Congrats Weapon X… Love, your enemy.

I have never rooted for the Eagles. Except two years ago when they beat the Giants and gave the Cowboys a first round playoff bye.

As a Cowboys fan I just can never bring myself to cheer for anyone in green. I get physically ill. However, there was one person, one player… That I had no choice but to like, and no choice but to root for.. Brian Dawkins.

Image – SBNation

Like I said in my intro piece I pride myself on being the most objective sports fan I can be. Brian Dawkins is not only the best Saftey I ever saw play, but one of the best overall football players I ever got the pleasure to watch play the game I love.

Bri.. I mean Mr. Bri.. Wait I mean Mr. X, sir.. Thank you. Even though you made some Sundays awful for me and the boys in silver and blue.. Thank you for playing the game the way you did. The way it’s supposed to be played.

Image – Twitter si_vault

With heart. With passion. With anger.. but with love. And, most importantly… With a whole hell of a lot of badass.

I was lucky enough to have an older brother to grow up watching football with. (But I wasn’t stupid enough to become a Bears fan like him.) My Brother was the first person to tell me about BDawk, and to watch him closely.

The more we watched him the more I said wow. It seemed like every Sunday someone was getting carried off the field from a Dawk hit, not a dirty hit, but a clean Dawk hit. Remember I said, anger and badass… There it was on display every Sunday.

Image – amp

As I got older and began to really understand the game, I got to appreciate him even more. I started to see how he could read an offense like a book. I got to understand that he could play both the pass and the run at a pro bowl level. And I got to appreciate what a HOF player (besides the Triplets of course) looked like.

Image – coolchaser

Besides the on field talent he displayed every Sunday, we all got to appreciate his impeccable leadership skills. He knew at any moment exactly how to motivate his teammates. With words or with actions. He lead by example on and off the field every single day.

Can I add another element to the badass that is Weapon X? His entrance. There have been many iconic entrances in sports throughout the years. The Jordan Bulls, Lebron’s powder, Ray Lewis’s dance (entered the Hall with Dawk.) But there was never, still isn’t and never will be a more intimidating, badass entrance as Dawkin’s. Him crawling out of that smoke, I mean…

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So obviously there was only one way he could enter the Hall of Fame on Saturday night:

.@BrianDawkins entering the only way he knows how. 🔥🔥🔥#PFHOF18 on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/wX9aUkQHWZ

— NFL (@NFL) August 5, 2018

I can’t lie I was happy when he went to Denver, I could actually root for him without shame. But, I need to admit I was jealous, I would have died to have him on the Cowboys. However I also have to be honest, he was built for Philadelphia, he was made to wear the black and green.

Dawkins never got to taste a championship while playing. Now in the same year he finally got his Eagles Super Bowl ring and his Gold Jacket. Beyond deserving of both.

Image – USA Today

Brian Dawkins now rests in the only place he should.. The Pro Football Hall of Fame. Saturday night, BDawk put the same love, passion and intensity into his HOF speech as he did in every single game he played.

An emotional moment for @BrianDawkins after his Enshrinement speech #PFHOF18 pic.twitter.com/uqO39BA5N1

— Pro Football Hall of Fame (@ProFootballHOF) August 5, 2018

Did you expect anything less? Nope, me neither. He thanked everyone from his mother to his high school football coach. From his beautiful kids to Andy Reid. But one very special moment was when he reached out to the woman that is always by his side, his rock, his life. As he put it… his Hall of Fame Wife.

.@BrianDawkins‘ wife gets a Gold Jacket too #PFHOF18

📺: NFL Network pic.twitter.com/0RixwToCRT

— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) August 5, 2018

His speech even reached out to the thousands of people in this world struggling with depression every day. He opened his heart to us and expressed how in his darkest days he thought of suicide. But, again lead by example and showed everyone that you can get through it, you can get to the other side… And to never give up.

Again, wow Brian.

Powerful speech. #PFHOF18

📺: NFL Network pic.twitter.com/E0kcOlV369

— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) August 5, 2018

This part was obviously not fun for me. But you knew… He had to thank Philadelphia.

Volume. All. The. Way. UP.@BrianDawkins has a message for all his @Eagles fans. #PFHOF18

📺: @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/J2nTxZvJdf

— NFL (@NFL) August 5, 2018

You are one of a kind Dawk. Thank you again for everything you gave the fans. Playing the way you played and being the man you are. You are the benchmark for what a Hall of Famer should be. Your bust will forever sit in Canton, and that is something no one can ever take away from you.

If you haven’t seen the speech, don’t let me tell you about it because I’m not Weapon X. Do yourself a favor, watch it and marvel at the perfect Hall of Famer that is… Brian Dawkins.