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Have the Dallas Cowboys really fixed their defense?

I'll give them cornerback. With the free-agent signing of Brandon Carr and the surprising trade up in the first round of the draft to pick Morris Claiborne, the Cowboys have worked hard to make sure that this year's starting cornerbacks will be much more difficult for Giants fullbacks to jump over. Assuming Claiborne is the instant-impact guy he was drafted to be, he, Carr, Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick make one of Dallas' weakest 2011 units a 2012 strength.

But questions remain at other places on a defense whose total system failure was the sole reason the Cowboys lost four of their last five games and the division title. Is Brodney Pool an upgrade over Abram Elam at safety? Can they get reliable production from that other inside linebacker spot from the combination of Dan Connor and Bruce Carter? Will Anthony Spencer be a more effective pass-rusher? Do they have a plan for limiting the wear and tear on nose tackle Jay Ratliff, to help him maintain a high level of performance throughout the second half of the season?

The Cowboys' active and productive offseason has done nothing to directly address the pass rush. There is a theory that the improvements at cornerback will help the pass rush, since better coverage of receivers could give the men up front more time to get to the passer. And that may well be true. But any and all improvements the Cowboys have made on defense remain theoretical until we see that defense on the field. Last year, the party line in Dallas was that the defensive personnel were good and had underachieved and would improve in the first year under new coordinator Rob Ryan. That turned out not to be the case, and now some of the personnel have been changed. But it remains up to Ryan to put it together as a cohesive unit more capable of stopping opponents than the 2011 version was. Right now, we're taking the Cowboys' word that the new faces are dramatic enough upgrades to pull that off. But aside from the money spent on Carr and the high draft position of Claiborne, there's little outside evidence to support it. More could have been done to improve at safety, outside linebacker and defensive line, and it was not. Although Ryan may be able to make it all work, it's hard to feel too certain about it on May 3.

Is Robert Griffin III's supporting cast good enough?

The Washington Redskins have made a big bet on the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback from Baylor, trading three first-round draft picks and a second-round pick for the right to draft him No. 2 overall last week. He has all the makings of a star worthy of such a price, but if the Redskins want to make any real noise in the division race in 2012, he's going to need help. Washington spent big early in free agency on wide receivers Pierre Garcon and Josh Morgan, two dynamic young players they believe can grow and develop along with Griffin in Mike Shanahan's offense. But they didn't do much to make immediate improvements to the offensive line. And with Tim Hightower still unsigned, the running game looks a bit short. Griffin's short-term success could ride on the ability of a lot of returning Redskins players to take the next step in their own development.

There are good-looking pieces in place, to be sure. Left tackle Trent Williams, the No. 4 pick in the 2010 draft, returns from his drug suspension to reclaim his spot as the anchor of the line. The Redskins hope that he and tight end Fred Davis, who was the team's best receiver last year but lost those same final four games to a drug suspension as well, have learned their lesson and will be strengths of the offense (rather than ongoing concerns) from now on. Veteran receiver Santana Moss remains on the roster and should be a help to Garcon and Morgan as they work their way into the system. Even Rex Grossman, last year's 20-interception starting quarterback, should be an asset to Griffin, because Grossman understands the offense very well and will be an effective tutor for the rookie as long as Griffin tunes out the parts about throwing the ball to the wrong team.

The Redskins believed they had one of the league's better defenses in 2011, and up front they do appear to be very strong, especially if promising second-year lineman Jarvis Jenkins is recovered from the injury that cost him his rookie season and ageless linebacker London Fletcher continues to perform at his extremely high level. There are questions in the secondary -- both at cornerback and at safety -- that the Redskins hope quantity and competition will sort out in training camp, but overall the defense should be solid. The questions are on offense, where a rookie quarterback for whom expectations are high will need his supporting cast to be reliable if the Redskins are to take a step forward and have an outside chance at a playoff spot. In all likelihood, this is another year in the rebuilding process, and what the Redskins and their fans want to see is a clear step in the right direction. For that to happen, the pieces around Griffin will have to do everything they can to make him look as good as possible.

