Eagles Who Bled Green

The unsung hero. Who is he? What's he done to get your juices flowing? Who was the guy who understood what it meant to play for a city? Who just GOT what it meant to play for a team and brought it every single Sunday?

Being a Philadelphia Eagles fan is not easy. Often maligned and nationally-criticized, Eagles fans are often characterized as scumbags and dirtball, low-life who batter, pester and boo their own team.  This isn't about the national perception of the fan base.

When you ask an Eagles fan to describe the fan base, the word PASSION is often the answer, without blinking an eye. Birds fans want passion from their players, from each other and from the owners. There have been far too many Eagles over the years that represented the fan base. I'll pick my favorites. The parameters are that I must have seen them play either at the Vet, the Linc or on TV

Jeremiah Trotter -- Trot brought his game to the stadium every single Sunday. Whether it was his first stint (1998-2001) or his second (2004-2006). The leader of some of the best defenses in Eagles history, Trotter brought with him a passion that lifted the entire defense. Stuffing the run was his specialty. His first year as a starter, he recorded a team high 174 tackles. After a bitter contract split with the Eagles, the Axeman left for two injury-plagued seasons in Washington. He understood that his heart was in Philadelphia and called the front office to make amends. Upon returning, he re-energized a lackluster rush-defense and was voted to the Pro Bowl in 2006 and 2006, all the while on gimpy knees.

Wes Hopkins -- One of my personal favorites, 48 was the linchpin of Buddy Ryan's 46 defense. The corners were able to man up on whoever they wanted and be aggressive at the line of scrimmage because they knew 48 would be waiting for any ball thrown. And TE's, forget it about it. They didn't even want to run routes across the middle. Reggie White said it best in a quote, "When other teams watch film of our defense, I know what they're saying. They're saying, 'Watch our for number 48'". The guy gave his body for 10 seasons. The perfect ending to a storied career had the Eagles releasing Hopkins prior to the 1993 season. The KC Chiefs claimed him and told him that they would release him prior to final cuts but add him the next day when rosters expanded to 53. Hopkins instead signed with the Eagles saying, "It was a very trying experience in KC, but the bottom line is, given the choice, I'd rather be an Eagle."

Andre Waters -- Number 20 was a kid with very average measurables. Not fast. Not big. But Dirty Waters could hit. He actually instilled fear in quarterbacks because of his warrior mentality. Trolling the secondary with Wes Hopkins, Andrew would be the missile along the sidelines. His reputation for nasty hits, many going low on opposing running backs, wide receivers and quarterbacks, led to this quote, "I'm not trying to hurt anybody. I tackle everybody low: running backs, wide outs, quarterbacks. If you go at a running back low, nobody says anything about it. If a quarterback can't be hit, you shouldn't put them out on the field."  Andre was the total team guy -- quiet and reserved in public, he let his play speak for itself.  And his play impressed Buddy Ryan enough to say this, "He is the kind of player who turns people upside down and laughs at them."

Bill Bergey -- My Eagles formative years (some of the most critical in raising an Eagles fan) were spent watching dreadful Eagles teams during the mid 70s and mid 80s (sans 2 or 3 decent years in 79, 80 and 81). There was always a guy on the field who brought his game, Bill Bergey. The guy was made to be a middle linebacker. When you think of the classic middle linebackers, you think Singletary, Nagurski. I think Bergey. The guy was a warrior, shedding offensive linemen and full backs at the same time to get an arm on a guy. He would get pounded on a play and hop up and still make a tackle along the sideline. He loved the Eagles too. Traded for two first round picks, he knew he had to show his worth to the Eagles. He did more than that through a tremendous career.

Brian Dawkins -- Enough said. The Ultimate Eagle. Period. End of Story.