This post isn’t a dig at Les Bowen. In fact, I give him credit for giving a peek behind the curtain of the mess that is trade rumor sourcing. Because this DeSean Jackson thing has been all-timer.
I’ve now heard from a more “official” DeSean Jackson source. Source says contrary to what I was told earlier, and what Ike Reese reported on 94WIP, DeSean HAS NOT talked to Chip Kelly about trade speculation. Says DeSean has tried to, but Chip has been too busy with free agency, etc.
Sorry for taking everyone on a roller-coaster ride here. One problem is that neither the Eagles nor Jackson is willing to talk about this, so we go to other sources, who might or might not know what they’re talking about. I know the guy I texted, who confirmed Ike’s report to me, is close friends with DeSean. But would he “confirm” something just to seem knowledgeable? I dunno. I am sure the person who emailed me to correct this is in a position of authority. And of course, it would be nice if you could just ask the Eagles, “Hey, has Chip talked to DeSean, as has been reported,” and get an answer. But you can’t.
A more detailed explanation today:
For a while there yesterday, it seemed this all might go away. On 94WIP, former Eagle Ike Reese said he had been told that Eagles coach Chip Kelly had called Jackson and told the team’s top receiver not to listen to the media speculation. A source close to Jackson contacted by the Daily News was asked if this was true, and the source said it was indeed the case, though the source said he didn’t know when the conversation might have taken place.
But an Eagletarian blog post containing this information drew a response from someone else, in a more authoritative position in the Jackson camp. This person, who did not wish to be identified, said Jackson has not talked to Kelly. The source said Jackson has tried to reach the coach, but Kelly has been too busy with free agency to get back to him. (Kelly attended Virginia Tech’s pro day yesterday, Florida State’s the day before.)
What we have here is a reporter who covers an NFL team for a major local media outlet admitting that, yeah, we report on sources who may or may not be telling the truth. Unreliable ones. Again, that’s not a dig at Les. At least he’s being honest and put the chips (Chips Kelly?) on the table. We’re all willing to play the game – and I’m happy to trumpet those poorly-sourced reports as rumor fodder – but I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen someone so bluntly explain that he and his peers go to unreliable people for their stories. Often, official sources are the subject of a particular story who can’t speak on the record. Sometimes they’re someone very close to the subject. Other times, they’re unreliable friends and hangers-on.
Blogs get shit on a lot for throwing shit at the wall, but if I’ve learned one thing over more than four years of doing this, it’s that most of the mainstream media is no better – and often worse – with this stuff. Off the top of my head, reports appearing on this site that have turned out to be blatantly inaccurate are ones where I was passing along a report from [insert mainstream reporter]. Granted, I’m not in the business of breaking news, but when something is presented as fact here first – usually media-related or TMZ-style bits – it’s been well vetted. There may be the odd detail here or there that is hard to verify, as is the case with many reports, but the major points are always there. I feel like the biggest mistakes I have made are times when I trusted a mainstream media member I didn’t know enough about (a midwestern radio hack reporting that Gus Bradley was the Eagles’ new head coach comes to mind). This obviously doesn’t include opinions I wish I could take back.
For example: I found out that DeSean Jackson’s house was robbed about eight hours before it became news. A cop, who had been right on things before, told me about it. He explained virtually every detail that eventually came out. But he was, for lack of a better description, just a reader. I didn’t know him. Didn’t doubt him. But didn’t know him. A cop. So I spent half the day trying to find someone to confirm it for me. Eventually I just tweeted D-Jac’s mom and asked her, which pissed off Ike Reese (the same person who started this nonsense yesterday when he reported that DeSean did meet with Kelly). By the time I felt confident in posting it, the media had picked up on it and it was on FOX, I think. It happens. But when stories are either true or untrue, it’s not hard to be sure.
Bringing it back to the current DeSean reports… this is one that is very easy to get right. The report that he did or didn’t meet with Chip is a yes or no thing. It’s not just a trade rumor where there’s plenty of room for ambiguity. It’s yes or it’s no. And here you have two reporters saying he did, and two saying he didn’t. One of them was the same person. It’s pretty easy to get that right. It’s not a grey area that contains varying shades of truth. It’s a fact. If you can’t trust your source, then just don’t report it. Don’t blame the team for not commenting on it. Just don’t fucking report it. This isn’t hard.
20 Responses
The fact that the Eagles aren’t commenting, or squashing all the rumors of DeSean being on the block, tells you all you need to know. They want DeSean to squirm and sweat it out, and by doing so, they are implicitly sending him very direct messages.
It’s actually a lot more of a strategic approach than the one always utilized by Cuban Amaro, who just opens his mouth and lies about anything and everything.
My, how things have changed between those two organizations.
But the eagles organization doesn’t address rumors. So speculating on what they are thinking is wrong as well
I think they’re really high on Mike Evans and they want to package DeSean and some picks to move up for him…Which is a bit crazy considering they really need to address more of the defense…
At the same time…Evans is a beast and I wouldn’t mind it. They really just need a backup center, QB, and another CB for depth, if they’re just rolling with what they’ve got…
I don’t know…It’s a strange situation…I think Howie has something brewing though. Could they make a huge play for a guy like Watkins or Clowney? I feel like DeSean will be involved with something big if he gets moved.
