Brian Dawkins announced his retirement after 16 NFL seasons, 13 of which were in Philadelphia. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

It’s one of many everlasting images of Brian Dawkins in Eagles green.  Late in the 2004 NFC Championship game, with the outcome nearly decided, Brian Dawkins let it out.

Number 20 stood by the goal line and picked up the right pylon.  Dawkins lifted it in the air with his arms spread open in a gesture of triumph, joy and relief.  He let out a yell and spiked the pylon to the ground along with the Eagles three-year streak of losing a step before the Super Bowl.

The Eagles beat the Falcons 27-10 in a game remembered for Dawkins bone-jarring hits on Atlanta quarterback Michael Vick and tight end Alge Crumpler, as well as a late interception of Vick that helped secure the win. The victory sent the Eagles to their first Super Bowl since 1980.

Today after announcing his retirement following 16 seasons in the NFL and 13 in Philadelphia, Dawkins called that game his greatest moment as an Eagle.

Click here for the full article with quotes from Dawkins on 973ESPN.com.

Ryan Messick covers the Eagles for 97.3 ESPN FM.  Follow him on Twitter.

Jeffrey Lurie took to the podium today to describe the thought process that led to retaining Andy Reid as head coach.

NOVACARE COMPLEX, PHILADELPHIA, PA — Eagles head coach Andy Reid will return for his 14th season at the helm of the franchise after an announcement by owner Jeffrey Lurie.  Given expectations heading into the 2011 season, Lurie called the Eagles’ 8-8 record unacceptable, unfathomable, bitter and disappointing and said it caused him anger and frustration. Lurie said the season-ending four-game winning streak came against teams that were not competitive, calling it “fools’ gold.”

After nearly 13 minutes describing his reasoning and thought process in an opening statement that felt more like a wandering monologue, Lurie finally made his announcement clear.

“Do our players and the coaches have that anger?” Lurie asked rhetorically “You’ve got to have the anger, you’ve got to have the  motivation, the dedication, and the focus and the talent. My answer to those questions is yes.

“That’s why I want to see our team coached by Andy Reid next year and I can’t wait to see that team play.”

“There’s no doubt in my mind, if our focus is on trying to win a championship next year, the best coach for that is Andy.”

Lurie did not announce any firings of coaching staff, nor confirm that any will return.  Juan Castillo’s job status as defensive coordinator has been widely speculated on, particularly with the firing of Steve Spagnuolo, a former Eagles defensive assistant, in St. Louis.

“We’ve had long discussions about player personnel, staff and everything and that’s Andy’s area and he will make the best judgment on that,” Lurie said.

The owner did confirm that team president Joe Banner and general manager Howie Roseman will both be back next season and said that everyone inside the NovaCare Complex was to blame for this season’s struggles.

“Nobody in this building who is attached to this football team in any way feels good about it, it’s everyone’s accountability,” said Lurie. “If I didn’t think that next year would be substantially better, then I would be standing up here and announcing a coaching change or other changes and that’s not what I think is going to happen.”

As far as pinpointing a cause for the failure to meet expectations, Lurie pointed toward the lockout.

“I think there were so many reasons, and none of them are legitimate excuses,” Lurie said. “I think maybe there was a miscalculation in terms of implementing big scheme changes in a lockout situation. To me, I don’t know why, I would have thought we would have been able to, during the abbreviated training camp and preseason, adapt to some of those schematic changes. They were bold changes, but clearly the team was not gelling and maximizing those scheme changes early in the year.”

CONTINUE READING: DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR HIRES PAST AND FUTURE

Flyers center Daniel Briere takes a penalty shot on Henrik Lundqvist with 19.6 seconds left in the Winter Classic. Lundqvist made the save to preserve a 3-2 Rangers win.

CITIZENS BANK PARK, PHILADELPHIA, PA — The Flyers had their chances in a 3-2 loss to the Rangers in the Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic, with the most dramatic coming with 19.6 seconds remaining.  After a flurry of activity in front of the net, Daniel Briere jammed the puck under the right pad of Henrik Lundqvist, who had backstopped New York brilliantly to that point.

The puck slid slowly toward the goal line as Ryan McDonagh came crashing into the net.  The Rangers defenseman deftly slid the puck away from the goal line, saving the goal.  The referees, however, awarded the Flyers a penalty shot after a long discussion.  Head coach Peter Laviolette chose Briere.

