Dawkins: Banner could have done things differently
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Dawkins: Banner could have done things differently
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
When asked what he regretted during his tenure as the Eagles president, Joe Banner mentioned the name Brian Dawkins.
"Somebody asked me today what I’d regret when I looked back," he said. "I said some of the players we had here who we truly cherished and valued - I used Brian Dawkins as an example - the way situations were handled allowed people to perceive, and I thought I contributed to this, that we didn’t appreciate and cherish those players as much as we actually did."
Whether it's fair or not, fans will always blame Banner for allowing Dawkins to leave Philadelphia and sign with the Broncos. And listening to Dawkins over the years, it's clear that he blames Banner too.
Speaking to Mike Missanelli of 97.5 The Fanatic, Dawkins answered "Yes" when asked if parting ways with Banner is the best thing for the Eagles as an organization.
"I just think that the way things have been done for so long there, and we did have some success, but the way that some of the guys that are in house had to always scrap, fight and do different things in order to just get a deal, it kind of wears on guys," Dawkins said. "And that was really the philosophy of this team, the way that they did things. I’m not saying that it’s going to change 100 percent going forward. The thing that I would love to see is guys in house be able to be kept. That was one of the things that always kind of frustrated me as a player, that guys who are in house and doing everything they can to improve the team are let go pretty easily, and then you go out and pay big bucks for free agents coming in."
That was clearly an issue last year, but this offseason, the Eagles have rewarded players like Trent Cole, Todd Herremans and DeSean Jackson, rather than making a big splash in free agency.
"When you feel like every guy that you see on your team constantly has to go through the same ringer and have the same conversations and have the same type of dealings that you have, it’s a frustrating thing," Dawkins said.
As for his own dealings with the Eagles, Dawkins said he knew Banner and his family away from the negotiating table, but when it came time to talk contract, Banner "put the shark hat on."
"The thing for me is just it was really a lot of conceding," Dawkins said. "It was always in my opinion the player needed to concede or back down off of his stance on where he wants to be. I don’t know if it was always a 50/50 thing, maybe a 70/30 where the player has to give this much back, or not want this much back, and then the organization says this is not a fair deal.
"I just know that certain situations and certain things could have been handled differently, and there would have been a completely different feeling about doing business in Philadelphia."
Going forward, Dawkins thinks losing Banner will be a good thing for Andy Reid.
"Sometimes when a coach tries to make decisions on what he wants and he has to go through three different people to get that guy, that’s a tough, tough position to be in," Dawkins said "However many of the middle men that you can get out is always a better thing for a coach."
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Love Dawkins!!! But the NFL is a Business... can't mix on field and off field emotions.- Love Dawkins!!! But the NFL is a Business... can't mix on field and off field emotions.
- looking back this makes total sense ....— anthemra
- Phillybigdoh that makes no sense. Yeah the NFL is a business but if your players don't feel secure then you're running your business poorly.— Richard Saunders
- love ya Dawk. and you probably don't get much chance to be positive with Mrs.elli. but stfu.— raoool
- The Fan base and Philly beat writers must share equally in the bloodlust that has been in existence for as long as I’ve been a fan. If an Eagle player were to miss a tackle (like the one Brian Urlacher did on Shady’s highlight reel from last season), then the hordes would not only descend on that player, but the media would remind us ad nauseum each and every time the player written about. Keeping players is one thing, beating them down is another!
The entire climate must change in order for the team to win. The Giants seem to be the exception; the players are egomaniacal rosters, their coach has one foot off the gangplank and yet the team rallies at the right time to capture championships?
Yes Banner is partly to blame, but each fan needs to look at the man in their mirror before assigning culpability!
