San Jose Mercury: DeSean Jackson turns pro: Bad news for Cal, or good riddance?

By Jon Wilner

Here is the link (check out the comments by San Jose Mercury readers)

I can’t imagine many Cal fans are losing sleep over DeSean Jackson turning pro. Despite what he said about it being a difficult decision, everyone expected Jackson to leave school. It’s hardly a surprise.  And his lack of production/lingering injury/Big Game absence/attitude issues were major turnoffs to Old and Young Blues and to Cal football staffers.  But is his departure good for Cal? I don’t think we’ll know that until next fall, when we have a better sense for Cal’s quarterback situation.

Jackson considers himself a special player, a first-rate playmaker, and because of that he wants to make big plays. When he does make big plays, all is well. When he doesn’t make big plays, all is not well. He gets frustrated, or sulks, or does something to get suspended for the start of the Armed Forces Bowl.  That’s why I don’t think we can judge the impact of his departure until next fall.  If Nate Longshore/Kevin Riley/Brock Mansion look good, then we can assume Jackson would have been in position to make plays, be happy and help Cal win.  If the quarterbacks struggle, then we can assume there would have been minimal production from Jackson and resulting frustration.

Now, there’s one gaping hole in my theory:

To thrive, quarterbacks need quality receivers. And without Jackson and seniors Robert Jordan and Lavelle Hawkins, Cal’s starting quarterback might not have much to work with.  In other words, Longshore/Riley/Mansion might look bad because of the WR situation, which could lead to the erroneous conclusion that Jackson’s departure was a good thing.  Basically, I don’t think there is a right answer to the question, Is Jackson’s departure good (bad) for Cal?  But I do know that without him, there won’t be any proven wideouts for Longshore/Riley/Mansion.  And when faced with the choices of having 1) no Jackson and no proven wideouts or 2) Jackson and potential attitude issues … well, there have to be HUGE attitude issues to make 1) the best option.

Bottom line: Winning makes everyone feel good, but to win, you need playmakers.