From: jmd@cbnewsm.cb.att.com (joseph.m.dakes)
Subject: Re: Finally...Jackson's outta here!!!
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: na
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1992 15:19:47 GMT

In article <1a8fqqINNarh@shirley.cs.widener.edu>, austin@cs.widener.edu (Jeff Austin) writes:
> Philly seems to have mixed emotions about the Jackson-Dolphin thing.
> Here's my opinion - Keith Jackson is an asshole.  Philly is actually
> better off without him.

The Eagles are not better off without Keith Jackson.  You may not like
him as a person, but as a TE he was one of the best in the league.  He
could have added another dimension to the Eagles offense.  The offense
is good now, but it would have been better with Jackson at TE.

> The guy did nothing but whine and complain
> about everything.  Every word out of his mouth was Me, Me, Me.  Oh,
> I almost forgot - he can say 'hold-out' and 'money' also.  There comes
> a time when you gotta whine about money and there's a time when you
> have to show some loyalty towards your fellow players.

The guy was a whiner two years ago when he wanted his contract
renegotiated and he was asking for more money than he was worth, IMO.
But when KJ stepped on the field he was all business.

Why should the players be the only loyal ones?  Jackson wanted a
guaranteed contract.  Do you blame him?  What happens if he blows a
knee and his career is finished?  Would Braman be loyal to Jackson?
Were the Giants loyal to Mr. Loyalty, Mark Bavaro?  I think not.  In
a wimp game like baseball, players are guaranteed multi-multi-million
dollar contracts no matter the level of their performance.  But in
football, where players careers are threatened every week and the
aches and pains of the game last a lifetime, guaranteed contracts are
the exception rather than the norm.

> Jackson did
> not give an inch.  The Eagles were giving him a damn good deal.  He
> could have still been the highest-paid tight end AND kept some dig-
> nity.  But instead, he (and his agent) kept selling himself as the
> 'almighty martyr' - the victim against the system.  C'mon Keith, why  
> not take the agent's cattle prod out of your ass and start thinking
> on your own.  Are you really THAT MUCH better off in Miami?  Only time
> will tell.  However, I have a feeling that a SB ring would have come
> in a green jersey instead of a baby-blue one.  Oh, I forgot - the ring
> isn't important - it's those paycheks that matter.

Hey, I agree that Jackson was asking for more than he was worth.  And
I agree that the Eagles made him a very good offer.  But it was KJ's
decision, not ours.  I'm not happy with it, but I don't blame him for
it.  $1.5M/yr guaranteed vs $1.2M/yr if you make the team?  No contest.

My only problem with Jackson is that he is now saying money wasn't the
issue and that he wanted to play for an offense that suits him.  Well,
if money wasn't the issue, why wasn't being the highest paid TE at
$1.2M/yr enough?  And what do you call an Eagles offense that allowed
you to catch 243 passes over the past five years as Randall's main
target?  The issue was money, so say it.

> Anyway, getting
> back to my original point - philly is better off.  There will no longer
> be this 'anticipation' of when 88 will be back - no more statements 
> that begin with 'as soon as Keith's in camp...'.  I think the team
> will be able to focus better.

Well, one thing they had better do is make a roster move to get TE
Maurice Johnson off of IR.  But last I heard, Kotite was leaving it
alone for the Dallas game.  Byars is an adequate TE, but the Birds
lose too much of his versatility if they need to line him up there on
every play.

If the defense can survive without Jerome Brown, the offense can
certainly play without Keith Jackson.  But wouldn't they be alot
better on both sides of the ball if they had them?

> As for Miami, I hope they enjoy their
> self-centered, non-team-player, alligator-armed, footstep-hearing,
> stat-declining, contract-renegotiating, pass-dropping moron.  Well,
> it's just MY opinion.  Did I mention that his stats have gotten worse
> every year since his rookie season?  Hmmm, I bet he blames THAT on
> everyone else besides himself.

I would find it difficult for any Eagle to put up good numbers last
season with a struggling offensive line and five different QBs
throwing the football.  Even so, KJ caught 48 balls in a limited roll.
Most of his time last season was spent helping the OL block.  Remember
the Eagles didn't have much in the way of widereceivers during KJ's
first few years so he was the main target and his numbers showed.  As
the Eagles drafted and developed some good wideouts, Jackson's numbers
decreased accordingly.  Nothing unusual about that, IMO.

I think KJ can help Miami, but Marino has Clayton and Duper as targets
too.  So I doubt that he'll ever put up the numbers he did during his
rookie season.  But that doesn't mean he isn't one of the best TEs in
the league.


Six days and couting!
E-A-G-L-E-S

Joe Dakes
AT&T Microelectronics
555 Union Boulevard
Allentown, PA  18103
alux2!jmd