Jamaal Jackson: 'I'm Heartbroken'
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Eagles center Jamaal Jackson is out for the season with a knee injury.
Jamaal Jackson: 'I'm Heartbroken'
Daily News staff
Eagles center Jamaal Jackson is out for the season with a knee injury.
“Jamaal Jackson has ACL tear and he’ll be out the remaining part of the season," Andy Reid said in his Monday news conference. "He had an MRI this morning."
Jackson, asked what he might want to say to Eagles fans, texted your Eagletarian: "I'm heartbroken that I can't help my teammates win a divisional title and possibly a Super Bowl. But I thank (the fans) for all the support that they have showed me over the years, and somehow, some way I'll be back on the field in the future!"
Jackson has been the Birds' starting center since Hank Fraley went down midway through the 2005 season -- every game, 71 in a row. Jackson said he would be visiting Dr. James Andrews in Alabama within the next few days.
Reid was asked how big of a loss not having Jackson will be: "He's a good football player. We're fortunate that we have Nick [Cole] here who is a center. He's on the same page as Donovan [McNabb] with the snap counts and everything."
Actually, that was a bit of a problem in Sunday's victory over the Broncos, with Cole, who has been starting at right guard, looking a little rusty on the snaps. He snapped the ball too soon at the Birds' 1, creating a fumble that Donovan McNabb fell on. Another time, Cole dragged the ball on a shotgun snap, causing a false start by Winston Justice.
Reid said those problems will be worked out with Cole getting a full week of practice at center.
This is a terrible break for Jackson, the leader of the Eagles' offensive line and perhaps its most consistent member.
ACL injuries sometimes take a full year to recover from -- just ask Stacy Andrews, who could get another shot at right guard now. That might mean Jackson isn't really himself until the end of next season.
Team sources have said that Andrews, inactive since the Nov. 15 loss at San Diego, has improved with his confidence in his rebuilt ACL and with his technique, which the Birds considered pretty crude when he arrived from Cincinnati last offseason. It will be interesting to see whether Andrews or Max Jean-Gilles takes over at right guard this week, with Cole moving.
"Stacy's in the mix," Reid said.
Reid also reiterated Monday that having Macho Harris play nearly ever snap at free safety and return kicks "was probably too much."
To see Marcus Hayes' Talking Points from Sunday's win over Denver and Paul Domowitch's By The Numbers, click here.
I specifically eyed Cole after Jackson went out. It's not clear whether Jackson leaving (near end of 2nd quarter) had anything to do with Birds' subsequent offensive woes (4 punts) but clearly Broncos stunted and blitzed hard up the middle and were slightly successful in getting pressure. One sack up the middle on that wretched endzone series (2 sacks in row on 2nd and 3rd down). Cole was okay but this thing needs to be like a well-oiled machine going into Dallas - Alford is playing like an all-pro.— Murrayman- Hopefully Stacy Andrews will step up and prove he isnt as completely useless as his loser brother.— jayw66
- Cole will get his Michael Phelps on.— power808
- TIME FOR SOMEBODY TO STEP UP...ANDREWS YOU COULD MAKE UP FOR YOU&YOU'RE BROTHER...STEP UP SOMEBODY PLEASE!!!— elbe2k
- testing.....123— philly449
- Big loss.....get well big fella...a Del State grad no less. Sure would be nice to have BIG Jon Runyan in the mix right now......— Tar Heel 1
- This is why you don't write articles about linemen, they get hurt afterwards!! Three articles about Jackson this week and look what happens... No INK for LINEMEN!!!— DeTom
- Looking forward to the birds coming to Dallas this week and the following week.— kripp
- Ratliff??? Ratliff??? Who the heck is he?? The next coming of Reggie White?? Give me a break. The Birds are going to maul those twerpy Cowgirls. Their Defense stinks. They got lucky because our Coach went braindead last game against them. Run, run, run against them. They're a bunch of whimps up front. Then hit them with D Jack and Celek with a little Avant/Macklin thrown in. Get over it already with the national media who want these cowgirls and Romo to suceed. The Broncos were a good team, the Deadskins suck. The Giant proved that. The Saints beat the Eagles with our starting QB injured. The Eagles are on fire and they'll blow right past these pukes. Trent Coles ten times better than anything they've got.— Phillyexp
Comment removed.- Mr. Jackson was the most overrated member of the OL. How many blitzes and stunts has he missed coming up the middle? Have you ever seen him actually block someone on a screen pass? Oh, by the way, Donnavan missed the snap at the 1, not Cole.— OHARA75
- Nick Cole is a good player and should be fine for next week. Max Jean Giles is better than Andrews at Right Guard. Where's the panic ?— MJPD345
- One of the best coaches in the NFL is not a head coach, nor is he even a coordinator. He is Juan Castillo, the yoda of the Eagles' offensive line. For most of the Andy Reid era, Castillo has taught, coached, cajoled and prepared the Birds' bevy of offensive linemen to step in at a moment's notice to be capable, competent, and, at times, excellent. Remember, Jackson took over for Hank Fraley at midseason, and Fraley took over for Bubba Miller (I believe, in the first or second game of the season). All of these happened because of freakish injuries and never in the history of the Andy Reid era have they come apart because of the loss of an offensive lineman, or even several offensive linemen (see "Season, 2009"). This is because of Castillo--and because Reid remains, at heart, an offensive lineman. The man has several faults, Reid does, but among his best strengths is his inherent understanding of how games are won and lost in the NFL--at the line of scrimmage. That's why he has stockpiled offensive linemen throughout his tenure, and that's why he has kept Castillo in his employ for as long as he has--because Castillo is the best at what he does in the NFL, which pretty much means that he's the best at what he does in the world. So everyone, for the love of Pete, chill out, and let Castillo and Cole and Gilles and, yes, even Stacy Andrews, do their jobs.— andrewfrombrooklyn
man this hurts- It just won't end this year. I've never seen so many injuries, it sucks!!! ACL's take 9 months to heal and another 3 to 5 months before you trust it. That's been Andrews problem, the mental part of believing in his knee. I hope he is ready now, he's needed.— craig123
