“OK, here we go. Focus, speed, I am speed.” One could be forgiven for thinking that this is a quote directly from the lips of one of the fastest players in the NFL, DeSean Jackson. The quote is actually from the Pixar movie Cars, but it still applies.
It is not widely known that DeSean’s dynamic athletic ability almost brought him to Tampa Bay to play baseball. Well, almost might be a stretch. Although he was scouted by Tampa Bay as well as the Philadelphia Phillies, Djax found his true calling on the grid iron. In an impressive senior year of high school, DeSean caught over 60 passes, totaling over 1,000 yards and 15 TDs. In his high school’s championship game he stepped in at the last minute to play defensive back, responding with 2 interceptions, returning one 68 yards for a touchdown. Dynamic enough?
In 2010 DJ became the first player to be selected for the Pro Bowl at two different positions in the same year, as a Wide Receiver and Return Specialist. I turned on Eagles’ games just to see what would happen when the ball was put in his hands! I still cringe when I see him back to receive a punt because it feels like a speed like his should be rationed, only to be used when absolutely needed.
Watching Djax streaking downfield catching and scoring has been extremely satisfying in 2018. Seeing Jameis Winston hook up with DeSean in the preseason felt like a precursor of things to come. I believe those things will come, and when these two forces of nature meet, Bucs fans will be saying “Ka-chow!”
Sources: Wikipedia, IMDB Database, Google.
