Posted by Mike Wasserson in NFL Headlines on December 02, 2011  |  0 Comments More from this author  |

We often look for scapegoats when things go terribly wrong. After all, it has to be somebody’s fault right? Someone who is not completely imbibed in their job or giving off the sense of being disengaged.

DeSean Jackson seems to be the persona non grata and posterboy for the Philadelphia Eagles’ failed season, as their year took a turn for the worse last night losing 31-14 to the Seattle Seahawks dropping them to 4-8. The fourth year player is severely irritated about being paid the league minimum despite three explosive years into his career.

However, the truth is that it was a situation that was botched from the beginning starting with the front office head hanchos. They decided to pay out millions and millions of dollars to free agent acquisitions like Nnamdi Asomugha, Cullen Jenkins, Ronnie Brown, Vince Young, and Steve Smith all while ignoring home-grown talent like Jackson.

Can Jackson be handling the situation in a more professional way? Absolutely, but not everyone has the ability to handle dilemmas in a courteous and considerate way like a Larry Fitzgerald. Jackson knows he is extremely underpaid, is one of the most explosive players in the league when he chooses to be, is at risk for injury with his smaller frame, and is on the verge of cashing in on free agency. If any of us put ourselves in his shoes, we would understand why he refuses to bust his tail for a franchise that hasn’t taken care of him.

Sure, anyone can object with the “he signed a contract so he should honor it” motto, but the NFL is not a 9-5 desk job. These guys have a 10-12 year span to make as much money as possible to last them the rest of their lives. All by doing so risking their physical and mental health. Also, we rarely ever criticize team management if they terminate a guy’s contract due to lackluster play or injury, but God forbid we side with a guy who actually deserves another contract and has outperformed it.

The Eagles front office started a butterfly effect in not paying Jackson. They didn’t placate him and he showed that he doesn’t have the mental and emotional framework to handle working on an underpaid salary. Something that is definitely a fault on Jackson’s behalf yet could have been avoided.

This isn’t necessarily a defense for Jackson saying that he is right in acting the way that he is, but more along the lines of saying why the team and him have reached this certain point in time. There is no doubt in my mind that had Joe Banner and Jeff Laurie taken care of his contract fiasco back in July, his 2011 performance would have taken the more desired fork in the road.

It’s essentially too late for that now. The Eagles have always taken the stance of “we don’t negotiate with terrorists” and I don’t expect them to change their posture.

Not now. Not ever.

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