Jamaal Jackson: 'I'm Heartbroken'
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The Philadelphia Daily News - Eagletarian
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.
Do you really think cole will be able to handle j. ratliff— robertjarhead- Jackson is a warrior. The Andrew sisters could learn alot from him.— BIGWILLIE3367
- It would have been informative to know when Jackson got hurt since the offense looked so good in the first half and so bad the 2nd. Bad luck.— tr88
- Bad news, but good news. Jamaal's real value will be how quick he can prepare his replacement. All teams struggled against Ratliff and Ware, but if their disruptions can be limited, watch out. It will not be a cake walk and I expect Philly to win on the strength of their veteran leadership and young legs of the rookies.— AJW2009
- Anytime you lose a stater on the Oline, it makes a huge impact. W/ Ratliff licking his chops to get at mcnaab again, I will watch the Oline play intently this week.— LoveMeSomeIggles
- BHite15, said like a true Cowgirls fan.— jbarts
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- If anything, the Eagles have proven that injury doesn't necessarily mean a loss for the team, as much as it's been an opportunity for other players to shine. The Birds are soaring into the playoffs now...FLY EAGLES FLY!— phillyphan11
- It will thin out an already suspect offensive line. The pass rush by the Denver defense in the 2nd half gives an indication of what problems McNabb will have in the upcoming games.— watsonmr
- Come get you A-ss Whooping birdheads.— DallasRules
mosquito killer To answer your question, I give you Gale Sayers as an example.— Elbarad- Comment removed.
- 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
man this hurts- 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
- 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
- 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
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- 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
- Looking forward to the birds coming to Dallas this week and the following week.— kripp
- 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
- 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
- testing.....123— philly449
- TIME FOR SOMEBODY TO STEP UP...ANDREWS YOU COULD MAKE UP FOR YOU&YOU'RE BROTHER...STEP UP SOMEBODY PLEASE!!!— elbe2k
- Cole will get his Michael Phelps on.— power808
- Hopefully Stacy Andrews will step up and prove he isnt as completely useless as his loser brother.— jayw66
- 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
- That guy they had in there looked bigger than Reid. Road games are going to be tough. What about the long snapper???— Philly Fan in Kuwait
- Nick Cole is better anyway.— 5isthebestEagleEver
- Did Jeff McLane used to write for SI or work for Playstation for Madden? Because, evidently he has quite the jinx.
Not fair- Someone's comment was on the mark, did the Birds offense fizzle once Jackson went out? Very tough loss for player and team but it is what it is in the NFL and you move on for better or worse. Good luck, Jamaal. Gee thanks Inky for the Sunday article that jinxed him.— PhillySubsMac
- a big loss....not just physical...but he was the signal caller for the o-line...not a good thing going into dallas— nuggett
- Time for one of the Andrews sisters to step up at guard...Cole is a competent player.— massfan
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- That F**king article on Jackson was a jinx!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!— PhillyNH
- If Stacey Andrews can come back from the depths of the inactive roster and he can actually perform as good as the Eagles are paying him then this loss shouldn't hurt too much. Getting Cole a week to get the timing down will be greatly beneficial to this team. The Birds should be fine.— ESFjellin
- I am not a fan of Jackson's career but he was having a very good year this year. This was the first year he really took ownership of the position and what it requires rather than being given to him like it was in 2006. It will take extra effort from the guards to read what is going on, especially with many 3-4 defenses they will see in the future.— rvb2321
- that sucks, but that win yesterday didn't make me feel confident that this team can do much in the postseason at all, with or without jackson. Hope he recovers sooner than later... Early exit this year, too many young players— sore richard
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- This hurts but I think even our makeshift line has still given McNabb tons of time to pass in a lot of games so I think we will be okay. Big loss but the guys who have filled in this year have done admirably.— cgrant
- A bit of bad news for the remainder of the season and next, here's hoping Jackson recovers well, but like the story said it takes at least a year to recover from a torn ACL. Hopefully Cole will knowk the rust off this week and be prepared to do the job against the cowgirls, just sayin'...— DJ
- i'm sorry to see the team lose such a stalwart, he deserves to play in the post-season. a real loss. Nick Cole will be fine and so will the Birds.— doon
- in the words of Eldrick "this is huge"— barrywil
- yea this sucks— whiskeybill
- We didn't block Jay Ratliff in the last game. Of course we were beat up in the last game as well.— breadman
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bad news for the birds but i think Cole will do fine with another start under his belt. in the NFL you have to move on when someone gets injured ie (westbrook).... fly eagles fly..- this blows!!— beez1228
- Eagles are doomed, they will get blown out next week— BHite15
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- Thats a huge loss. Notice how the offense ran pre and post Jackson yesterday.— birdp00p
- OMG! Just when it seemed O-line was perfect, this had to happen!! Good luck to Jackson on his recovery leading to another great season next year....— Seed
- Have never been a great fan of Jackson, but changing centers with only one regular season game left, and that one with the Cowpies in Dallas, is not good news.— hobbit
- thanks to jeff mclane for that article on jackons' durability! i've watched the nfl for 30+ years and from the 1975 - 1990 can't remember a key player being lost to knee injury. can you? any team, any year. just post it here. this is garbage!— mosquito killer
- Great, wasn't there an article two days ago about how Jackson was the best member of our O-line?— philly200
