In Brian Dawkins’ speech at the 2018 Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony, the Philadelphia Eagles safety thanks all the haters for the motivation over the years.
Dawkins also opens up about the emotional turmoil that he’s endured with depression and pleads with those in pain to “keep pushing through.”
OPEN CAMP: July 25, NovaCare Complex, Philadelphia
LAST YEAR: Won first Super Bowl title and franchise’s first NFL championship since 1960, defeating Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and Patriots. Overcame losing several key players to injury, including QB Carson Wentz, LT Jason Peters, LB Jordan Hicks and others. Backup QB Nick Foles led way after Wentz tore ACL in Week 14, earning Super Bowl MVP honors. Coach Doug Pederson’s offense was balanced yet aggressive. Players bought into team-first attitudes. Defense thrived under coordinator Jim Schwartz. DT Fletcher Cox anchored deep line that included Super Bowl hero Brandon Graham. Special teams were solid despite losing PR Darren Sproles. Rookie K Jake Elliott showed strong leg.
IMPORTANT ADDITIONS: DE Michael Bennett, DT Haloti Ngata, WR Mike Wallace, LB Corey Nelson, TE Richard Rodgers, rookie TE Dallas Goedert.
IMPORTANT LOSSES: Offensive coordinator Frank Reich, QB coach John DeFilippo, TE Trey Burton, RB LeGarrette Blount, DE Vinny Curry, CB Patrick Robinson, LB Mychal Kendricks, WR Torrey Smith, DT Beau Allen, TE Brent Celek, P Donnie Jones.
CAMP NEEDS: Wentz will be closely monitored but there’s no urgency to rush him with Foles still on team. His rehab will be biggest story this summer. Other key players returning from injury include Peters, Hicks, Sproles, special teams ace Chris Maragos and DT Tim Jernigan. Defense needs LB to emerge as replacement for Kendricks and CB to replace Robinson at nickel spot. Both QBs need to build chemistry with new Nos. 2-3 TEs.
EXPECTATIONS: Trying to become first Super Bowl champs to repeat since 2003-04 Patriots, and anything less will be considered disappointment. Wentz, Peters and other star players who missed playoffs last year are determined to win it all and won’t let teammates get complacent. Overall, team improved on paper but it’ll be difficult to match unique bond last year’s group had.
Eagles linebacker Nigel Bradham has been suspended for the first game of the season for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports via Chris Wesseling of NFL.com.
The discipline stems from a July 2016 incident in which Bradham was arrested by Miami Beach police on suspicion of battery/aggravated assault.
Bradham completed the deferred prosecution program in January, per Miami-Dade County Court records. The case was closed days later.
I would like to apologize to my fans, coaches, teammates and the entire eagles organization for the 1 game suspension.This stems from a July 2016 incident and the matter is now resolved.I look forward to giving it my all this season and helping the team win another Championship
— Nigel Bradham (@NigelBradham_13) June 29, 2018
Last night, the Philadelphia Eagles gathered for a private ceremony where Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie unveiled their championship rings. And all we can say is holy Bling Bling!
The ring is made of pure 10-karat white gold, with a total of 219 diamonds and 17 rare green sapphires. There are 127 diamonds on the bezel to represent the combined jersey numbers of the three players who touched the football during the Philly Special — running back Corey Clement (30), tight end Trey Burton (88) and quarterback Nick Foles (9).
But that’s not all. There’s also an “underdog” mask inscribed on the inside of the ring. And the phrase “We All We Got, We All We Need” and the word “family” are featured as well.
“It was an incredible season, and I wanted this ring to represent all the love, dedication, trust and resilience of this football team and this organization,” Lurie said. “This ring is for all of us, and I’m very, very proud of what we’ve accomplished.”
The rings were handed out one by one, complete with a highlight video of each team member playing on a large video screen as they walked up the aisle and received them from Lurie.
Really big team, really big rings. #FlyEaglesFly
?: https://t.co/oxsIthrUNm pic.twitter.com/Qoo3KOkpcb
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) June 15, 2018
Now that they have their rings, coach Doug Pederson says it’s time to put an end to the celebration tour and to focus on the season ahead.
E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES!
Photo credit: @Eagles on Twitter
Eagles coach Doug Pederson said he was “looking forward to going down” to Washington to visit the White House, but did not want to delve into details about the rescinded invitation or how many representatives the team planned on sending, Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
“We did something last season that was very special,” Pederson said. “A milestone here in the city of Philadelphia, and I was looking forward to going down and being recognized as world champions.”
That was as expansive as Pederson was willing to be on Wednesday. He did not want to engage in a back-and-forth with the White House, nor did he want to offer the Eagles’ version of the story. The White House accused the Eagles of a “political stunt,” giving 81 names to the White House last week and changing their delegation at the “11th hour.”
