You might know Andrew Hawkins from his time in the NFL, as the former wide receiver played three seasons for the Cincinnati Bengals and three seasons for the Cleveland Browns. But he also won two CFL Grey Cups with the Montreal Alouettes in 2009 and 2010.
Hawkins has more than just fond memories to commemorate those seasons; he has bling. In fact, he has more bling than the average Super Bowl champion.
“Absolutely, absolutely,” Hawkins said on The DA Show. “It’s funny because when I played in the CFL, one of my good friends was playing for the New Orleans Saints and they won a Super Bowl – and my ring is probably twice the size as his. Twice the diamonds, twice the size. We got big, fat rings both seasons. I got them in a safe in my house right now.”
Hawkins, who retired in 2017, has transitioned to NFL analyst and media personality. He is excited about the 2020 season, in part because it will be different than what fans are used to.
“I think this year will be unique, and early on, you’re going to see some high-flying offenses because no one’s had the opportunity to see what kind of tendencies or offenses that teams are building going into the season,” Hawkins said. “So I think that’s going to make for great football. I think that’s going to make for exciting football. I think we’re all just chomping at the bit to see how it works out.”
That said, Hawkins does believe teams with young or inexperienced quarterbacks could sputter out of the gate.
“It’ll be a mix,” he said. “I think the quarterbacks that we’ve become accustomed to with their gameplay will be those same quarterbacks. I think they’re going to take advantage of a lot of defenses. On the opposite end, [teams] that [have] new offenses [or] young or intermediate quarterbacks . . . they will struggle. It will take a couple of games for them to find that rhythm, which is what the preseason is for. First teams only really play a quarter in a lot of those games just by way of getting in the rhythm of being in a live action.
“But the thing about NFL players – and professional athletes in general – is that they’re generally good at adapting,” Hawkins continued. “I don’t suspect it will be a long-lasting thing, but there will be some bumps early on. It does remind me a lot of the 2011 season during the lockout where people thought, ‘No offseason? What kind of football are we going to see this year?’ I think ultimately teams adjusted and the players adjusted and we got great football as if there was an offseason.”