On Wednesday, the league put out a press release announcing the dates of offseason team activities and minicamps. The full list can be found here. The rules state that teams may hold a rookie minicamp on one of the first two weekends after the draft and may also hold a mandatory camp for veterans. New head coaches can hold one additional voluntary camp for returning players, but there are no new head coaches in the NFC East this year, just as I continually assured you there would not be when you kept asking me that question throughout the 2011 season.

Here are the offseason schedules for our teams:

Dallas Cowboys
OTA: May 22-24, May 29-31, June 4-7
Minicamp: May 4-6 (rookies), June 12-14

New York Giants
OTA: May 23-24, May 30-June 1, June 4-5, June 7-8
Minicamp: May 11-13 (rookies), June 12-14

Philadelphia Eagles
OTA: May 22-24, May 30-June 1, June 4-7
Minicamp: May 12-14 (rookies), June 12-14

Washington Redskins
OTA: May 21, May 23-24, May 29-31, June 4-7
Minicamp: May 4-6 (rookies), June 12-14

Junior Seau never played in the NFC East, but if the story of his death Wednesday at the age of 43 didn't shake you up, you're made of stone. Police are investigating the possibility of suicide, and since he died of a gunshot wound to the chest, that possibility recalls former Bears safety Dave Duerson, who shot himself in the chest last year and left messages asking that his brain be studied for evidence that playing football damaged it. We don't know yet of any such message left by Seau. We don't know why he's dead, or if playing football had anything to do with it, and we may never know. A lot of conclusions are being jumped to, and the temptation to make those jumps is understanding, but the fact is that a man is dead, far too young, and the outrage can and should be put on hold while respect is paid.

A few things are clear, though. Seau's story -- the part that came before Wednesday -- indicates a man who struggled with his transition to post-NFL life. Whether that struggle had to do with damage done to him by playing the game remains to be seen and surely debated. But stories such as this one are a major part of the current culture surrounding today's NFL.

The idea that Seau's death might even possibly be fallout from a playing career that took too intense a toll is part of the expanding tapestry of concern that governs the league's actions on such matters as the Saints' bounty scandal. With more than 1,100 former NFL players currently suing the league for allegedly ignoring the long-term effects of head and other injuries suffered during their playing careers, the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell feel required to take a hard line on player safety. Rules will continue to be changed and modified to address the violence inherent in the game. Suspensions for actions the league believes could result in too-serious injury will continue to be harsh, even extreme, to give the league as strong a base as possible from which to claim it did not turn a blind eye if and when any of these suits ever find their way to a judge.

The NFLPA took some heat Wednesday, in the wake of the announcement of the Saints' suspensions, for not negotiating during the last CBA talks a change in the discipline policy that would have allowed players to appeal to someone other than Goodell. What wasn't mentioned during those discussions were the many concessions the players did win in last year's negotiations -- quality-of-life things like improved post-career health care, injury guarantees in contracts, reductions in the demands made on players during the offseason program and drastic cutbacks in the amount of contact permitted in offseason and training-camp practices. Those are the issues the players believed were most important, because those are the issues that affect them and their families long term, as people, once their short careers are over.

Part of the problem with the NFL is that fans tend to see these players as characters that appear on a weekly TV show, not as real human beings who are willingly subjecting themselves to physical punishment for our entertainment. But when something like Seau's death happens, everybody gets reminded of the reality that lurks behind the noise and the excitement and the bright colors of game day. And while fans may not like these reminders, sadly, they're not going away. They're a part of the game in 2012 and in the future, and they're here to change the way the people who watch and run football think about it. Or else.

Thank you for indulging me. Here are your links.

Dallas Cowboys

As the Cowboys look down their roster for a possible new No. 3 wide receiver, it's worth remembering Raymond Radway's turn last summer as a fun breakout possibility. He got hurt, and that ended that, but he says he's feeling better now and would like a chance to compete for the spot. I image he'll get that chance.

One place where the Cowboys still face a big question mark is at punter, with an injured Mat McBriar still unsigned and Chris Jones the only punter currently on their roster. So they're working out new punters to see whether they can upgrade. Hey, it matters. Just ask the Jaguars.

New York Giants

Eli Manning plans to "kind of let loose" when he hosts "Saturday Night Live" this weekend. He also says one of his favorite "SNL" skits of all time was the "Chippendales" bit that Chris Farley and Patrick Swayze did. I was always more partial to Matt Foley, motivational speaker, myself.

