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All four NFC East teams are back in action this week, so we turn directly to the links, which never take a bye week.

Washington Redskins

Rex Grossman and Fred Davis got some practice time together last week when they both found themselves at the Redskins' team facility during the bye. Davis says he's eager to get back to the way things were in the first couple of weeks of the season. Remember? When he was the second coming of Jerry Rice?

I wondered, when Al Davis died Saturday, what Mike Shanahan would have to say about him, since the two were obviously nothing close to friendly after Davis fired Shanahan in Oakland and the two bickered about money. Shanahan offered a simple, classy statement saying he never met anyone with more passion for the game and that he "learned a lot" from Davis, and I imagine he'll leave it at that.

Dallas Cowboys

Anthony Spencer is a more serious, focused and determined player this year than he was in 2010, and it's showing on the field. Could it have something to do with the fact that he's playing for a contract?

Jason Garrett is so determined to stick with his idea of "situational football" in practice that he has added scoreboards to the Cowboys' practice fields at Valley Ranch to help keep the team focused on the fictional situations he's creating for them every day.

New York Giants

Justin Tuck clearly isn't happy about former Giants teammate and current ESPN analyst Antonio Pierce apparently calling out him and Brandon Jacobs for not playing in spite of their injuries. Tuck says he and Pierce have discussed the matter, and that Pierce doesn't understand the extent of Tuck's injury. Jacobs has nothing to say on the matter, since he apparently only talks on Thursdays. You know, like every other backup running back in the league does.

The Giants haven't changed their philosophy on the importance of running the ball. They just haven't been able to make it work so far this year, and they're as curious about why that is as the rest of us are.

Philadelphia Eagles

Things have gone from ugly to uglier in Philadelphia, where heads continue to be called for. Kevin Callahan says the first thing the Eagles need to do is fire rookie defensive coordinator Juan Castillo and the second is to move head coach Andy Reid into a GM role. Neither of those things is about to happen during the season, by the way.

Jeff McLane argues for scrapping the "Wide 9" defensive philosophy the Eagles adopted for the first time this season, and he's clearly right that they don't have the linebackers or safeties they need to make it work effectively. Reid says it worked better in the second half against the Bills, and he's right. The defense actually did manage to make a couple of stops and get off the field in the second half, and turnovers by the offense cost the Eagles the game. But the Eagles' defense takes too long to get going, and they simply can't wait until the second half every week for the scheme to start working.

It's Tuesday, which means we'll chat at noon, we'll have Power Rankings in the afternoon and Stock Watch as well. Keep checking back for all of the Tuesday goodies.

So, NFC East teams combine to commit 10 turnovers in Week 5, which is pretty bad. But it's even worse when you realize that only two of the four teams played! What a fiasco. The best thing the 1-4 Eagles have going for them is that there doesn't appear to be a truly great team in this division to this point, and that it's not out of the realm of possibility for a 10-6 team or even a 9-7 team to win it. Of course, to get to 9-7, the Eagles would have to go 8-3 the rest of the way. You seen anything to make you think that's happening?

And to those who think I don't give the Giants enough credit, it's probably worth noting that I gave them too much this week. Good teams don't lose East Coast home games to the Charlie Whitehurst Seahawks, folks.

There's a lot of mediocrity in our fair division this year, and the teams that had the best weeks were the two that didn't play. Good thing we have the links to keep us all sane. As was the case last week, this week the links will be presented in order of the current standings.

Washington Redskins (3-1)

At the bye, Rich Campbell asks "Are the Redskins for real?" and offers three reasons why they might be and three why they might not. The latter three -- Rex Grossman's turnover problems, lack of depth in key areas and a tougher second-half schedule -- are all legit. But the former three are moreso, and the fact is the Redskins are 3-1 and got to sit and watch the Giants and Eagles suffer brutal losses while they rested up and got healthy. If they'd just beaten the Cowboys a couple of Monday nights ago, the Skins would be one Week 6 win away from total control of this division. And with that defense and running game, they're in this for the long run.

