Remembering the Greats
Reggie, Jerome, Andre.
Three of the Eagles all-time greats. All deceased. All missed.
Reggie White, the Minister of Defense. A truely great man on and off the field. He was the heart and soul of the Gang Green Defense of the late 80's, early90's. He played with the Eagles for eight seasons, picking up 124 sacks to become the Eagles' all-time sack leader. He also set a then Eagles regular-season record with 21 sacks in 1987. He also became the only player to ever accumulate 20 or more sacks in just 12 games. He also set an NFL regular-season record that season by averaging the most sacks per game, with an amazing 1.75 sacks per game. Over the course of his tenure with the Eagles, White actually accumulated more sacks than the number of games that he played. After his time with the Eagles, he moved to Green Bay. He played six more seasons there winning a SB in the process. His death in 2004 was shocking for many people. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2006. His wife, Sara, delivered the speech, and it was incredible. He is truely a legend in the Eagles and NFL community.
Jerome Brown. The man who would be a star. The man whose life was cut short in a tragic auto accident in 1991 at age 27. Along with Reggie White, Brown formed one half of a devastating defensive line. Named to two Pro-Bowls, he may have earned many more had he not died. His number was retired by the Eagles in an emotional ceremony on Sept 6, 1992. He had 29.5 sacks in the time he was here. In my opinion, he may have been one of the top Defensive Tackles in the league for years and Hall of Fame bound. Again, like Reggie, he is sorely missed.
Andre "Dirty" Waters. The Man before Dawkins. The one WR's feared when going over the middle. The big hitter. The hard hitter. His hard-hitting style translated into leading the team in tackles for four seasons and endeared him with Philadelphia fans but often led to penalties and fines for some of his tackles. His tackle of Jim Everett of the Rams in 1988 led to a rule prohibiting defensive players from hitting quarterbacks below the waist while they are still in the pocket; for a while, it was unofficially termed the "Andre Waters Rule". He led the team in sack four years and 15 INT's in 156 games. He suffered many concussions during his career due to his aggressive play. Those concussions are thought to have deteriorate his brain and cause depression. He committed suicide in 2006.
Three great players from the same era. All deceased. All loved. All missed. R.I.P.
