Five takeaways from Brian Dawkins recalling his greatest Eagles hits: ‘I was that type of player’

Brian Dawkins, also known as “Weapon X,” had a Hall of Fame career — he played 16 NFL seasons, primarily for the Eagles, with a style of play that represented the toughness of Philadelphia.

The nine-time Pro Bowl safety made one Super Bowl appearance and recorded plenty of memorable hits in the process. Now, 13 years after his retirement, he reacted to some of his biggest hits in a video on the Eagles’ YouTube channel.

Here are five things we learned from his reactions:

When Dawkins was on the field, only a few things were on his mind. “See ball. Get ball,” he said.

The first highlight featured on the Eagles’ YouTube channel was of his crunching tackle on Alge Crumpler. In 2005, the Eagles made their fourth consecutive appearance in the NFC championship game and hosted the Atlanta Falcons at Lincoln Financial Field. Entering the game, the main focus was on Atlanta’s defense.

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“All in my mind I kept hearing disrespect,” Dawkins said. “You disrespected me in my crib. You telling me that this team is going to come into our house and beat us in Philadelphia? That’s not happening. Someone was going to have to pay for that.”

That someone was Crumpler. Atlanta’s Michael Vick found an open Crumpler before Dawkins darted across the field and steamrolled the tight end at the 10-yard line. The hit is considered one of The Inquirer’s top 22 Eagles playoff moments.

“The hit hurt me, too,” Dawkins said. “But, again, it’s about sending a message. If you come across the middle in this game, this is what’s going to happen to you. I was surprised he held onto the rock. That’s a tough dude.

“Had I done my job and stayed in the middle of the football field and didn’t go for the pump fake, this hit would have never happened. If you look, it was the perfect tackle, perfect hit with the shoulder and the chest. Legal. And it delivered the punishment to send that message.”

Dawkins’ famous suplex tackle was the second clip shown. In December 2003, Dawkins created a highlight that pro wrestlers would be proud of. In a game against Washington, Dawkins suplexed rookie wide receiver Cliff Russell.

“The dude was just so light,” Dawkins said. “This is not something that I planned ahead of time. I didn’t expect him to go up that easily, up into the air. Once it got there, I was like, ‘Oh, yeah, let me go ahead and put him down real quick.’”

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The tackle received strong reactions from fans and announcers at the time. Following the play, one announcer said, “He really is not this kind of player.”

Dawkins responded: “Yes, I am. I was that type of player. I’m trying to do what I can to inflict a little bit of pain on anybody that I hit in order for them not to come to my vicinity.”

Of course, the iconic leaping sack had to be included. During a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2008, Dawkins put his athleticism to the test — and produced a leaping strip-sack of Ben Roethlisberger.

“It was a very low-scoring game, and this was their last attempt to come back into the game,” Dawkins said. “People always recognized that I made a lot of plays in the fourth quarter. That was because [then-defensive coordinator] Jim [Johnson] called my name a whole lot because he knew I was willing to do stuff like this — jump over people, do whatever it takes to get to the quarterback.

“That was one of my favorite plays as a professional athlete.”

In December 2008, the Eagles faced the Dallas Cowboys in the final home game of the regular season. But Dawkins had a “tremendously painful ear infection.”

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Despite the pain, nothing was stopping him from playing in front of the Philadelphia fans. Instead, the safety played and executed two “perfect plays” in the 44-6 win over the Birds’ division rivals.

“When people ask me what is my perfect play, for me, it has always been for me to hit a quarterback — or hit somebody — and my teammate picks it up, and he scores,” Dawkins said. “I was blessed to be a part of two perfect plays.”

After Dawkins hit Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, Eagles defensive end Chris Clemons picked up the ball and ran it 73 yards into the end zone. Later, Dawkins hit Cowboys running back Marion Barber to force a fumble before Eagles cornerback Joselio Hanson ran it back 96 yards for a touchdown.

The win secured the NFC’s final playoff spot, and it’s considered one of the more notable games in a long and heated Eagles rivalry.

In 2002, Dawkins put up a stat line that no other player has recorded, referred to as the “Quadrafecta.” In one game against the Houston Texans, he recorded a fumble recovery, an interception, a touchdown reception, and a sack.

“People always forget, I think I had eight tackles, too,” Dawkins said. “And you notice before the snap, you see me with my arms out like this. That was supposed to be a delay of game because I was looking at the clock in the back and it was already on zero. So I’m like, ‘Is that a flag?’ They didn’t throw the flag, which I’m thankful for because I was able to get a sack.

“It’s still hilarious to be the only person to have done this. It was a blessing.”