ESPN

I've decided to compile a list of five players the Cowboys will face in 2012 who could give them fits. This doesn't include Eli Manning, the New York Giants receivers, Ray Lewis, Michael Vick, DeSean Jackson, Atlanta's receivers, New Orleans' offense or Ben Roethlisberger. It's just five additional guys I see as troublemakers.

Here goes:

PODCAST
Ben and Skin compare the 1992 Cowboys to the 2012 Cowboys. Position by position do the current Cowboys compare favorably to the team that was about to make the greatest run in franchise history? Listen

Cam Newton. You love the commercials. But you love his game more. He's got the size, speed and arm strength to test the Cowboys secondary. He won't be the Cowboys' biggest test in the 2012 season, but it will be interesting to see just where the secondary stands when facing Carolina on Oct. 21. The Cowboys might be coming into this game off of a loss because they take on Baltimore the previous week (more on that later), so a two-game losing streak is a strong possibility.

Andy Dalton. The former TCU standout proved last year he can play in this league. When the Cowboys visit Cincinnati on Dec. 9, they will take on the second-year quarterback who compiled a 78.1 quarterback rating but threw eight touchdowns and six interceptions in home games in 2011. NFL teams aren't waiting on quarterbacks to develop, they're playing them now and getting results. Dalton is another example of this.

Fred Davis. The Redskins tight end had seven catches in two games against the Cowboys last season. He's a threat to the linebackers and safeties who might cover him. Does Brodney Pool cover Davis? Gerald Sensabaugh? Anthony Spencer? Davis is athletic enough to provide matchup problems and with Robert Griffin III moving around the pocket, Davis becomes a target to find on the run.

Jason Pierre-Paul. The New York Giants defensive end is the new Cowboys killer. In two games last year, Pierre-Paul had 13 tackles, three sacks and a blocked field goal. The Cowboys couldn't contain this man. Last year, Doug Free had trouble with Pierre-Paul. Now, Tyron Smith gets his turn at one of the better young defensive players in the game.

Courtney Upshaw. Terrell Suggs' injury might keep him out for the Oct. 14 matchup between Baltimore and Dallas. If he's not available -- and it appears he won't be -- the rookie from Alabama will show the Cowboys what he can do. Jason Garrett saw him at Alabama's Pro Day. There's a thought that Upshaw is no different than Anthony Spencer in terms of skill set from the outside linebacker position. Early in the draft process, the Cowboys were linked to Upshaw as a mid-first round pick. But Upshaw dropped to the second round. We'll see what he can do against Dallas.

» AFC Free-Agency Primer: East | West | North | South » NFC: East | West | North | South

Free agency begins Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET

Dallas Cowboys

Key free agents: WR Laurent Robinson, S Abram Elam, LB Keith Brooking, LB Anthony Spencer (franchise)

Where they stand: Dallas needs serious help in the secondary and will have to decide whether it wants Elam back at safety while it pursues at least one cornerback. The Cowboys are expected to release Terence Newman, and they could look to add depth at that position and a new starter. Franchising Spencer indicates that while they would like to improve their pass rush, they won't be players in the Mario Williams market. Expect their free-agent focus to be on defensive backs and possibly some upgrades on the interior of the offensive line. They would like Robinson back as their No. 3 receiver, but if he's going to get No. 2 receiver-type offers, they'll likely let him walk.

What to expect: The top two cornerback targets are likely Kansas City's Brandon Carr and Tennessee's Cortland Finnegan. You can't rule out Dallas making a play for Saints guard Carl Nicks, who'd be a huge help to their offensive line. But someone like Baltimore's Ben Grubbs is likely to be more attainable financially. What the Cowboys really need on the line is a center, but it's not a great market for those unless they can get their hands on Houston's Chris Myers. The Cowboys likely will hunt for some second-tier safeties and inside linebackers to add depth, then target defensive back again early in the draft.

New York Giants

Key free agents: WR Mario Manningham, OT Kareem McKenzie, CB Aaron Ross, CB Terrell Thomas, LB Jonathan Goff, P Steve Weatherford (franchise).

Where they stand: The Super Bowl champs must get their own cap situation in order first, as they project to be about $7.25 million over the projected cap. That may mean tough cuts of people like Brandon Jacobs or David Diehl, or it may just mean some contract restructuring (like the big one they apparently just did with Eli Manning). Regardless, don't expect the Giants to spend big to keep Manningham or Ross. They're likely to bring back Thomas on a team-favorable deal as a result of the knee injury that cost him the entire 2011 season, and they'll probably let McKenzie walk and try to replace him internally (which favors Diehl's chances of sticking around).

What to expect: Just like last year, don't expect the Giants to be big-game hunters. They like to grow their own replacements. If Manningham leaves, they won't go after the top wide receivers but might try to find a bargain or two to supplement the young players from whom they're expecting more production next season. They could find a midlevel safety if they don't bring back Deon Grant, and if Jacobs leaves they'll probably bring in a veteran running back or two to compete in training camp with their youngsters. They liked Ronnie Brown last year as a possible Ahmad Bradshaw replacement when Bradshaw was a pending free agent, so there's a name to watch for if you want one.

Philadelphia Eagles

Key free agents: G Evan Mathis, DT Trevor Laws, DT Antonio Dixon (restricted), WR DeSean Jackson (franchise), QB Vince Young

Where they stand: Other than Mathis, whom they're working to try and re-sign before he his the market, the Eagles don't have many internal free-agent issues to worry about. They franchised Jackson because they're not ready to give him a long-term deal just yet. He's a candidate for a trade, but it would have to be a very nice offer. If they traded him, they'd hunt for a wide receiver, but they may do so anyway -- just at a lower level (think Plaxico Burress). The interior of the defensive line is in fairly good hands with Cullen Jenkins and Mike Patterson as starters, but they could stand to add depth to that rotation. And while they signed Trent Edwards a couple of weeks ago, they'll keep looking for a better veteran backup quarterback option with Young sure to be gone.

