National Football League

DeSean's act is part of Philly's problems

Published Nov. 13, 2011 12:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

Well, my buddy Jimmy Johnson put a fork in the Eagles on our pregame show and how prophetic was that today? That’s right, the Dream Team won’t be going to the playoffs. I’ve always wondered if Vince Young ever feels bad about coming up with that nickname? It may have sounded good in August, but today I’m sure people in Philadelphia wish they never heard it. It’s turned into a nightmare.

How did this happen?

Well, it’s really hard to bring in a lot of really good players and build team chemistry. It may have worked had there not been a lockout, or had there been a longer training camp. The biggest problem with so much change, including a new defensive coordinator and a new offensive line coach, is that no one knows what to expect. The coaches don’t know what every player can do and the players aren’t really sure what the coaches expect of them. I know it sounds simple that you just turn on the tape and the rest takes care of itself, but it's never that easy.

Now, it will be a lot better next year. But fans of the Eagles don’t want to hear that now. They expected a team capable of going to the Super Bowl.

I think one of the problems with signing a lot of free agents is that you are buying talent, but that doesn’t mean you are really buying a good team.

Just look at the good teams like the Steelers or Packers. How many free agents do they sign? They instead build their teams through the draft.

I played in Pittsburgh, before free agency, and we built a pretty good team that way. The Packers are the best team in the league and I don’t think they have one high-priced free agent.

Now, let’s talk about DeSean Jackson.

Obviously, there is something more going on there with him than simply oversleeping and missing a meeting. Jackson is a great talent, but he’s been crying about wanting a new contract and the Eagles have basically said no to him. This could be a problem for a long time unless management changes its mind. Maybe, they should have paid him, given him a deal when they were signing all these free agents.

What do they do now? I agree with Andy Reid making a statement with Jackson and his team. Rules are rules. Like Howie and Michael said on the show, they never missed in a meeting in their careers. You have to be respectful of the rules.

This situation is going to bear watching. Something is going to happen there. You have to believe that if Michael Vick had Jackson they would have beaten the Cardinals. The Eagles lost to the Cardinals at home. I didn’t predict that. No one figured that would happen. The Eagles have a $100 million quarterback in Vick and they lost to Arizona’s backup quarterback. John Skelton passed for 315 yards and Vick threw for 128 yards and two interceptions. You think Vick missed Jackson? Well, I do.

I like Andy Reid. I would stick with him. But who knows what’s going to happen now. None of us would have predicted them being 3-6 right now. Kind of like no one would have said the 49ers would be 8-1 at the end of Week 10.

What were the Bucs thinking?

I don’t know what the Bucs were thinking by signing Albert Haynesworth. Yes, they needed help at defensive tackle, but didn’t Haynesworth prove to everyone that he really wasn’t interested in stopping the run with the Patriots? The Texans just had their way with the Bucs today.

Houston has two really good runners in Arian Foster and Ben Tate. Foster, who won the rushing title last season, is special. He’s gone over 100 yards from scrimmage in seven straight games now. He had 102 receiving yards and 84 yards rushing. Houston has never been 7-3. They're going to the playoffs. I like what Gary Kubiak has done with this team, plus hiring Wade Phillips has helped a lot.

They are in control of the AFC South, but it’s partly because Peyton Manning hasn’t played this season. No one knows how good the Texans are because this division has been so bad.

I have to believe once they get receiver Andre Johnson back from his hamstring injury, they will be very tough to defend. I still like Pittsburgh and Baltimore and the Jets and Patriots are better right now, but Houston will be in the playoffs and who knows? They have a shot.