It would be easy this morning to join the angry mob seeking the head of Andy Reid, Joe Banner and Jeff Lurie.

After all, the heart and soul of Gang Green delivered an Orange Crush to the solar plexus of Eagles nation yesterday.

Brian Dawkins, who provided the face of the organization for nearly 13 years, is no longer an Eagle. Dawkins yesterday signed with the Denver Broncos.

But here's what I am sure will be a minority opinion this morning as fans wander in the despair of watching still another star make a less than glorious exit from the Philly sports scene: Two sides made a decision in this afffair.

And that would include Brian Dawkins.

Bottom line? Dawkins did what pro athletes almost always do; he took the money. I don't blame him a bit. But let's not paint this as something that it's not.

The multi-year package Dawkins got from the Broncos - five years and $17 million - is a bit misleading. In reality it will be more like two years, and $9 million. And Dawkins was never going to get that from the Eagles.

You can argue that point all you want, maybe you think Dawkins earned that kind of offer from the Eagles after 13 stellar years. I'm not so sure. I have heard those saying the team consistently low-balled Dawkins over his career, but they did re-sign him two years ago when many already believe he was past his prime. That signing in itself went against the team's much-hated M.O. of not signing players after they blow past the mythical age barrier of 30.

At the beginning of this season, it appared as if Dawkins' reign as the much-feared leader of the Eagles' 'D" appeared over. Fans were calling for his head after a Week Two debacle in which he got undressed in a man-to-man situation against the Cowboys at the goal line. To his credit, Dawkins, as he always did, met his critics head-on. He vowed he was not done, that he had plenty left in his tank. Then he went out and proved it on the field, once again becoming the fulcrum of the defense as they excelled down the stretch, leading to an unexpected playoff push.

I will miss Dawskins as much as anyone. There are a few things I will not miss, however. A lot of people believe Dawkins was the emotional leader of the team, and they always point to his elaborate entrance onto the field during the team introductions. I've never been much of a rah-rah guy, and I tired of some of Dawk's antics - both before and during the game - a long time agao.

There is something else that needs to be said here as well. Dawkins always talked about the team, and about winning a Super Bowl. Does he believe he now has a better chance of accomplishing that goal in Denver?

It's interesting to contrast the way Dawkins is treated in this town, as opposed to a guy who has been his teammate for 10 of those 13 years.

Donovan McNabb has won exactly the same number of Super Bowls as Brian Dawkins. That would be zero. Yet Dawkins is loved; McNabb is often reviled.

McNabb has consistently been savaged for failing to take his team down the field in the final two minutes of the Birds' latest frustrating, disappointing playoff loss, in the Arizona desert. I was chief among them. But no one mentions that Dawkins and the defense also had a chance to win that game by shutting down Kurt Warner and the Cardinals' offense. Instead Warner calmly marched Arizona to the winning touchdown and two-point conversion.

I will miss Brian Dawkins. I am grateful for what he brought to this team, the emotion with which he played the game, and the way he went about his business on and off the field.

But in the end, he did what pro athletes almost always do: He took the money.

I'm not saying that's wrong, I'm just saying that shouldn't be overlooked.