Posted: Monday, August 31, 2009, 3:36 PM | 26 comments |
 

Mikell nostalgic for Dawk
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You miss Brian Dawkins, right? The Eagles do, too. Many of the reporters miss the long-time Eagles safety, as well. But there might not be another Eagles-affiliated person that is more wistful about Dawkins than the current strong safety Quintin Mikell.

Mikell said he watched last night's Broncos-Bears game and admitted it was odd seeing Dawkins, who wore a large protective cast over his broken hand, in another uniform.

“It was really weird, that orange jersey on and stuff, it was a little different seeing him," Mikell said. "It was fun watching him play. He was flying around out there and having fun and playing physical.”

So did watching Dawkins play make Mikell wish that No. 20 was still an Eagle?

“You don’t want to get caught up in that," Dawkins said. "I will say it was a little nostalgic sitting here [thinking], ‘I remember those hits’ and stuff like that. It was a little weird but I’m happy with the situation that we’re in and I’m sure he’s happy. It’s the position we’re in. We just have to move on.”

While not having Dawkins around may be difficult for Mikell, it's a mixed bag for Quintin Demps. Dawkins leaving, obviously, opened the door up for Demps. But Demps has the inenviable position of following a legend and it seems to have hampered his play. He still hasn't locked up the job yet and has admitted that he's been playing as if he's afraid to make mistakes instead of just playing.

“I think, especially in the secondary, it’s tough because he’s Dawk –  we always go back to that. Everyone kind of gets compared to him and that’s fine," Mikell said. "I think Quintin, he’s learning that."

Click here for our earlier story on Donovan McNabb. And scroll to the bottom for news on Jeremy Maclin and Shawn Andrews.

 
Posted by Jeff McLane @ 3:36 PM  Permalink | 26 comments
26
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:49 PM, 08/31/2009
    I think Mr. Demps had better start playing the way that HE wants to be remembered.
    — TBear
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:56 PM, 08/31/2009
    Sean Jones will take the job from Demps by week 5.
    — gaitherfan
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:14 PM, 08/31/2009
    I miss Dawk too,but he is going to miss Philly even more when he sees what a lousy team he 's stuck with.
    — bkg126
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:18 PM, 08/31/2009
    We all miss B DAWK and probably will more and more as the season progresses. Go birds!
    — ai720hhi
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:28 PM, 08/31/2009
    I feel bad for Demps. Would you want to replace a Hall of Famer and the leader of a defense for the past decade? Let's face it, we wont have another player like Dawk for a long time. Demps looks a little timid at time, and we're used to watching Dawkins fly in there like a madman with total disregard for his own body. One thing Dawk was great at was playing until the whistle blew, if a guy was on the way down, Dawk would still try to bust the ball loose.
    — cjancay
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:30 PM, 08/31/2009
    Someone had better step up at Safety and MLB, or this is going to be a roller coaster. Who is the leader on this D, the guy who absolutely won't let you lose, the one who will step on the other guy's throat to win? For that matter, does this entire team have that guy? As far as the killer instinct, it certainly isn't #5.
    — EaglesWest
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:32 PM, 08/31/2009
    Boo on not having Dawkins.
    — Bex
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:42 PM, 08/31/2009
    yeah, it was weird seeing dawk in a different jersey. he still looks crazy in that #20 jersey. i'll always be a dawk fan!!
    — Phil MeNuggets
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:48 PM, 08/31/2009
    Dawk took the money (can't blame him) but he is going to be miserable. The Broncos are HORRIBLE
    — danF
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:00 PM, 08/31/2009
    Things would be different if the Eagles selected Brandon Merriweather at S, with the pick they traded away to Dallas to get Kolb. We would be looking at a Pro Bowl caliber safety ready to step into Dawkins big shoes. Now, we still have FS as a big question mark, and Kolb looks like he will never be a signifcant contributor to the Eagles.
    — arrowamy
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:33 PM, 08/31/2009
    I think it was probably Mikell (not Dawkins) who said "You don't want to get caught up in that." I wonder what else is misquoted in these reports. So much for taking pride in your writing.
    — fp
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:41 PM, 08/31/2009
    Dawk took the money and yes you cant blame him. Josh McDaniels single handedly destroyed that franchise before it even began. Watching him shows that he is too young for the job. Unless you inherit a SB team like Pittsburgh, 34 year olds are not ready for the NFL.
    — Wise_Owl
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:13 PM, 08/31/2009
    arrowamy-Really? Merriweather a Pro Bowl caliber safety? I can name 10 guys at his position that I'd rather have than Merriweather right now, which I believe would place him out of Pro Bowl territory. Would I rather have him than Kolb? Maybe, but let's not get carried away. And didderbops, we still ARE better with youth at the position. But it's inevitable that people wax nostalgic for Dawk--it's a lot like seeing an old girlfriend with a flashy new guy. You tend to block out all the reasons you separated in the first place (age, inability to cover deep passes, etc.) and focus only on the highlights during the prime of the relationship (i.e. during Dawk's prime years). Thing is, Dawk wasn't that player last year, he won't be that player this year, and he will NEVER be that player again.
    — moderndaymesh


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About Jeff McLane and Jonathan Tamari






Jeff McLane (left) began covering the Eagles in April 2009 after covering college sports and Penn State football in particular. Before that he wrote about high school sports and before that he worked in the mailroom (not quite). Find Jeff on Facebook and follow him on Twitter for instant updates on the Eagles.

Jonathan Tamari (right) began covering the Eagles in April 2010. He previously covered New Jersey state government and politics, reporting and writing about elections, policy debates and the many personalities that drive the Garden State, from three recent governors to the many musicians bidding to write the state song. He has been at the Inquirer since June 2008. Follow him on Twitter at @JonathanTamari.

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