DeSean Jackson contorted his lithe body, made the catch, and dropped to the ground like a bag of footballs.
A fan yelled, "Get up, I just bought your hat!"
But Jackson wasn't getting up.
The Eagles' star wide receiver lay on the grass, writhing in pain.
In that moment and in the moments soon after - the rush of trainers to the scene, Jackson getting up wobbly and almost falling again, the cart ride to the locker room with his head buried in his arm - there was a collective deep breath.
Or was it the skipping of a heartbeat?
"Yeah, especially for a quarterback," Kevin Kolb said.
Jackson injured his back and was still being evaluated, the Eagles said after practice. But about a half hour later, Jackson walked out of the locker room on his own, eased himself into his black Porsche, and sped away without comment.
His teammates and Eagles sources said the injury was minor, and the fact that Jackson walked away from the locker room suggested as much. One team source said that the pain was concentrated toward Jackson's lower back and that it was too soon to say when he could return.
This is good news for Jackson, the Eagles, and fantasy owners. As long as Jackson is back soon, and it appears he will be, he'll remain one to the top receivers to target on draft day.