What to expect: Do not -- I repeat, do not -- expect the Eagles to be the same kind of player they were in free agency a year ago. Andy Reid made it very clear several times during the 2011 offseason and season that last year was unique, and the Eagles don't like to do business that way in general. They do need linebackers, and they have the cap room to play on guys like Stephen Tulloch or Curtis Lofton or even, if they wanted to get really nutty, London Fletcher. But while you can expect them to add a veteran or two at the position, don't be surprised if they sit out the higher-priced auctions this time around.

Washington Redskins

Key free agents: S LaRon Landry, LB London Fletcher, DE Adam Carriker, TE Fred Davis (franchise), QB Rex Grossman

Where they stand: Mike Shanahan said in December that Fletcher was a priority, but he remains unsigned with less than a week to go before free agency. Presumably, they'd still like to lock him up before he hits the market. If they can't, they'll have to replace a major on-field and off-field presence. Carriker is likely to be back, but the Fletcher situation has to be settled first. Landry likely is gone unless he wants to take a low-base, high-incentive deal to stay. The Redskins are sick of not knowing whether he'll be able to take the field from week to week. Grossman could return, but only as a backup to whatever quarterback upgrade they find.

What to expect: The Redskins could have more than $40 million in cap room with which to maneuver in free agency, and they're going to need it. They need a quarterback, of course, and if they can't make the trade with the Rams to move up to No. 2 in the draft and pick Robert Griffin III, they'll look at Peyton Manning and Kyle Orton and possibly Matt Flynn, though he doesn't appear to be high on their list. What Shanahan really wants is a true playmaking No. 1 wide receiver, which is why the Redskins have their eyes on Vincent Jackson and Marques Colston, who are at the very top end of that market. They'll be able to outbid almost anyone for those guys if they want to, but they may have to get quarterback figured out first if they want to persuade one of them to take their offer over similar ones. They'll also hunt for help on the offensive line and in the secondary, as they need depth in both places.

Yeah, I saw the story that Randy Moss wants to come out of retirement and play in the NFL again in 2012. And yeah, it's the offseason, so my first reaction was to do a post about whether he'd make sense for any of the teams in the NFC East. I'm not proud. It's content. It's a big name. It hits all four teams. And hey, you're reading it.

However, before we go any further, I must make one thing clear: I do not believe Randy Moss will ever play in the NFL again. The guy washed out with three different teams in 2010, couldn't find a job in 2011 and now, at the age of 35 and in a free-agent market flooded with good wide receivers in their primes, he thinks a team is going to take a chance on him? Agree to disagree, Randy. Agree to disagree.

That said, I have (as many of you are fond of pointing out) been wrong before. And so, if by some chance Moss can prove he still has enough speed to be a legitimate deep threat -- to get separation from defensive backs and perform as a difference-making downfield option for an offense, as he could not do in 2010 for three different teams -- would he make any sense in our division? My team-by-team ultra-fantastical hypothetical answers follow.

Dallas Cowboys: No. Not even a little. The Cowboys need a No. 3, first of all, and that's only if they let Laurent Robinson walk. If Dez Bryant and Miles Austin are healthy, Moss is an upgrade over neither one. And do you really want him around Bryant? No.

New York Giants: No. Not even a little. Go back and read the Cowboys answer and replace "Laurent Robinson" with "Mario Manningham" and replace "Dez Bryant and Miles Austin" with "Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz." No. Not a Giants kind of thing to do, this.

Philadelphia Eagles: Interesting, but only if they decide to move on from DeSean Jackson, as I believe they might. If Moss shows the deep-threat ability that made him such a weapon with Minnesota and New England at various points in his career, and if Jackson is out of the picture, the must-win-now-or-everyone's-getting-fired Eagles wouldn't be a ridiculous landing spot. Again, lot of "if"s, but don't be surprised to see this connection made again if Jackson isn't back.

Washington Redskins: The 2007-09 version of Moss is exactly what the Redskins need. But (a) this is the 2012 version, and (b) Moss doesn't respond well to being in losing environments. Even if he could flash that 07-09 form, the Redskins would have to be a lot more set at quarterback and offensive line than they are right now. And the quarterback would have to be a veteran like Peyton Manning or Kyle Orton and not a rookie or first-time starter like Robert Griffin III or Matt Flynn.

This is the third in a 12-part series on the Cowboys roster.

Players: Miles Austin (signed through 2016), Dez Bryant (signed through 2014), Laurent Robinson (unrestricted free agent), Kevin Ogletree (restricted free agent), Dwayne Harris (signed through 2014), Andre Holmes (signed through 2013), Raymond Radway (signed through 2013), Teddy Williams (reserves/future contract)

Top free agents: Wes Welker, New England Patriots; Marques Colston, New Orleans Saints; DeSean Jackson, Philadelphia Eagles; Vincent Jackson, San Diego Chargers; Dwayne Bowe, Kansas City Chiefs.

Top draft prospects: Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State; Michael Floyd, Notre Dame; Kendall Wright, Baylor; Alshon Jeffrey, South Carolina; Mohamed Sanu, Rutgers.

2011 review: Robinson, who was signed in early September after being cut by the Chargers, ended up being the Cowboys’ most effective receiver. It took an injury to Austin and ineffectiveness by Ogletree for Robinson to get a significant role, but he led the Cowboys with 11 touchdown catches and was second among the team’s wideouts in catches (54) and receiving yards (858). Bryant didn’t have a 100-yard game all season, but he made significant progress, finishing his second year with 63 catches for 928 yards and nine touchdowns. Austin was a disappointment in the second year of a $54 million contract. He missed six games due to two hamstring strains, finishing the season with only 43 catches for 579 yards and seven touchdowns.

