Lurie talks about B-Dawk, our heart!

From Philly.com great article please take the time to read it guys!

Before looking ahead to the 2009 season, Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie felt it appropriate to look back at two men who have meant so much to the franchise.

During his annual state-of-the-team address at training camp, Lurie announced that no player would ever again wear No. 20 as long as he was the team’s owner. That probably means the Eagles will retire former free safety Brian Dawkins’ number someday.

Shortly after buying the team from Norman Braman in 1994, Lurie ordered the team’s equipment manager to remove a No. 92 jersey from a player in training camp and said he did not want Reggie White’s former number ever issued again.

White’s No. 92 was retired by the Eagles in 2005.

“It’s inconceivable that anybody would wear No. 20, and I think the same goes for Reggie’s number,” Lurie said.

The owner also said he remained saddened by the loss of defensive coordinator Jim Johnson, who died of cancer on July 28. Johnson will be remembered at a memorial service tomorrow afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field.

Lurie said Johnson eventually would be added to the list of 29 Eagles Honor Roll inductees.

“I’ve already spoken on it . . . but it’s not something that just goes away,” Lurie said. “I think about him and his family every day. I know the team, and the organization, is gearing up to both honor him and, hopefully, bring home a championship to really honor him.”

Lurie made no bold declarations on the 2009 season and described the NFC East as the best division in football, with Dallas being the most overlooked team.

“I tend to focus a lot on quarterbacks, and to me the big news in the NFC is that we have a division with four quarterbacks, in my opinion, that are capable of winning a Super Bowl,” Lurie said.

“I think the team that is probably the most underrated in football is the Dallas Cowboys, because they entered last year with, by far, the most Pro Bowl players, and sometimes it takes an extra year to really elevate and reach that,” he said.

Lurie said injuries to running backs Felix Jones and Marion Barber hindered the Cowboys last season. He also believes the NFC is improved with Chicago’s addition of quarterback Jay Cutler.

“To me, the NFC is pretty loaded and the NFC East is the best in the NFC,” he said.

The owner was also asked about the status of coach Andy Reid’s contract, which has two years remaining, the same number left on quarterback Donovan McNabb’s recently restructured deal.

Lurie said that “in the history of dealing with coaches and with Andy in particular, I’ve never, ever spoken publicly” about contracts, “even when we have slow season starts, as we often do,” and everyone wants to talk about Reid’s status.

“Everything will happen very privately, and that’s the way it has always been,” Lurie said. “I think that’s why it works so well. We talk very directly and honestly and don’t use the public forum.”

Lurie said the team’s level of urgency had not changed because Reid and McNabb had two years left on their contracts.

“I can’t imagine any increase in urgency every year to win,” he said. “This is all we think about, plan for, and dream about. This decade as an owner, a team, we’ve sort of accomplished every single goal possible. Now we’ve got to accomplish the one remaining goal” – winning the Super Bowl.

“That’s all we plan around, so you can’t get more urgent than that,” he said. “Or obsessed.”