While we wait to find out where Manning ranks on this year's player-voted NFL Network top 100, Giants receiver Hakeem Nicks checked in at No. 90 on the list. Still underrated, is Nicks, but he doesn't care.

Philadelphia Eagles

Sheil Kapadia has a nice breakdown of the Eagles' linebacker situation with DeMeco Ryans and rookie Mychal Kendricks in the mix. Number of different ways they can go there, but with Ryans brought in to start in the middle, it sure seems as though they plan on Kendricks starting alongside him at one of the spots.

Ray Didinger discusses the possibility that rookie Vinny Curry could surpass 2010 first-round pick Brandon Graham on the depth chart at defensive end, and how soon that might happen.

Washington Redskins

Robert Griffin III is no ordinary football player. Read Rick Maese's story about the plans Griffin has for the film he's working on to complete his master's thesis. It's something he calls "mixed reality." Different kind of cat, this one. Got some things going for him.

Yes, Redskins fans have fallen head-over-heels in love with their new quarterback, and for what appears to be good reason. Dan Daly writes that Griffin's task is to make sure not to lose that love.

We do our "Blogger Blitz" videos every week on one of the hot topics in our divisions, and the whole thing about the Redskins drafting both Robert Griffin III and Kirk Cousins in this year's draft seems to be something everyone's talking about. So I figured, why not weigh in with my own thoughts on it? They can be found in the video above. I hope you enjoy them. And yes, I know I still need to decorate that wall of my office.

Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Jason Babin was up in Bristol today for a visit and popped on a few ESPN programs. He discussed a number of topics, including the "Wide 9" defense (Which he says isn't called that, except by us dopes in "the media," because it's actually called the "9-technique." Man, do I feel silly now.), what advice he'd give rookie lineman Fletcher Cox for dealing with the abuse he'll be taking from defensive line coach Jim Washburn, which Eagles player is the fastest ("DeSean Jackson. I don't think it's close.") and what he thinks the impact of the offseason changes will be on the team.

"We're going to have a heck of a defense," he says. "You know, we struggled last year in the beginning, and we're looking to have a much better start this year."

It would help, to be sure. Thanks, Jason. Hope you enjoyed the cafeteria food.

The big news today in the NFL is, once again, out of New Orleans, where two current Saints defensive players and two former ones have been suspended for their alleged role in the Saints' bounty programs. Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma has been suspended for the entire season and defensive lineman Will Smith has been suspended for the first four games. Former Saints defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove, who was in camp with the Philadelphia Eagles last year and is now with the Packers, is suspended for eight games, and former Saints linebacker Scott Fujita (now with the Browns) is suspended for three.

This all assumes that these suspensions hold up, and we have yet to hear from the NFLPA, which has been arguing for weeks that the league had insufficient evidence to support claims that the players were complicit in administering the bounty programs or that they acted on bounty offers during the games in question. But assuming Vilma and Smith are suspended at all, that's a nice little break for the Washington Redskins and rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III, who are scheduled to open the 2012 regular season against the Saints in New Orleans on Sept. 9. While a road game in New Orleans remains a difficult challenge for anyone, especially a rookie quarterback, the Saints' defense obviously becomes somewhat less fearsome if Vilma and Smith aren't on the field.

The other three teams in the NFC East also play the Saints this year, though all are scheduled to do so after Smith's suspension expires. The Eagles open their season Sept. 9 in Cleveland against the Browns, who will be without Fujita if his suspension is upheld.

We had our regular weekly chat Tuesday, and it was awesome as always. But I'm kind of done selling the chat after almost a full year of doing it. If you don't come chat with us on Tuesdays, I'm not sure what hope there still is for you. Here are some highlights of what you missed this week.

Damien from Philadelphia asked which of the NFC East first-round picks I believe will have the most 2012 impact.

Dan Graziano: Morris Claiborne, because I think the learning curve is less steep for a cornerback at this level than it is for a quarterback.