Offseason preview: The Cowboys’ biggest decision regarding the receiving corps will be whether to re-sign Robinson. He’s made it clear that he wants to return to Valley Ranch and has indicated that the Cowboys wouldn’t necessarily have to be the top bidders to keep him. What the Cowboys would be willing to pay for a No. 3 receiver who has proven he can be a quality fill-in starter isn’t clear. If the Cowboys don’t re-sign Robinson, they’ll need to find another third receiver, whether it’s in the draft or another free-agency bargain.

Bryan Broaddus’ Scout’s Eye: The Cowboys will be set at starters with Austin and Bryant. The biggest question will be if the club makes the effort to try and re-sign Robinson or if it allows him to leave via free agency. I would not be surprised if the front office allows Robinson to walk. If that is the case, then his numbers will need to be replaced. Let's be honest, Ogletree can't do the job as the third receiver. Ogletree has been given every opportunity to step up and take that job, but he can't do it. If not Robinson or Ogletree, there is Holley, Harris, Radway and Holmes. Holley had some productive snaps but mainly on special teams. Harris was off and on the practice squad. Radway is an interesting player because if he didn't get injured on the last play of the preseason game against the Dolphins, there was a great chance he was going to make the roster. The plan will be to try and find another Robinson in free agency with the available receivers. I don't see them using a high pick on a receiver but taking the approach of looking at a height-weight-speed player later.

Need meter (0-5): 2

There was going to be two ways that Jason Garrett and the Cowboys were going to play this game against the Eagles on Christmas Eve:

* If the New York Jets had beaten the New York Giants earlier in the day, then it was going to be all hands on deck to try and win the NFC East divisional title.

* If the Giants won, it'd be a meaningless game and Garrett would need to manage the game to try and protect players injured players such as Felix Jones, Jay Ratliff and DeMarcus Ware before this week's showdown vs. the Giants.

What Garrett didn’t count on was quarterback Tony Romo getting injured. What surprised me the most about the way that Garrett played this game was the amount of snaps that he gave to Ware and Ratliff. I was convinced Jones, Ratliff and Ware wouldn't play much, but it didn’t work out that way. To their credit, Ware and Ratliff were the best players on defense.

PODCAST
Bryan Broaddus and Tim MacMahon discuss how the offseason may shape up if the Cowboys wrap up the season at 8-8. Listen

Cowboys' ends limit McCoy's effectiveness this time

I felt Eagles RB LeSean McCoy would cause the most problems on offense, both in the running and passing games. When the Cowboys and Eagles met in Week 8, the Cowboys' front seven -- particularly DEs Marcus Spears, Kenyon Coleman and Jason Hatcher -- played poorly. They couldn’t get off blocks and did nothing to hold the point of attack.

In Saturday's game, the Cowboys' ends did a much better job of not getting pushed around, allowing the linebackers to flow and make plays. Spears had several plays where he was square to the line of scrimmage and was able to stack the blockers, which gave McCoy no room to run. Where the Cowboys' defense was outstanding was playing backside technique and not allowing McCoy to make that stop-start cut which hurt them last time.

Newman, Cowboys' secondary struggle yet again

In the first half, there were once again problems in the secondary with coverage. On the first drive of the game, the Cowboys were able to get pressure on Michael Vick.

With Anthony Spencer flushing Vick to his left, Spencer grabbed a hold of Vick’s facemask while trying to get him to the ground. Down the field, Mike Jenkins lost contact with receiver Riley Cooper as he started up the field. Gerald Sensabaugh tried to get over to help, but was left backpedaling while trying to locate the ball as it floated over his head. Safety Abram Elam also tried to get over to help, but he badly misplayed the ball as well. The result: Cooper caught the ball with three defenders within two yards of him.

There were several plays in this game where Terence Newman was not near good enough. In the second quarter, Newman misplayed a ball on second-and-10 after Marcus Spears made a nice square tackle on first down against McCoy.

When you study Vick, the one place that he loves to throw the ball is the middle of the field. On this particular play, receiver DeSean Jackson drove on a crossing route against Newman in man coverage. When Jackson broke inside, Newman lost contact with him and then tried to undercut the route but was a step late. Ware was able to get pressure on Vick, but not enough to affect the throw. Vick ripped it down the middle of the field to Jackson with Newman in chase position, giving up a catch and the first down.

On the Eagles TD with 10 seconds left in the half, Newman and Jenkins were playing in-and-out coverage on Jeremy Maclin from the 6. Newman was on the inside and Jenkins on the outside as Maclin started his route up the field and then inside. Newman passed Jackson inside to Sensabaugh from the slot and turned his attention to Maclin on the outside. Jenkins saw Maclin start inside but Newman didn’t react quick enough to pick him up. As Maclin got away from Jenkins and cleared Newman, Vick saw Newman not react and fired the ball to the middle of the end zone for a TD.

In the third quarter, the Eagles dialed up a screen pass to tight end Brent Celek. Where the Eagles are dangerous is that they'll throw a screen at any point on the field. On this play, Newman was once again trying to cover Maclin down the field but misplayed his route and got turned around and had his back to the screen. As Newman is hand fighting with Maclin, Celek ran right by him and up the field for a big play. If Newman hadn’t got in such bad position on the route, he could have made the tackle, keeping Celek from getting down the field.

Cowboys' offensive line failed to protect Romo

This game was going to be a struggle for the Cowboys' offensive line to provide protection, with or without Romo in the lineup. Romo doesn't have Vick's mobility, but he has been able to buy second and third chances with his legs the last several weeks. That's why the offense has been so productive.

