On Wednesday morning, Eagles reporter Eliot Shorr-Parks of WIP tweeted his personal Eagles “Mount Rushmore”, which essentially means who he thinks are the four most important/significant people in franchise history. Here are his selections:
My #Eagles Mt Rushmore:
Andy Reid
Donovan McNabb
Brian Dawkins
Howie Roseman— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) June 22, 2022
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I guess he thinks the Eagles were founded in the year 2000? ESP took a lot of heat for this, and I have to say it feels pretty justified. Having a general manager on the list feels pretty ridiculous in the first place, and as much as I have supported Howie Roseman, his track record is not consistent enough to be considered as some sort of city legend. Also, Donovan McNabb? Really? He is neither the best regular season nor playoff quarterback in team history, and he is not exactly endeared by his teammates either.
With that being said, I can not in good faith rip someone else’s selections without presenting my own, so here is my personal Philadelphia Eagles Mount Rushmore.
REGGIE WHITE
This to me is the most obvious selection, and how ESP does not have him on his list is beyond me. Reggie White is in the conversation for the greatest defensive player ever, let alone in Eagles history. In his eight years as an Eagle, White was voted First Team All-Pro six times, had at least 11 sacks in each season, and led the league in sacks twice. In 1987, he had 21 sacks, four forced fumbles, and won defensive player of the year. Oh, and he also did it while playing just 12 GAMES in a 16-game season. This remains one of the greatest individual seasons in NFL history. If Mount Rushmore’s only had one person on them, Reggie White would be my choice.
BRIAN DAWKINS
Dawkins was a versatile, athletic, and super confident Eagles safety for 13 years. He remains one of the very few players I have seen who can both cover receivers and get after the quarterback at a consistent and very high level. In fact, Dawkins is one of just two players in NFL history with at least 35 interceptions and at least 25 sacks in his career, along with Ronde Barber. He made six pro bowls and was voted First Team All-Pro four times during his tenure as an Eagle, finishing third place in defensive player of the year voting in 2002. Intangibly, Dawkins’ energy was almost proprietary and he played with a level of passion and fire that was practically unhinged. The man known as “Weapon X” embodied the exact type of player that Philadelphia wants to see playing for them.
JASON KELCE
Kelce is another player that I feel just represents Philadelphia. On the field, Kelce has not missed a game since 2014 and has played through a wide variety of injuries for the good of the team. He might be the most athletic center ever and has been voted First Team All-Pro in four of the last five seasons. Off the field, I mean, we have all seen the speech from the Super Bowl parade, and it is just impossible to not like his personality. Kelce will unquestionably go down as a Philadelphia sports legend.
NICK FOLES
I struggled a bit on who to pick as my final selection, but ultimately I felt that the only Super Bowl MVP in team history deserves the nod. Foles has made his mark in Philadelphia as a relief pitcher of sorts. Three different times Foles has taken over as starting quarterback of the Eagles in the middle of the season and each time he at least kept them afloat for an impressive period of time. The most impressive of these, of course, came in early 2018 when he took over for arguably the best player in the NFL after he tore his ACL, and helped them win the Super Bowl. His NFC Championship game against the Vikings might be the best performance by an Eagles quarterback I have ever seen. He was flat-out surgical that night. Foles certainly is not the most talented quarterback ever, and Jeffrey Lurie seizes any opportunity he gets to talk about how the Eagles would have had Russell Wilson during the 2012 Draft if he had it his way and that they had to settle with taking Foles instead. However, we would be remiss to not acknowledge what Foles brought to the city of Philadelphia, and at least until the Eagles capture another Lombardi, he has earned a spot on this list.
Photo: Governor Tom/Wikimedia Commons
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