Philadelphia Eagles Have Finally Landed a Top Wideout in DeSean Jackson

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Tom Brady has Randy Moss. Peyton Manning has Reggie Wayne (and had Marvin Harrison for a while). Even Steve Young had Jerry Rice to help make his life easier.

In the NFL, a team has a better chance of winning when their quarterback has a dominant wide receiver to throw the ball to. For the Philadelphia Eagles , they have managed to be successful for most of this decade despite all of the years they lacked a true No. 1 wide receiver.

Throughout Donovan McNabb’s career (other than the Terrell Owens saga), the Philadelphia Eagles have never had that true No. 1 wide receiver that sets them apart from the other 31 teams.

James Thrash. Todd Pinkson. Freddie Mitchell.

All three of these players made up the receiving corps for the Eagles during their three NFC Championship appearances from 2001-2004 (Owens was part of the team when they reached the NFC Championship in 2005).

These players may of had a decent game for the Eagles every once in a while, but neither was ever considered a true No. 1 wide receiver for McNabb to throw to. With the help of a strong defense, McNabb was able to do just enough on offense to help the Eagles post just one losing record so far this decade (6-10 in 2005).

Ever since the departure of Owens, McNabb has been looking for that dominant go-to player at wide receiver. In his 11th season with the Eagles, he may have finally found that true No. 1 wide receiver again in DeSean Jackson.

Jackson had two key plays during the first half in the Eagles 27-17 victory over the Washington Redskins Monday night. Along with a 67-yard score on a wide receiver reverse, he hauled in a 57-yard touchdown from McNabb with less than two minutes to play in the first half.

Without the heroics of Jackson, one could argue that the Eagles may have fallen to the Redskins considering they were already without running back Brian Westbrook, who left the game in the first quarter because of a concussion.

Jackson’s performance against the Redskins is only a small part of the type of impact he’s provided the Eagles with so far this season.

In Week One against the Carolina Panthers, he returned a punt 85 yards for a touchdown. The following week against the New Orleans Saints, he hauled in a 71-yard pass to provide quarterback Kevin Kolb his first career touchdown pass.

He also managed to record a career high in receiving yards with 145 against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week Three, including a 64-yard touchdown in which he displayed his speed by breaking through the defense.

Through six games, Jackson has hauled 21 receptions for 423 yards and three touchdowns. Without his effort on offense and special teams, the Eagles would not be sitting at 4-2 with a chance to take first place in the NFC East if they defeat the New York Giants this upcoming weekend.

Week after week, Jackson has continued to make big plays against his opponents while emerging into the star player he worked so hard to become this offseason. He wanted to show the rest of the league that his first season, where he set an Eagles record for a rookie with 912 receiving yards, was no one-year wonder.

DeSean Jackson is the real deal in Philadelphia. Ever since his first game against the St. Louis Rams last season, he has emerged into the type of No. 1 wide receiver the Eagles have spent years searching for.

The Eagles and their fans have to be excited about what the future holds for Jackson. If he’s making this much of an impact in only his second season in the league, imagine the type of player he could develop into a few years from now and how dangerous he can become.

Dan Parzych Is the Eagles Fan Voice for NFLTouchdown.com