Ashley Fox: Jackson has to be ticked

Listen to this: "It was obvious that he was going to be our priority no matter if it was this year or whether it was when we had a new CBA. We just felt like now was the time."

That's not Joe Banner talking about DeSean Jackson. No, that's Dallas director of player personnel Stephen Jones talking about Miles Austin last week on the day the Cowboys gave Austin a six-year contract extension worth a reported $54 million, $17 million of which will go into Austin's pocket this uncapped season.

How do you think D-Jax, the face of the Eagles franchise who is set to make less than $1 million this year in salary and roster bonus, feels about that? He can't be happy.

Austin had an outstanding 2009 season, catching 81 balls for 1,320 yards, third best in the NFL. Jackson finished with 62 catches for 1,156 yards and nine touchdowns, and his 18.6 yards-per-catch average was the highest of any player with at least 40 receptions.

If Austin is worth so much to the Cowboys, wouldn't you think Jackson would be worth as much to the Eagles? And if the Cowboys could creatively structure a lucrative extension for Austin with a potential lockout looming, couldn't the Eagles do one for Jackson?

You know Jackson must be wondering the same thing.

There's not a more colorful - or, thanks to Hard Knocks, overexposed - coach in the NFL than Rex Ryan, and there's no one who talks better or more smack than longtime Baltimore Ravens middle linebacker Ray Lewis. And Lewis, like many people, is sick of Ryan and his Jets players talking as if there is a spot reserved for them in Dallas for the Super Bowl.

Leading up to the Ravens' game against the Jets, Lewis unleashed a merciless tirade against Ryan, quarterback Mark Sanchez, and even defensive back Darrelle Revis.

Lewis said game film revealed the second-year Sanchez's flaws "when he has to throw a lot. That's not his forte." He said that Revis was "not a machine," and that the Jets are simply another team with something to prove.

"We're talking about the Jets like we're talking about the Saints," Lewis said. "Those are the only people that can be dethroned. Not Mark Sanchez and the Jets."

Amen.

It'll be interesting to see today whether there are more statements of solidarity from the players regarding the NFLPA's discussions with the NFL about a new collective bargaining agreement.

Thursday night before kickoff of the season opener between the New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings, the players from each team stood in a line, walked about 15 yards toward midfield, and in unison held one finger in the air. The statement was organized by Drew Brees and Jared Allen, and was further evidence of just how heavily the possibility of a lockout is weighing on everyone in the league.

Will there be more displays? Don't be surprised, even though union head DeMaurice Smith said before the game that he expected a new deal by November, a softening of his previous stances.

I don't care about your fantasy team. Really, I don't. No really, I don't.

But if I did, I'd hope that you had Chris Johnson on your team. The man is not impressed that last year he became just the sixth man in league history to gain 2,000 rushing yards. His goal this year is 2,500.

The NFL record for rushing yards in a season is 2,105 set by Eric Dickerson in 1984.

In order to reach the previously unreachable summit, Johnson, who turns 25 years old later this month, would have to average 156 rushing yards per game, a number he hit only twice last season.

"I feel like it's very realistic," Johnson said, according to the Nashville Tennessean. "A lot of people didn't think 2,000 yards was realistic for myself when I set the goal last year, so I'll stick to this."

If Johnson gets 2,500 yards - a huge if, even though he's running behind a huge offensive line - you can forget about him as a fantasy guy going forward. He'll be toast.

Not that I care about your fantasy team.

A.J. Feeley's reign as the St. Louis Rams starting quarterback lasted all of part of the preseason. He's out. Rookie Sam Bradford, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 draft, is in.

Feeley said he knew it was a fait accompli. His sprained thumb gave Bradford an opportunity to work with the Rams' first-team offense, and, well, that was enough. It was bound to happen.

"I've said all along, it was going to be his job - it was just a matter of when," Feeley told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "It was kind of predicated on when he was ready. And he's ready.

"As a competitor, you want to play. But I'm here to help out that guy as much as I possibly can, and be there in case of an emergency if he gets hurt. So that's kind of how you approach it. It's not a negative thing; it's the way it is. It's a team game, and you understand that."

And that answer right there is why first-year coach Steve Spagnuolo brought Feeley to St. Louis in the first place.