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Washington Redskins: DeSean Jackson OTA absence overblown

By Andrew Long

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The Washington Redskins are currently in the middle of their organized team activities (OTAs), and while a good amount of player personnel showed up for the event, not every player was present. DeSean Jackson is one of the players that didn’t make an appearance early on in the process, and he is, in my opinion, being victimized because of it.

To be clear, I understand why people are irked by the situation. But, at the same time, people have to realize that OTAs are voluntary, and the players aren’t technically required to show up. Would it help team chemistry? Definitely, but that doesn’t give people the right to bash a player and his work ethic.

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In any other profession, people wouldn’t bat an eye at an employee for taking their allotted vacation days and skipping a completely optional event. But, since it’s football and the players are constantly in the spotlight, people automatically start whining about the situation, and cause unnecessary drama.

To be fair, drama and the Washington Redskins go hand in hand, so the fact that this minor discrepancy is getting blown out of proportion isn’t a surprise. Jackson’s absence from OTAs doesn’t seem to be a problem with anyone at Redskins park, but that hasn’t stopped people from jumping on him about it.

If Jackson were a young player still learning the ropes, maybe I’d agree. But that simply isn’t the case, as he’s been a premiere wideout in the NFL since entering the league in 2008. Jackson has shown the ability to produce on the field, with or without OTAs under his belt. For instance, he wasn’t able to attend all of Washington’s OTAs last season because of his fallout with the Philadelphia Eagles – leaving him without a full set of organized team activities prior to the 2014 season.

Jackson’s absence from the Redskins 2014 organized team activities had little to no effect on his play, as he led the team in a number of receiving categories, including yards, yards per catch, and touchdown grabs. In total, Jackson accumulated 56 catches for 1,169 yards and six touchdowns. All of this is topped off by his impressive 20.9 yards per catch, which is the highest average in franchise history for players with at least 1,000 receiving yards in a single season.

Basically, what I’m trying to say is, Jackson plays at such a high level that he’s capable of missing a portion of OTAs. It’s not something that’s going to derail his entire season. I say this because he’s experienced and knows how to properly train his body for what he needs to do out on the football field.

If Jackson was less experienced, less productive or out of shape, I’d understand the argument that people were posing. But that’s simply not the case, as Jackson is a savvy, productive veteran that can outrun nearly anybody in the league. It’s because of this reason that I don’t have a problem with his early absence during OTAs.

And, if my ramblings weren’t enough to ease your worrisome heart, Jackson ended up joining the team for the remainder of organized team activities after his brief absence. Everything is okay; people are just making a mountain out of a molehill.

Next: Can Bill Callahan fix the Redskins offensive line?

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