Is Mike Shanahan more relaxed in his second year as Washington's head coach? Probably. This year's roster more closely reflects the kind of team he wanted to coach than did the one he inherited a year ago, and the 3-1 start surely hasn't hurt. In general, the headache quotient has gone way down this year, and it seems as though Shanahan's demeanor reflects that.

New York Giants (3-2)

The Giants had been winning games with fourth-quarter magic, but that turned around on them big-time Sunday. Tom Coughlin says he'd rather not play that way every week, since eventually it comes back to bite you, according to Johnette Howard.

What happened on Doug Baldwin's game-winning touchdown catch? At least three Giants defensive players appear to have made major mistakes that contributed to the breakdown. Team game, they say.

Dallas Cowboys (2-2)

Jerry Jones was a close friend of the late Al Davis and was affected by his death Saturday morning. Blogging the Boys looks at some of the similarities between the two.

Jason Garrett stresses situational football in practice. Has done so since the start of training camp. So it's got to be especially frustrating for him when the team doesn't execute in situations in the fourth quarters of games. They're working on it.

Philadelphia Eagles (1-4)

Asked directly about his job security after the Eagles' fourth-straight bitterly disappointing loss, Andy Reid said, "In the National Football League, your job is on the line every week, man." Thing is, that's clearly not true, or Reid would have been fired four times already this year and every coach in the league except Jim Schwartz and Mike McCarthy would have been gone by Week 5. I'm starting to think Reid doesn't take these postgame news conferences very seriously, and that he's determined not to say anything of real value in them. Shocking revelations, I know.

Oh, and Sheil Kapadia counts 13 missed tackles from this game alone, which seems like a lot. I also thought the stat we got from ESPN Stats & Info that said Fred Jackson got 59 of his 111 rush yards after the first contact by a defender was telling. Same problems every week. I guess what's Reid going to say that's new anyway?

Even for Philadelphia Eagles fans who've been yearning for the end of the Donovan McNabb era, surely they hoped he'd find a better landing spot than Oakland. But according to a report from ESPN's Adam Schefter on Monday, the Raiders have become the leading candidate to pull off a trade with the Eagles.

The Associated Press reported last week that Philadelphia wanted a pick in the top 42 in exchange for McNabb. And the Raiders just happen to have the No. 39 overall pick in next month's draft. I'd thought the sticking point in any negotiation with a bad team such as the Raiders or Bills would be whether McNabb was willing to sign a contract extension. But the Raiders are prepared to take on the final year of McNabb's contract (2010) without an extension in place, according to Schefter's report. For a team that doesn't exactly have a wonderful supporting cast, it seems unfathomable to pay McNabb $11.2 million for one season of service.

Schefter points out that Raiders owner Al Davis and McNabb each attended Syracuse and that offensive coordinator Hue Jackson is a distant cousin of the quarterback's. But something tells me that a reunion with Davis and Jackson, while quaint, isn't exactly what McNabb had in mind this offseason.

So what recourse does McNabb have to prevent this trade from going through? Well, he could start by appealing to Andy Reid's sense of decency. After all the NFC title games and the one Super Bowl appearance, surely McNabb deserves better than this.

Or maybe, as Schefter's report suggests, this is all about business. Maybe the Eagles want to execute the trade before someone in the Raiders' organization realizes how ridiculous it sounds. Do they think McNabb will enjoy his experience so much that he'll automatically want to sign a long-term extension following the 2010 season?

Perhaps the Eagles can convince the Raiders to include JaMarcus Russell as a defensive line prospect. Some of us thought the Eagles had painted themselves into a corner regarding a McNabb trade, but it looks like Al Davis is prepared to offer a bailout plan.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- It's hard to believe that Saints head coach Sean Payton once had his play-calling duties stripped when he was offensive coordinator with the New York Giants in 2002, but that's exactly what happened. When Bill Parcells became head coach of the Cowboys in 2003, one of his first hires was Payton. In effect, he gave him an opportunity to reset his career.

Payton was instrumental in helping Quincy Carter lead the Cowboys to 10 wins and a playoff appearance in 2003 and it wasn't long before Al Davis tried to hire him to become head coach in Oakland. Payton came close to accepting the job, but he decided to give Jerry Jones one more chance at the negotiating table. Jones never enjoyed paying big money to assistants, but he increased Payton's salary from $500,000 to $1 million.

Payton called and told Davis he wasn't coming. In 2006, the Saints made him their head coach. Randy Galloway of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram has a good column today about how grateful Payton is for the time he spent with Parcells.

"[Parcells] knows how to win, and I learned an awful lot in a short period of time, three years," Payton said. "When you think about that opportunity for a young guy to work with a Hall of Fame coach, it's invaluable."

Payton attempted to take then-Cowboys offensive line coach Tony Sparano with him to New Orleans as his offensive coordinator, but Parcells blocked the move. Sparano might not admit it now, but at the time he thought Parcells' decision may have ended any hopes he had of being a head coach in the league. He was furious with Parcells for not allowing him to pursue an obvious promotion in both title and money.

Of course, now we know the rest of the story. Parcells and Sparano are running a little team here in South Florida.

IRVING -- A lot of folks forget that Sean Payton came close to leaving the Cowboys in '04 to become head coach of the Oakland Raiders. Al Davis offered Payton the job but Cowboys owner Jerry Jones gave his young passing-game coordinator a $500,000 raise to stick around for a couple more years. And when Payton took the Saints job in '06, he returned to Texas Stadium and beat Bill Parcells' team, 42-17.

That's as fired up as I've ever seen Payton during a game. After touchdowns, he could be seen racing down the sideline thrusting his laminated playcalling chart into the air. I don't think he had any bad blood for the Cowboys, but I think it was important to him to show Parcells, the man who used to call him "Dennis the Menace," that he was a force to be reckoned with. Today on a conference call at Valley Ranch, I asked him why he didn't take the Raiders job when he had the opportunity. At that point, the organization wasn't that far removed from a Super Bowl appearance and hadn't become such a laughingstock.

"I had just moved the family and there was still a part of me that was leery. And it didn't feel right," Payton said. "And when Jerry's the last guy you see in a decision like that, you end up staying."

At that point, Payton and defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer both ended up with $1 million salaries, which was unprecedented for Jones. This afternoon, Payton talked about the respect he has for Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett. He coached with him with the Giants and said he always knew Garrett was going to be a successful playcaller.

Payton also continued to say that his team isn't caught up in all the talk about a possible perfect season.

"We haven't paid much attention to that," he said. "We've avoided the hypotheticals and really focused on the next game and the next team. What's important is playing our best game against Dallas."

I think that what's benefiting the Saints the most is that they've had wakeup calls without losing. There's no reason in the world they should've beaten the Redskins two weeks ago, but Washington handed them the game. So it's like the Saints have dealt with some adversity without the sting of a loss. Honestly, I think they have as good a shot as the Patriots did two years ago to have a perfect season.

I don't see any defense in the league that can slow this offense down. And if the Cowboys don't have DeMarcus Ware, it's hard to envision them going on the road and winning this game.

	Win McNamee/Getty Images
	Will Witherspoon made his presence felt in his first game with the Eagles, returning an interception for a touchdown.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

LANDOVER, Md. -- If you're trying to kick start your season, the Redskins are the ideal opponent. On Monday night, the Eagles needed less than two minutes to bury a team that is gaining ground on Al Davis' Raiders for biggest laughingstock in the league.

Eagles-Redskins Coverage • Monday Night Football HQ • NFC East blog coverage • Video: Trent Dilfer's MNF analysis

It was the first game of a three-game stretch against NFC East opponents that could shape the Eagles' season. On Monday night, they were able to make enough big plays on both sides of the ball to cover up another ragged performance by the offense. On their fourth play from scrimmage, second-year wide receiver DeSean Jackson took the ball from Donovan McNabb on an end-around and sprinted 67 yards for a touchdown. The Skins' alleged speedster DeAngelo Hall watched helplessly as Jackson raced down the sideline.

For this Redskins team, a 7-0 deficit is pretty much insurmountable. The Eagles won the game 27-17 but the final score suggests this was a competitive situation. Well, it wasn't.

Jackson Five plays The Eagles were far too dependent on the big play -- DeSean Jackson specifically -- against the Redskins, which will not fly against the tougher teams on their schedule. Due to the big play, the Eagles did not run a play in the red zone. Category Jackson All others Plays 5* 51 Yards gained 136 125 Yards per play 27.2 2.5 TD 2 0 * Includes 2 incomplete passes thrown his way.

Jackson, who's emerged as one of the most exciting players in the league, added a 57-yard touchdown catch late in the second quarter to give the Eagles a 27-7 lead. On the touchdown, Jackson used a stop-and-go route to get at least 10 yards behind Redskins safety Chris Horton.

The bad news for the Eagles is that they have only one game remaining against the Redskins. In Week 8, the Eagles return home to face a Giants team trying to break a two-game losing streak. Then they host a Cowboys team that showed signs of life in a 37-21 win over the Falcons.

There's still no way to have an accurate read on the Eagles, but Monday's win helped them get rid of that awful stench from the Week 6 loss to the Oakland Raiders. This team appears to have several weapons on offense, but it learned the hard way that you actually have to act somewhat interested to beat an inferior opponent.

"We wanted to get rid of that feeling," said tight end Brent Celek. "I never want to have it again. Hopefully we got it out of the way. We just can't afford to have it happen again."

The worst moment for the Eagles occurred in the first quarter when Pro Bowl running back Brian Westbrook took an accidental knee to the head after a 5-yard run. He was on the ground for at least three minutes as players from both teams huddled around him in prayer.

"I hoped he was OK," Eagles coach Andy Reid said. "He wasn't moving at first. That worries you a little bit because you don't know exactly what happened. When a player isn't moving, that worries me."

Westbrook suffered a concussion on the play, but he was able to return to the sideline in the second half and Reid's hopeful that he'll return to the lineup soon. Without him, the Eagles' rushing game was stagnant. Rookie LeSean McCoy had 14 carries for 37 yards. It was so bad that Reid sounded thrilled that Michael Vick was able to take off on a 9-yard run out of the Wildcat formation. We were led to believe that opposing defenses would tremble with fear at the sight of Vick lining up for the direct snap, but so far the Eagles' Wildcat has provided only comic relief.

	Win McNamee/Getty Images
	Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell was sacked six times.

And speaking of comedy, Sherm Lewis made his play-calling debut with the Redskins. I'm hoping head coach Jim Zorn gave him the full play chart because Lewis fell in love with the same pattern to tight end Chris Cooley early in the game. The Redskins normally like to spread 17 points over several games, but don't let that explosive point total fool you. The offense was just as ineffective as always -- and the Eagles' defense had a lot to do with it.

Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell said he injured his right Achilles tendon early in the game -- and that made it impossible for him to run away from the Eagles' pressure. He was sacked six times and the Skins turned the ball over four times. Linebacker Will Witherspoon, acquired by the Eagles in a trade last Tuesday, returned an interception for a touchdown and forced a fumble in his debut.

The sheer joy of leaving a winless Rams team seemed to lift Witherspoon the entire game, although that's not exactly how he phrased it.

"There is some similarity to the scheme here," said Witherspoon of his time with the Rams. "And this locker room is great. They made sure I was prepared. For me, it's like starting the season again. The mindset was just to come in and play well. It's only going to get better from here."

Unfortunately for the Eagles, their real schedule's about to begin.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

I know a few Redskins fans would like for me to focus on the addition of offensive tackle Levi Jones, but it's tough to ignore the elephant in the room. The Skins are an organization on the brink, and who knows what will happen next. There have been reports this week that former Broncos coach Mike Shanahan was offered the head-coaching position, but he declined because he didn't feel like the current situation was conducive to turning the team around.

If those reports are true, I think Shanahan's made a wise choice. No matter how much money owner Dan Snyder's willing to play, most folks don't like being set up for failure. That's why I feel sorry for temporary head coach Jim Zorn. There's a chance he would've been a decent offensive coordinator -- but he was given a bump in title when Snyder and his right-hand man, Vinny Cerrato, couldn't find a splashy enough name to become head coach.

On Monday, native Washingtonian and my former colleague at the Dallas Morning News, Kevin Blackistone, called his beloved Redskins the "worst-run franchise in pro sports in the country, if not on the planet."

"This isn't an easily won designation," writes Blackistone. "There are a lot of poorly run sports teams around, like Al Davis' Oakland Raiders, Donald Sterling's Los Angeles Clippers and Peter Angelos' Baltimore Orioles. But those teams aren't on the Forbes magazine list of ten highest valued sports franchises on earth like Washington."

The Redskins are third on that list, right behind the Dallas Cowboys. Of the top three teams on the list, only Manchester United of the English Premier League has experienced consistent playoff success over the past decade or so. Of course, the Skins' 2-3 record in the playoffs during the Snyder era beats what Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has accomplished during that same time period, but I think it's fair to say that Jones enjoys a better relationship with his club's fan base than Snyder has with his.

The Redskins are embarrassing themselves on many levels right now -- and it all starts with Snyder. Sally Jenkins of the Post thinks that firing Cerrato and replacing him with a strong general manager might be a good place to start. And while that sounds logical, it certainly doesn't sound like something Snyder would do.

I have a list of two or three excellent young candidates for a GM position in the league, but I hate to waste it on the Redskins.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

Each week, thousands of readers leave questions in the NFC East mailbag. Let's take a look at what folks are talking about this weekend.

Don from Ohio writes: Has anyone ever lobbied to have the Skins and Cowboys play on Thanksgiving? I think it would be a great thing to see arguably the biggest rivalry in sports on Turkey Day. I'd much rather see that than meaningless matchups like the Raiders and Cowboys. They should at least have Dallas play an NFC East team every year. They could rotate it every season. Just a thought.Thanks for the great work.

Mosley: Thanks for checking in, Don. I couldn't agree with you more. Al Davis and Jerry Jones might be close friends, but that doesn't make for a great Thanksgiving game. If the league can make sure the Giants open the season in Jones' new stadium, then it could send a division rival to Arlington each Thanksgiving. I'm totally with you, Don. Always have been.

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Jon from Westchester, N.Y.: Hey Matt, I'm a big fan of yours. I check your blogs a few times a day and I really have learned a lot from your blogs. Keep up the good work.I have a question regarding the Giants, but not something that I have heard a whole lot about. I am very happy with the defense. I feel that the secondary is very good but doesn't receive the respect it deserves. Kenny Phillips is going to be a top safety in the few years and Michael Johnson is underappreciated in the eyes of the league. The line is amazing and that's all I will say on that, but I am a little worried about the linebackers. I know Michael Boley was brought in and I am hoping he helps out a lot. But what about Pierce? He is a very smart player but he is getting up there in age. Are the Giants going to draft someone this year that can learn from Pierce? Also, I know we drafted Clint Stintim, but are the Giants going to upgrade that position also? I like Blackburn and the other guys, but I feel they are very good backups and not so much stater material.

Mosley: Jon, thanks for stopping by The Bag. Pierce will turn 31 in October, so you're right to a bit concerned about his age. But there are linebackers in this league still performing at a high level on the wrong side of 30. Obviously Ray Lewis comes to mind. Pierce is the backbone of this team. He's an inspirational leader and he still has plenty left in the tank. He looked really old last season because he got in one-on-one matchups with Brian Westbrook in December and January. That's why the Giants brought in Michael Boley, a guy who can help them stay in their base defense more often because of his cover skills. And don't worry too much about the depth. Chase Blackburn is a really good football player and I think he'd start for a lot of teams in this league. Throw in talented players such as Bryan Kehl and Gerris Wilkinson (injury prone) and I think you're doing OK with depth. Clint Sintim needs to get back on the field. He's got the long arms and size that Tom Coughlin loves in a linebacker. He just needs to get healthy.

