DeSean Jackson thinks contract issues 'will work out'

IT'S OCT. 28, and DeSean Jackson doesn't have a new contract yet. If the deal is going to get done, it almost certainly will happen by Nov. 14, the deadline for counting a big chunk of the money under this year's cap. If that date passes with no news, we probably can assume the Eagles plan to franchise Jackson next season. The alternative would be letting him walk into free agency.

But the Eagles' explosive wideout and punt returner voiced optimism yesterday about an end to his much-discussed plight.

"Sometimes, it does get hard," Jackson said, when asked about risking injury every week under the terms of his rookie deal, which will pay him about $600,000 this season. "But I think it will work out. After the bye week now, there's a lot more time for things to get done."

Jackson also said he is not pressing to make big plays. In response to another question, he said he thinks the contract will happen "sooner or later."

Jackson was asked about Dallas defensive coordinator Ron Ryan's preseason comments about kicking the ass of the "all-hype" team, which people inferred was the Eagles. As much as that seems like ancient history now, Sunday's game is the first meeting between the teams since those remarks.

"For a coach to really say that, it's hard for me to kind of respect that, because a coach is not really out there playing," Jackson said.

Asante update

Eagles corner Asante Samuel declined reporters' joking requests to help them with their fantasy teams yesterday. Samuel said he doesn't know the first thing about fantasy football, speaking a day after he made headlines by indicating that Eagles president Joe Banner and general manager Howie Roseman take a fantasy-football approach to the team.

Samuel also opined Wednesday that he thought there was a power struggle between management and head coach Andy Reid, something Reid later officially disavowed. Hours after making the original statements Wednesday, Samuel clarified them, saying he'd met with Reid and gotten educated on the business of football, though Samuel didn't really take it all back.

Yesterday, he did not want to elaborate.

"Come to work, do your job. Clock in, clock out," he said, walking away from his locker stall. Then, over his shoulder, he delivered one more thought: "Beat Dallas."

Defensive coordinator Juan Castillo was asked whether he thought Samuel's remarks would affect the team.

"I wish I could tell you that I knew exactly what Asante [said], you know, I don't know," Castillo said. "I know [Dallas wide receivers] Dez Bryant and Miles [Austin] - I know the way they line up and how fast and how good they are, and I know about that offensive line. And those are really the kind of things that we're focusing on. And with Asante in the classroom, that's really what we've been working on."

Castillo called Samuel "a leader by example."

"I mean, that guy, he's out there early," Castillo said. He noted that Samuel was a fourth-round pick who has been to four Pro Bowls, and who intercepted more passes than anyone else in the NFL from 2006 to 2010. "[Samuel] had to work his butt off to get to where he is, and that's the type of guy he is. As a matter of fact, if you go into our defensive meeting room, you'll see his picture right there, he's one of the examples that I used - he's right there, intercepting a ball. We talked about turnovers. [A photo of] Trent Cole is on the other side . . . Those are our two leaders right there."

Nose to nose

One of Sunday's crucial matchups is Eagles rookie center Jason Kelce vs. Dallas nose tackle Jay Ratliff, who is one of the best. Kelce doesn't see it as a mismatch, he said yesterday.

"I think I match up pretty well with Jay," Kelce said. "He's a smaller, undersized nose tackle, I'm a smaller, undersized center. It's really just going to be athleticism vs. athleticism. I'm looking forward to the matchup; I think I can do some things against him, but we'll see."

Kelce and Ratliff won't be head-to-head all the time - the Cowboys run some 4-3 fronts, along with their base 3-4, Kelce said.

Offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said Ratliff will be quite a challenge for the rookie.

"I think [Ratliff] can play with any defense. I don't care if it's the nose or defensive tackle, he could probably play fullback, really," Mornhinweg said. "The great ones can play in any type of scheme."