After becoming the first player in NFL history to be named to the Pro Bowl at two different positions, wide receiver and kick returner, you might think that DeSean Jackson would merit respect from opposing players. But Dallas Cowboys' cornerback Mike Jenkins has made a point this week of insisting that Jackson will be no match for the Cowboys' defense. To his credit, Jackson hasn't taken the bait.

"I always like to play the Cowboys, don't get me wrong about that, but I'm not going to put anything extra on the game," Jackson said about Jenkins' smack talk. "I don't get caught up in things like that. I'm not going to entertain that, so I have a job to go out there and make plays, which I'm going to do and I don't feel that anybody's going to stop me from doing that. Like I said, we're ready for the challenge.

"I have what I need inside of me to get me going for the game and that's how I carry myself. I don't feel I need to talk or relay any message through the media."

However, Jackson was kept in check by the Cowboys' secondary in the first meeting between the two division rivals earlier this season. In the Cowboys' 20-16 win in week 9, Jackson was held to only two catches for 29 yards - his second fewest yards from scrimmage in any of the 14 games he's played in this season.

"It was a tough game honestly," Jackson said, "Sometimes things happen like that. You have games like that. Like I said, it's nothing that I can change about that. That game is over, we're past that and it's a new game so I definitely look to be a contributor for the next game."

For Jackson, the first Cowboys game was a minor blip in the road. The second-year receiver has tied an NFL record with eight touchdowns of over 50 yards or more, and he's topped 1,000 receiving yards while making a name for himself as the biggest home run threat in the league.

"Everybody in the world knows, my teammates know, definitely having the ball in my hand, me creating certain plays definitely sparks the team," he said. "As long as we're able to create plays, the ability and what we're doing, you never know, we could always catch them off-guard at any angle."

Jackson might be even more difficult to contain than usual playing in the new Cowboys Stadium, which has artificial turf.

"That's supposed to be a fast turf so I'm looking forward to the challenge to get on that turf," Jackson said. "Huge games like this are things I look forward to."

And it is a huge game. Of course, the Eagles can obtain the NFC East crown and a first-round bye with a win this Sunday.

"We're very confident in ourselves," Jackson said. "We don't get caught up in everybody else. We know, as a football team, that if we're on our 'A' game and we're playing great, everybody's doing everything they need to do to win the football game."

-- Posted by Bo Wulf, 2:40 p.m., December 31