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Matt from Texas writes: Matt, I wanted to check to see if you have your bags packed? Come Monday, most of the media will be trying to jump off the extremely overrated Eli/Giants bandwagon and onto ours. I figured I would give you first dibs. Before you developed a giant-sized man crush on New York, you used to respect the Cowboys. See you on the 'Wagon!

Mosley: Matt, I actually picked the Cowboys to win this game, 28-24. Michael Boley is coming off a long layoff and the secondary's banged up. I think Tony Romo can make plays downfield against reserve corners Terrell Thomas and Bruce Johnson. But I'm still driving the Giants bandwagon. This loss won't knock them out of a Super Bowl trip.

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Oscar in Dallas left this note: Some guys at Bloggingtheboys.com were passing this link around. Its a Mic'd up video of Tony Romo during the game last week. For those who think he can't be the leader, you need to watch this video.

Mosley: Oscar, thanks for sharing. Looks like Romo was having a lot of fun last Sunday. Loved the look on Jason Garrett's face when Romo offered to kiss him if he'd call a seam route.

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John from Silver Spring, Md. is concerned with my Albert Haynesworth analysis: Mosley, I have to disagree with your statement that Albert Haynesworth is falling. He was personally responsible for both times the Redskins stuffed the Giants on 3rd and 1 and 4th and 1. He made the tackle on 4th and 1 and he blew up the middle so LaRon Landry could make the tackle on 4th and 1. Not to mention the fact that he ripped into the backfield and tore of the helmet of Ahmad Bradshaw as he threw him to the ground.Also, I'm not sure what game you were watching, but they kept showing replays and Troy Aikman kept talking about how Haynesworth was pushing Seibert all over the place.The mark of whether or not Haynesworth is having an impact will not always be found in the stat sheet. You will know if he's having the impact the Redskins expect if he is clogging up the middle, as he did on the two short yardage stuffs and if you see him pushing 1-2 guys into the backfield so the QB cannot step up to avoid a rush off the edge.For someone who covers football, I'm disappointed that you rely so heavily on stats to determine a players worth, especially a defensive tackle.

Mosley: John, I appreciate the note. I may be holding Haynesworth to a ridiculous standard ($41 mil guaranteed), but what I focused on was that he looked completely worn down at the most important juncture of the game. When the Skins were actually hanging around in the third quarter, Haynesworth had to keep making his way to the sideline to catch his breath. Yes, he made some plays in the game. But when Washington truly needed to clog the middle, Haynesworth was sucking wind. Was I too hard on him? Maybe so.

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Mike from Atlanta is concerned about where the Eagles are ranked: OK, first off I am a full-on Eagles fan. So this may come off as a little homerish, but how can the Eagles be ranked below the Giants when we absolutely crushed a supposed NFC South power while the Giants let the Skins stay in the game a lot longer than they should have. As well, how in the world can anyone seriously allow the Cowboys to rise in the rankings after beating up on a team that until five minutes before the game even knew who their QB was going to be?! Granted, a bit of an exaggeration, but you get my point. And to top that off, the miserable Bucs manage to rack up over 450 yards of offense. Anyone with a reasonably decent offense then should be able to hit what, 600 yards and blow them away? And yes, I cannot wait to see us crush the Cowboys yet again. Come to think of it, I'm looking forward to the Giants doing it, too. The sooner we beat them both, the sooner no one can argue we are truly the Beast of the East!!

