Disclosure: There is no rumor or speculation on this one. Just me thinking about the offseason... Desean Jackson will be a FA this offseason... and it seems quite apparent that the Eagles and him are going to be moving in different directions. Neither is happy with the other. So... what would you guys think about signing him this offseason? Obviously, he has some maturity issues. However, most of this has seemed to revolve around the Eagles making him play out his entire rookie contract w/o giving him an extension from his 2nd round contract that, IMO, he honestly deserved. If being compensated properly (and I'd also like to discuss what he would command) would take care of his issues... I think he would be the perfect fit for our team in terms of the skill set he brings. As a WR, he would bring the dynamic speed that our offense needs... and be a perfect compliment to Brandon Marshall's skill set. DJack taking the top off the defense with Marshall working the intermediate and Bess working the underneath? That IMO would be an extremely lethal WR corps. And with the likely hood of us drafting a QB in round 1 this year... surrounding him with that type of talent could really accelerate his development and confidence. Also, Desean Jackson is an explosive return man that our team has lacked for so long. Bess will consistently give you that 5-6 yards, but he lacks the ability to make the big play in the return game and take one to the house. If DJax didnt have any issues, I'd have to think he'd be a homerun of a target for the Fins this offseason. However, if he didnt have any issues... he probably wouldnt be available, lol. So the question is, would you be willing to overlook some of his maturity issues for the skill set he brings? Do you feel that a new contract would alleviate those issues? And how much $$$ do you feel Desean Jackson would command in the open market?
He would be a huge upgrade to Hartline, but considering the money we are giving Marshall I am not sure how financially feasible signing him would be. I also worry about having two "diva" receivers.
I would be against it. He wouldnt be worth the asking price and he's even more of a head case than Marshall. We don't need that. We need unselfish guys committed to winning.
Brandon might be emotional & highly competitive to where it occasionally gets the best of him, but he's not a diva receiver IMO, and his presence could help to keep DJack in check and properly motivated. Those 2 would be nasty together.
I think the bottom line is we need a better QB. Can Marshall/Hartline/Bess/Fasano/Clay be that inferior to Jennings/Nelson/Jones/Finley, Colston/Graham/Meechum/Moore, Welker/Givens/Gronkowski/Hernandez or is the difference mostly that those groups have Rodgers, Brees and Brady? Look at the Colts - we saw Wayne and Clark hailed as league greats, and guys like Garcon and Collie come in and produce with Manning. Now with scrubs they don't look nearly so good.
The cost of Marshall & Jackson combined might be comparable to the cost of Andre Johnson's contract alone, and probably less than Larry Fitz's...... and most likely less than Calvin Johnson's future contract.
Our receiving group is massively inferior to the Packers', and definitely inferior to the Saints'..... and it's inferior to NE's IMO when you factor in how outstanding their TEs are. The Packers have a talented 2nd round receiver as their #5. If that doesn't tell you something, I'm not sure what will.
Desean jackson had 2 concussions last year,weighs only 165 lbs,and is a selfish player.This guy was benched 2 weeks ago for missing a meeting,last week he cost his teasm a 50 yd completion by flipping the ball at a giants coach and then this week gets benched in the third quarter for short arming about 3 passes. I understand he is under paid but he needs to be more professional if he wants to get paid.I think because of his size and the fact that he has a concussion history he also is afraid to go across the middle. With all of those factors no way i would give him a huge contract offer.
Marshall and Jennings are a wash in terms of potential. Jennings wins in production. Marshall had better numbers than Jennings in Denver though. Nelson is a beast straight up and has numbers at just about Jennings's level. He's definitely much better than Bess or Hartline. Jones is inconsistent. He probably has more talent that Bess and Hartline. Even with Nelson and Jennings eating up targets, he has better numbers than both H and B. While a hell of a lot has to do with the QB, I just don't think they're as talented as the guy. They are more consistent. Finley >>> Fasano. Fasano wins blocking, but Finley is just monstrous. Clay really shouldn't be in the conversation just yet. They have a better QB and receivers. While I think Marshall is better than Colston, the impact that Henderson, Meachem, and Moore can have are game changing. Hartline and Bess can't really change anything about a game. Graham is a better receiver, while Fasano is a better blocker. They too have better receivers and a much better QB. But I still am hesitant to make a move regarding Jackson. Team have won with less. Steelers come to mind.
Tell me, what do all three of those teams have in common together? Jackson would be great, but you first think about upgrading positions other than Hartline. We can live with him as our number 2 and still win.
Just a few points: 1. He's 175 pounds. 2. How has he shown himself to be selfish? 3. So did Vontae. 4. Remember Marshall flipping the ball to Cutler, or launching a ball at the stands? Players do dumb things, but Marshall is still here and still defended with fervor. Production is what ultimately matters. 5. We've had our fair share of drops by our receivers as well. 6. This parallels Marshall's situation somewhat. He was seen as immature in Denver, and acted like a kid because he wanted a new deal. 7. I don't see much evidence of this. He still gets routes in the middle, but I believe Reid doesn't call him on routes over the middle because it doesn't maximize his skill set being short and fast. Besides, Avant is their slot guy anyway. I don't necessarily want Jackson, but I don't think these reasons are strong enough considering in light of the players we have. I do, however, believe the injury history and the concussions are a fairly good reason to step back. It sort of reminds be of Brian Westbrook. He was always a great player, but concussions drove him into the ground out in Philly. When he resurfaced in San Fran, he didn't have it anymore.
Outstanding coaching. You upgrade whatever position you CAN upgrade. To think you can afford to be picky about it is pretty arrogant IMO. You mean like we currently have been doing?