— Laughingaloud123 - This comment has been deleted.— The Mighty One
- You're an idiot — BuddyBall92
- noboby played as hard and with such intensity as Dawkins and as far as im concerned he can say whatever he wants especially when its true,i've seen plenty of talent let go only to be replaced by over priced-over paid has beens or never beens.mighty one you know not what you say— greensob
- I love BDawk but nobody running an organization should overpay aged veterans based on loyalty. Performance counts and really, it's all that should count.— JBinPA
- I wish B-Dawk could be the GM on this team— Ace-Philadelphia
- Quixote, Raool, and The Mighty One....how many playoff games have the Eagles won since Dawk left? That's right...ZERO. So, to quote one of your brilliant posts, all 3 of you need to "STFU." Brian Dawkins can say whatever he wants about this team and this organization because he bleeds green to the core. Always has, always will. Moreso than any other player of from '96 to '09, Dawk is the reason that we went to 5 NFC Championships and a SB. And, his comments are dead on the $$ and are a true representation of why this organization has gone steadily downhill since Banner / Reid smoked the TO / Kearse crackpipe back in the '04 offseason. In professional football, more than any other sport, if you don't have consistentcy and cohesiveness prevalent in both your personnel and organization, you cannot win. You must build from the ground up. Period.— vdstrading
- This comment has been deleted.— FishtownFitz
- It's not your money fish head. You didn't risk millions of dollars to buy the team. You didn't have to buy a ticket to the game, you can watch it free at home. Your statements make you look like a loser whining because you are such a failure at life. Go cast your vote for Obama like a good little Marxist drone and leave the people who use their brains to earn a living alone. You'll notice you don't have a problem with Dawkins making million from your wallet.
— MoRacker - Nice to hear Brian Dawkins again! I really don't understand why people are getting so upset with Brian when he is just trying to give an honest answer to a question posed to him. Banner himself said he could have handled Brian Dawkins contract situation & he agreed when asked and gave his reasoning without licking old wounds. I think best & most interesting part of the interview received little mention in the article though. That is the endorsement Dawk gave to Andy Reid. Not gonna write an article about - that's for the distinguished Mr. Kapadia to do - lol!— highfive
- Dawkins vs. Banner? I've never been in on the Joe "nickles" Banner comments, but questioning Dawkins? I mean... the man epitomizes hard work, kick arse, and integrity. I've always been of a mind that overpaying an aging centerpiece like Dawkins in particular is just good business unless you have a situation like the Manning-Luck thing in Indy. We never have replaced Dawkins and even if he wasn't an all pro he would have done better than the scrubs we've played there. Plus you make him and the smart fans happy by keeping him forever. Two years in Denver??? FOR WHO? FOR WHAT?
So long Joe, Hello Dawk!— WestonF01 - Let's not forget that Dawk made like 7.5-9 million for 2 seasons of work with Denver. No one in their right mind was paying that kind of loot for him at that time due to the fact that his head was about to fall off with all the neck injuries. Granted played well the first season. Anyway.....as for Banner. Eefffffffff offffffff— Jeffritoe
- Wow. I'm willing to bet that the vast majority of people telling B-Dawk to shut up and keep his opinions to himself were screaming bloody murder when Banner let him go. As far as I am concerned, Dawkins bled for our team and wore the colors with pride. He earned the right to have an opinion about the man who paved his way out of Philadelphia before he was ready to leave.— Doctor D
- Dawk's time with the birds is long done....he was good while he was here...who cares what he thinks now....Next we will see quotes from McStooge, the fleecing of Shanahan, the best deal in the Banner era....hahahahaha— SkipinWV
- I am a huge Dawkins fan but I thought he had more class than to comment on Banner. Much more could have been 'said' by not saying anything.
Banner should have handled the Dawkins situation differently and maybe with more sensitivity, but that does not equate to paying him X if the Eagles didn't think he was worth X? To do otherwise is to merely placate him for PR reasons, which doesn't move the football team forward.
The football decision was correct, but the PR execution was terrible.— Wiseman6 - Sometimes, everyone comes out smelling bad.— Warhound
- Can't believ I'm seeing 'supposed' Eagles fans ripping Dawk here. Sayin he shouldnt say this or that, and looking back was a good move to let him go. We have had a hole on our team since he left. While the last year or two he maybe should have been a rotational guy, he would have been a mentor to our young safeties and the leader we have missed since he left. Dawk, you will always be remembered as one of the best Eagles of all time, and a great character guy.— samcoffeeman
- When is Dawk the spokesman for the Eagles? Let's hear from T.0. And I'm sure that Shilling could be spokesman for the Phils.— 2smart4philly
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