Well, this really upset Jack from Raleigh, who called it "a ridiculous answer," said something along the lines of "learning curve, shmurning curve" and insisted that it's completely impossible for a cornerback to affect a football game to the same extent that a quarterback (presumably he's suggesting Robert Griffin III) does.

DG: Ok then.

But Jack from Raleigh wasn't done. He came back with this bit of furious grammatical genius: "Who impacts a game more Revis or Brady, Brees, Mannings, Big Ben, etc..... its just ridiculous, the Eagles had the best collection of corners in the league and because Vick got hurt there season was a whiff....if you want to say RGIII is overrated fine, but don't tell me a corner can have a bigger impact than a QB...so is that what your saying? that RGIII is going to bust?"

DG: Holy hell, Jack. Calm down. The question was, "Which first-round pick do you think has the biggest impact next year?" I think, given how much harder it is to learn QB at the NFL level than it is to learn CB, Claiborne is the right answer. That's no insult to Griffin, who I believe will be great as I have written many times. But to think Griffin won't struggle this year, or that they won't lean on the run to help him out, is kind of silly.

Honey Badger from DC later asked what was up with Jack from Raleigh.

DG: He seems very upset. I felt like giving him a Snickers bar. Jack from Raleigh, you're not you when you're hungry.

Anyway, I think Claiborne's going to be great. And I think Griffin probably will too, but that it'll take longer. And we did talk about other things Tuesday. On the rookie-impact topic, Kyle from Lock Haven, PA asked whether the Giants' Rueben Randle could be the best rookie receiver in the league this year with the help of the Giants' outstanding quarterback.

DG: Don't underestimate the impact Eli Manning has on Randle's chances to develop quickly. He's certainly a better quarterback than that of any WR who was drafted ahead of Randle. Only one who has a case, for me, is Ryan Broyles' QB in Detroit.

Garrett from Wilmington asked how much longer the Eagles will stick with Michael Vick at quarterback, given the way in which his annual injury issues limit how far his rare talent can taken them.

DG: This is the proverbial make-or-break year for Vick in Philly. They can get out of his contract after this year with very little pain, I believe. If it all bottoms out, I imagine they'll look elsewhere.

Scott from VB, VA noted that Mel Kiper says he'd have given the Washington Redskins an "A" for their draft if they'd picked Zebrie Sanders in the third round instead of Josh LeRibeus and wondered what I thought about that.

DG: I'm sure the case can be made for Sanders as a better offensive lineman than Josh LeRibeus. But it's important to remember that the Redskins lean hard on a zone-blocking run game and draft and sign linemen they believe are well suited to that scheme. They likely see something in LeRibeus that they believe fits the unique kind of blocking schemes they like to run, so it's not as simple as saying, "This guy was rated better, so he'd have been a better pick there."

And finally, Z from P, SD (feel like I'm watching Sesame Street there) wonders whether we're safe to assume the Cowboys' Claiborne pick automatically means Mike Jenkins can't be a starting cornerback anymore, since Jason Garrett is always preaching the value of competition at every spot.

DG: Sure, but moving up to pick Claiborne certainly indicates that Jenkins isn't beginning the competition from an especially strong position in the minds of the coaching staff.

So yeah. Fun chat, as always. If you weren't there, drop by next week.

Good morning. Did you ever sit in front of your computer and know you needed to type something but you just couldn't come up with anything good? Yeah, in my business you can't afford to have that problem. So I'm going to keep this part here real short today and just say something about links.

Dallas Cowboys

Top draft pick Morris Claiborne is going to wear No. 24 for the Cowboys, and that's a number that has some defensive-back history to it in Dallas. Everson Walls likes the idea of Claiborne wearing his old number, and I guess it's a good thing the Cowboys don't do anything to put any undue pressure on their young guys.

Calvin Watkins thinks that the draft picks of Tyrone Crawford and Kyle Wilber, each of whom projects as a pass-rusher, indicate that the team is trying to formulate a long-range backup plan in case Anthony Spencer doesn't make enough pass-rush strides this year and they need to move on. It doesn't look as though either of those picks is in line to make any real impact this year, but they believe one or both of them can develop into a stand-up outside linebacker in their 3-4 defense, and if that's the case, one of them could eventually replace Spencer.

