Eagles Wake-Up Call: What DeSean Said To Ray Lewis


DeSean Jackson gave a first-person account of his dust-up with Ravens corner Cary Williams to Mike Missanelli on 97.5 The Fanatic Tuesday. Turns out, the receiver had a message for Ray Lewis afterwards.

“The Baltimore Ravens, they’re one of those defenses where they feel they are the big brother where they feel they can punk everybody and do whatever they feel is right,” said Jackson, who was at the Aloft Hotel to support Michael Vick‘s charity event for underprivileged children. “I caught a ball and a defender got in my face and I pushed him out of my face. It went from one push to another push and eventually went to some blows. A lineman grabbed me from behind. Gladly nobody was thrown out.

“That got me pumped up. I told my boy Ray Lewis, ‘Man, you better get your corner over there before I torture him all day.'”

Jackson finished with seven catches for 114 yards. He wasn’t the only Eagle motivated on Sunday.

“Everybody was saying, ‘Oh, they beat the Cincinnati Bengals bad. They are going to get y’all too.’ We just love that,” said Jackson. “As long as we don’t play down to anybody’s potential, as long as we play how we are capable of doing, I don’t think anybody can deal with us.”

Jackson was asked, given all the contract concerns, whether he would have laid out for a ball last year like he did on the big 49-yard grab down the right sideline against Baltimore.

“Believe that,” he responded.

WHAT YOU MISSED

First off, our condolences to the Sabol family. Everyone covering pro football owes part of their career to Steve Sabol, who died Tuesday at the age of 69. Jeffrey Lurie joined hundreds around the NFL who payed their respects.

Sheil churned out plenty of positional reviews from Sunday. Running backs, wide receivers and tight ends are here, DeMeco Ryans and the linebackers here, and the D-Line here.

We all know that the Eagles’ current turnover rate is unacceptable. History shows why they are heading into some dangerous territory even if they clean it up some.

The Eagles placed Jason Kelce on IR and officially signed Steve Vallos.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

Peter King unearthed the meaning behind Andy Reid‘s mustache-gone-wild.

Reid is growing the mustache as a tribute to high school offensive line coach Andy Cheschelski, who died of cancer earlier this year in Los Angeles. Reid played for two coaches, Cheschelski and his offensive coordinator, Danny Hime, who had flowing mustaches. When Cheschelski died this year, Reid told Hime he’d stop trimming the mustache to pay homage to a coach who he says taught him much about football and about life.

“Those guys have been watching over me since I was a kid, and I really appreciate all they’ve done for me in my life,” Reid told me. “My wife doesn’t even know why I’m doing this. I just thought it would be a good way to honor them.”

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com talks to Bryce Brown about his most unique path to the NFL.

 “I always knew this is what I wanted to do,” Brown told me. “This is where I wanted to play professional football. It was never a thought, ‘Oh, college didn’t work out, I’m not playing football.’ 

ESPN’s latest power rankings are out. The Eagles shot up five spots from No. 12 to No. 7

The defense looks fantastic. If they stop turning it over, the Birds can be as good as anyone.

COMING UP

Eagles are back to work in front of Sunday’s game at the 2-0 Arizona Cardinals. Reporters will speak to Kevin Kolb via conference call this afternoon.