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Tipsheet: Revisiting the DeSean decision
• By Jeff Gordon
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/colu...cle_865b4c9f-147b-58dc-a90d-7980736dbf9b.html
Many, many Rams fans never recovered from the 2008 NFL Draft when their team passed on slot receiver/kick returner DeSean Jackson.
The Rams reached for Donnie Average, er, Avery with the 33rd overall pick in that draft. He was supposedly the fastest receiver in the draft, but soon we learned he was also unpolished and injury-prone.
Jackson went 49th overall to the Eagles and became an explosive performer, catching 356 passes for 6,117 yards and 32 touchdowns in Philadelphia.
Jackson ran for three touchdowns and returned four kicks for TDs as well. Meanwhile, Avery has bounced around the NFL since his unremarkable stint with the Rams.
Back in ’08 the Rams passed on Jackson because of concerns about his character, among other issues. And this winter the Eagles decided to turn the page on him for the same reason.
ESPN.com columnist Ashley Fox applauded the move:
There is a thing called addition by subtraction. That is what the Philadelphia Eagles did Friday. By flat out releasing DeSean Jackson, they added a greater probability that they will have a harmonious, drama-free locker room this season. They added the assurance that Jackson will not create a distraction. That he will not pout or sulk or hold out over a contract that was set to pay him $10.5 million in 2014 and make him the fifth-highest-paid receiver in the National Football League but apparently wasn't good enough for him. No, the Eagles removed that possibility when they unceremoniously cut one of the most talented playmakers in the league. Addition by subtraction -- that's how little Chip Kelly thought of 27-year-old Jackson. And I don't necessarily blame him. Jackson is a talented football player. He is wickedly fast. He is impossible to defend on the outside in single coverage. Throw him the ball, and he will go get it. Jackson has proved to be a threat to score whenever and however he touches the football. When he wants to.
Meanwhile CBSSports.com columnist Gregg Doyel challenged Jackson to get even on the field. Jackson will get every opportunity to do that with the Redskins, an arch-rival of the Eagles.
Doyel wrote:
His character has been assassinated, but now comes the easy part for DeSean Jackson: Proving the Eagles wrong. All he has to do is show up on time, work hard when he gets there and stay out of trouble when he leaves. You know: Be an adult. The bar's low to prove the Eagles were wrong to release him. So he damn well better clear it. None of that, or what follows, is written in a mocking or taunting tone. I don't leave things unsaid, so this isn't a subtle dig at DeSean Jackson or an unspoken suggestion that he can't possibly prove the Eagles wrong because he's a malcontent or a jerk or a gang-banger or whatever it is some people want to believe. The point is clear and obvious and fair and even easy: If you've been wronged, DeSean Jackson, prove it. Never in the history of sports has a player had so much to gain at such little cost. Nobody's asking Jackson to prove the Eagles wrong by catching 100 passes for 1,500 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2014. That would be a career year for a guy whose best numbers in those three categories came in 2013: 82 catches, 1,332 yards, nine touchdowns. It would be unfair to tell Jackson -- or any player -- that to shut up the naysayers, all he has to do is something he's never done.
Some Rams fans wanted their team to undo its earlier mistake and woo Jackson as a free agent. But Jeff Fisher and Les Snead traded up to land Tavon Austin in the first round last year to fill this very playmaking need -- without acquiring any headaches in the process.
So this team opted to recycle former Titans enigma Kenny Britt instead. We can't wait to see how this works out.
As for Jackson, ESPN.com John Keim believes he will be great fit in Washington:
The red flags around DeSean Jackson can't be ignored, because by all accounts they're real. And I'm not talking about any affiliations, either. Rather, it's his approach that's more troubling because that could have a negative impact on the Washington Redskins. But ... if Jackson is fine ... the Redskins' offense will be explosive. They can pair him with veteran receivers Pierre Garcon, Andre Roberts and second-year tight end Jordan Reed. They have a sturdy young running back in Alfred Morris, who has rushed for 2,888 yards his first two seasons. They also have quarterback Robert Griffin III, who already was excited about next season. Now he must be ecstatic. The common denominator among their receivers: speed. It's probably the fastest group the Redskins have had in a long time. And Griffin's ability to throw the deep ball sits well with Jackson's penchant for catching them in the past. It's what Jackson does best and it's why he scares a defense so much.
