In August, after the Eagles rounded up a flock of free agents with plenty of name recognition and, to date, an undetermined ability to come together and form a successful team, Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob Ryan addressed the question of whether his team is the “all-hype team.” Ryan used the occasion as a springboard for making a crack at the Eagles.
“I don’t know if we win the all-hype team,” Ryan said. “I think that might have gone to somebody else, but we’re going to beat their ass when we play them.”
Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson remembers the remark. And he doesn’t like it.
“For a coach to say that, it’s hard for me to. . . . I wouldn’t expect that from a coach because he’s not out there playing,” Jackson said, via CSNPhilly.com. “He’s calling plays and putting his defense in the right position to stop the offense. But as far as a defensive coordinator, that’s kind of unheard of, uncalled for.
“It [would] be good if his players said that. Then I could understand that, because we’re all out on the field with them so I’d be able to get a shot at that player who said something crazy. But for a coach, it ain’t like I can go run on the sideline and cut up the coach, run past them and score a touchdown.”
Jackson knows about players talking, especially before the Cowboys and Eagles get together. Before a 2009 wild-card game against the Cowboys, Jackson said on Twitter, “We gonna sting they ass.”
In the end, the Cowboys did the ass stinging. So maybe this time around, the Eagles will administer the ass beating.
We’ll find out Sunday night on NBC.