For whatever reason, Eagles' Jackson shying away from contact

AMID THE maelstrom that is an NFL sideline, DeSean Jackson sat and chatted and stared and watched the final stages of the Eagles' humbling loss to the New England Patriots. He got up sometimes to prowl around, but it was without his helmet. Andy Reid had benched his hyperkinetic, melodramatic receiver after he dropped three passes, two of them in the end zone.

It was the lowest moment of the Eagles' day, which is saying something. Because the "Fire Andy" chant that arose twice during the 38-20 loss died down quickly, and the argument on the sideline between assistant coaches Jim Washburn and Marty Mornhinweg dissipated, too. They are powerful symbols of the frustration that everyone surrounding this woefully underperforming team currently feels, but they are just that: symbols. They are the effects of a 4-7 record, not the causes.

DeSean Jackson is different. Even someone who considers himself a fan of Jackson's overall game, and his ability to alter defenses and seize moments, cannot ignore the evidence that he is shying away from contact, more and more. It was clear on the first touchdown that he dropped, how he visibly flinched when he sensed Patriots linebacker Tracy White bearing down on him. It is a continuing issue.

Asked if he thinks about his health on the field, Jackson said, "Always. You've got to keep your head on a swivel."

But he was walking away when he said it, and we all were left to our own interpretation of the drops themselves. And, well, put it this way: Every time he steps on the field, Jackson complicates the Eagles' decision about whether or not to sign him to a long-term contract.

You watch him 2 weeks ago against the Cardinals and you cannot see him because he has been deactivated for missing a team meeting. You watch him last week against the Giants and you are repeatedly reminded of his singular ability to take a game and make it his. You watch him yesterday and you see a player so unfocused, and so conscious of avoiding contact, that you wonder if he can function at all effectively on the dangerous plays that are an essential part of his business.

And now there was this benching in the fourth quarter, with Reid saying, "I just wanted to give the other guys an opportunity," and Jackson doing his level best not to turn it into something worse than it was.

"It was just a decision that was made," Jackson said. "As a player, I've just kind of got to live with it. Like I said, it happened. Whatever happens, happens. I've just got to keep coming to work and giving my best effort and just play [my] hardest. The plays I left out there, come next week, I'm going to make those plays."

And he might, too - which will just make the contract decision even more complicated.

There are people who think the fact that he is underpaid, and without that long-term contractual security, is the reason he is shying away. But that ignores the reality of being in the midst of a football moment. You can argue he hasn't been the same kind of punt returner this season because he has made a conscious decision not to expose himself in that aspect of the game because that it is a decision you can make before taking the field. You cannot argue that he is thinking about his contract when he is reaching for a pass on third-and-10.

Life doesn't work that way. Football doesn't work that way. It isn't the money. A fair reading of Jackson's play over the last two seasons shows that, after suffering a devastating concussion last season in an October game against Atlanta, he has been more interested in protecting himself. Last season, it seemed a natural-enough reaction.

Before the concussion, he was never an ironman over the middle, but he was competitive enough. Since then, though, the contact has been a concern. The contract negotiations have nothing to do with it.

"You don't ever think about contracts [when you're on the field]," running back LeSean McCoy said. "At least I don't. I mean, last week he played well. He's a good player. He had a bad game, which everybody has. Nobody's perfect. He didn't play good today. You just gotta fight through it. I don't think the contract had anything to do with it."

For his part, Jackson made no excuses. He said he was upset about the dropped balls, said it was frustrating, vowed to do better, and et cetera. He also said that he knows his every move attracts eyeballs.

"Being the player, bringing all the attention, whatever the case may be, contract, me being under the microscope, everything I'm doing is looked at a little bit extra hard," he said. "Regardless, it's not my decision. I've just got to go out there and do my job, regardless of whoever is in control and the decisions that are being made. I have a job to do, which I get paid to do, is give it my best effort. That's one thing I can say, regardless of the dropped balls or whatever happened, it's not like it's happening on purpose."

Regardless, it is happening. And Jackson is right: Everybody is watching.