AS I PUT an "X" next to Brian Dawkins' name on my Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinal ballot the other day, I couldn't help but think of Jim Johnson.
You could make the argument that Johnson, the former Eagles defensive coordinator who died of cancer in 2009, made Brian Dawkins. You could also make the argument that Dawkins made Johnson.
What is inarguably true is that the two made absolutely beautiful music together with the Eagles.
"Jim's defense was designed around (Dawkins) and his playmaking ability," said Dawkins' good friend and former Eagles teammate, Quintin Mikell.