DeSean Jackson: Redskins are 'team to beat' in NFC East
By Jesse Reed
Washington Redskins wide receiver DeSean Jackson did his best Rex Ryan impersonation over the weekend.
During an interview with ESPN Radio 980 in Washington (via CSN Philadelphia), the outspoken Jackson made a bold claim about how things will unfold in the uber-competitive NFC East:
"Well if you want to be political and say on paper, I think all the ESPN guys and all the bloggers will probably say the Dallas Cowboys," Jackson said. "But in my eyes, I already think we’re going to surprise a lot of people this year. I’ll say once again, I’m excited about the new additions that [have] come in. Really, we just have to kind of build a camaraderie.
"So once the season starts and we’re ahead full speed, I think we’re gonna surprise a lot of people, and a lot of people are really gonna be saying, ‘Wow, those guys are pretty good.’ So once the season starts — I’m not gonna put too much pressure on us — but I think we’ll be the team to beat this year."
Yeah, no pressure.
But Jackson’s not wrong.
He’s not wrong about “all the ESPN guys and all the bloggers” seeing the Cowboys as the favorite to win the division. That’s not to say Washington can’t shock the world, because, as we know, prevailing wisdom doesn’t always pan out.
Washington has made some solid moves to solidify its roster under new general manager Scott McCloughan, who beefed up the defensive line via free agency and made some savvy picks in the draft.
But given the fact that Washington hasn’t won more than four games the past two years (seven wins total), the secondary is still a hot mess and that Robert Griffin III is still the team’s starting quarterback, it’s a safe bet to assume this team is going to be fighting to stay out of the NFC East’s basement in 2015.
That said, it’s going to be interesting to see how Jackson’s teammates respond to his challenge. Who knows? Maybe we look back at this statement next winter and laud his prophetic words. Stranger things have happened.
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