NFC East: Eagles Brian Dawkins interview on T.O.
PFW: Any thoughts yet as to what it’s going to be like facing Terrell Owens twice next season? Has it even crossed your mind yet, or is it something you try to distance yourself from?
Dawkins: To me, it’s not even a big deal because I’ve faced him before. Had he been on another team and I never had to face him and now I have to, OK, let’s talk about it. It’s not a big deal now. He’s on another team just like he was before he got to the Eagles.
PFW: Can you imagine what the hype is going to be like when he first plays you guys? Of course most of it’s media-driven, right?
Dawkins: (Laughs) Really? Oh, I didn’t know that. No, it’s definitely gonna be hyped. I’ve already been a part of what T.O. brings to the team as far as the media is concerned. And I’m not talking about all bad now. I’m talking about the good, too. But that’s all going to be there, and then that week, whenever we play them, I can only imagine how many questions I’m going to be asked. And not about the offense in general, but one player.
PFW: What do you think is the most difficult part about covering him and keeping him under control?
Dawkins: You just have to make sure that you’re close enough to him when he catches the ball. Being one of the best receivers to play the game — to ever play the game — he’s going to catch balls, and you know that. But you want to get as close as possible to him so he catches it, you punish him just like anybody else.
PFW: What is the mindset of this team right now, after all the drama from last year and all the injuries?
Dawkins: You know what? You can kind of equate this to playing cards. You have to play with the cards you’re dealt, and last year we weren’t dealt a real good hand (laughs).
PFW: A lot of deuces and fives?
Dawkins: (Laughs) A lot of deuces, man. We had a bad hand last year. But this year, we’ve got new cards. And in that, you have a new sense of what we can do this year and what the possibilities are. And also, it’s a sigh of relief and you can finally exhale. Last year we were holding our breath the whole time. We didn’t know what to expect with injury after injury and then all the stuff that went down with Terrell and Donovan at the end. You just never knew what to expect. Now it’s a fresh start, and you don’t have to worry about any of that stuff. We’re going to bring in whoever we’re going to bring in, we’re going to get some guys back from injury. And I consider this year to be a success already.
LINK
Dawkins: To me, it’s not even a big deal because I’ve faced him before. Had he been on another team and I never had to face him and now I have to, OK, let’s talk about it. It’s not a big deal now. He’s on another team just like he was before he got to the Eagles.
PFW: Can you imagine what the hype is going to be like when he first plays you guys? Of course most of it’s media-driven, right?
Dawkins: (Laughs) Really? Oh, I didn’t know that. No, it’s definitely gonna be hyped. I’ve already been a part of what T.O. brings to the team as far as the media is concerned. And I’m not talking about all bad now. I’m talking about the good, too. But that’s all going to be there, and then that week, whenever we play them, I can only imagine how many questions I’m going to be asked. And not about the offense in general, but one player.
PFW: What do you think is the most difficult part about covering him and keeping him under control?
Dawkins: You just have to make sure that you’re close enough to him when he catches the ball. Being one of the best receivers to play the game — to ever play the game — he’s going to catch balls, and you know that. But you want to get as close as possible to him so he catches it, you punish him just like anybody else.
PFW: What is the mindset of this team right now, after all the drama from last year and all the injuries?
Dawkins: You know what? You can kind of equate this to playing cards. You have to play with the cards you’re dealt, and last year we weren’t dealt a real good hand (laughs).
PFW: A lot of deuces and fives?
Dawkins: (Laughs) A lot of deuces, man. We had a bad hand last year. But this year, we’ve got new cards. And in that, you have a new sense of what we can do this year and what the possibilities are. And also, it’s a sigh of relief and you can finally exhale. Last year we were holding our breath the whole time. We didn’t know what to expect with injury after injury and then all the stuff that went down with Terrell and Donovan at the end. You just never knew what to expect. Now it’s a fresh start, and you don’t have to worry about any of that stuff. We’re going to bring in whoever we’re going to bring in, we’re going to get some guys back from injury. And I consider this year to be a success already.
LINK
posted by The Gryphon at 10:29 PM
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