Brian Dawkins retired as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles family last month.

He’s considered one of the best defensive players in the history of the franchise.

And Dawkins believes Andy Reid deserves to be on the hot seat entering this season, a spot no one disputes the veteran coach is on.

“Yes, here's the thing,” Dawkins said on NFL.com’s Cover-2 podcast, according to the Philadelphia Daily News. “When you go out and you get some of the pieces that they got. That's telling the fan base something. Even coming into this year ... some of the things they're doing this offseason, that's telling the fan base something. You then have to show ... what are you as a coach.”

In fact, Dawkins believes if the Eagles are going to do anything with the group they have, it will happen in 2012.

“This is the year to me that says … if there was a chance for this team go far it should be this year,” he said. “You should know your team, you should know who can do what.”

Defensive coordinator Juan Castillo is entering his second season in that role. Expectations are he will be much better and his personnel has been upgraded. Wide receiver DeSean Jackson is paid and happy. Ditto running back LeSean McCoy. No one is calling it a Dream Team this season. But the Eagles, who won their final four regular-season games, are in position to compete in the NFC East.

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Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune