---

FOXBORO - Chad Jackson let the cat out of the bag Monday afternoon, although it's news that just about anyone would have been able to guess.

Asked if Thursday's preseason finale against the New York Giants is more important to him than it might be for other players, the third-year wide receiver said, "Yeah, because it's the last chance to pretty much show what you've got. You know that most of the starters are not going to play, and most of the primary guys and big-name guys are not going to play, so it's a big chance for me to go out there and show everybody what more I can do."

Granted, Bill Belichick rarely plays anyone in the preseason finale whose absence would be sorely missed in the regular season. But the Patriots' coach still doesn't like to hear anyone admitting to that, which means Jackson may get a talking-to about "loose lips sinking ships," and the like.

He is right about one thing, however. Whether it's Matt Cassel, Matt Gutierrez or Kevin O'Connell throwing him the ball Thursday night at Giants Stadium (7 p.m.; Ch. 5, 64), he has to make the most of the opportunity because it might be his last in a Patriot uniform.

Jackson has been plagued by injuries over his two previous seasons, thus he knew the pressure would be on him to produce in his first full training camp with the team. He looked as if the pressure was getting to him early in the preseason schedule, and admitted it when he met reporters in front of his locker Monday. "Yeah, I was a little bit," he said. "I'm not going to deny I was nervous. It was the first time I've been back out there in a long time, and I was nervous. There's a lot of pressure on me, as a younger receiver. (Tom Brady) has got older guys, veterans that have been doing it for a few years and they've been doing it the past few years with Tom. It would do a great deal if I could get on the same page with Tom, it's a great opportunity for me to be like the other guys."

Jackson will have to reserve that effort to get on the same page with Brady for practice, because it's highly unlikely that the franchise quarterback will see even a minute of action Thursday, completing his first preseason as a starter in which he did not take one single game snap.

Last week against Philadelphia, Jackson put his name into the positive column with a pretty touchdown reception along the right sideline in the end zone, winning a jump ball with two defenders to pull down a Gutierrez pass thrown where only he could catch it.

"It was just me going up there," Jackson said. "I'm a big receiver, so I just went up there to get the ball. I learned something from (Randy) Moss, just going up, jumping over guys and making plays.

Jackson said the 11th-year veteran from Marshall has been a big help to him since joining the Patriots last season. There's no underestimating Moss' leadership, he added.

"We have fun and we joke around, but when it comes down to work, Moss, he's one of the team leaders," Jackson said, "Once it's time to go out there and work hard, he's gathering everybody up and getting everybody pumped up. He says, 'guys, we've been out here a long time and we're hurting, but we've still got to go out here and work.'"

Jackson enters Thursday's game with five receptions for 34 yards, and he can't help but wonder if he's done enough yet to ensure a roster spot.

"The first two years, here, you want to contribute a lot," he said. "Then when it's kind of come on a little but and I've kind of started up a little bit, you just want to continue to go on.

"I think it's going pretty good," he said. "I've had some ups and I've had some downs. I had an up last week. So I'll keep going out there and everything will be all right."

Pulling in a touchdown pass that required athleticism and an acrobatic touch to complete has helped his confidence, he said. "It felt great," he said. "It was my first touchdown in Gillette Stadium, so I was really excited about that. I don't know what happened to the ball, I wish I had kept it. But it gave me a lot of confidence to go out there and prove I could make plays, and help this offense progress."

Now, he said, he can't afford to relax or slack off.

"I'm just staying on top. Now that I've got everything down, it's making sure I know everything during the week because the game plans change during the week. You learn all the plays and don't try to account for anything because we only use certain plays during the week. You have to make sure you know these plays and stay on top of things.

"Once the ball gets in my hands, I can make plays," he said. "And once I get myself more opportunities to do that, I'll be fine."

MARK FARINELLA may be reached at 508-236-0315 or via e-mail at mfarinel@thesunchronicle.com. Read Farinella's blog, "Blogging Fearlessly," at thesunchronicle.com/farinella.