The challenge for the line this week was to block defensive ends Jason Babin and Trent Cole. Once again, the line struggled most with protection as a result of not picking up the twist stunt. On the play that Romo was injured, the Eagles used a blitz that they've run in several games this season.

With the Cowboys facing a third-and-4, the Eagles blitzed Matthews in the front side “A” gap, which was picked up by Phil Costa. Patterson hit the “B” gap, which was blocked by Kyle Kosier. Jason Babin was lined up on the outside shoulder of Tyron Smith, started into the line then looped all the way behind his teammates hitting the gaps. Smith tried to crash down inside to wad up the rushers, but Babin made it clean all the way through the center box while Costa was still locked up on his man.

Kosier saw what was happening and tried to work inside to block Babin but went to the ground. Babin had a free run at Romo, who was trying to get the ball to Miles Austin on a crossing route. The problem with this play is that Austin and Dez Bryant were trying to cross by each other with one of them not running the route deep enough, causing both receivers to not get to their spot cleanly. Romo had Babin in his face to the point that his hand hit Babin’s helmet. In all discussions that I have had with members of the front office, Romo should be ready to play against the Giants on Sunday.

» NFC Stock Watch: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

FALLING

1. Cowboys' offensive line. With the exception of brilliant rookie right tackle Tyron Smith, who handled the red-hot Jason Babin well most of the night, the Dallas Cowboys' line was dominated physically by the Eagles' defensive front. And now, with left guard Montrae Holland out with a torn biceps, they're shorthanded for their big division title game against the New York Giants and their fearsome D-linemen. Someone on the Cowboys' line is going to have to step up and play better than they've been playing. And no matter what happens Sunday night, interior offensive line is going to be a need position this offseason.

2. The Philadelphia Eagles' draft position. One more win gets the Eagles to .500 for the season and could slide them further back into the middle of the draft's first round than they already are. (Currently, they'd hold the No. 13 pick). That lessens their chances at an impact player that would hasten their planned 2012 turnaround, but the Eagles have several needs they can address on defense at that point in the draft. They might even be able to get a wide receiver there if they cut ties with DeSean Jackson.

3. Washington Redskins' self-confidence: Flying high two weeks ago after a big victory over the Giants, the Redskins' defense melted down Saturday against Joe Webb, Toby Gerhart and the Minnesota Vikings' bench. The loss deprived the Redskins of a chance to improve on their 2010 record and, as their worst defensive performance of the season, left them scratching their heads a bit as they ponder the future. The thought around Washington has been that this offseason's focus would be on offense. But there may be some tinkering left to do on defense, particularly on the back end.

RISING

1. Justin Tuck, Giants defensive end. And, with him, the Giants' defensive line. After last week's pep talks by coach Tom Coughlin and GM Jerry Reese, Tuck was able to exert a little bit of mind over matter for the first time this season, sweep aside the aches and pains that have been bugging him and play his best game so far this year. Tuck admitted after the game he hasn't been mentally right this year, and he has let his injury problems bother him more than they should have. If he's back in the right frame of mind to stay, and the Giants can come after Tony Romo from his side and Jason Pierre-Paul's on Sunday night, you have to like their chances.

2. Cowboys fans' blood pressure. Because this should have been taken care of weeks ago. If the Cowboys lose to the Giants and miss the playoffs, the laments will be numerous and woeful. They should have held their late leads against the Jets, Lions, Patriots, Cardinals and Giants. Win two of those five games -- all of which they surely could have won — and they'd have rendered the season finale meaningless. But their inability to finish games has put them in a position to have to finish the season with a tough win on the road. And their fans will spend this entire week fretting over whether Romo, Jason Garrett and the crew have what it takes to do that.

3. Victor Cruz, Giants wide receiver. His 99-yard touchdown catch flipped the game in favor of the Giants right before halftime and may have been the play of the Giants' season. Cruz also set a new Giants team record for receiving yards in a single season, running his 2011 total to 1,358 and breaking Amani Toomer's team record. He's not likely to be announced as a Pro Bowler tonight, because he wasn't on the fan ballot and the fan vote counts for one-third of the total. But his breakout season is a big reason the Giants have a chance to make the playoffs.

When Jason Garrett's Cowboys met at Valley Ranch this week, all they had to do to be reminded of what these Philadelphia Eagles did to them in Week 8 is sit down in their meeting rooms and study the tape of the total domination to understand what they will be up against this weekend.

The Cowboys have faced some quality opponents, but when you study the Eagles you see nothing like the other teams in the league with what you have to deal with from an offensive standpoint. There were days when I was in Green Bay and playing the '90s Cowboys when you went into a game against them trying to figure out how you were going to stop Emmitt Smith from running the ball or Jay Novacek on third downs or Michael Irvin on the slant. Just when you thought that you had one of those areas taken care of, the other players would find a way to take the game from you. This Eagles offense puts a lot of those same thoughts in my mind that I experienced against those Cowboys teams.

In the last meeting between these two teams, Rob Ryan and his staff made the decision to not allow these Eagles wide receivers to make any vertical plays down the field. Safeties Abram Elam and Gerald Sensabaugh, as Ryan put it, played "503 yards deep" from the line of scrimmage. The problem with this decision for Ryan was with his safeties so deep, he opened up the middle of the field.

Then to compound the problem, he lost Sean Lee in the game -- the only linebacker that was athletic enough to make a play in the middle of the field. This was a horrible situation for Ryan because it meant that he had to rely on Keith Brooking and Bradie James, who were exposed in coverage and in the running game. With the deep safeties, it allowed tight end Brent Celek and wide receivers Jeremy Maclin and DeSean Jackson to work crossing routes inside.

