The Eagles President was on 610 WIP with Howard Eskin yesterday discussing the popular subject of Brian Dawkins departure. Banner claims he never had a chance to make a counteroffer, but admits it may not have made a difference anyway.
The Eagles front office hasn’t been popular here in Philadelphia for quite a few years now and making Banner the spokesperson for the organization seems to irritate people even more.
Dawkins contracts breaks down like this: a base salary of $1.4 million in 2009 with a $5.78 million roster bonus meaning he is guaranteed $7.18 million if he plays one season with Denver. In 2010, he would receive $1.82 million adding up to $9 million if he plays two seasons.
Would throwing him a bone and overpaying a little to keep Dawkins an Eagle really be such a big deal? I mean, they are $40 million under the salary cap and Banner already admitted they would not be able to spend it all. Why couldn’t the organization do the future Hall of Fame safety and the fans a favor, suck it up and give him a better deal?
On top of not resigning one of the most popular players to wear an Eagle uniform, the front office also decided to slap fans in the face by raising ticket prices. While basking in his millions, Jeffrey Lurie can rob fans blind because he can. He knows Philly’s passion and that his stadium sells out every game and there is a waiting list for people to become season ticket holders.
While Dawkins is out in Denver, Joe Banner is still feeling good about his contract offer to stay. He said, "I am really comfortable that we really wanted to keep Brian and we made a reasonable . . . effort to keep him” according to Philly.com
Banner feels that Eagles fans should take comfort in his statement concerning how the team will fill Dawkins’ void along with any other voids on the team. What did he say? They have 12 draft picks…Great! 12 rookies to try filling the holes this organization created—Miami here we come.
So all is good in Eagle camp, no Super Bowl titles, but they have made it to five NFC Championships under this regime. With Banner steering the ship, it seems inevitable that the Super Bowl win total for the Eagles will remain zero
