DeSean Jackson has been criticized today, following the Eagles' disastrous 31-14 loss against the Seattle Seahawks. Last night, it was portrayed that Jackson seemingly didn't care about the game at all and just seemed to be collecting a paycheck instead of having his head in the game.
But, head coach Andy Reid defended Jackson today in his weekly news conference that he hosts every day following an Eagles game.
And to say the least, Reid wasn't pleased with the way Jackson was being portrayed.
"You can take a camera and make it look any way you want to make it look." Reid said at his news conference. "I am telling you, that kid was all in last night and wanted to win that game as much as anybody."
During the game, Jackson seemed to never turn around to look at the ball on deep routes. He also appeared to ignore quarterback Vince Young on the sideline when Young was trying to have a conversation with the receiver.
When asked about what was going between Jackson and Young, Reid said, "There was nothing on the sidelines, no commotion with him and Vince. There is nothing there. Nothing."
"I am not sure they know who's talking to who and so on and what the conversation is about," Reid quipped. "Not knowing the language, I don't know how you are able to go into that stuff ... This is petty stuff."
Jackson also looked to be laughing with Seahawks player when Eagles cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha was down with a head injury.
Reid said that every instance was just a giant misunderstanding at that Jackson was very attentive during the game.
Of course, we are just the viewers of the game and we were not at Qwest Field. So, it's Reid's story against what we thought was happening. There's no doubt that our assumptions, along with the commentator's, are not one-hundred percent right. It also seemed like that the commentators of the game were just trying to stir the pot and make nothing into something.
But it is entirely possible that most of the viewers, including me, all had the same assumptions while watching Jackson "lolly-gag" throughout the entire game.
Jackson has had one of the worst years of his young career thus far. He has failed to make an impact in nearly every game, but Reid said that it is not because Jackson hasn't been giving it his all.Reid was quoted as saying, when asked about the deep route when Jackson didn't bother looking behind him, "He has people's attention, particularly on the deep balls."
It has been a forgettable season for the Eagles, who are currently 4-8 in the NFC East.
The self-proclaimed "Dream Team" was thought to be a Super Bowl contending team when they signed Michael Vick to a $100 million extension and signed Nnamdi Asomugha, Jason Babin, Cullen Jenkins, Steve Smith, Ronnie Brown and Jarrad Page to free-agent contracts. They also traded back-up quarterback Kevin Kolb to Arizona for cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.
So, to say the least, it has been a big disappointment for the Eagles and their fans. They should have been competing with the Saints, Packers, Cowboys and Giants instead of the Rams, Redskins, Vikings and Panthers.
They have also won just one game in front of their home crowd, which has put many frowns on the Eagles' faithful.
The Eagles have come under much scrutiny this season and this is just another page of the Eagles' 2011 book.
Quarterback Michael Vick and Jeremy Maclin have missed the last three games. Ronnie Brown and Steve Smith have been big disappointments. Their defense has been among the bottom half of the league. Their record has fallen back on Andy Reid, who could very well lose his job at the end of the season. And now, DeSean Jackson doesn't seem to care what happens for the rest of the season.
And you'd think that Jackson would care about what happens. The receiver campaigned heavily before the season to get a new, hefty contract and didn't get it - it was also the reason that the receiver missed the early part of training camp. He was also not happy that he was watching his fellow teammates receive big contracts, while he's stuck at making less than $1 million this season. Jackson is currently making just $600,000 in the final year of his contract, as he will become a free agent after the season is over.
You'd think that if Jackson wanted a new, hefty contract, he'd be playing exceptionally well instead of not caring what happens in the game and putting up mediocre numbers.
It is also entirely plausible that Jackson could leave the Eagles at the end of the season and sign elsewhere. It is also practically a guarantee that one of the 31 other NFL teams will offer him a big contract and he would likely accept it, especially after the disastrous season the Eagles have had in 2011.
