Desean_jackson_jimmy_kimmel
Our friend Adam Reigner, a producer at 94 WIP, makes the case for paying DeSean… like, now.

 

This isn’t a guy doing sit-ups on his lawn. He isn’t dividing the locker room, and he sure as hell isn’t taking swings at Hugh Douglas.

DeSean Jackson deserves a new contract that provides him the type of financial security he deserves.

In current economic times, its hard to argue that an already well-paid athlete deserves to get more money for doing their job; let alone someone making $600,000. Think about that for a second — someone making over half a million dollars is undeniably underpaid.

At a time when your neighbor is unemployed – and perhaps you are, too – how can we argue that an oft-injured wide receiver deserves an increase in his already envious pay?

Let me explain.

We see a little DeSean in ourselves: underpaid and overworked. It was just two seasons ago that we all agreed he was too valuable to be used on punt returns — except when creating miracles. First game of this season he is back there returning them. Give the kid more responsibilities and the same amount of money … sound familiar? It should, that’s America in 2011.

DeSean most certainly isn’t living pay check to pay check – like most of us – so by no means feel bad for him. As a matter of fact, he has enough money to take out a multi-million dollar life insurance policy… Must be nice.

The problem with signing DeSean is actually defining his value to this offense.

Andy Reid, love him or hate him, is running a version of the West Coast Offense that has his own spin on it. No longer is it slants and curls; rather, it’s posts and go routes. Running plays are screen passes. It's more about striking quickly then getting first downs.

Andy Reid was ahead of his time when it comes to offensive philosophy, something you begrudgingly can’t deny. The NFL record for most passing yards in a week has been broken — consecutively — over the first two weeks of the season. Reid had that playbook in 2003.

Let’s compare this year's version to the most successful iteration of Reid’s offense: the 2004-2005 Super Bowl version. DeSean stars as a “rich man’s” Todd Pinkston, while Jeremy Maclin is his “middle-class man’s” Terrell Owens. DeSean lengthens the field with his speed while Maclin works the underneath. Stretching the field has always been priority number one for Reid, who’s version of the West Coast Offense is designed to make the safeties play on their heels so he can clear out space for those slants. In order for it all to work, DeSean has to back the safeties off the line of scrimmage… something he does better than anybody else in the league. Even when not filling up the stat sheet, he is providing the open space necessary for other players to succeed.

For all his showboating on the field, DeSean has been rather silent on this topi- much to his credit and the chagrin of every sports writer. 

Allow me to speak for him.

"You told me we can’t get a deal done because nobody was sure what was going to happen with the CBA, and you didn’t know what the salary cap was going to look like when it was finally resolved. I said that makes sense. I’m not trying to be difficult here. I just want what I deserve. You promised me that once the lock out ended we would sit down and figure this all out.

You told me we can’t get a deal done because I was holding out of camp. And once I came in we would sit down and crunch the numbers. I came into camp, and you spent over 200 million dollars on other players. I welcomed them with open arms.

If I need to list my accomplishments in this league, then you haven’t been paying attention.

DIS MY TIME… CHA HEARD MEE!!"