DeSean Jackson Compared to Leon Lett After Premature Touchdown Celebration

DeSean Jackson came to the Philadelphia Eagles with hopes of being the next great Eagles wide receiver. If so, DeSean Jackson would be the first great Eagles receiver that stayed with them for one than one year in almost a generation. If one looks at the stats so far this season, DeSean Jackson is more than living up to the hype. With over 100 yards in his first two NFL games, DeSean Jackson is already setting records as a rookie. But after last night's game against the Dallas Cowboys, one gigantic mistake will define DeSean Jackson's career until future notice, and draw comparisons to the likes of Leon Lett.

In the second quarter of the Eagles 41-37 loss to the Cowboys, DeSean Jackson got a long bomb pass from Donovan McNabb that he caught easily down the field. DeSean Jackson was heading in for the touchdown that would give the Eagles a 26-21 lead. Jackson was so convinced that he scored, he tossed the football away early to begin his celebration dance. In fact, DeSean Jackson started celebrating way too early.

Jackson dropped the ball at the 1-yard line, and if any Dallas Cowboys defensemen had realized it, they could have picked up the football and taken away the Eagles score. But the whistle blew dead, so even though Jackson screwed up, the Eagles still had the ball.

Brian Westbrook jumped into the end zone on the next play for the touchdown, even though the Eagles never should have had to run that play. Eagles fans got even more worried when Westbrook's back had to be massaged on the sidelines after the touchdown, causing worries of back spasms for Westbrook, who is already injury prone.

DeSean Jackson's premature toss will still go down as an infamous play that will haunt Jackson until he comes up big in another game. The biggest thing to compare Jackson's mistake to is the 1993 Super Bowl, when the Dallas Cowboys' own Leon Lett had a chance to score in the fourth quarter. But when Leon Lett started celebrating too soon before reaching the end zone, the Buffalo Bills' Don Beebe slapped the football out of his hands. It was the Cowboys only mistake in a 52-17 win.