Jackson battled all three of the Eagles' star cornerbacks. He beat Asante Samuel twice in one-on-one drills. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie ran step-for-step with Jackson in another matchup, but the receiver still hauled in a Vick pass. (It looked as if he may have drifted out of bounds before he got control of the ball, though).
"He's got fresh legs compared to the other guys who are tired. He always has a little bounce in his step anyway," coach Andy Reid said. "He's got that great speed, and the nice part is that you can tell he's been working. He was able to function at a high level out here and that's a plus."
Vick was thrilled to see the playmaker back, though possibly not as excited as Jason Avant and Riley Cooper, who have had heavy workloads in the absence of Jackson and Jeremy Maclin.
"We just picked up where we left off last year," Vick said. "He's made big play after big play, so just put the ball in his hands and let him work."
Jackson was sporting a new tattoo down the outside of his left calf. It read: "Dedication."
Jackson said that it was self-explanatory, and that he's working this year on his consistency. For a player who can take over games by himself, he also sometimes disappears.
"Consistency is huge on my end. . . . I don't want to kind of have ups, downs," Jackson said. "That's something I learned from Jerry Rice, just being as consistent as possible, and going out there every day working hard."
The work may get harder in training camp, given the talented cover men the Eagles have imported.
"I consider myself one of the best receivers in this league, so for me to go against that every day in practice, by the time the game comes around I'll be ready to go," Jackson said.
He's also on an offense with many weapons, but said he's not worried about lacking opportunities.