“Just don’t fucking report it. This isn’t hard.”
When you have to report on team activities 365 days a year, you need to have something to talk about.
They don’t have the luxury of not posting on weekends, or reporting about 18 different sports, or doing TMZ type articles.
All I’m saying is, there is talk about him being traded, they need something to talk about, and this gives them something to put in the paper.
That might be more a commentary on why some sports media sucks. Trying to milk a pig.
I don’t think Kyle’s piece was about whether they are going to move Jackson, I think it was about the cluster fuck that the last few days have been with the reporting about it.
Ike Reese isn’t a reporter; he is an un-listenable radio “host”.
And Bowen knows better.
There are days that go by with not one word in either paper about the eagles; not one word on Eagletarian. When there is nothing to report, there is nothing to report, so shut the fuck up about it. Nobody needs to report on something 365 when there is nothing to report.
I actually find it fun to listen to Ike Reese to see how many multi-syllable words he can use completely out of context each show. It’s a daily bastardization of the English language.
You can hear Barkann getting more and more frustrated with Reese every day. Reese interrupts virtually every sentence of Barkann’s.
I fucking hate the word sources. It’s just an excuse to write something to get your story out there. “Oh my source told me this….”. Just shut up and report when a team or a player talks. The only reason this is a story is Bc the media just makes shit up to create a story. Then another media member tries to top it. For all we know nothing is even happening. And then Les Bowen doing his best Chris Broussard imitation trots out that he says has a “more official” source. What the hell is he talking about? Yes your job is to report on Eagles news. But give us something more factual than just a source or official source. Otherwise the stories just sound made up. I mean how often is a guy dead wrong when reporting from a source.
Win.
No problem with sources so long as they’re, you know, reliable.
Look, it’s evident the ONLY people who know the full score regarding DeSean are Howie Roseman and Chip Kelly, and clearly they aren’t saying a damn thing to anyone. And that includes Ike Reese who’s deluded himself into thinking he’s an Eagles insider while in truth, he doesn’t know shit and is spreading rumors like Les Bowen and everybody else. For all Reese and Bowen know, their “sources” are probably janitors down at the Linc. It’s all so pathetic and laughable.
The media is desparate for an Eagles story. No blockbuster free agents outside of Sproles. No one is in jail. No one caught dropping a Cleveland Steamer on some ratty hooker. Until something like that happens, we’re stuck with 5 articles a day that list the same desean jackson stats, endlessly putting comments “in quotes” to invite the reader’s speculation.
He will not be traded.
So evidently Jason Avant was the only player that could “get through” to Desean.
subtract Avant from the equation and you get Desean alone on his own island.
Seems to me the NFL has had enough of the Hip hop Rap Gangsta image in their ranks.
Howie Roseman has succeded Joe Banner as the Fantasy Football King.
When McNabb was benched vs the Ravens…..he found out later in the week that he would be starting the next game….when asked how he found out he said ” the janitor told me”
Janitors find out everything.
Remember this….everybody has a grapevine. mine is better than yours.
This Nig is still here ????
Regardless of whether the sources are reliable or the rumors are true or false, the fact remains that DeSean Jackson is and always has been a one dimensional player. If there’s ever a time to trade him, it’s now — after a good year, and with a deep draft at WR.
He’s so easy to take out of a game — jam his little ass at the line and/or put a safety over the top. Done and done. If I’m the Eagles there’s no way I’m giving more money to a guy who is a decoy 95% of the game.
He doesn’t go over the middle, he doesn’t block, and If it’s true he wants more money (after getting a new contract like last year), then he’s a bigger diva than I thought.
He’s good for doing two things — running really fast in a straight line and blowing his cash on a failing record label.
Kyle, I love you and your blog. No seriously. I do .
P.S. If your reading this Ike Reese, I know Communication interns at West Chester who are better than you on the radio.
Toodles.
You admit he had a good year (based on his stats I assume) and you admit he draws double coverage (“jam his little ass at the line and/or put a safety over the top”) which helps other players in the offense. Who in the draft can you guarantee will do that? Crickets. Cooper or Maclin going to do that? Yeah, right. Admit it, you want to trade him because you don’t like the way he lives his life and he has some ‘tude. Most good receivers in NFL have some attitude. And why do you care what he does with his $? Typical stupid fan who always thinks the grass is greener with the unknown and can’t see what he has. You want to upgrade wide receiver, fine. Draft one and let them all compete in camp for who plays but why get rid of somebody you KNOW can do what he can do. Idiot.
You’re right, I don’t like him. He’s an immature thug.
Great players are humble not immature cancers.
WR is one of the easiest positions to replace in today’s NFL and Chip Kelly features the running game anyway you fucking doucebag.
Fuck DeSean. Fuck J-Roll and Fuck you Bob, you fucking little dick motherfucker
I’ve already grown tired of marble mouth. Someone get him to an English class. Everytime I hear him talk, I wanna punch a puppy.
as a packer fan i do know john dorsey is intrested in him 4 a mid round pick 2 replace dexter mcluster also the jets are intrested..eitherway the eagles will soar w riley cooper.
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