Eagles cornerback Joselio Hanson scooped up this loose ball and returned it 96 yards for a touchdown against the Cowboys on Sunday. Brian Dawkins (20) forced the fumble.
PHILADELPHIA -- Before last Sunday's home game against the Dallas Cowboys, Eagles safety Brian Dawkins took a little extra time in his pregame salute to the fans, lingering in the end zone as if it were a moment he wanted to freeze in time.
The stakes were high at Lincoln Financial Field for the 35-year-old Dawkins, who was trying to help his team secure an unlikely playoff berth while facing the possibility of playing his last game in an Eagles uniform.
"At that time, I was into the moment, kind of envisioning what was about to happen," Dawkins said. "And, once again, telling myself to calm down."
His play on the field turned out to be anything but calm as Dawkins forced a pair of fumbles -- both returned for Philadelphia touchdowns -- that were key in the Eagles' 44-6 postseason-clinching rout of the Cowboys. For the player who is the emotional core of the Philadelphia defense, it was a fitting display.
"It was a huge game for both teams, and 'Dawk' especially, considering where he is with how long he's played and if he's going to still be here (next year)," middle linebacker Stewart Bradley said. "To see him come out like that, the performance he had, it was inspiring."
Heading into their wild-card playoff game Sunday at Minnesota, inspiration is one thing the Eagles don't seem to be lacking as they suddenly look like the NFL's hottest team.
However improbable it seemed at several points this season -- certainly after the team's woeful Week 16 loss to the Redskins -- Philadelphia now has a shot at the kind of season Dawkins predicted in August. Sitting at a podium during training camp at Lehigh University, Dawkins said he was as energized for this season as he was in 2004, the last time the Eagles went to the Super Bowl.
Personally, he was hoping to rebound from a trying 2007 season, when he was faced with injuries on the field and the premature birth of twin daughters off it. But when he got off to a slow start this fall, he faced questions about his age and speed.
"Hey, listen, as a football player, you are going to make mistakes," Eagles coach Andy Reid said this week. "There will be plays where it doesn't work for you, no matter how old you are. The older you get, the more that gets magnified, I think. But he just kept working through it."
The result was a season worthy of Dawkins' seventh trip to the Pro Bowl, a selection validated by performances like last Sunday's. Twice, Dawkins' aggressive play turned Dallas scoring opportunities into Philadelphia points.
Early in the third quarter, with the Cowboys on the Eagles' 19-yard line, Dawkins popped the ball loose on a 6-yard sack of quarterback Tony Romo. Defensive end Chris Clemons scooped it up and ran it 73 yards for a touchdown.
When the Cowboys got the ball back, they threatened to score on a swing pass to running back Marion Barber at the 4-yard line, but Dawkins stripped Barber as he tackled him. Cornerback Joselio Hanson was there to recover the ball and return it for a 96-yard score that put the Eagles up by 38 points.
"If you look at those plays, they came at times when we absolutely needed them," said safety Quintin Mikell, who starts opposite Dawkins. "They're driving, and he comes up with a big play twice, and they turned into big plays for us. I feel like he always shows up when we need him the most."
That's what has made Dawkins a beloved icon in the City of Brotherly Love. After playing a franchise-record 183 games for the Eagles, though, his future here is uncertain. Dawkins will be an unrestricted free agent at season's end.
But that's a matter for another day. As his team embarks on this against-the-odds playoffs bid, Dawkins has the same agenda he's always had.
"It's kind of a cliche for me to say it now, but I give everything that I have," Dawkins said. "I am a blessed individual, so sometimes I dig down deeper than just myself to have called upon some more strength, and I lay it out there. And whatever I need to do to give to the so-called universe, I give to the universe. The universe is my teammates."
