After being suspended for this past week’s game for missing a team meeting, Eagles All Pro receiver DeSean Jackson wanted to clear the air and get the correct story out.
There was a lot of partial information (and disinformation) swirling around on Sunday and Monday, ranging from him being late to the meeting to his skipping the meeting entirely, and from his alarm not going off to rumors and insinuations that he skipped the meeting due to lack of progress on a new contract after briefly holding out in training camp.
Jackson explained to Michael Irvin that he showed up about 20 minutes late for an 8:30 am special-teams meeting Saturday because his alarm didn’t go off. Initially, Jackson was told that he probably wouldn’t start as punishment, which would be a typical disciplinary action for this type of rules violation. Eventually, head coach Andy Reid told Jackson that he should think about things and was suspended for Sunday’s game.
Reid never explained to Jackson in more detail why he was suspended.
Jackson apologized to the team on Monday, and explained to Irvin that he had been late to one other meeting with the Eagles during his tenure with the team, but it certainly wasn’t a pattern or a chronic issue.
Jackson has been frustrated this season, noting that the Eagles spent freely on bringing in free agents in assembling the “Dream Team,” but have not addressed the contract issue for Jackson, who is the best receiver and a key special teams player on a team loaded with weapons.
He indicated that there have been rumors about the team being concerned with some people he associates with off the field, but he quickly pointed out that he has had absolutely no off field problems, and is an active supporter of charity work in the community.
The fact that the Eagles were willing to suspend one of the biggest stars on their team without ever indicating to him why, or having a more detailed conversation with him, is concerning. Looking at the bigger picture, the Eagles have failed to gel as a team this season. They may have the most talented roster in the NFL, and they are sitting in last place in the NFC East with a 3-6 record.
Perhaps Reid has gotten out of touch with his players. Certainly, discipline is an important part of building a team but it must be combined with communication and clear expectations. Getting everyone pulling in the same direction and buying into the vision of what the team is going to do is key to team chemistry, and it falls on the coaching staff to provide that vision and pull the team together. This week, it seems that Reid and the Eagles coaching staff have done a poor job of communicating with one of their most important players.
This incident may provide a clue as to what is the missing piece in the puzzle that is the 2011 Philadelphia Eagles.