When I have studied Vick his last four games, the one area that he likes to attack is the middle of the field. Matter of fact, his best and worst throws come when he is working the middle of the field. Vick just looks more comfortable throwing to targets right in front of him, but like I mentioned he will make mistakes trying to fit ball down the middle against safeties.

McCoy looms as multi-dimensional threat

The deep safeties also hurt Ryan in the running game dealing with LeSean McCoy.

There are three areas that McCoy can hurt your defense.

The first one is on the stretch play when you have the offensive line with full flow running with defenders and he takes the ball all the way to the edge and around the corner. The Cowboys got gashed in the last meeting by the down blocking by tackles Jason Peters and Todd Herremans, who were able to set the edge allowing the ball to get outside. Watch how Marcus Spears, Jason Hatcher and Kenyon Coleman play in this contest, because if the Eagles are running the ball well on the edges, it's probably because the defensive ends are not doing their jobs getting off blocks.

The second way that McCoy hurts you is with the sprint draw. Teams have various ways they run the draw, but the Eagles take full advantage of the ball-handling skill of Vick. Teams try so hard to get up the field and attack the Eagles before they get going that it leaves lanes in the defense. As the defense is coming up the field, Vick does an outstanding job of tucking the ball into McCoy and letting him use his vision and quickness to get the ball up the field past the oncoming defenders.

The final way that McCoy can hurt you is as a pass catcher, whether that is in the flat or more impressively in the screen game. The Eagles love to run screens and they will do them from anywhere on the field. The Eagles are the most dangerous when they get into the red zone and once again try to take advantage of defenders getting up the field. The Eagles will throw wide receiver screens to Jackson, they will use Celek in a delay screen where he blocks for two or three counts, then works his way to the outside in the open field, but the player that gives defenses the most trouble is McCoy. He catches the ball so well on the move and when he gets one-on-one, he can break anyone down. The problem for Ryan is that he doesn't really know when offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg is going to use these screens, but he knows they will.

The Eagles' struggles this season have been with their offensive line. Against the Cowboys in the last meeting, I felt like that they were better than the Dallas front seven. There were too many plays where the Cowboys didn't do a good enough job of getting off blocks allowing the Eagles to control the game upfront.

The best offensive lineman for the Eagles is Peters at left tackle. In the games I was able to study, Peters more than has held his own, whereas earlier in the season, he didn't appear to move all that well. I thought he moved way too slow with his feet, but that has changed.

Teams have taken advantage of the Eagles inside with guards Evan Mathis and Danny Watkins. Rookie center Jason Kelce will get overpowered at the point of attack. The mobility of Vick and the quickness of McCoy really assist this offensive line in overcoming a great deal of their shortcomings.

Smith handles Babin once more

The last time that these two clubs met, there was a great deal of pressure on Eagles defensive coordinator Juan Castillo because of the direction that the defense was going. Losses were mounting and the players that were brought in had yet to truly play as a collective unit.

The buzzword that you will hear in all the pregame shows will be how the Eagles play this defensive alignment of a "Wide 9," which is simply, defensive ends Trent Cole and Jason Babin play wide on the outside shoulder of the tackles Doug Free and Tyron Smith. At times they will be a full man removed from the tackle. When you play this type of scheme, you are asking your ends to get up the field as quickly as possible to disrupt the running game but more importantly cause problems in the passing game. Pass rush is where the Eagles cause the most problems.

Usually your best pass rusher will rush from the offensive left hand side, but the Eagles' best rusher comes from the offensive right. The Green Bay Packers are the same way with Clay Matthews rushing from the offensive right.

Babin, who has a league-leading 18 sacks, is as explosive as any rusher Smith will face all season. As a matter of fact, Babin was the rusher who gave Smith the most trouble with his inside move. Talking to Smith, he now understands what he is up against and I think he is better for it.

Babin is unique with this move because he is able to do it at the depth and level of the quarterback's drop. He has a real feel for how to push up the field and get all of the weight of the tackle on his outside foot then quickly duck underneath. Smith really struggled when Babin used this technique on him.

At the other end is Trent Cole against Free. There should be serious cause for concern here because of the struggles that Free has had with technique this season. Cole is a better run player than Babin.

The Eagles are at their best in run defense when the ball goes wide and they are able to handle the play. It is when teams have run the ball at them that they have had their struggles. I thought the Seahawks did a real nice job with this in the regard that they physically came off the ball, getting hats on hats and making the Eagles fight blocks then have to deal with Marshawn Lynch.

The Eagles' weakness on defense is at linebacker. In studying Akeem Jordan, Jamar Chaney, Brian Rolle and Casey Matthews, I didn't feel like they did a good enough job of taking on blocks. With the injury to Felix Jones, I would not be one bit surprised to see Jason Garrett try to attack this Eagles defense with fullback Tony Fiammetta, Jones and Sammy Morris going straight ahead.

Teams have had also had success running the ball with misdirection plays. By that, I mean starting flow one way and getting the defense to react then bringing the ball backside with an H-blocker or fullback. If Jones was healthy, this is something you might see more of.

In the secondary, Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie are the corners with Joselio Hanson as the nickel. Asomugha will play the slot. The last time that these two teams met, he covered Jason Witten when he was in line and in the slot.

Something else to watch for is that Castillo has gone back to some of the old exotic blitz schemes that former defensive coordinator Jim Johnson used. In the Jets and Dolphins games, Castillo used two down linemen and had Cole, Babin and Matthews standing up in the middle of the defense. The Cowboys have had their troubles with blitz pickups when teams put pressure in the middle of the pocket with twist stunts.

