LANDON DICKERSON WAS BORN TO BE AN EAGLE

Brian Baldinger - On the Eagles.

I made it out to the NovaCare facility last week for the second day of scrimmages against the Cleveland Browns. 

It was your basic summer heat under sunny clear skies for a 2 1/2 hour practice routine. 

Afterwards I made my way to visit with a variety of players and coaches. Browns QB, Joe Flacco from nearby Audubon, NJ, was there with his wife and five kids. 

Jim Schwartz, the defensive architect of the Birds first super bowl team was kibbutzing with coaches from the Eagles. And then there was the brotherhood! Offensive lineman from both teams were gathered to tell their stories and tall tales.

Bitonio, Teller, Conklin, and Pocic from the Browns were sharing fellowship with Lane and Cam and Mailata and of course at the center of it all was Landon Dickerson.

A national big deal was made about Landon bringing a cooler of ice cold beers onto the field. 

I wasn't 15 feet away from joining the group before Landon flipped me a beverage asking me while the beer was in mid-flight if " would you like a cold one?"  Honestly I couldn't refuse. 

It was an initiation into the brotherhood. It might be uncommon to see but so is Landon Dickerson.

He is rather uncommon because he is so normal. Imagine a full grown adult enjoying a cold beer on a summer hot day with some of his best friends. 

Baldy and Landon Dickerson chat on the practice field the day after Dickerson had his knee scoped. Photo submitted.

The fact that it was on an NFL practice field with "enemies" of another team made no difference. And especially since Landon had not practiced at all. Most injured players don't want to be seen nor heard while they try to rehabilitate.

Landon had just had a minor procedure done on his ailing knee to repair some meniscus damage. He seemed unfazed by the procedure. 

His time table is still opening night September 4th vs. the Cowboys but if it is the week after vs. the Chiefs or the following week v the Rams then so be it. In the meantime it was time to share a beverage with the boys. 

And as I enjoyed the refreshment it seemed so natural and normal. Hard hot day at the office and wind it down with a summer libation.

You see, Landon has already had his share of injuries...at every level...but you never know about it because he never talks about it and plays right on through it. In the meantime he has played his way onto Super Bowl teams and is recognized for his talents by joining the past three pro bowls. 

Playing next to him is another Pro Bowl player in Jordan Mailata. They are the best left side of an NFL offensive line in the league. 

Landon Dickerson has quietly become a major fan favorite with Eagles Nation.  Photo by Terence Lewis. 

They also have bonded to a degree where they have become best friends....for life. In fact both guys were the "best man' in each other's wedding a year ago. 

When people refer to the offensive line as a brotherhood this is how far it can go. Both Dickerson and Mailata are always seen walking onto the field together and finishing the day up forever and laughing and enjoying it all on a daily basis. 

It's a bond off the field and what allows them to play so well together on the field. They relish in imposing their "WILL" on every defense they face. 

The sheer joy the group had when Saquon ran for over 2,000 yards and ran their way to a runaway Super Bowl victory is something they will cherish forever....long after their careers end.

Lane Johnson, the all-world right tackle, is entering his 13th season. Life with the same offensive line coach, Jeff Stoutland, can get a bit dull over time.What never gets dull is the fun that Landon brings to the group.

Landon Dickerson has made the Pro Bowl three consecutive years. Photo by Andy Lewis. 

He seems impervious to the ups and downs of life in the NFL. Perhaps it is his grit and toughness and standard of play which is still at the highest level.

But more than likely it is his daily life and his interests beyond football that keeps him grounded. 

You see, Landon can build anything. Perhaps it is his country roots of being raised in his small country town of Hickory, North Carolina. 

Despite numerous knee injuries throughout his college career, Landon Dickerson has only five games over his four seasons with the Eagles. Photo by Andy Lewis.

Going back to the pandemic days in Tuscaloosa, Alabama where weight rooms and social gatherings were off limits. He decided to create a makeshift weight room at his house for guys to come and get their workouts in. 

In his newly married days his wife has a daily outline of chores that require his handyman acumen to get accomplished.

On any given day in the Dickerson household he can be seen with a tool belt on, a sander and a table saw cutting some wood and a screwdriver joining pieces of drywall. It never seems like the chores are ever complete.

Landon is a great player, a great teammate, and a construction worker all wrapped into a man who is truly enjoying his life. It doesn't matter which position he plays, how banged up he gets, or on a hot summer's day a cold one is in order, or what day of the week it is. 

When he isn't a part of some needed construction around the house, he is loving destroying defenses around the NFL. What a guy, What a life. 

Born to be a Bird. *