With the game and potentially a share of first place in the Atlantic Division on the line, Briere picked the puck up at center ice and 46,967 fans watched on edge. Unfortunately for the Flyers, it was the sizable minority of Rangers fans who erupted when Lundqvist made the game-saving stop off the inside edge of his left pad.

“Coming in, you try to read on where he’s at and he came far out, so I saw a little something five-hole and tried to go there,” said Briere after the game.  ”It’s frustrating, it’s disappointing, but I can’t change anything about it now. I got a good shot off, he made a good save. I wish I would have another crack, but that’s the way it is.”

Of course, the Flyers also had the chance to hold on to their lead after seizing control of the game in the second period. After months of buildup were followed by a scoreless first period, tension built and fans waited for their chance to let loose. The Flyers obliged with a pair of second period goals just 1:55 apart, as Brayden Schenn and Claude Giroux launched a celebration with a pair of goals that gave Philadelphia a 2-0 lead.

It was short lived.

After Schenn jammed home a Matt Carle rebound and Giroux put a back hander under the crossbar off a feed from Maxime Talbot on an odd-man rush, it took just 30 seconds before Mike Rupp answered with a wrist shot from the top of the slot. That closed the scoring for the second period, but it gave the Rangers life heading into the third.

“It was a key moment of the game, ’cause they have all of the momentum on their side,” said Rangers head coach John Tortorella. “Again, the game is a series of momentums. How quickly you can get it back your way, versus losing it.”

Philadelphia took it’s 2-1 lead into the third period, but the Rangers came out firing. Rupp struck again with a wrister on the short side that snuck between Bobrovsky and the post just 2:41 into the period. At the 5:21 mark, Brad Richards buried a rebound after Bobrovsky stopped a Brandon Dubinsky shot from close range, but turned the rebound toward the right side of the goal.

The Flyers were hemmed into their end of the ice for a couple of long stretches in the third period, but managed to mount a late effort that ran out of steam when Briere couldn’t beat Lundqvist on the penalty shot and the Flyers final frantic efforts came up short.

“I feel like tonight we played pretty good and we had a lot of chances and it’s such a long season,” said star center Claude Giroux. “There’s a lot of character in this room and guys hate to lose and we’ve just got to go from there.”

Brayden Schenn and Jakub Voracek celebrate Schenn's first career goal, which opened the scoring in the Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic.

CITIZENS BANK PARK, PHILADELPHIA, PA — The Flyers grabbed a 2-1 lead over the Rangers in the second period of the Winter Classic on goals by Brayden Schenn and Claude Giroux. The Flyers goals were separated by just 1:55, but the Rangers answered 30 seconds later when Mike Rupp put a wrist shot past Sergei Bobrovsky.

Schenn opened the scoring by jamming a rebound past Henrik Lundqvist at 12:26 of the first period, notching his first career goal.  Matt Carle took the initial shot and picked up the only assist.

Less than two minutes later, Claude Giroux found himself on Maxime Talbot’s wing on an odd-man rush.  Talbot hit Giroux with the pass, and Giroux beat Lundqvist to give Philadelphia a 2-0 lead and send the 47,000-plus fans at Citizens Bank Park into a frenzy. Talbot and Scott Hartnell picked up assists on the play.

Only 30 seconds later, Rupp took a wrister from the top of the slot and beat Bobrovsky to pull the Rangers back within one. Rupp’s second goal of the year was assisted by Brandon Prust and John Mitchell.

A few snow flurries fell over the final minutes of the second period, which the Flyers escaped with a 2-1 lead despite a few frantic moments in their own end as the ice became increasingly choppy.

Andrej Meszaros skates back to knock the puck away from Ryan Callahan, who had a breakaway if not for the defensive play.

CITIZENS BANK PARK, PHILADELPHIA, PA — The Flyers and Rangers are locked in a scoreless tie after one period of play in the Winter Classic at Citizens Bank Park.  Philadelphia outshot New York 12-9 in a period that saw Henrik Lundqvist and Sergei Bobrovsky stop all of the shots sent their way.

Ilya Bryzgalov, who announced himself yesterday that he would not be starting today, was not with his teammates on the Flyers bench.  Instead, Bryzgalov sat just outside of the bench area, behind the glass.

