DeSean as decoy? Sounds like he’s just being coy
PHILADELPHIA >> Nobody likes a wise guy.
On the other hand, DeSean Jackson has earned the right to pretend he’d be happy being a decoy in his return debut with the Eagles this weekend, considering all of the electrifying touchdowns he’s gifted fans over the years.
That all popped up when Jackson – who’s nursing a broken ring finger on his left hand – was asked what his optimum number of touches would be when the Eagles open the season Sunday against the Washington Redskins.
“They might not use me,” Jackson responded. “I might just be a decoy. You never know. I can’t let you know right now. You’ll just have to wait until Sunday to find that out.”
The Eagles acquired Jackson and his deep speed to stretch defenses. The impact would have been dramatic for the Eagles last season based on numbers supplied by the Remarkable statistical data service by InsideEdge.com.
Jackson gained 20 or more yards on 13 of his 41 receptions last season, second among qualifying receivers. He also averaged 10.3 yards per target, seventh in the league and 18.4 yards per catch, tops on the circuit. Eagles wide receivers had 24 receptions of 20-plus yards last season, fourth fewest in the NFL. Philly wide receivers got 13 TD grabs, ninth fewest in the league. Oh, and the run game was a disaster.
“Adding an element like DeSean who can really stretch the field, I just think it opens up so much more in the run game, in the un
derneath game, in the underneath passing game,” quarterback Carson Wentz said. “I just think it will just open up some things for us really well.”
Make no mistake, Jackson is looking forward to being worshiped this weekend by Eagles Nation. The Eagles are favored by 9.5 points over the Redskins, who have been swept in this divisional series the past two seasons.
At the same time, the broken finger is a bit of a concern for Jackson.
“It’s an obstacle,” Jackson said. “Honestly it’s a challenge. In 12 years I never really broke a finger. I had some issues last year with a torn ligament in my thumb but it’s a little different. But any obstacle I feel like I can always overcome. I’m just trying to focus on watching the ball and catching the ball and going back to the fundamentals of being a wide receiver and how you were at an early age. You catch the ball. You have to extra look it in and make sure you tuck it. So just going over that. It’s feeling comfortable and confident.”
The challenge for Wentz is to spread the ball to Jackson, Alshon Jeffery, Pro Bowl tight end Zach Ertz, Dallas Goedert and Nelson Agholor. Then there are the running backs.
Redskins head coach Jay Gruden, who game-planned around Jackson for three seasons in Washington, has a pretty good idea how difficult it can be to keep everybody happy with Jackson on the field. But Gruden conceded that Jackson doesn’t have to be targeted to impact a football game.
“He doesn’t but he has to be targeted if you want him to like you or not,” Gruden said. “I mean, hell, he can get pretty frustrated at times with me. But I love DeSean, man. He made our team better, that’s for sure. He can take the top off and even if he just runs a deep post route and takes two with him, that opens it up for Zach Ertz or Alshon Jeffery. That’s something he starting to understand that is just as important as getting the ball.
“I think he’s a guy that if he has 40 catches for 800, 900 yards for the Eagles, I think that’s a huge success because the times he’s in there and doesn’t have a catch he’s going to open it up for other guys. We have to be aware of him, there’s no doubt about it.”
Gruden counterpart Doug Pederson said he wants Jackson to feel the emotion, not limit it as the veteran gets ready for the opener.
Emotion is a big part of Jackson’s game whether it’s playing his first home game here since being released following a breakout season in 2013, or opposing a former employer such as the Redskins
“He’s been in a lot of these so I don’t think it’s going to be any different,” Pederson said. “It’s going to be a great welcome back for him when he makes that first catch, hopefully a touchdown. I think guys who have been here before and have felt opening day and have moved on and come back, I think they miss that just a little bit. So, for him, I know he’s going to be excited.”
No one, by the way, should be surprised if the Eagles go up top to Jackson on the first series – possibly even the first play. He has a history of being explosive early in games. Decoy or not.