"The last time we were introduced before a game," Moore said last week, "Brian grabbed me and said, 'I want this to be known as the best safety tandem in the league. And I looked at him and said, 'You're exactly right.' "
Then they ran out onto the field, as they will again today against the Cowboys in Dallas. A decade ago, when there was no bigger game for the Eagles than the one in Dallas, Waters and Hopkins ran from that same tunnel, onto that same field.
"Safeties have to work together," Waters said last week. "Wes and I were a 1-2 punch. We were one of the reasons that defense was so effective. But we had to work together, Wes and I. We went hand in hand. When you get a tandem like that, it makes the defense go."
It's no coincidence the Eagles' defense is playing its best and most intimidating football since that era, when Reggie White and Seth Joyner lined up in front of Hopkins and Waters. Safety may not be the toughest position on defense - Dawkins says cornerback is - but it demands the widest range of skills.
"You ask so much of those guys," Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson said. "It's a unique position. You need them to support the run. People talk about playing 'eight in the box,' well, that eighth better be a good safety. Then you say you have to play a two-deep [zone coverage], you need a guy who can cover the deep pass. It's hard to find guys who can do that.
"It's intelligence, toughness and athletic ability. We used to say we want a tough safety up there. Now you need someone who is also an athlete who can play that deep pass coverage. He might be isolated on man coverage sometimes on a good tight end. They're a big, big factor in our system."