Scott Hartnell was the most active Flyers forward in the first period, with six hits and a pair of shots.  The Rangers outhit the Flyers 21-18.

While the game was moved back from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. in order to improve ice conditions, the puck still stuck to the ice a bit more than usual throughout the period, causing it to move slightly slower.  Still, both teams got their chances.  The Flyers best came on a backhanded shot from Jaromir Jagr, which Lundqvist steered into the corner.

The Rangers nearly had a breakaway at one point, but Andrej Meszaros recovered in time to poke the puck away from Ryan Callahan at the top of the circles in the Flyers end of the ice.

DeSean Jackson caught a 62-yard touchdown pass in what may have been his final game with the Eagles.

LINCOLN FINANCIAL FIELD, PHILADELPHIA, PA — After closing a disappointing season with four straight wins to finish 8-8, the Eagles expressed their desire to carry over the same personnel and coaches into next season.  Philadelphia capped its season with a 34-10 blowout victory over Washington, with Michael Vick throwing for 335 yards, three touchdowns and an interception on 24-of-39 passing.

The most notable of Vick’s touchdown passes was a 62-yard completion to DeSean Jackson, for the wide receiver’s longest play of the season.  The catch came in what could be DeSean Jackson’s last game as an Eagle.  Jackson’s contract expires at the end of this season and he’s due for a big raise.

“I don’t know if I’m going to be here next year or not,” Jackson said. “It’s kind of out of my control, out of my power, so I hope that I’ll be here. These guys on this team and just the fans, it’s home for myself, so we’ll see how it plays.”

“I hope DeSean’s back,” said tight end Brent Celek.  ”He’s a great asset to our team, what he does to defenses, I say it every week, he can take the top off of any defense and guys are scared of him.  So I really think we need him, I hope he’s back and he’s a good teammate. I like the guy.”

Celek had a strong game himself, catching six passes for 86 yards and a touchdown. Not to be out done, Jeremy Maclin hauled in eight balls for 105 yards.  The Eagles passing game was key as LeSean McCoy was unable to play due to a sprained ankle.

With the offseason officially underway for the Eagles, owner Jeffrey Lurie will need to make a decision about the future of Andy Reid.  After a strong finish, all signs point to Reid returning, particularly in the eyes of his players.

“If Andy was gone? Yeah, that would surprise me completely,” said veteran right tackle Todd Herremans. “I don’t even think it’s an option, so that’s why it would surprise me.

“I don’t think the guys are thinking about it at all, I mean, we’re finishing strong. I think there’s some changes that need to be made, but I don’t get paid to think. I get paid to play.”

“I think Andy’s going to be back, I think he should be back, the guy is an amazing coach,” said Celek.  ”I just think it’s tough when you don’t have an offseason, you’ve got a lot of new guys. Football is a team sport and you’ve got to come together as a team.  I really feel like we’ve done that now in the second half of the season.  We’ve just got to keep it going into next year.”

After that, it’s on to defensive coordinator Juan Castillo.  While players were quick to make strong statements in support of Reid, their backing of Castillo was less fervent.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen,” said safety Nate Allen. “That’s not my decision and regardless of who comes and goes we’re just going to keep playing and get it rolling for next year.”

All in all, though, the sentiment is that the Eagles strong finish gives them the strong belief that if they can maintain a lot of continuity, they can come back strong.

“Going into this offseason, I really think we have a really great group of guys that has a chance to be excellent,” said Herremans.

“We’re going to pick this thing up, and I think we showed that at the end of the year,” said Celek.  ”We know it was too late, and we’re not happy about it, but coming into next season? It’s on.”

Dion Lewis could see a decent number of carries today with LeSean McCoy out.

5. Alex Henery – This has less to do with winning and more to do with records, but Henery needs to make one field goal without missing any to pass David Akers for the team’s all-time accuracy record.

4. Cornerback Combinations - With Asante Samuel out, the Eagles are getting a preview of next year’s likely cornerback combination: Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

3. Safety Play – Jaiquawn Jarrett makes his second start, this time alongside Nate Allen.  The rookie from Temple is better against the run than the pass, according to defensive coordinator Juan Castillo.  The Eagles know Jarrett is still learning and may make some mistakes, but he needs to avoid any big ones today if the Eagles are going to even their record at 8-8.

