As I said at GamingTrend, I actually think this is a valuable and humbling lesson for Jackson. And while some may express concern about his character or potential to become another overconfident T.O., I think Jackson is in the right place to learn about discipline, respect for the game, and how to properly conduct himself both on and off the field. Rarely will you ever hear an Eagle say something inappropriate during a press conference (outside of T.O.'s short time in Philly). Rarely will you see on-field antics embarassing to the team. And almost never will you see poor off-field situations damaging to the team or the organization. And you can rest assured that Philadelphia's veterans and coaching staff won't stand for it.
While it may be the "in" thing to continue to ride Jackson for his mistake, what few are recognizing is that while he made a poor decision, he still had two back-to-back 100+ yard games. As a rookie. He shows promise, and with some proper direction and coaching he could amount to quite a player. While it is very early to tell, he certainly has impressed thus far. And I think the constant replay of his mistake on every sports and news program across the United States, not to mention that it took place on Monday Night Football, I would be surprised to see a repeat of this offense, at least while Jackson is still wearing Eagles green. I think an overconfident rookie had one of the most humbling experiences of his career, and fortunately
early in his career.
While Jackson's mistake showed poor judgement, it was a youthful mistake, and I'll take a premature endzone celebration over problems with drugs, alcohol, riding a motorcycle without a helmet, etc. Overall, with all of the hype surrounding Dallas' chances to advance to the Super Bowl (despite having not won a playoff game since 1996
), and little attention being paid to a competitive Philadelphia team, the Eagles stuck with Dallas throughout the game and a few costly mistakes determined the outcome. I can't be too terribly disappointed with Philadelphia's performance, and I would much rather have the loss and learning experience happen now, early in the season. And, hopefully they'll come out strong next week as I will be at the game.
It's tough to be upset with the Eagles, even with a loss to Dallas. They looked pretty good and showed Dallas that while sportswriters are already handing them the NFC East title, there are still other teams that may have different plans. I was pretty pissed last night following the game, but the more I think about it the better I feel about it. Although I still didn't go to work today. I didn't really feel like it and waking up to another "Poocasso" incident with Nala didn't help, either.
It was a tough loss, but not a
bad loss. They have a great deal of potential and if some problems on defense are addressed Philadelphia is going to be tough to beat, as they've already shown on one of the biggest stages against one of the top teams in the NFL. Perhaps the Eagles
are as good as they've played so far. I wouldn't count them out yet. We still have 14 games to go.
