he won his first Gold Glove, something hewould soon become known for. While he was a power-hitting thirdbaseman, Rolen wasn't as flashy at the plate as he was in the infield.He held his own at the dish, batting .282 with 150 home runs and 559RBIs in seven seasons with the Phillies. His defense is what reallyturned heads though, and he would claim Gold Gloves in 2000, '01, and'02, en route to eight for his career. Some observers have evensuggested he may well be the best fielding third baseman in Major Leaguehistory. Unfortunately, Rolen wasn't happy with the Phillies. Only onceduring his tenure did the club finish above .500, and as a result hecriticized management's willingness to win. Eventually he got his wish to be traded,and in the midst of the '02 season—his first year selected to appear inthe All Star game—the Fightins shipped him to the Cardinals for PlacidoPolanco, Mike Timlin, and Bud Smith. While Rolen played the prime of hiscareer with another organization, Phillies fans have imagined Rolenback in red pinstripes from time to time, but a lengthy career here justwasn't meant to be. -Kulp
Who should advance to the next round?online surveys
Results So Far:
News
East Bracket:
(1) Julius Erving (91.8%) over (16) Von Hayes (8.2%)
(8) SimonGagne (77.9%) over (9) Seth Joyner (22.1%)
(5) Eric Lindros (70.3%)over (12) Eric Allen (29.7%)
(4) Randall Cunningham (77.6%) over(13)Shane Victorino (23.4%)
(11) Cole Hamels (82.1%) over (6) MarkRecchi (17.9%)
(14) Tug McGraw (51.1%) over (3) Moses Malone(48.9%)
(7)Darren Daulton (74.0%) over (10) Andrew Toney (26.0%)
(2)ChaseUtley (93.5%) over (15) Andre Waters (6.5%)
Midwest Bracket:
(1) Mark Howe (60.2%) over (16) David Akers (39.8%)
(9) RodBrind'Amour (73.6%) over (8) Rick Tocchet (26.4%)
(5) Brian Westbrook(93.3%) over (12) Jayson Werth (6.7%)
(4) Mike Richards (85.1%)over(13) Trent Cole (14.9%)
(6) John LeClair (89.2%) over (11)ClydeSimmons (10.8%)
(3) Jimmy Rollins (75.8%) over (14) John Kruk(24.2%)