New York Giants

Eli Manning's turn as host of "Saturday Night Live" comes this weekend. (I'll leave you to guess which day.) His big brother hosted it once upon a time, back when he was the big name in that family, and he spoke with the New York Daily News about what he thinks will help make his brother better at this than a lot of people might think.

Giants 101 ponders the difference between Mario Manningham and Rueben Randle as well as the difference between Brandon Jacobs and David Wilson, and reaches the conclusion that the Giants might be less explosive in the passing game but more so in the running game as a result of those changes.

Philadelphia Eagles

Jonathan Tamari breaks down five offseason position battles on the Eagles' roster, including starting safety, backup quarterback and (of course) linebacker. Safety is the one on which I think everyone has their eye. Can the young guys the Eagles drafted high in 2010 and 2011 emerge as viable starters in 2012?

Dave Spadaro is ... well, he's flat-out jacked up about what he sees on the Eagles' defensive line for this year. And while this is no surprise, coming as it does from Dave on the team's official website, when he starts listing the names at defensive tackle and defensive end, it does start to look awfully impressive.

Washington Redskins

Jason Reid writes that the Kirk Cousins pick was a "risky but necessary" backup plan for Robert Griffin III, and that it doesn't have the same characteristics of last year's training camp quarterback controversy between Rex Grossman and John Beck. And you know what? When Jason puts it that way, that's kind of all you need to hear, right? Was there really anything wrong with upgrading two quarterback spots?

Some of Jabar Gaffney's 2011 numbers -- he led the team in catches and receiving yards -- were good enough to make you wonder why they cut him Tuesday. But John Keim says the number the Redskins looked at was his 2.7 yards average yards after catch, and they believe they can do better than that from the flanker spot with Josh Morgan and/or Leonard Hankerson in 2012.

Of the Dallas Cowboys' late-round draft picks, the one that seems to be drawing the most attention right now is Virginia Tech wide receiver Danny Coale. I think it's because people have heard of him and because he plays a position at which the Cowboys have an opening. Laurent Robinson, the out-of-nowhere No. 3 wide receiver who caught 11 touchdown passes for the Cowboys in 2011, has moved on to Jacksonville, and the competition he left behind for that spot is somewhat uninspiring, which is why -- as Calvin Watkins writes -- the team's fifth-round draft pick may have a shot:

As it stands, Coale will battle Kevin Ogletree, Andre Holmes, Dwayne Harris and Raymond Radway for the two open receiver spots. The Cowboys could use five receivers in 2012 if needed. (We don't believe Dez Bryant and Miles Austin are in danger of not making the roster).

What I'm told about Coale by scouts (who like him a great deal) is that he knows how to get open, knows how to find the ball in traffic and has excellent hands. These would all seem to be great assets, but those same scouts caution that Coale is a bit undersized (6-feet, 200 pounds) and may struggle against the bigger, more physical defenders he's going to face as he adjusts to the NFL level. That's why I caution against expecting too much out of Coale too soon. He's a fifth-round pick, after all, and if he does make an impact as a rookie that'd be one heck of a story.

Some people have suggested to me on Twitter that Coale compares to Wes Welker. I think this is a lazy (and somewhat insulting) comparison to make, and I think it's made because Coale is white and not very big. Coale actually lists as three inches taller and 15 pounds heavier than Welker, who by the way is one of the best players in the entire league. If Coale does turn out to be even half as good as Welker, the Cowboys will have grabbed a huge steal in the fifth round. I doubt that even their most optimistic forecasts imagine that.

If we can put both feet on the ground about this for a moment, the odds are that Coale helps on special teams in 2012 and finds his way into the receiver mix here and there as he learns the pro game and adjusts to a new level of difficulty. If he makes good progress, you could be looking at a guy who becomes a reliable receiver for the Cowboys in 2013 or 2014, and that'd be excellent. If you find a starter in Round Five at any position, you've done something really impressive. But look, for example, at Bryant, a former first-r0under who's as skilled and physically dominant as any receiver in the league. He's still developing after two seasons as a starter. It takes time at that position.

