D-Jax responds to Jenkins; Macho still the man?
DeSean Jackson responded to comments made by Dallas cornerback Mike Jenkins earlier this week. Jenkins didn't exactly call the Eagles wide receiver a punk, but he did kind of call out Jackson when he said the Cowboys defense wouldn't allow the speedster to run past it.
"If that's how he's feeling than that's how he's feeling," Jackson said today. "I don't get caught up in things like that. I'm not going to entertain this. I got a job to go out there and make plays, which I'm going to do. I don't think nobody's going to stop me from doing that."
Jackson was held in check in the first meeting. He had only two catches for 29 yards. The Pro Bowl receiver and punt returner has exploded, however, since that loss. He was asked if it was unwise of Jenkins to prod one of the most dangerous offensive players in the NFL.
"I'm not going to make it a bigger deal than it already is," Jackson said. "I have what I need inside of me to get me going for the game. That's all I care about. I don't feel I need to talk or relay messages through the media."
Here's Jenkins' exact quote when he was asked how the Dallas secondary would contain Jackson:
"We're just playing the deep balls. The main thing is they try to catch you off-guard. It's yet to happen to us, and we're not planning on it to happen. I guess he runs past a lot of guys, and it's not going to happen this week. It's not going to happen to us, period."
Macho could still return kicks
Despite coming off a game in which he fumbled twice -- losing one of them -- on kickoff returns, Victor "Macho" Harris could still be handling that job Sunday when the Eagles play the Dallas Cowboys with the NFC East title on the line.
Special teams coordinator Ted Daisher said the first choice is Quintin Demps, but the Eagles aren't sure if he can handle the role because of a sprained right ankle that has hindered him since the team's first meeting with Dallas Nov. 8.
"We're going to see how Quintin Demps' ankle is," Daisher said. "Day to day, we're still not sure what he's going to be able to do and what he's not going to be able to do. Victor Harris would be the next guy in the mix. We have to get some things corrected with him, but he would be the next guy."
Daisher said receiver Jeremy Maclin is also an option, but added it's imperative that Harris learns from the two fumbles that could have cost the Eagles the game against Denver.
"You have to understand that you can't bring the ball out of the end zone when you're going backwards and when he gets in traffic, he has to secure the football," Daisher said. "Those are the two things he has to get better at this week."
In addition to fumbling twice, Harris averaged just 15.3 yards per return on three kickoffs. The only one he didn't fumble, he made the mistake of returning from three yards deep in the end zone and only got back to the 15-yard line. Daisher said he does not think Harris will lose confidence.
"The one thing you don't ever have to worry about with Victor is confidence," he said. "He's a very confident guy. He knows he made mistakes. He knows he'll correct him. You like working with guys like that. He came in and watched film, we went over it several times and I think he'll be fine."
Harris' 20.7-yard return average on 19 kickoff returns is ranked 32nd in the league. By contrast, Demps has averaged 25.8 yards on six returns.
According to defensive coordinator Sean McDermott, Harris will also continue to have a prominent role on defense against the Cowboys. Sean Jones started at free safety Sunday against the Broncos, but Harris was on the field for the majority of snaps.
"It will be the same moving forward," McDermott said. "Whatever the situation dictates, that's where Sean will go in or Macho will go in."
Jones started the last game against the Cowboys and had seven tackles and a sack.
Vick expected to play
Offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said he thinks Michael Vick will play Sunday against the Cowboys. Vick did not practice yesterday because of a quad contusion that kept him out of the game against the Broncos, but he said he will do some running today.
Happy New Year from the two-man team at BEV, your best source for Eagles information.