Two things must happen this week: the Cowboys receivers must find a way to win on the outside and the offensive line must be able to pick up blitzes in the middle of Eagles defense. If they struggle in either area, you will see sacks much like Mark Sanchez and Matt Moore suffered in their games against the Eagles.

IRVING, Texas -- It's a little later than normal, but we bring you Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer with all that you need to know about the Eagles in this week's version of The Other Side:

Archer - What's the vibe in Philly this week? There is a feeling down here that the Eagles are dangerous and could end up winning this division after all.

McLane - The Eagles certainly can't think they're going to win the NFC East because not only does a lot have to happen for that to occur, but they really don't even deserve to be in this spot. And that's probably beneficial to how they'll play Saturday if the Jets beat the Giants and they're still alive. They really aren't taking themselves seriously and thus they don't have much to lose, which is probably why the Cowboys sound a little nervous.

Archer - Say the Eagles fall flat in their final two games, is there any real possibility that Andy Reid could be in jeopardy?

McLane - There's a possibility but all signs point to Reid returning for his 14th season. He still has two years left on his contract - at $5 million per - so the Eagles aren't likely to eat that. And the front office probably feels he deserves one more shot to finally win a Super Bowl. Michael Vick will definitely be back for one more reason and a regime change at this point would probably make little sense.

Archer - For all of the talk about Jeremy Maclin and DeSean Jackson in the passing game, Brent Celek has become the go-to guy. Is that because of the attention to the guys on the outside?

McLane - There are a number of reasons Celek's numbers are up. Vick, for one, is throwing the ball to him a little more and some of that has to do with the attention Jackson and Maclin are drawing. And two, Celek isn't dropping as many balls thrown in his direction as he was last season.

Archer -Jason Babin has been a terror with 18 sacks. Is it simply a case of Jim Washburn knowing how to use him best?

McLane - Babin, a speed rusher, is tailor made for Washburn's wide-nine. He's also a little too focused on getting sacks at the expense of the run. But that's what Washburn asks out of his ends. Having Trent Cole, who does make more of an effort at stopping the run, on the other side of the defensive line has also benefitted Babin.

Archer - I know it's a QB league, but how good has LeSean McCoy been this year? Twenty touchdowns is just ridiculous

McLane - He's been excellent. Some people like to say he's just a system running back, but that is just plain ignorance. McCoy, on many occasions, has simply made something when there really wasn't anything there. He's a superstar in waiting and may already be at that level.

Don't get me wrong. I don't think it didn't bother the Philadelphia Eagles to lose all of those games they should have won back before their playoff hopes were this desperate. It just wasn't showing up on the field. Other than the immediate-post-bye Andy Reid special in which they thrashed the Cowboys, and maybe the Redskins game right before the bye, the Eagles never looked as though they felt a sense of urgency about their season.

That's changed, though, over the past couple of weeks. Michael Vick is playing hard, smart and focused in spite of obvious lingering pain in his ribs. Jason Babin is playing as though every quarterback in the league dated his sister one time and then never called her again. DeSean Jackson, the guy who's taking all the heat for putting his own health above the good of the team due to his unresolved contract situation, hurt his elbow making a tackle trying to save a touchdown after a turnover.

"I saw their guy pick it up and run it back," Jackson told reporters in the locker room postgame. "Michael Vick was in front of him. Instead of my quarterback making the tackle, I had to stick myself in there and make that play. Regardless of whether I was hurt or anything, I came back."

These are not the Eagles we remember from such uninspired losses as Arizona, Chicago, Buffalo and First Giants. They're certainly not the Eagles we remember from two Thursdays ago in Seattle. If this season were 19 games long, we'd be looking at the Eagles as a team poised to finish hot and right the wrongs of the first three-quarters of their season. As it is, they still retain a mathematical chance of making the playoffs, and they're finally playing as though they want to.

"I mean, you think back on the season and you get frustrated because there were a lot of games that we should have won hands down that we didn't win, whether it was because of turnovers or just lack of performance on offense in certain areas," Vick said. "For the most part, we played good football all season, when you think about the games that we've lost and the games that we’ve won and how they’re been decided. So it kind of gets frustrating and you have to kind of tell yourself, just continue live in the moment because there's nothing you can do about the past."

PODCAST
Coop and Nate break down the NFC East playoff picture. The Cowboys can lock things up this weekend, and the Eagles still have a chance. Listen

To a certain extent, there's not a lot they can do about the future, either. They need to win their final two games and hope the Jets beat the Giants on Saturday and then the Giants beat the Cowboys eight days later. If all of even one of those things fails to happen, they're out. If the Giants beat the Jets in their early game Saturday, the Eagles will take the field in Dallas knowing their season is over. But if not, and they beat the Cowboys, they will go into Week 17 with a chance at being an 8-8 division champ and a probably pretty dangerous playoff team. They'd be going in hot, with their defense playing well and Vick, Jackson and a few other guys playing with chips on their shoulders. They'd be going in with renewed life and confidence in a team that should have been playing this well from the beginning.

It may not make any sense. And if you're an Eagles fan, it's probably pretty frustrating to think what might have been if they'd showed this kind of fight from the start -- if they'd been able to finish out just two of those fourth-quarter losses that got away from them in the first half of the season. But for whatever reason -- whether they feel like they have nothing left to lose or whether it just took 12 games for everybody to jell or whether they just caught the Dolphins and Jets on bad days and are going to get smoked in Dallas -- the Eagles are finally playing like an inspired team that believes itself to be good enough to win and dominate. Whether that ends up meaning anything, we have to wait and see.

Five-star question: Will Patrick Peterson, averaging 19.2 per punt return the past four games with three touchdowns, hit his average or return a punt for a touchdown Sunday against the Cowboys?

