Brian Dawkins Was Robbed By Hall Of Fame Voters

Philadelphia Eagles (and Denver Broncos) safety Brian Dawkins was the victim of a robbery on Saturday evening. The preparations for Eagles fans flocking to Canton, Ohio have been put on hold for at least another year. Dawkins, sadly, will not be a 2017 inductee for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

You went and did it hall of fame voters. You angered the entire city of Philadelphia – and anywhere else Terrell Owens played (sorry Baltimore) – in the biggest election of 2017. Brian Dawkins was more than the Philadelphia Eagles. Dawk was an embodiment of civic pride. Weapon X did his job every time he went out onto the field of battle. Simply put, he was the best of the best and he was snubbed for a kicker.

Let’s be realistic, Dawkins was not a scheme player. He was not a product of Jim Johnson’s defense. What Dawkins was was a football player. A damn fine one at that. This might not even be about that however.

Viewed as a long shot, Dawkins defied the odds by making it to the final round in the first place. The reasoning behind that logic was questionable at best. Peter King wrote in 2015 that safeties had an uphill climb towards enshrinement. Some, even despite that, advocated John Lynch being admitted before Dawkins. Does that not clearly highlight the issues with the voting? On what grounds was Lynch a better safety than Dawkins? A Super Bowl ring and a TV gig, that’s about it. Alas, neither was among the announced inductees.

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Dawkins represents the end of an era. That type of safety has become extinct. Lynch was a part of that as well. The NFL has chosen to take away safeties from it’s halls of 2121 George Halas Drive in the same clumsy bumbling manner it does with every other tarnished era. In an age of big hits, hard knocks and a realignment of defensive responsibilities, the NFL and those that cover it are ignoring a relevant position.

Perhaps more importantly, Dawkins did things that no one else in the history of the game had done. He is the only player in NFL history with 25 interceptions, 25 sacks, and 25 forced fumbles. Quite simply: He was a game changer. The Eagles defense had a top 10 finish in points allowed or yardage allowed in eight of the 13 seasons Dawkins was in Philadelphia.

As Paul Domowitch perfectly stated: It’s been a long hike for Dawkins. Sadly, thanks to an inexplicably blind voting process, we, the fans and paying customers, will never know which voters felt Dawkins unworthy of immortality. Even worse, the long hike got a little bit longer. Ed Reed and Troy Polamalu will be joining the eligible player pool in the upcoming three years. Just like Lynch, Polamalu has nothing on Dawkins.

Next: A Kicker Gets In The Hall Of Fame Over Brian Dawkins

However, as we saw with Owens, voters don’t base their votes on statistics alone. Why else would Marvin Harrison enter before Owens last year? Surely it wasn’t because Tony Dungy was also inducted. Nor could it have been any influence from Peyton Manning. Rest assured, Owens is now in the cross hairs of those NFL powerhouses. However, his reputation as a locker room cancer is still burning sportswriters deep. Their grudges are ultimately what matter most.

Word of advice to Dawkins: Don’t complain about the results and continue to take the high road. Otherwise you and T.O. might be teammates for the long haul as hall of fame snubs.