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Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley


Back by popular demand, it's another edition of the Mosley Mailbag. I've combed through more than 7,000 questions and letters of encouragement and selected several for public consumption. Let's get right to it:

Mike from Girard, Pa., is wondering what Wade Phillips and Co. accomplished during the all-important bye week: Hey Matt, big fan. I was wondering what the Cowboys have been up to during their bye week and what they are doing to correct some of their problems. Do you see them putting new stuff in or trying to get back to basics? Also, can I predict 13 tackles and either a sack or forced fumble for Brooking? You know he's coming to play against his former team. I think this could be a trap game, seeing as how Atlanta has the Saints on Monday night the next week. Thoughts?

Mosley: Mike, you had me right up until the point you mentioned it being a trap game for the Falcons. But I love the concept of that. I'm afraid coming to new Cowboys Stadium is something that catches a team's attention. I think the Falcons will pull out all the stops, and I'd be shocked if they were looking ahead to the Saints. During the bye, Phillips said the team's been doing a lot of fine-tuning. Not getting too specific with the Falcons preparation, but actually going back and tweaking some things -- especially when it comes to the two-minute defense, which has been awful.

Matt from Kendall Park, N.J., wants to discuss the work of Giants running back Brandon Jacobs: Hey Matt, thanks for taking the time. I read your blog on the Brandon Jacobs situation and as a Giants fan, yes, we shouldn't be complaining too much. However, I will say that I've been noticing Jacobs has altered his style just a bit. It seems he himself has become fascinated with Ahmad Bradshaw and is trying to become this finesse runner. He's not exploding through the line like he did before he was injured last year. I heard he dropped some weight coming into camp and that concerned me as well. This is just one man's opinion and I'm sure Brandon might feel differently. I love the guy and just want to see his success and the Giants' as well. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. Thanks for making the Beast the best blog around.

Mosley: Matt, thanks for your kind words. I just think this whole thing has more to do with opposing defenses gearing up to stop Jacobs. He's getting the carries early in the games when defenses are still fresh. Bradshaw gets to come in and use his speed after Jacobs bangs on the defensive line and linebackers for a couple series. Tiki Barber told me recently that he'd visited with Jacobs about not taking so many shots. I think part of this "tip-toeing" theory is that Jacobs is actually trying to preserve his body a little bit. I think you'll see more of his old punishing style later in the season.

Andy M. of Springfield, Ill., would like to discuss the Cowboys' running game: Love your work for the Beast and on "Galloway and Company"...long live XM Radio! I agree that Tashard Choice is the most durable back and should get more carries. Keep Marion Barber fresh so that if the Cowpokes ever start playing to their potential he can ice the game in the end instead of icing his thigh. Hopefully Jason Garrett will figure out how to use the trio of RB talent and get some type of consistent offensive production going. I actually had hope during the Giants game that things had changed since if not for Romo trying to win the game single-handedly, the team appeared to have played a solid game. Since then, each game has shown the same old signs of the past: defensive collapses, penalties, not creating turnovers, turnovers and Wade making that same pained look on the sideline as if he has no clue what to do.

Mosley: Andy, we appreciate your work in today's mailbag. I don't think the Cowboys are ready to give Choice the majority of the carries. Once he's healthy, Barber will once again be the workhorse. But all this talk about Felix Jones needing more touches should go away for a little while. Everyone sees how explosive he is and they want Garrett to double his touches. But even when Garrett gives him limited touches, the guy gets hurt. Until he can go a month or two without an injury, I would not increase his touches at all. Let him have six or seven carries and catch three or four passes. He might turn one or two of them into touchdowns. He's pretty much the only home-run threat the Cowboys have on offense, although Miles Austin is obviously showing some signs.

Cedric from Memphis, Tenn. writes: Matt, I love the work man. What would keep the Giants or Redskins from reaching out and acquiring T.O. in an attempt to win the Beast? With him on one side and Santana Moss on the other, the Redskins should be able to fix their offensive woes. Owens draws so much attention that others are forced to be better.

Mosley: Ced, if you want to see some great drama, go ahead and add T.O. to that crumbling team in D.C. I think you're completely overrating T.O.'s ability at this point in his career. I'm not sure that teams fear him as much these days. Would they fear him more than Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly? Sure, but it's not worth bringing him into what's already an unstable situation. And Jerry Reese wouldn't do that deal in a million years. Why in the world would you need T.O. when Steve Smith's playing like this? And Hakeem Nicks is coming along. By the end of the season, Nicks and Smith might make the best duo in the Beast. And that DeSean Jackson-Jeremy Maclin duo doesn't look half bad.

Tom from Virginia thinks he has a decent feel for this Eagles team: Matt, you said in your blog that you can't really say anything definitive about the Eagles because of the teams they have played so far. I think that is more applicable to the Giants than to the Eagles. With their wins coming against "tomato can" teams of Washington, Tampa Bay, Kansas City and Oakland, their only "real" win comes against Dallas. If you've been following the season thus far, Dallas has been less than stellar and the Giants allowed 31 points against them. I think we will finally learn more about the G-men this week against New Orleans, but if you aren't going to say anything definitively about the Eagles yet, it is only fair to do the same to the Giants. Drew Brees WILL test their defense. I love the blog, keep up the good work.

Mosley: Tom, all the teams from the division have faced relatively weak schedules up to this point. I look at point differentials and several other factors, but you're correct about not being able to say anything definitive about the Giants and Eagles. I have the Giants slightly ahead of the Eagles right now because they have a more balanced offense and more dangerous defense. The Eagles' only loss was to a Saints team that's still undefeated -- and Philly was playing without Donovan McNabb.

I think we'll find out a lot about the Giants on Sunday in the Superdome. I think it's an incredibly difficult place to play, but Eli Manning seems to be at his best in hostile environments. The one thing I'd really worry about from a Giants standpoint is accounting for the Saints running backs catching short passes. The Giants don't have Michael Boley in the lineup -- and that could be a real problem. Asking Antonio Pierce and Chase Blackburn to cover Reggie Bush is a tall task. OK, I've gone over my 1,300-word limit. Let's do this again soon.