This is probably not the best time for Mat McBriar to be in a mini-slump with Patrick Peterson on the other end of his punts, but if you go by history the Cowboys should be able to keep the rookie returner under his 19.2-yard average.

Over the last few years McBriar has faced some of the NFL’s best returners, from Dante Hall to Devin Hester to DeSean Jackson to Ted Ginn and he has more than held his own.

Of course, he was healthy in those matchups. This case of drop foot has affected him some, although he said the pain has subsided for the most part recently.

McBriar will have to limit Peterson’s access to the full field. McBriar is adept at keeping his punts outside the numbers. Washington’s two returns a few weeks ago came on punts that were close to the middle of the field, which stretched the coverage team.

That came after McBriar had a 23-yard punt out of bounds. He was conscious of that happening again and his aim was off.

His aim can’t be off against Peterson. He has shown the willingness to catch a punt anywhere and return it. The 99-yard return against St. Louis is the classic no-no-no, yes-yes-yes play. His other returns for touchdowns are 89, 82 and 80 yards.

Look for McBriar to kick the ball near the sideline or out of bounds or use his flip-flop technique to force fair catches.

» NFC Final Word: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 11:

Cowboys going conservative? According to ESPN Stats & Information, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is throwing downfield with much less frequency over his past four games. In the Cowboys' first five games of the season, Romo averaged 6.6 passes of 15 or more yards downfield per game and had a completion percentage of 48.5 with three touchdowns and two interceptions on those throws. But in the past four games, he's averaging only 4.5 such attempts per game and completing 61.1 percent of them with five touchdowns and just one interception. So while he's still taking his shots downfield, Romo seems to be doing so more judiciously and with greater effectiveness.

Run game a team effort: A big part of the reason Romo hasn't had to go downfield as much is the emergence of rookie running back DeMarco Murray, who has 601 rushing yards over the past four games. But it looks as though improvements on the offensive line have had more than a little bit to do with Murray's success. Stats & Info says Murray's 3.3 yards per carry after contact on runs between the tackles is the best such average in the NFL this season, and his 4.0 yards per carry before contact on runs between the tackles is also the best. So he's hard to bring down, sure, but they're also opening up nice holes for him.

Bag the blitz: The Cowboys ought to be able to pressure Washington Redskins quarterback Rex Grossman into mistakes out of their base 3-4 defense. Of Grossman's 11 interceptions this season, nine have come in situations when the opposing defense sends four or fewer rushers. The Cowboys have nine interceptions as a team this season when rushing four or fewer, which is the fourth-best figure in the NFL. With DeMarcus Ware coming off the edge, they don't need much help getting to the quarterback. And it appears Grossman is the kind of quarterback who will force a throw and make a mistake even when faced with minimal pressure.

Home away from home: Counting playoff games, the Philadelphia Eagles have won four straight road games against the New York Giants. That's their longest road winning streak against the Giants since they rattled off eight in a row from 1974 to 1981. Eagles fans and Giants fans alike will remember the last time these teams met in the Meadowlands as the game in which the Giants blew that huge second-half lead and DeSean Jackson ran a punt back with no time left on the clock, delivering a victory that propelled the Eagles to the division title and helped dash the Giants' playoff hopes. This season, though, it's the Eagles who blow the fourth-quarter leads (in five of their six losses), and Jackson has been a non-factor in the return game as well as the passing game.

Two-minute Manning: Giants quarterback Eli Manning has four touchdown passes so far this season in the final two minutes of either the first or second half of a game. ESPN Stats & Information says that's tied with New England's Tom Brady for the most such touchdown passes in this league this season, and that since the start of 2008, no quarterback in the league has more touchdown passes in the final two minutes of halves than Manning, who has 20. That puts him ahead of his big brother, Peyton Manning, who has 19 -- two ahead of the Saints' Drew Brees and four ahead of Romo and the Bears' Jay Cutler. Interesting list.

» NFC Stock Watch: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

FALLING

1. DeSean Jackson's prospects of a future in Philadelphia. Sunday began with the startling news that Jackson had skipped an Eagles team meeting and would be benched for the game against the Cardinals. A lot of other things happened in that game, and the Eagles lost it and probably slipped out of the playoff race. But the bigger, beyond-this-season issue is that of Jackson, who wants a new long-term contract, hasn't helped his chances of getting one with the way he has played this season, and now this missed-meeting fiasco. The Eagles could apply the franchise tag to Jackson next year if they want to keep him around for another season but not make the long-term commitment. But if he's already this unhappy, and he's not producing the way he used to, this might just be a marriage that needs to end.

2. Eagles' health. During that Arizona game, quarterback Michael Vick broke some ribs and wide receiver Jeremy Maclin hurt his shoulder and hamstring. Now it looks as though the status of both players is in question for Sunday night's game against the first-place New York Giants, and obviously the Eagles are at a point where they can no longer lose any more games. On the bright side, Jackson should be healthy and well-rested, right?

3. Redskins' luck. Washington's run of injuries at key positions has been well-chronicled here, and their season was already sunk before rookie wide receiver Leonard Hankerson went on IR with a hip injury. But the Hankerson injury is a kick in the gut for a Redskins team that was hoping to see more of him in the second half of the season in an effort to determine what role he might have on next year's team. Hankerson had a breakout game Sunday, catching eight passes for 106 yards before his injury, and now Washington fans don't even get to enjoy watching a talented rookie develop during an otherwise lost season.

RISING

1. Dallas Cowboys' playoff hopes. Dallas is one game behind the Giants now and still has two head-to-head matchups against them to come. Their first meeting will be in Dallas on Dec. 11. Between now and then, the Cowboys will play the Redskins, Dolphins and Cardinals, while the Giants play the Eagles, Saints and Packers. It's not unreasonable to think Dallas could even be in first place by the time it faces the Giants, and regardless, that game and their Week 17 matchup loom as potentially decisive games in the NFC East race. The Cowboys may have had some problems early, but the schedule favors them the rest of the way. And with the head-to-head games against New York still on the schedule, their fate is in their hands.

