Redskins' DeSean Jackson late to party, no gifts

Washington Redskins wide receiver DeSean Jackson opened himself up to criticism this week when he expressed some frustration with his role in Sunday's 27-10 loss to the New England Patriots.

Jackson (left hamstring) hadn't played since the first quarter of the first game of the season against the Miami Dolphins on Sept. 13. On Sunday, he caught three passes for just 15 yards in his return.

Afterward, Jackson told a local Washington television station that "I can't call the plays for me, I can't throw the ball to myself so when the coaches and the quarterback call my number, I'll be there and doing what I need to do."

Jackson, of course, missed some time during OTAs and had a shoulder injury during training camp. He has had limited time to build any chemistry with quarterback Kirk Cousins thanks to injuries and his own choice to skip some of the organization's voluntary workouts.

"We respect DeSean a lot and what he brings to this football team, but the problem is DeSean wasn't here in OTAs and he missed a lot of training camp and he missed the first eight games," Redskins coach Jay Gruden said. "So to have cohesiveness with the quarterback coming right out of the shoot would probably be a little bit wishful thinking."

But Washington (3-5) needs Jackson if it hopes to stay in the NFC East race. The running game has been inept for a month and Jackson's speed theoretically help open things up for the offense. But that only works if he can find the extra gear that allows him separation from opposing cornerbacks. Against New England and during practices last week, Jackson didn't appear to have his usual burst. The hope is that will return soon.

"At practice [Wednesday] you could see DeSean running faster and I think he's building up his strength more," Gruden said. "DeSean was frustrated after the game. We all were, obviously, with the production of the offense. But when you watch the tape you can see him building his legs back up."

SERIES HISTORY: 25th regular-season meeting. Redskins lead series, 16-8. The last meeting was at the Superdome in 2012, a 40-32 Washington win in quarterback Robert Griffin III's debut. The Redskins have won three of the last four games with the Saints. New Orleans' last win against Washington was 33-30 in overtime on Dec. 6, 2009 at FedEx Field.