Downplaying Dawkins

The people who run the NFL apparently are not nearly as enamored of the whole Brian Dawkins-Eagles brouhaha as the Brids’ fans are.

The Eagles schedule – along with the rest of the NFL - came out last night. Eagles fans have been frothing at the mouth knowing that Dawkins – clad in the Orange Crush outfit of his new team, the Denver Broncos – would be coming to the Linc to play his old team.

No doubt Eagles fans had visions of an early season Sunday or Monday night prime time clash.

Not exactly.

The Broncos will play the Eagles at the Linc on Dec. 27, two days after Christmas. You have to hope Dawkins is still in the lineup at that point.

The Eagles open on the road at Carolina, a streak of four straight 1 o’clock Sunday starts, interrupted by a their oddly timed bye week in Week 4. Then they go to Oakland for a 4 p.m. contest on the West Coast.

The Birds will play in prime time games against at the Redskins, at home vs. the Cowboys, at the Bears and at the Giants.

Here’s one mortal lock. Chalk up a loss for the Birds Nov. 22 in Chicago. I say that not because of the teams, but because of travel. The Eagles are in San Diego the week before, then fly home, and then fly right back out to Chicago the next week. Very tough to do.

By the time the Eagles get around to playing the Broncos and Dawkins, it’s very likely both teams will have other issues on their minds, like fighting for their playoff lives.

Only a true conspiracy theory buff (like me) would wonder if the Eagles maybe let the league know they would not exactly be opposed to burying the Dawkins rematch deep at the tail-end of the schedule.

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