My bet is still that the Cowboys add a veteran receiver to this mix before or during camp as the market begins to flood with them. The Redskins released Jabar Gaffney on Tuesday, and a short time later the Texans released Jacoby Jones. I don't know if either of those guys makes sense to or for the Cowboys, but the point is that there will be options, and opportunities to find the next Robinson if he doesn't turn out to currently live on the Cowboys' roster. As for Danny Coale, there's real potential there, but I think the best thing the Cowboys and their fans can do is to be patient and see what comes of it.

Mel Kiper's still grinding out draft copy, god love him, and today he's looking at players from the second and third rounds that could make an impact on their new teams in 2012. Mel says that there were 22 players taken on Day Two of last year's draft that appeared in at least 15 of their teams' games in 2011. So it's fair to assume some of the folks taken in this year's second and third rounds will play major roles in this upcoming season.

Kiper lists a total of 13 guys -- six on offense and seven on defense -- and just one is from the NFC East. Now, remember, the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins didn't have second-round picks, so our division was a little bit light on Day Two. But the only NFC East player on Mel's list is linebacker Mychal Kendricks, whom the Eagles took with the 14 pick of the second round. Here's what Mel has to say:

The Eagles were a train wreck up the middle last year. They added Fletcher Cox in the first round, and can now pair Kendricks with DeMeco Ryans at linebacker, with Kendricks jumping in on the strong side. Kendricks can fly along the line of scrimmage and chase down the run, and he is an ace on third down because he can run with backs and tight ends.

Kiper and a lot of other people rated the Eagles' draft the best or among the best in the league, and the picks of Kendricks and Vinny Curry in the second round were a big reason why. A big reason why player make this particular list is because Mel believes they'll get the opportunity to make their impact. Given the sorry state of the Eagles' linebacker situation in 2011, it's not hard to imagine Kendricks getting an opportunity to start and become a star right away.

New York Giants GM Jerry Reese said on ESPN radio in New York that the contract dispute between the team and defensive end Osi Umenyiora is not personal -- at least from his end -- and reiterated that he'd like Umenyiora to "retire as a Giant." Ohm was listening to the interview on ESPN radio's new spot at 98.7 on the FM dial:

"I don't carry grudges," Reese said in an interview with Stephen A. Smith and Ryan Ruocco on ESPN New York 98.7. "In the offseason, there is always some controversy about contracts. It is not just one person, it can be several different people with contract situations. That is part of my job, it is never personal, I don't think it is personal with respect to players and it definitely is not personal with respect to me."

"I call it offseason chatter," he continued. "There is always some chatter about different situations about contracts during the offseason. That is what happened. It is never personal with me."

Which is really nice, especially since Reese was the one being called a liar by Umenyiora this time last year in a sworn affidavit as part of the Brady vs. NFL lockout suit. But whether it's personal from Reese's standpoint really isn't the issue at this point. Because other than that affidavit, there have been very few (if any) points during this three-year drama at which Reese felt he had cause to feel like the wronged party. Umenyiora's discontent over his contract has had no discernible impact on the Giants whatsoever. He's played, and played well. The times he's sat out practice in protest have had no effect on his teammates. The games he's missed due to injury have been ably handled by people such as Mathias Kiwanuka, Justin Tuck and Jason Pierre-Paul. Pierre-Paul, in fact, surpassed Umenyiora as a starter last year, which is part of the basis for the current disagreement between Umenyiora and the Giants about what he should be getting paid.

It is clearly personal from Umenyiora's end, and has been for some time now. He feels disrespected by what he considers insufficient compensation. He has said he doesn't like being a backup. And it is clear that he intends to continue making an issue of his contract in this, its final season. I can't imagine a circumstance, barring some shocking new development that results in a new deal, under which Umenyiora attends all of the Giants' offseason or training camp practices. This isn't going away anytime soon, because whether it's personal from Reese's end or not, it clearly is from Umenyiora's.

In the end, what I believe will happen is Umenyiora will play out the final year of his contract on the Giants' terms. He has no leverage, and if he wants to sit out, the Giants believe they have coverage with their other excellent pass rushers. But that doesn't mean he's going to stop kicking about it anytime soon. At this point, it wouldn't be a Giants offseason if Umenyiora weren't upset.

