CANTON, Ohio - For 21 remarkable games, the Eagles had two future Hall of Famers on the field.
Brian Dawkins and Terrell Owens played 14 regular-season games together in 2004 and seven more in 2005.
The Eagles were 17-4 in those games and 10-0 at home.
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One of those Hall of Famers is here for the Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony, being honored at the Hall of Fame Game, meeting the other all-time greats, riding on a float in the annual Hall of Fame parade, standing in front of the adoring fans as he puts on the famed gold jacket.
The other is somewhere in Tennessee. By himself.
Dawkins said Friday he's disappointed his former teammate decided to boycott the 2018 Pro Football Hall of Fame ceremony.
"Absolutely," he said. "Absolutely."
Dawk said he spoke with Owens in recent weeks, presumably to try and convince him to attend, although Dawkins declined to talk about the specifics of their conversation.
Imagine if two former Eagles were here in Canton the same weekend? It would have been even more insane than it already is.
"Would love for him to be here," Dawk said. "But he chose not to be."
Dawk was asked if he was surprised by Owens' decision to exclude himself from the Hall of Fame festivities and hold his own personal ceremony at Tennessee-Chattanooga, where he played college football.
"Yes, because it had never been done before," he said. "But at the same time, he's not coming, it's T.O. … it makes sense. That's what he feels like doing, he's going to do it."
Including the Super Bowl, Owens caught 133 passes for 2,085 yards and 20 touchdowns in 22 games with the Eagles, which is crazy production.
That's just under 100 yards per game.
Despite playing just a year and a half in an Eagles uniform, T.O. ranks among the top 40 in franchise history in catches and yards and 21st in touchdowns.
Dawkins spoke glowingly of Owens Friday, choosing to focus on his positives instead of the negatives that we all know so well.
"Hard work," Dawkins said. "T.O. works. That's one thing that I need to say.
"I still remember him doing his Spiderman routine with his bands stretching before practice … he would stretch like he was doing Spiderman stuff on the wall.
"But he did things … running routes, finishing routes, the toughness that he taught our receivers to play with, that's what I remember most about him.
"Obviously, there were some other things going on, but I choose to remember the good things that he brought to the Philadelphia Eagles, because he did. He was a hard-working dude, and he was a competitor, which I love."
Owens is second in NFL history behind only former teammate Jerry Rice with 15,934 receiving yards, eighth with 1,867 catches and third with 153 receiving TDs.
"I wish him the best," Dawkins said. "I wish him the best."