• By Jeff Gordon
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/colu...cle_865b4c9f-147b-58dc-a90d-7980736dbf9b.html
Many, many Rams fans never recovered from the 2008 NFL Draft when their team passed on slot receiver/kick returner DeSean Jackson.
The Rams reached for Donnie Average, er, Avery with the 33rd overall pick in that draft. He was supposedly the fastest receiver in the draft, but soon we learned he was also unpolished and injury-prone.
Jackson went 49th overall to the Eagles and became an explosive performer, catching 356 passes for 6,117 yards and 32 touchdowns in Philadelphia.
Jackson ran for three touchdowns and returned four kicks for TDs as well. Meanwhile, Avery has bounced around the NFL since his unremarkable stint with the Rams.
Back in ’08 the Rams passed on Jackson because of concerns about his character, among other issues. And this winter the Eagles decided to turn the page on him for the same reason.
ESPN.com columnist Ashley Fox applauded the move:
There is a thing called addition by subtraction. That is what the Philadelphia Eagles did Friday. By flat out releasing DeSean Jackson, they added a greater probability that they will have a harmonious, drama-free locker room this season. They added the assurance that Jackson will not create a distraction. That he will not pout or sulk or hold out over a contract that was set to pay him $10.5 million in 2014 and make him the fifth-highest-paid receiver in the National Football League but apparently wasn't good enough for him. No, the Eagles removed that possibility when they unceremoniously cut one of the most talented playmakers in the league. Addition by subtraction -- that's how little Chip Kelly thought of 27-year-old Jackson. And I don't necessarily blame him. Jackson is a talented football player. He is wickedly fast. He is impossible to defend on the outside in single coverage. Throw him the ball, and he will go get it. Jackson has proved to be a threat to score whenever and however he touches the football. When he wants to.
Meanwhile CBSSports.com columnist Gregg Doyel challenged Jackson to get even on the field. Jackson will get every opportunity to do that with the Redskins, an arch-rival of the Eagles.
Doyel wrote:
His character has been assassinated, but now comes the easy part for DeSean Jackson: Proving the Eagles wrong. All he has to do is show up on time, work hard when he gets there and stay out of trouble when he leaves. You know: Be an adult. The bar's low to prove the Eagles were wrong to release him. So he damn well better clear it. None of that, or what follows, is written in a mocking or taunting tone. I don't leave things unsaid, so this isn't a subtle dig at DeSean Jackson or an unspoken suggestion that he can't possibly prove the Eagles wrong because he's a malcontent or a jerk or a gang-banger or whatever it is some people want to believe. The point is clear and obvious and fair and even easy: If you've been wronged, DeSean Jackson, prove it. Never in the history of sports has a player had so much to gain at such little cost. Nobody's asking Jackson to prove the Eagles wrong by catching 100 passes for 1,500 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2014. That would be a career year for a guy whose best numbers in those three categories came in 2013: 82 catches, 1,332 yards, nine touchdowns. It would be unfair to tell Jackson -- or any player -- that to shut up the naysayers, all he has to do is something he's never done.
Some Rams fans wanted their team to undo its earlier mistake and woo Jackson as a free agent. But Jeff Fisher and Les Snead traded up to land Tavon Austin in the first round last year to fill this very playmaking need -- without acquiring any headaches in the process.
So this team opted to recycle former Titans enigma Kenny Britt instead. We can't wait to see how this works out.
As for Jackson, ESPN.com John Keim believes he will be great fit in Washington:
The red flags around DeSean Jackson can't be ignored, because by all accounts they're real. And I'm not talking about any affiliations, either. Rather, it's his approach that's more troubling because that could have a negative impact on the Washington Redskins. But ... if Jackson is fine ... the Redskins' offense will be explosive. They can pair him with veteran receivers Pierre Garcon, Andre Roberts and second-year tight end Jordan Reed. They have a sturdy young running back in Alfred Morris, who has rushed for 2,888 yards his first two seasons. They also have quarterback Robert Griffin III, who already was excited about next season. Now he must be ecstatic. The common denominator among their receivers: speed. It's probably the fastest group the Redskins have had in a long time. And Griffin's ability to throw the deep ball sits well with Jackson's penchant for catching them in the past. It's what Jackson does best and it's why he scares a defense so much.