The only person I want Marshall to keep in check is Marshall. Once he is good at that, maybe he can take on other people. I also disagree that Marshall is not a diva player. A player can be highly competitive and a diva. Michael Irvin proves that.
You have it backwards. Giving Marshall extra responsibility & leadership roles will encourage & motivate Brandon to keep himself in line b/c he'll be forced to lead by example. How do you get the bad apple in a class room to stay in line? You put him in charge while the teacher's out of the room.
Stop dodging the answer. You know what it is. Money spent on Jackson could be better spent else where. Now, if he is the only available player we can upgrade this off season, then go for it. But he isn't.
IMO, a team should only pay one Wr big money and as much as i would dig Jackson here, there are some legit Wr's in the upcoming draft and if not that then a cheaper Wr would be a better idea for the team in free agency
I know what answer you want it to be, as if there's 1 singular reason why those teams win. Are you so quick to forget NE's 11-5 2008 season? I guess Tom Brady willed that team to victory while he was on the bench, huh?
Jackson feels jilted and unappreciated in Philly. It's a pretty typical reaction for someone who feels their compensation falls far short of their production, which is incredibly true in this situation. It's not about the money per se with DeSean, but it's about what the money, or lack there of, represents to him; it's about the principle of it, which is understandable.
Well ya, if we got a Rogers/Brees/Brady type of QB. But those are extremely rare and probably arent likely. But what if we got a Josh Freeman/Matthew Stafford/Joe Flacco type of QB? Franchise QBs that you can build around but arent HOF/once in a life time type talents? The more weapons the better... and the more weapons, the easier it is to develop said QB.
But with Marshall, Bess, and a TE... who cares if he doesnt go over the middle? They can all do that. He can do something none of those guys cant... go deep effectively and be explosive.
Yes... but teams have also won without a good QB (Dilfer/Brad Johnson). That doesnt mean it should be plan/path to choose if you have better options...
That's easy to say not being in his situation. Passionate people (like DeSean) do dumb things when they feel unappreciated. The Eagles were too cheap to give DeSean a new contract but they had no problem signing Steve Smith (an inferior receiver) to a 1 year $4million dollar deal, which is $1 million more than Jackson's entire 4 year rookie contract. Talk about a slap in the face.
That's basically it. It's a feeling of respect. It's borderline feminine even the way some of these guys think but believe me it's not as simple as the old act right, do right to get paid thing. It's kind of the other way around. Marshall hasn't asked for money to improve on his performance last year, he really loves the team. They're like grown kids who want to find some kind of show of "loyalty" then they perform like crazy. Bring him to Miami for a third and an incentive-laden deal.
The answer isn't what I want it to be. I'm just stating facts. All of the receiving units you mentioned have elite Quaterbacks throwing them the ball, while we had Chad Henne. Does not matter who your receivers are if Henne is your QB. The best thing to would be to trade up for Andrew Luck/Matt Barkley if need be, then spend the money we would spend on Jackson else where. Like, Free Safety, another pass rusher, or another corner back. Also, the Pats most likely would have won the division had Brady been healthy. So, him going out was a pretty big blow to them despite them going 11-5.
You guys are ignoring something here. Jackson is greater in value than most people believe. His ability to rack up 1100 yards on only about 60 catches is incredible. It's a huge factor for defenses to account for. This guy isn't a speed threat. He's an incredibly efficient matchup problem for any defense. He brings a certain kind of value to this team specifically that we've been searching for, not just another WR.
Enough with the Bill Parcells mentality. What a player does on Sunday is far more important than what he does Monday through Saturday. Jaj is correct about Jackson. He’s the perfect deep threat element for a new quarterback to use effectively.
That's true. He is a tremendous talent. But the money spent on him may better serve on another Free Agent who will impact this team more than Jackson. What if Mario Williams is available? Or Peyton Manning? Or Robert Mathis? I would sign them over Desean, personally.
man, if we could get lucky and Kendall wright dropped to the 33rd pick, I would be very tempted, or, just say fu%$ this offense crap, and go Tank Carder on everyones ***.
If we could sign Jackson to a reasonable contract and get a quality pass catching TE either in the draft or free agency we'd have amazing weapons for the passing game. But doesn't really matter if we can't get the Oline and Qb situation fixed. Its not a bad idea, particularly if we can get a Qb early in the draft but it isn't a top priority IMO. I do like him a lot though, he's a real talent who I don't think has been a terrible teamate or member of the Eagles. He's had a few issues but I don't think they are really that bad.
Marshall and Jackson would compliment each other so well it would be crazy. It would be great times in Miami that's for damn sure.
He racks up individual statistics that stick out and people tend to overlook what a lousy set of hands he has. Throw in the way he is acting this year and I can just imagine what a disaster he would be down here. Beside that there are the rumours that float about him in this area that makes you question his longterm commitment to a teeam or the game. I'll pass.
Dude I live 15 min south of philly and see the eagles every week.Every week you see him short arm passes there is a diffrence between dropping and being afraid to get hit.And they list him at 175lbs but he is really 165.
I'd be all for bringing in Jackson. He'd be dynamic on Special Teams, as well as WR. I really like Hartline. I believe he's undervalued and underutilized. However, Jackson is an obvious upgrade to that position and PR. I agree you've got to find the QB also. I wonder if throwing a rookie QB to deal with Jackson and Marshall is the best idea. We saw Henne's struggles in dealing with Marshall's strong personality. I never understood the term diva, but I don't think I'd consider them selfish. I believe they both care about winning, they just believe they are the best way to get there. However, asking yourself, "Can I win with them both?" is a fair question. Talent wise, no question. Personalities? It's a fair question.