2. Run the Ball - Even with LeSean McCoy inactive, the Eagles need to commit to the run enough to keep the Redskins honest.  It’ll also give them a chance to get a good look at Dion Lewis, who is the backup in this game but will probably get a decent number of touches since Ronnie Brown is unlikely to be back next year.

1. Protect Vick – This one falls on a lot of people.  Michael Vick, himself, is largely responsible as he needs to avoid hits and look for the sidelines or to get down when running. The offensive line needs to protect and Andy Reid and Marty Mornhinweg need to avoid putting Vick in too many seven step drops where his injury risk is high.  This is a key not only for this game, but for escaping the season without any major damage.

Michael Vick threw for 293 yards and two touchdowns in a 20-7 victory over the Cowboys, but the Eagles were eliminated from playoff contention.

The Eagles playoff hopes died today despite a 20-7 win over the Cowboys in which the Eagles dominated.  Philadelphia racked up 387 yards of offense in winning its third straight game, but a Giants win over the Jets guaranteed that either New York or Dallas, who meet next week, will end up with a better record than the Birds.

For a team that spent big in the offseason, looking to capitalize on the NFL lockout and the new Collective Bargaining Agreement by creating salary cap space and then using it freely, a season without a playoff game is a tremendous disappointment.

Ultimately, the Eagles were done in by a 1-4 start, followed by a 3-4 stretch that left them 4-8.  During those early games, the Eagles shot themselves in the foot with turnovers, while their defense struggled to come together.

Through 12 games, the Eagles were a -13 in turnovers and were allowing 23.5 points per game.

Finally, in Miami, it all seemed to click.  The Eagles racked up nine sacks and created two turnovers, while Michael Vick shook off the rust from a three-game absence with broken ribs and managed the offense efficiently.

Things grew from there. Over the last three games, the Eagles defense allowed just 12 points per game, while they were only a minus-1 in turnovers over that stretch. The Eagles became that scary team that nobody wanted to see in the playoffs.

Nobody will.

Still, Philadelphia put together a strong showing in Dallas.  The Eagles opened with a statement drive, while the Jets and Giants game was still in question.  Michael Vick hit Brent Celek for a 13-yard touchdown to put the Birds on top 7-0.

The scoring play came on the end of an eight-play, 80-yard drive that included a 28-yard bomb to Riley Cooper on a free play due to a facemasking penalty that was tacked onto the end.

On the first Cowboys drive, Tony Romo was injured when his throwing hand struck Jason Babin’s helmet on the follow through.  Romo’s x-rays were negative, but due to the Giants victory, the Cowboys quarterback sat out the remainder of the game to preserve him for next week’s winner-take-all battle at the Meadowlands.

The Eagles defense caused punts on the first nine Cowboys drives with Stephen McGee taking over as signal caller.

Philadelphia had another chance to add points early in the second quarter.  After Vick hit Jeremy Maclin for an 18-yard gain with an additional 9 yards tacked on for a late hit, Jason Avant caught a pass and darted down the sideline toward the pylon.  Avant dove and extended the ball toward the orange marker, but it came loose just an instant too soon, going into the end zone for a touchback rather than an 8-yard touchdown.

The Eagles struck again, though, after Vick hit Maclin for 22 yards, Jackson for 33 and Avant for 27.  On their third play from the Cowboys’ 5-yardline, Vick hit Maclin for the touchdown and a 14-0 lead after an extra point.

Alex Henery added a 43-yard field goal in the third quarter, than a 51-yarder in the fourth quarter to leave the Birds on top 20-0 late.

After stopping the Cowboys on fourth-and-goal from the 7-yardline late in the fourth quarter, it appeared the Eagles defense had secured the shutout.  After a three and out left just 30 seconds on the clock while punting, Chas Henry had his punt blocked, giving the Cowboys the ball at the Eagles’ –yardline.

Two plays later, McGee hit Miles Austin for a 4-yard touchdown to put Dallas on the board in a 20-7 Philadelphia victory.

After nine punts and a failed fourth down conversion, the Cowboys finally spoiled the shutout bid by Juan Castillo’s defense, but the Eagles still prevailed, having outscored Dallas 54-14 in a pair of wins this season.