Today on ESPN.com, the fallout from the NFL draft takes the form of offseason Power Rankings. Here's a look at the way each of the NFC East's teams fared in the latest round of voting:

1. New York Giants (Previous rank: 1). So the deal is, four of our five Power Rankings voters (all but John Clayton) have a rule that the Super Bowl champ holds the No. 1 ranking until more games are played. So the Giants rank first on four of the five ballots (5th on Clayton's) and first overall. I don't agree with this rule, since I thought the point of the offseason Power Rankings was to assess the impact of the offseason moves on the relative strengths of all of the teams, and isn't it possible that the team at the top can be weakened by losing players to other teams? I've communicated this sentiment to my friends and colleagues on the voting panel, and to their everlasting credit, they have responded that they couldn't care less what I think. Paul Kuharsky emailed me a detailed map of nearby lakes into which he invited me to jump. I've never respected him more. Anyway, yeah, the 9-7 NFC East champs are the No. 1 team. Pineapples all around.

7. Philadelphia Eagles (12). The Eagles are the biggest mover-uppers in the rankings, jumping five spots from the rankings that came out after the first week of free agency. No one else moved more than three spots in either direction. Everybody loves the Eagles' offseason. I love the Eagles' offseason. It's had more hits than the Phillies get in a typical three-game series. But you know what? We all loved the Eagles' offseason last year, too. Fool me once, shame on you and all that. Yeah, I think the Eagles will be good. But let's see it, right?

14. Dallas Cowboys (14). The Cowboys stay put, having added basically one player in the draft that's expected to have any real 2012 impact. They were 8-8. They're ranked in the middle of the pack. They could be better, but everybody wants to see how they play on defense before assuming they will just because they have a great quarterback and great receivers. This is, I believe, wise.

25. Washington Redskins (25). The RG3 hype hasn't escaped the Beltway and reached the hearts and minds of the Power Rankings voters just yet. I know Ashley Fox was at the draft and heard the young man talk, and I see she has the Skins at 24. Kuharsky's got them up at 21. Right direction, long way to go is the general feeling about the Redskins. They could jump some of those teams in front of them, but I agree that their offseason hasn't made it clear-cut that they should, yet, in a poll such as this.

Jabar Gaffney led the Washington Redskins in catches and receiving yards last year. On Tuesday, the Redskins released him. This might seem incongruous, but it speaks to where the Redskins are in their franchise building process.

Gaffney, who caught 68 passes for 947 yards in 2011 from the Redskins' quarterback combination of Rex Grossman and John Beck, isn't part of the future plans for the offense. The Redskins signed free-agent wide receivers Pierre Garcon (25 years old) and Josh Morgan (26) in advance of drafting quarterback Robert Griffin III (22) with the second pick in the draft. Gaffney isn't an old man by any means at 31, but the Redskins want to put a receiving corps around Griffin that can grow and flourish with him as he develops as an NFL quarterback.

Why not cut Santana Moss, who turns 33 next month and had a worse year than Gaffney had? Well, one reason is that the Redskins believe Moss will be better as the slot receiver with guys like Garcon, Morgan and second-year man Leonard Hankerson on the outside, where Gaffney's role is likely (they hope) going to be filled by Garcon, who offers more big-play potential.

The Redskins like Gaffney and appreciate the production he gave them last year. They just don't see much value in having him around going forward as they develop their young offense around their new star quarterback. He was a 2011 stopgap, kind of like Grossman was at quarterback. They're not cutting him because of anything he said or did on Twitter a couple of weeks back. They're not cutting him because they don't think he's any good. They're cutting him because he doesn't fit there anymore.

And yeah, to answer a question I know I'll get 1,000 times in the next couple of days, I believe the Dallas Cowboys would be wise to take a look at him.

I may be a little bit late for today's chat. When I dropped my kids off at school this morning, I didn't like the way one of those fire extinguishers was looking at me, so I'm going to go back and beat the crap out of it.

That's a basketball joke that my Giants readers are, I think, more likely to get this morning than my other readers are. In truth, I wouldn't dream of being late for our weekly NFC East chat, which will start promptly at noon ET as it does every Tuesday. Click on these here little blue letters and you'll be able to ask anything you want about the NFC East until about 1 p.m., when I need to go teach the smoke detector in the family room a lesson.