Weapon X

Take a long look at this picture..... Then ask yourself the following:
1. Can Dawkins return to "Weapon X," form?
2. Is Brian Dawkins done?

There are some who feel that Brian Dawkins has passed his prime, and cannot return to form. Then there are those that are paying tribute to him as if he was already gone. Indulge me for a momment as I romanticize the notion that Brian Dawkins isn't done just yet!

At age 34 (35 by midseason) Weapon X has 13 years of NFL experience. In NFL years (which are like dog years) 30 is old. Which means that Dawkins is, "over the hill." In 2006 he was 33 going on 34, and played in all 16 games, 93 tackles (77 solo, 22 assisted), 1 sack, 4 interceptions, and made the Pro Bowl. That seems pretty good for someone who's, "Over the hill." Donovan McNabb is 31, and people believe that it's possible for him to play for another 6 0r 7 more years, barring injury.

Injury shouldn't be a huge concern for him Dawkins either. In 2007 he lost a significant amount of time normally used for training to attend family issues, but all the reports have been that he has been working harder than ever this off season. He's highly tuned machine. In his 13 NFL seasons Dawkins has missed only 29 games. Of those 29 games missed 16 of them were from the '03 and '07 seasons. During the seasons between Weapon X played in all but one game.

Brian Dawkins has hinted that this may be his final season, but that doesn't mean that he is done. He's going to return to his form from 2 years ago. That's my prediction. When he decides to hang it up he will be greatly missed, and hard to replace.

Note: I went through the Historical Players at DB on NFL.com, and found that were quite a few guys that played, who's careers spanned more than a decade.