Is Brian Dawkins worthy of the NFL Hall of Fame?

Without question, Brian Dawkins is one of the best players in Eagles’ history, but is he seen as one of the best in NFL history?

If you ask any fan of the Philadelphia Eagles if Brian Dawkins, the most recent addition to the team’s scouting department, is worthy of enshrinement into the NFL Hall of Fame,they would be quick to tell you, without question, that he is. He was truly special, and anybody that saw him play knows that, but how would voters feel who may have not have seen him on a week to week basis? With the class of 2016 set to be enshrined this weekend, it’s never too early to look ahead to the class of 2017.

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There are some, including the legendary Philadelphia writer Ray Didinger, who feels that there is a “stigma” against certain positions when it comes to the voters, safety being one of them. One can look at the position of guard as well, which is honestly the only explanation I can think of as to why Green Bay Packers legend Jerry Kramer hasn’t gotten in yet. With Dick Stanfel and Will Shields getting in this year and the previous year, respectively it’s hard to figure out what the voters are waiting for with Kramer but that’s another story for another time.

There are currently twenty-four defensive backs currently enshrined in Canton with eleven of them being safeties. Of those eleven, there are only three, (Ken Houston, Paul Krause, and Larry Wilson) who like Dawkins, only played safety. This meaning they didn’t return kicks, spend time as a corner, or even punt (Yale Lary led the league in punting while playing safety and returning kicks in 1959, 1961, and 1963). So in this regard, the odds are against a player like Dawkins when it comes to the history of the voters.

The aforementioned Krause is the NFL’s all-time career interception leader with 81, a number that really hasn’t even been sniffed, and he had to wait until 1998 to hear his name called. Krause retired in 1979. So one can look at this as another potential knock against Dawkins’ chances. However there are a couple other factors that could potentially benefit “Weapon X”.

Lately, voters have been more readily willing to vote a player in during their first or second year of eligibility, whereas before some were under the mindset that only the best of the best could receive such an honor, which begs the question why make them wait? Are they going to do something different with their careers to boost their resumes in their second year of eligibility that they couldn’t’ in their first? It seems that some voters are starting to see the flaw in that system.

His leadership, and impact on his teammates, whether it was in Philadelphia, or with the Denver Broncos is something that can’t be quantified. He was simply one of a kind, with his hard hits and unteachable ability to inspire players and fans alike.

One big criteria for enshrinement is if there was any point in the player in question’s career where there was a general consensus that he was the best at his position, and were dominant for an extended period of time.

For the majority of the 2000’s, Dawkins was widely considered the best safety in the NFL, along with Ed Reed and Troy Polamalu, two other “pure safeties” who will most likely find their way to Canton. Dawkins had long been established as a force before Reed and Polamalu came into their own, so Dawkins was basically in a class by himself before they came around. The same could be said about John Lynch, who’s been eligible for the Hall of Fame for some time now, but is facing the exact same uphill battle that Dawkins is.

So will Dawkins get in? On stats alone, he should. His career totals include 37 interceptions, 36 forced fumbles, 19 fumble recoveries, 26 sacks, and 895 tackles. For a free safety, that’s beyond impressive. Not to mention the fact that he was the first (and so far only) player in NFL history to intercept a pass, record a sack, recover a fumble, and catch a touchdown in the same game. Yes, it was against the expansion Houston Texans, but it’s an impressive accomplishment never the less.

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Still, all of these are just numbers. His leadership and impact on his teammates, whether it was in Philadelphia, or with the Denver Broncos is something that can’t be quantified. He was simply one of a kind who hit hard and had unteachable ability to inspire players and fans alike.

Yes, Dawkins deserves to get in and so should Lynch because, while they are “pure safeties” who sometimes get ignored, the same argument can be made that there haven’t been many others as worthy of the honor as those two. It’s just a matter of when and which safety the voters decide to put in first. One thing is for certain, Dawkins’ speech will definitely be one that should tear the house down, and have everyone watching ready to both cry, and run through a wall.