Still, the victory rang hollow as the Eagles were eliminated from playoff contention earlier in the afternoon by a Giants win over the Jets.  So rather than being the third in a four-game march to an improbable playoff berth, today’s strong effort served only to remind the Eagles what could have been.

Notes

LeSean McCoy gained just 35 rushing yards, leaving him 128 yards behind Maurice Jones-Drew for the NFL rushing title.

Since returning from his broken ribs, Michael Vick has completed 57 percent of his passes for 775 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions.

The Eagles notched three sacks, but none went to Jason Babin who’s 18 sacks leave him three shy of Reggie White’s franchise record.

Michael Vick before the snap." width="585" height="329" />

Michael Vick has two touchdown passes and the Eagles hold a 14-0 halftime lead over the Cowboys.

• With the Giants 29-14 win over the Jets at the Meadowlands, the Eagles playoff hopes finally died.  At 6-8, the Birds are now eliminated and playing only for pride the rest of the way.
• Looking back on the season, two things really jump out at you: 1) Turnovers 2) Defensive Struggles Early.
• As far as the turnovers are concerned, to some extent it was just bad luck.  Sometimes the ball doesn’t bounce your way when it’s tipped up into the air, sometimes a defender gets a perfect shot to knock it loose.  Still, some of the blame goes to the Eagles and, in particular, Michael Vick, who could have made better decisions with the ball early this year.
• The early season struggles on defense had a lot to do with Juan Castillo’s learning curve and the adjustments to having three free agents in the starting lineup as well as a young, non-solidified linebacking corps with constant lineup changes.
• Ultimately, though, Andy Reid and the powers that be should have realized that with a shortened offseason, making a bunch of roster moves would be risky due to the lack of time to integrate everybody.
• Now, onto the first half of the Eagles/Cowboys game.  Philadelphia’s offense came out firing on all cylinders on the first drive before Dallas starting getting pressure with some blitzes.
• The Eagles need to either pick up the blitz or burn it for quick hitting plays in the second half.  Otherwise, Rob Ryan will keep bringing it.
• The Eagles can also run against the blitz, as they didn’t give LeSean McCoy very many touches in the first half.
• Defensively, with Tony Romo sidelined due to a bruised throwing hand, Stephen McGee is running the Cowboys’ offense.  Philadelphia should get after him aggressively and test him.
• Once again, with Jason Avant’s fumble inside the 1-yardline, we see mistakes hurting the Eagles offense.  It’s hard to fault Avant for going for the pylon, but the Eagles can’t give away the chance for points once they’re inside the red zone.
• Nearing the end of the half, the Eagles already appear to be adjusting as Michael Vick has plenty of time to throw and is picking apart the Cowboys’ defense.
• Vick is showing poise in the pocket and making good decisions.  It’s a shame for the Eagles’ sake that they picked up their play too late in the season, as they appear nearly unbeatable when they play smart football.

Michael Vick

Can Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson hook up for a big play today?

5. Motivation – It only checks in at number five because it’s still up in the air, but if the Giants win over the Jets, the Eagles know their playoff hopes are dead.  In that scenario, it’ll be difficult to be up for today’s game.

4. Slow Down Witten – With Asante Samuel out of the lineup, the Eagles will only be able to use Nnamdi Asomugha on Witten very sparingly.  The big tight end is Dallas’s leading receiver and could do a lot of damage to the Eagles defense.  Jamar Chaney, Keenan Clayton and Brian Rolle could land in coverage from the linebacker position, as could Casey Matthews.  Nate Allen and Kurt Coleman may be key in stopping Witten as well.

3. Execute on Big Plays – If the Cowboys play the run, as I expect, then they’ll be leaving a lot of single-high safety looks.  The Eagles will likely go after them deep in that scenario and it’s on Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson to execute when the opportunities arise.  Throw Jeremy Maclin and Riley Cooper into that equation as well, as they could end up deep down field too.

2. Commit to the Run – Even if the Cowboys are slowing down LeSean McCoy, the Eagles need to give him the ball 20 to 25 times in order to keep the Cowboys honest defensively and keep opening things up for Jackson downfield.

1. Pressure Romo – Defensively, with Samuel out, the Eagles don’t match up particularly well in the passing game.  As such, it will be essential to get pressure on Tony Romo and force him to make mistakes.