DeSean Jackson talked to the media for the first time since Sunday's 31-26 loss to the Chicago Bears and downplayed any and all speculation regarding some kind of rift with head coach Andy Reid or any of his teammates.
"It's not about me," Jackson said. "It's about us winning the game. If we're not winning the games, then myself, none of that, that doesn't matter. There's nothing to clear, no air or none of that."
"We're good," Jackson added when asked about his relationship with Reid.
Jackson didn't deny that he took the loss to the Bears hard. As Reid is wont to describe, Jackson "loves to play the game" and his primary motivation is to win.
"I'm here to go out there, be successful and win football games. As far as anything else, I could care less."
And even though Jackson hinted that any kind of internal issue was misinterpreted, he said he doesn't mind the speculation because it has no bearing on the performance of the team on the field.
"People can say what they want, talk about what they want, like I said, I could care less about any of that," Jackson said. "I'm here to play football, go out there and win football games. If it doesn't have anything to do with (winning football games) then I could care less about it."
But while Jackson and his teammates have moved on from the Bears game, they can still learn from it. Jackson was held largely in check Sunday, notching only two catches for 26 yards. In fact, since the 88-yard touchdown Jackson scored on the first play of the game against the Washington Redskins, Jackson has combined for only eight catches for 86 yards over what has essentially been three games.
"I think teams are focusing on trying to take away from the things that we do (well)," Jackson said. "As an offense, and as the type of player that I am, I feel we should go out there and just find different ways to go out there and take advantage of things. You just have to be patient. You're not going to always be able to score touchdowns and do all those type of things because people watch film and people are paid just like we are."
On Thursday, the paid opponents will be the 5-6 Houston Texans. Jackson acknowledged the difficulty of playing on a short week, but, having been through a successful Thursday night game in 2008, the Pro Bowl receiver says there's a formula for success.
"You have to play fast," Jackson said. "You have to start fast, you have to play fast, especially after a game like last week. I think everybody's just ready to get out there and play. We're not going to get caught up in anything else. We' just want to go out there and win a football game. So that's all that matters."
-- Posted by Bo Wulf, 1:19 p.m., November 30