“I’m not discussing, it’s over,” Pederson said. “What you’ve seen and what you’ve heard is enough. I’m not going to sit here and discuss it. We have two OTA practices and a mandatory camp next week.”
President Donald Trump has called off a visit by the Super Bowl Champion Eagles to the White House Tuesday due to the dispute over whether NFL players must stand during the playing of the national anthem, the Associated Press reports.
Trump says in a statement that some members of the Super Bowl championship team “disagree with their President because he insists that they proudly stand for the National Anthem, hand on heart.”
Trump says the team wanted to send a smaller delegation, but fans who planned to attend “deserve better.”
He says he’ll instead be hosting “a different type of ceremony” with the U.S. Marine Band.
The road back to the Super Bowl for the Eagles in the 2018 season will be surely filled with bumps and bruises, but the team is coming off the high of their first title in a very long time, something that right away gives them confidence as they take the field.
If you look at the best games the Eagles have this season, there’s plenty to choose from, and according to BettingTop 10 the Eagles will be the favorite in most of these games, even more so with the return of quarterback Carson Wentz to the club.
Today let’s take a quick breakdown of four of the top games on the teams’ schedule for the upcoming campaign.
1. Opening Night vs the Falcons 9/6
In a rematch of last seasons’ thrilling NFC Divisional Playoff win at home, the Eagles will take on in week one to start the season on the National stage on Thursday Night Football on NBC. Yes the Falcons will want revenge for the close playoff setback, but at home the Eagles should have the edge as they get their Super Bowl rings and raise the flag for last season’s title win.
2. NFC Title Game Rematch 10/7
Last season in the NFC Title Game the Eagles flew high as they defeated the Minnesota Vikings at home 38-7 in a game that saw them build a big lead and beat up the Vikings offense which at the time was led by Case Keenum, who is now a member of the Denver Broncos. This will be a game with plenty of National attention as it will be the second game of a double header day on Fox. Let’s see if the Eagles can continue their home dominance against the Vikings.
3. When the Eagles Go Marching In 11/18
In a game that could be a possible NFC Title Game preview for January 2019, the Eagles on November 18th will head to New Orleans to take on the Saints in what could be a shootout. Drew Brees against Carson Wentz should be a lot of fun, and again this is game you will want to mark on your calendar as this could be a lot of fun watching these two teams go up and down the field for 60 minutes.
4. Big D Showdown 12/09
The Cowboys and Eagles have always had a good rivalry, and that should continue in 2018 as the teams will play twice per usual, the second time on December 9th in Dallas in front of a packed house in the home that Jerry Jones built. The Cowboys had a down season in 2017, but will look to get back to form with Dak Prescott and the other weapons on offense for Dallas, this should be a good one as always.
The 2018 season is still three months away, but there’s always going to be a question surrounding the Super Bowl Champion Eagles as well as what they did (or didn’t do) regarding Super Bowl winning quarterback Nick Foles.
Foles will head back to the bench to start the 2018 season, as starter Carson Wentz will be back as the top man under center, and many experts feel that the Eagles are a team that might be right back where they ended this past season with Wentz instead of Foles.
There was a report last week from NFL.com’s Mike Silver stating that the Eagles had a deal on the table for Foles with the Cleveland Browns, who had the first and fourth pick in late April’s draft, and of course that makes sense considering they ended up taking Baker Mayfield with the first overall pick.
The deal that the Browns reportedly offered the Eagles was for the 35th overall pick for Foles, but at the end of the day, there was not enough value for the Eagles to take the deal, and instead felt that Foles being the backup was worth more than that pick.
Foles wants to be in Philadelphia, and despite the fact that he’s the backup to Wentz, he loves the city, and has his eyes on a bigger prize after his playing career, that serving as a pastor of a church once his career is over.
Keeping Wentz aboard a team that won the Super Bowl is a very smart move for the Eagles, as there’s no ‘for sure’ that Carson Wentz is going to be 100 percent and ready to go for the start of the 2018 season, and if he’s not, it will be easy for the Eagles and head coach Doug Pederson to slide right in.
If the Eagles would have bailed on Foles, they only have Nate Sudfeld left as the quarterback on the roster, and nothing against the young quarterback, but he’s only got one game on his ledger to this point of his career, meaning having to play him more than just a garbage time is a huge risk.
Will down the road the Eagles move Foles? Possibly. For now though, they are happy with the quarterback as the backup, and why would you run him out of town when there’s no reason to.
Keep him aboard, and as long as he’s happy and not causing an issue, there’s no reason to quickly try and rush Foles out of town at this point in his career.
The Eagles have an interesting season ahead of themselves winning a title, and having the insurance policy of Foles to their name is not a bad thing to have whatsoever.
Without him, an injury to Wentz could have a season of disaster written all over it.
August 5th, 2018 
Matt Loede 
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