"It's football, man," the brash rookie said after his Mr. Excitement act kept the crowd awake during a game that had lost its competitive aspect by halftime. "College, NFL, whatever it is, it's still the same thing. It's not like I have a new job or anything like that, or doing something I never did before. It's just another step up to a higher level. It was just a great feeling just to be out there."
The 5-foot-10, 175-pound Jackson gave the ball that rolled downhill over the Rams its first push with a leaping 47-yard reception while tightly covered by St. Louis cornerback Tye Hill. It was the game's second play from scrimmage, and it led to the first of the Eagles' three first-half TDs.
Jackson, drafted by the Eagles in the second round, caught six passes for 106 yards. He was one of three Eagles to surpass 100 yards in receptions, joining Hank Baskett and Greg Lewis. It was the first time three Eagles caught more than 100 yards' worth of passes in the same game since Tommy McDonald, Pete Retzlaff and Tim Brown did it Dec. 18, 1960, vs. Washington, the week before they won the league championship.
In the third quarter, Jackson recaptured the fans' interest in the rout with a zig-zagging 60-yard punt return. He was bumped out of bounds at the Rams' 9-yard line by the punter, Donnie Jones, who showed more determination than his teammates by staying after Jackson after the kid had juked past him around midfield.
Jackson, who returned six punts for TDs at Cal, said that he should have gone the distance but that there would be more opportunities.
