Banged up Brown is being pushed by rookie

With each passing season, I find it tougher and tougher to parse through the "coach speak" that pervades the NFL.

The league's head coaches have always been paranoid but the new breed has taken things to another level. Talking without giving the media anything substantive has become an art form among the league's mentors.

And if Bill Belichick is the Michael Jordan of "coach speak," Andy Reid is Kobe Bryant. Quite simply, if you want to know what's going on with the Eagles, ignore what Reid says and concentrate on what is happening on the field.

As Reid enters his 10th year as the head coach in Philadelphia, there is quite the sample size to judge him on.

And, when talking about Reid, one thing is clear -- the veteran coach just doesn't trust rookies. In fact, Reid abhors them -- feeling they could never understand and digest his complex offensive system.

That said, undersized rookie receiver DeSean Jackson is forcing Reid to take notice.

When the Eagles selected Jackson in the second round of the NFL Draft, most expected the Cal product to improve the team's punt return game but counting on the speedy Jackson to contribute on offense was a long shot to say the least.

Even though the Eagles are sorely lacking big play talent on the outside, most felt Reid would rely on his "he doesn't know the offense crutch" to keep Jackson on the bench, and it's more than likely that's exactly how things would have shaken out.

But, fourth year receiver Reggie Brown has opened the door for Jackson. Brown missed the team's first preseason game with an Achilles' problem and then hurt his hamstring on the first play of the second game.

In Brown's absence, Jackson has excelled leading the team with 12 receptions for 122 yards in the preseason.

Of course, that hasn't kept the coaching staff from toeing the company line.

"He is a good player. Let's not let preseason deceive us any, first. He has a lot of hard work ahead of him," offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said when talking about Jackson. "He does show up, though. I think he's going to be a pretty good player. He has progressed very quickly up to this point and how quickly he progresses from this point on will determine how productive he will be for us here in the near future."

Mornhinweg is also quick to tout Brown when given the opportunity.

"When he comes back, I would expect (Brown) to play well," Mornhinweg said. "Really, he had a good start. You can't do anything about what has occurred. When he comes back, I expect him to play at a very high level and consistent."

If Brown is healthy, he will be on the field.

But, when a receiver starts suffering a series of leg injuries, things can linger and Jackson offers Reid a better alternative the either Jason Avant or Hank Baskett -- rookie or not.