Posted on Wed, Oct. 28, 2009
DeSean Jackson has told us how, when he was growing up, his four older brothers "wouldn't let me be a punk."
The Washington Redskins might want to blame the Jackson brothers for what happened Monday night at FedEx Field, a nationally televised embarrassment that had the feel of a season-defining meltdown for the hapless hosts.
The guy who put the torch to Daniel Snyder's house of straw was Jackson. His two touchdown plays pretty much were the Eagles' offense; 67 yards on an end-around four plays into the game, then a 57-yard TD catch behind busted coverage at the first half two-minute warning, just when the Redskins were entertaining thoughts of being competitive. The Eagles said Jackson will be named NFC offensive player of the week today.
Somewhere in there he tweaked an ankle, bad enough for halftime X-rays. Jackson reported for third-quarter duty, though, black tape swaddling his right foot. With the game in hand, Eagles coach Andy Reid wisely used Jackson sparingly. Last night on his radio show, Reid seemed to think his most electric weapon would be fine for Sunday's game against the Giants, perhaps after sitting out today's practice. Monday night, Jackson seemed less sure, but that could have been the normal wariness Reid instills about discussing injuries. Despite his 5-10, 175-pound frame, Jackson has yet to miss a game.
Anyhow, if you read Monday's Daily News, you know Jackson was spoiling for a return to Washington, where he dropped a late-game touchdown pass, and a few other throws, while getting knocked around in a 10-3 Eagles loss last Dec. 21 that left Redskins coach Jim Zorn chirping about how dangerous it was to be a Philly receiver on the Redskins' turf.
Zorn's tone was a little different after Monday's game, when he observed that Jackson is "wicked fast."
"The players and coaches know how this game stuck out to me," Jackson said. "It was a blessing to come in here like this and be able to do what I did today, and help the team . . . by sparking it with some big plays. It was a huge win for us."
Rookie teammate LeSean McCoy was impressed: "You really can't even put it into words. A guy his size, the way he plays, the way he runs, you've seen it. He is a special player. I have got to say he is probably the best player I've played with or against in college or professionally, so far."
On the first TD, "I looked up the field and saw nothing but green grass," Jackson said. He gave a shoutout to Jeremy Maclin, whose walling off of Carlos Rogers (perhaps a little holding was involved, as well) eliminated the final obstacle.
The second Jackson TD, the Eagles were facing third-and-22 from their 43. They had failed to convert third-and-10 or more all 17 previous times they had faced that situation in 2009.
"It was a double move. I think I went, like, one step in on the end and [Rogers] bit," Jackson said.
Jackson said his ankle was already injured by then; the pain wasn't overwhelming, "but I do think it affected my [celebratory] dance moves a little bit."
Developing Storylines
-- The Eagles sacked Jason Campbell six times without a lot of complicated blitzing, defensive end Darren Howard said. This was at least partly because new middle linebacker Will Witherspoon had only been with the team a week, and Sean McDermott wanted to keep things simple.
-- Andy Reid noted that the Redskins really packed the box for the Birds' Wildcat snaps. Might be time to throw some from the 'Cat.
-- No, going in, Witherspoon wasn't thinking interception for touchdown, forced fumble and sack for his Eagles debut. "Who in their right mind would think that for their first game?" he asked. Meanwhile, Jeremiah Trotter played the first snap of the game and a handful afterward.
-- Since we're a day later than usual reviewing, a storyline that looks ahead: Giants quarterback Eli Manning threw three picks in losing to the Cards Sunday. The Giants are 25-25 when Manning gets picked off, 22-6 when he doesn't. And the Eagles have a dozen picks in six games this year.
Obscure Stat
Andy Reid indicated after the game that he thought critics of his team's herky-jerky offense weren't giving enough credit to the Redskins, who have a pretty good defense.
In fact, this was the 29th successive game in which a Washington opponent failed to score more than 28 points, the longest current such streak in the league.
Who Knew?
That the Westbrook brothers' first game against one another would end up with both sidelined by injuries before halftime? A few plays after Brian Westbrook's concussion, Redskins rookie corner Byron Westbrook suffered a knee sprain that reportedly will sideline him at least a week.
Extra Point
On his radio show yesterday evening, Andy Reid said Brian Westbrook has "not at all" been ruled out for Sunday's visit from the Giants. However, if Westbrook was knocked out even briefly, as it seemed when his head collided with London Fletcher's knee Monday night, it would be really extraordinary to see Westbrook cleared to play less than a week later.
"Right now, I'm counting on him being here. I know he wants to be out there. We just gotta make sure the tests come back [normal] and he's OK to play," Reid said.
Two possibilities here: Reid, as is his wont, prefers to keep the Giants guessing, even if he knows Westbrook won't play. Or, the "knockout" scenario is murkier than it seemed when Westbrook flopped to the turf and dropped the ball.
The Eagles would be looking to compare Westbrook's previously recorded neurological test results to those he records this week. If Westbrook can't go, the Birds obviously will miss him as a weapon, but less obviously, they will miss his blitz pickup skills, against a ferocious defense.
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