2. Tony Romo's health. Finally fully recovered from the broken ribs he suffered in a Week 2 victory over the 49ers, the Cowboys' quarterback played one of the best games of his life Sunday in thrashing the Buffalo Bills. After the game, he said it was the first time since that San Francisco game that he felt fully healthy. And if that means he's going to play like this the rest of the way (and stay away from those pesky second-half interceptions that did him in a couple of times earlier this year), that's a scary thought.

3. Rex Grossman. Hey, look. A week ago he wasn't one of the 32 men in the world who could call themselves a starting NFL quarterback, and this week he is. So, rising. It appears the Redskins have given Grossman the keys to their offense for the foreseeable future, and his job is to run it efficiently enough to give them a chance to win a couple more games down the stretch. They have the opportunity to play spoiler against Dallas and New York one more time each, and there are young players on offense who need to be evaluated, so Grossman isn't just taking up space in Washington. They're expecting him to do a competent job in between turnovers.

IRVING, Texas -- Tarvaris Jackson is no Michael Vick. Marshawn Lynch is no LeSean McCoy. Sidney Rice and Mike Williams are no DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin.

But the Cowboys expect Seattle to replicate what Philadelphia did to them last week this Sunday at Cowboys Stadium.

“I think you’ll see some of those plays run against us that Philadelphia was able to have success with,” defensive end Marcus Spears said. “If you’ve got a blueprint of a great house you probably want to follow it. We’ve got to figure out how to break into that thing and shut it down. If we do see plays that Philly had, I’m sure we’ll be ready for it this time around.”

Seattle coach Pete Carroll wasn’t so sure his team could do what the Eagles did.

“They’re kind of unique in what they have with Michael Vick. Michael’s an amazing player,” Carroll said. “Right off the bat, he’s scrambling around and making some yards, causing some problems for guys, thinking they don’t know if he’s going to take off and run or sit in the pocket. He found some space and started hitting guys all over the field and, man, the thing just snowballed with the running game. Michael had a great factor in that, as he’s always going to have a factor as you defend him. You’re thinking about him the whole time and you’re trying to design things so he doesn’t control the game. They just handed the ball off and made a bunch of yards. They really probably played the game differently than even they expected to where they ran it so effectively against the best rushing defense in the NFL.

“I’d like to think that we could learn something from it, but we might have to get a moped or something for our quarterback to ride around in to be like Michael. We’re not as fast as he is.”

A moped?

“Well, maybe, that’s probably not right,” Carroll said. “Call it a Harley or something, all right?”

This week's Hot Button debate topic on ESPN.com is "Who is the most underrated running back in the NFL?" Ashley Fox takes the side of Chicago's Matt Forte while John Clayton says it's the Philadelphia Eagles' LeSean McCoy:

His nickname might be the most fitting for his situation as any in the NFL. At Pitt, he was called "Shady." In Philadelphia, he plays in the shadows of Eagles stars Michael Vick, DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin. Forte might be the main force in Chicago. McCoy isn't drawing the headlines meriting his production. He's under the radar.

For one thing, no one talks about McCoy's contract. He's in the third year of his rookie deal. Nothing is in the works. He's makes $525,000 this year and is scheduled to make around $610,000 next year.

As for his performance, McCoy is one of the most exciting backs in the league and has been since he entered. The big thing is that he keeps getting better.

Tough to evaluate this from here. McCoy is surely not under the radar on an NFC East blog, so our perspective on this is a bit skewed. If the national perception is that McCoy is not one of the very best backs in the NFL, then I would say I agree with John that he's underrated. That could be because the Eagles have been such a pass-first offense in recent years, because Vick contributes so much to their rushing totals or because he hasn't been in the league long enough to establish himself in that conversation.

Whatever the reason, Eagles fans had better hope McCoy isn't underrated among members of the Eagles' coaching staff. Because the 28 carries he got two weeks ago against the Redskins should have been an eye-opener. Not only is McCoy one of the most electric players in the league, but he has now also shown the ability to be a workhorse back -- the kind of guy who can help you run out the clock and preserve a lead.

Going forward this season, the Eagles need to lean much more on McCoy than they have in the past. If they can lead the league in rush yards, they have a chance to recover and save their playoff and Super Bowl dreams. Relying more on McCoy is safer than chucking the ball downfield, will help protect Vick better and will give teams even more headaches than they already have when dealing with the array of offensive weapons the Eagles possess. McCoy may be underrated in some places, but if the Eagles are smart, they're going to put him front and center for the rest of this season.

IRVING, Texas -- At the beginning of the Cowboys’ season cornerback depth seemed to be one of the club’s biggest issues.

Mike Jenkins was coming back from a stinger. Terence Newman missed almost all of camp and the entire preseason with a groin injury. Orlando Scandrick suffered a high ankle sprain in the season opener at the New York Jets, which forced safety Barry Church to play some corner.

In Sunday’s 34-7 win against St. Louis the Cowboys used every cornerback on the roster with the starting defense at some point and not because of injury.

Newman, Jenkins and Scandrick handled the bulk of the work, but Alan Ball and Frank Walker also saw snaps in the regular defense.

“We started off playing a lot of man and that kept everybody fresh,” Newman said. “I think it was a great thing. It’s good to be able to cheer on everybody you work with and practice with. It was fun to see everybody on offense get in. It was a perfect situation. I wish all the games would end like this but it won’t.”

This week’s foe, Philadelphia, will challenge the Cowboys’ secondary much more than the Rams did with DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin.