The Philadelphia Eagles are putting a lot of things together when it is way too late. While this only makes Eagles fans like myself more furious about how 2011 ended up, Philadelphia will still try to hope that the groundwork for a bigger 2012 has been laid out. Of course, since the Birds’ three-game winning streak means that Andy Reid will be back and Juan Castillo has a shot to return, it’s hard to say how good 2012 will turn out.

It would be a better sign if the DeSean Jackson of the last month returns for 2012 as well. The Eagles certainly can’t afford for the September-November Jackson to show up again. But ever since his bad behavior and the terrible Eagles peaked in the Dec. 1 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, they have both somehow been on their best behavior.

Jackson’s stats haven’t been mind blowing during the winning streak, as he has combined for 11 catches, 177 yards and one touchdown. However, the fact that he is catching the ball and getting more yards – and has stayed pretty quiet in the meantime – has been a relief after how the previous few weeks went. It still doesn’t erase the accusations of how he gave up before then – which loom even larger now when more effort and at least one more win would have made Week 17 very meaningful.

At this point, however, Jackson and Philadelphia fell so far during the first 13 weeks that anything other than another meltdown looks better. And now that the team is winning and there hasn’t been any new Jackson controversy lately, the hope is that both sides are cooling down before they get back to contract negotiations. Yet that leaves the question of whether too much damage has been done already.

Too much has been done to save the 2011 season, although it likely hasn’t been enough to fire Reid after all. However, if too much has been done to salvage negotiations with Jackson and to not just franchise tag him or trade him, 2012 will look more ominous. The Eagles already learned the consequences of keeping Jackson without paying him, and they cannot waste 2012 re-learning that lesson. Since 2012 stands to be Reid’s very last chance in Philadelphia, he certainly won’t want to waste that year figuring it out as well.

Going from 4-8 to a potential 8-8 record will be touted as a step forward, even though it really isn’t. If they want to make this last month of wins mean something, the Eagles will take this cooling off period to reassess Jackson and act accordingly. Whether that means resigning him or trading him is yet to be decided, but it has to be settled before training camp this time.

Philadelphia fans are skeptical that the good Eagles in December will show up for 2012, so maybe that should be the case with the good Jackson as well. However, if that good Jackson justifies a resigning at last – just as it somehow justifies keeping Reid around – then perhaps this big finish is worth something. If it’s too late, then at least his last month in town hasn’t been tarnished as much as his next-to-last month was.

Robert Dougherty is a life-long Philadelphia resident who has followed the Eagles since he was eight years old.

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Action, Jackson.

“He’s a multiple-threat guy,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said in speaking about Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver-punt returner DeSean Jackson on Friday.

Assuming he does play against the Patriots at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday – Jackson is listed as probable with a foot injury – the fourth-year player will indeed provide them with challenges on multiple fronts.

The proof lies in the 2009 Pro Bowl balloting when Jackson, in just his second year in the league at the time, became the first player in NFL history to earn a berth in the game at two different positions.

“Fast, quick, explosive player,” Patriots cornerback Antwaun Molden said of the Eagles’ second-round pick in the 2008 draft. “He can make a play at any time, anywhere on the field, whether it’s special teams or on offense.”

While his numbers no longer rival the ones he posted in earning those dual Pro Bowl berths in 2009 – 62 receptions for 1,156 yards (an 18.6-yard average) and nine touchdowns along with 11 carries for 137 yards (a 12.5-yard average) and one TD on offense; 29 punt returns for 441 yards (a 15.2-yard average) and two TDs on special teams – there is always that threat.

Over the course of 54 games spanning a little more than 31/2 seasons, Jackson has averaged 18.0 yards and scored 19 touchdowns while catching 206 passes, averaged 7.2 yards and reached the end zone three times on 48 carries, and averaged 10.8 yards on 111 punt returns with four more TDs.

Via punt or pass, with the occasional handoff thrown in, Jackson has the ability to go deep.

“He’s a very explosive player. He can go anywhere,” Belichick said in addressing Jackson’s return ability. “He can hit it up the middle. He’s got the speed to get outside and cut back. (He’s) very elusive and it’s kind of the same thing offensively.

“They get him the ball on plays like reverses and tear screens, which are a problem, and then he’s got his normal routes and deep routes. So he can beat you deep, he can beat you on a normal over-route or in-route and there’s a lot of catch-and-run plays or reverse plays where they just put the ball in his hands and let him go, so those are like punt returns, too. He’s very dangerous. You can’t give him much space.”

Said Patriots special teams captain and wide receiver Matthew Slater: “He can change the game in one play, and we’re very well aware of that.”

Active for nine of the Eagles’ 10 games to date, Jackson has caught 35 passes for 591 yards (a 16.9-yard average) and two touchdowns and carried the ball four times for 9 yards (just 2.3 yards per carry) on offense; he’s returned 12 punts for 87 yards (a 7.3-yard average).

The one game Jackson sat out this season, well, that’s a story unto itself that speaks of an unsettled relationship between the player and his team.

Displeased with the fact that he was operating under the parameters of the four-year, $3 million-and-change contract he signed as a rookie, Jackson held out at the start of training camp this season.

That wasn’t the only time he’s been tardy for an appointment with the Eagles this year.

That one game Jackson missed, a 21-17 loss to Arizona on Nov. 13 that dug the Eagles a deeper hole in their bid for a playoff spot, occurred when head coach Andy Reid chose to sit him one day after he overslept and missed a special teams meeting.

And therein lies the problem, at times, with Jackson, who also exhibited a lack of discipline during last Sunday’s 17-10 win over New York.

On the plus side, Jackson he caught six passes for 88 yards and returned a punt for another 51; on the minus side, Jackson negated a 50-yard reception from Vince Young by drawing a penalty when he was run out of bounds and taunted Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell by flipping the ball at him.

Set his alarm clock and keep him on the field and away from the opponent’s sideline, though, and there is no denying the threat Jackson can pose.

On offense…

“Tremendous player, tremendous talent, very explosive,” Patriots cornerback Kyle Arrington said. “We just have to try to do our best in disguise, mix it up on him, not give it all to him on one play, make him work for it.”

And on special teams…

“We know we have to have a sense of urgency when dealing with a guy like this,” said Slater. “I’ve been dealing with him since college (Slater was at UCLA; Jackson at California) so I’ve seen him at the college level and at the pro level and he’s gotten the better of me and our unit a couple of times. So we have to go out there and prepare for him and be ready for him come Sunday.

“Shiftiness, speed, he’s not afraid to field the ball and take chances. He wants the ball in his hands. He wants to make plays. The speed, that’s just something you can’t coach. You have it or don’t, and he has plenty of it.”

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — The Philadelphia Eagles finally got it right in the fourth quarter, and it’s no surprise they did it against the New York Giants.

Subbing for the injured Michael Vick, Vince Young threw a go-ahead 8-yard touchdown pass to Riley Cooper with 2:45 to play and the undermanned Eagles posted a 17-10 victory over the Giants in what was a must-win game for Andy Reid’s struggling team Sunday night.

The Eagles (4-6) had lost five games in the fourth quarter this season but found the solution this time with an 80-yard, 18-play march over 8:51 that sent the Giants (6-4) to their second straight loss.

Philadelphia converted six third-down plays with DeSean Jackson setting up the first-and-goal with a 10-yard catch to the 10, and Young capping it with his second touchdown pass of the game to a wide-open Cooper, who came in without a catch this season.

Jackson, who was benched for last week’s game for missing a team meeting, finished with six catches for 88 yards. Cooper had five receptions for 75 yards.

The Eagles, of course, made Reid sweat out the final minutes. Eli Manning, who tied it with a 24-yard TD pass to Victor Cruz earlier in the quarter, drove the Giants from their own 10 to the Eagles 21 with the final 47 yards coming on a catch-and-run by Cruz with 1:25 to play.

However, Manning stepped out of the pocket on the next play and was hit from behind by Jason Babin and fumbled. Derek Landi recovered at the 26, sending the Giants to their second straight excruciating loss to the Eagles and second consecutive tough loss overall.

It dropped New York into a tie for first place with Dallas in the NFC East with six games to play and left the Eagles two games behind. The Cowboys beat the Redskins in overtime after Washington missed a game-winning field-goal attempt.

It also marked the second straight year the Eagles rallied late to beat New York at the Meadowlands with last year’s 38-31 decision coming in a game that Philadelphia rallied from 21 points down late.

Young was 23 of 36 for 258 yards and two touchdowns, and LeSean McCoy had 113 yards rushing — with 60 coming on a game-sealing scamper in the closing moments.

While Young made several big plays to spark the Eagles’ offense, he also threw three interceptions, the most costly being one that Aaron Ross picked off in the end zone on a second and 9 from the New York 16 with Philadelphia ahead 10-3 with 5 minutes left in the third quarter.

New York eventually tied it early in the fourth quarter on a 24-yard TD pass from Manning to Cruz. It was set up two plays earlier when Manning rolled out of the pocket and found Hakeem Nicks for a 47-yard gain on third down to the Eagles 24.

Manning was 18 of 35 for 264 yards, and Cruz had six catches for 128 yards. The Giants’ running game failed to get going, rushing for just 29 yards.

The first half was typical of an Eagles-Giants meeting: chippy, intense, hard-fought and, not surprisingly, ugly.

If there was a surprise, it was that the defenses dominated. The norm was Jackson taunting the Giants in more ways than one, including one that cost the Eagles a 50-yard pass completion.

Jackson set up both of the Eagles’ scores in the first half. He caught a 32-yard pass early in the second quarter to set up a 33-yard field goal by Alex Henery and then brought back excruciating memories from last season with a 51-yard punt return that was a carbon copy of his winning 65-yard punt return on the final play of the Eagles’ 38-31 Meadowlands Miracle, a game Philadelphia rallied from a 21-point deficit in the final seven-plus minutes.

What made the return so eerie was that Jackson fielded Steve Weatherford’s punt at his own 35, circled right and then ran down the sideline in front of the Giants’ bench — the same thing he did last season. The only difference was Weatherford pushed him out of bounds at the 14; Matt Dodge was the Giants’ punter last season.

It didn’t matter. One play later, Young found former Giants receiver Steve Smith cutting under the zone and he easily outran linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka into the end zone with 1:22 left in the half.

It was enough time for Manning to get the Giants on the board. A 21-yard pass to Cruz on the first play got the ball the 41 and a late 10-catch by running back D.J. Ware on a play in which he suffered a concussion set up Lawrence Tynes’ 48-yard field goal.

The Philadelphia Eagles weren’t expected to need DeSean Jackson(notes) to beat the Arizona Cardinals on Nov. 13. Even when he was benched, Eagles fans like myself worried more about what this meant for Jackson’s contract status.

Although he could have argued that Philadelphia does need to keep him after they lost to Arizona, Jackson can make a much better statement a week later. Basically, he and the Eagles have no choice since Jackson is one of the few offensive stars left in the Birds’ lineup against the New York Giants on Nov. 20.

Michael Vick(notes) and Jeremy Maclin(notes) are both out for a team that needs a win to have any slim hope left for the season. And since the Cardinals’ game showed the Eagles’ lack of depth at receiver without Jackson and Maclin, Jackson will need to carry the receiving core on his back. After the week he has just had, no one needs to come through more than him.

Jackson took a big step backwards by getting himself benched – as if his mediocre performance on the field beforehand was helping before. If he has another poor game in his return, especially when he is needed more than ever, it could be another sign of his deteriorating relationship with the team. And at this point, the fans are starting to protest less about his lack of a deal as well.

With Young now at the helm and with Maclin gone, Jackson is going to need to get the ball a lot – and catch it more than he has lately. He is long past overdue for one of his explosive series of big plays, and so are the Eagles. Even if he gets one against the Giants it might not be enough on its own to win, and it might be too late for the Eagles’ season if they do. But if Jackson wants to turn things around and remind Philadelphia of his actual value, he will start racking up big numbers again.

Technically, he shouldn’t really get that much of a chance because the Eagles should not be throwing the ball that much. Considering the injuries, what they need to do is keep feeding LeSean McCoy(notes) the ball and never let up, so that Young doesn’t have to win the game. But since Philadelphia is allergic to giving McCoy 25-30 runs a game unless they have 20 point leads early on, it can’t be expected to do the logical thing now.

Since the Eagles will probably keep throwing 30-40 times against all reason, it means that it will be Young’s game to win or lose. By extension, it will make it Jackson’s game to win or lose since he is the only star left to throw to.

It also may be his Eagles career to win or lose as well, for if he can’t come up huge when the team truly can’t afford to have him disappear, when will he ever? That is not the question Jackson needs Philadelphia to ask as another offseason of contract disputes gets closer.

Robert Dougherty is a life-long Philadelphia resident who has followed the Eagles since he was eight years old.

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