Eagles wideout Jackson says he supports McNabb

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. - Pretty soon now, DeSean Jackson will have spent enough time in Florida to be eligible to vote in the next election. But the Eagles' young gun is enjoying himself even more this week than last, with no Pro Bowl to prepare for, and all the Super Bowl hoopla in full swing.

Yesterday morning, Jackson did a quick hit with ESPN2's "First Take," then got out his Florida road map, charting a course to his first jet ski experience.

"I'm not going to do anything crazy," he assured a reporter, after making a similar vow on the air.

The evening passed without news of any personal watercraft incidents involving Pro Bowl wideout/punt returners, so we have to assume Jackson was true to his word.

Before jetting off, Jackson said that what have been perceived as lukewarm endorsements of incumbent quarterback Donovan McNabb don't reflect any enmity toward McNabb - just the realization that Jackson doesn't know what the team will do this offseason, and as a guy who would have to bond quickly with Kevin Kolb should McNabb be traded, DJax would be silly to say such an outcome would be a horrible mistake.

"If he's there, great," Jackson said. "If he's not, we still have to go to the table."

Earlier, on "First Take," Jackson was asked about McNabb and said: "As of right now, I feel he'll be a Philadelphia Eagle. There's been a lot going on since the end of the season. [The speculation is] really way past what I can really tell you. He's had a great career with us so far, and he's done some great things."

Jackson said their relationship has been excellent so far.

"We'll see how everything turns out," Jackson said. "I wish him the best."

Asked about the intense McNabb speculation, Jackson said: "I know a lot of people are saying he might be gone and he should be gone, but that's really past what I can call and what I can vouch for. As of right now, he's still our quarterback, and that's what we're going with."

Of course, there are eleventy-three different ways to dice up and parse that, a process that started as soon as the words were out of Jackson's mouth.

Jackson also spoke about scoring two touchdowns in the Pro Bowl, on what would have been the birthday of his father, Bill, who died last May 14 of pancreatic cancer.

"In my eyes, it couldn't really get no better than that," he said. "Every time I go out on the field, I dedicate everything to him, and to my mother, also, as well, for being a strong woman and taking care of me. It was a blessing to be able to go out there and put on a show for my dad."

Asked to make a Super Bowl prediction, Jackson said: "I like that guy Peyton Manning. I got my marbles in his bag."

Later yesterday, in a video posted with a tweet, Jackson brandished a fancy pair of sneakers he said he'd just bought at a Louis Vuitton store, or as he called it, "the Louie store."

It wasn't clear whether he bought the sneakers before or after jet skiing.

The hiring of Dick Jauron to coach the secondary was only one of several moves the Eagles announced yesterday.

The departure of Tom Heckert to Cleveland and Heckert's hiring of pro personnel director Jon Sandusky from the Birds left open both Howie Roseman's old job as director of player personnel, after Roseman replaced Heckert, and Sandusky's job. As expected, those jobs were filled by Ryan Grigson, the former director of college scouting, and Louis Riddick, formerly a pro scout. Riddick is an ex-pro personnel chief for the Redskins.

As the dominoes continued to tumble, Anthony Patch was named assistant director of college scouting, after being a West Coast scout; Andy Speyer was named Southwest regional scout, after serving as Midwest regional scout; and Brett Veach was named pro and college scout, after spending the previous three seasons as assistant to the head coach.

Two assistant coaches (and ex-Eagles) also moved up on the coaching staff, Mike Caldwell to assistant linebackers coach and Mike Zordich to defensive quality control coach. Last season, Caldwell had the quality control job and Zordich was a coaching intern.

In a statement, Roseman called Grigson "an unbelievable advisor for me and somebody I have bounced a lot of ideas off over the years. Ryan is one of the unsung talented evaluators in the National Football League . . . Ryan is not only a good scout but one of the best people and family men I have come across in the NFL."

Roseman called Riddick "a heck of an evaluator that also helps out the coaches with their game advances." *

For more Eagles coverage and opinion, read the Daily News' Eagles blog, Eagletarian, at www.eagletarian.com.