Mosley: I certainly didn't have the Panthers as an "NFC South power." I think the Redskins are better than Carolina. Jake Delhomme was just dreadful, and that's becoming a trend. We should let this quarterback situation settle down a little bit and then see where the Eagles are. I have them beating the Saints behind the strong arm of Kevin Kolb. Don't worry about where the Eagles are ranked right now. Let's see where they are at the end of November. OK, you guys have a great Saturday.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

Interconference Matchups A rundown of seven observations on each division's interconference games: • Tuesday: AFC North vs. NFC North • Wednesday: AFC East vs. NFC South • Thursday: AFC West vs. NFC East • Friday: AFC South vs. NFC West

Though they'd never admit it, you have to know the NFC East teams have been looking forward to facing this division. The Chiefs will eventually be good because Scott Pioli helped Bill Belichick invent football, and Todd Haley's going to be an excellent head coach. But it won't happen for them this quickly. The Broncos aren't poised for a breakout season by any means -- and the Raiders are the Raiders. The biggest challenge will be the Chargers, and that's where I'll spend most of my time during this exciting summer feature. Here are seven things to watch as we prepare for this AFC West-NFC East showdown:

1. Wade Phillips gets a look at his old defense: The Cowboys' head coach helped Shawne Merriman have the best season of his career when he was the defensive coordinator in San Diego. In fact, the Chargers' defense hasn't been nearly as dominant since Phillips brought his version of the 3-4 to Dallas. The Chargers will play on the road against the Browns and then come to Dallas on Dec. 13. It will be a great opportunity to see Merriman and DeMarcus Ware on the same field. The Cowboys opted for Ware over Merriman, and at this point, it looks like they made the right decision.

	Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
	When the Chargers visit the Cowboys in December, Wade Phillips will be facing a defense he helped build.

2. Philip Rivers visits the Meadowlands: On Nov. 8, the Chargers will visit Giants Stadium. Obviously Rivers and Giants quarterback Eli Manning will always be linked because of the big trade in 2004. Chargers fans -- and AFC West blogger Bill Williamson -- are convinced that Rivers is a better quarterback than Manning. But Rivers doesn't have a ring, and he puts up a lot of big numbers against inferior teams in the AFC West. Manning and the Giants win this one.

3. Should be an interesting Thanksgiving between the two divisions: Can't wait to watch Cowboys owner Jerry Jones give his mentor, Al Davis, a tour of the new stadium. That velour sweatsuit that Davis pulls out from time to time should keep him toasty in a domed stadium that is a little on the coolish side. I'm actually intrigued to see whether Darrius Heyward-Bey has anything. He'll have some opportunities against a Cowboys secondary that doesn't have a lot of depth and could be banged up. The other matchup, the Giants at Denver, is a lot more interesting. The Broncos could be in full fade mode at this point, but Invesco Field is still a tough place to play at 8:20 p.m. ET on Thanksgiving night. Or at least I think it will be.

4. Another reason I love that Cowboys-Chargers matchup Dec. 13: Chargers coach Norv Turner thinks he should've been the successor to Bill Parcells in Dallas, although he's always very complimentary of Phillips. Turner would've been exactly what Tony Romo needs -- someone who won't accept the careless mistakes. I think Phillips and Turner will bring a little something extra to this game.

2009 team schedules: NFC East • Dallas Cowboys • Philadelphia Eagles • New York Giants • Washington Redskins

5. The DeAngelo Hall "homecoming" game in Oakland: I'm not saying it's going to be a good game, but it will be fun to watch Hall return to Oakland on Dec. 13. Raiders owner Al Davis couldn't wait to dump the cornerback, but Hall has revived his career in Washington. Tom Cable vs. Jim Zorn. Isn't that the one you guys have been waiting for?

6. Eagles have a cross-country trip after an emotional game: The Eagles host the Cowboys in Week 9 and then fly across the country to play the Chargers in Week 10. It's the first part of a really tough stretch for Philly. I think it will be a great test for the Eagles, in part, because this is about the time the Chargers usually start putting things together.

7. Todd Haley will be waiting on the Cowboys: In Week 5, the Cowboys will make the trip to Arrowhead. I think Haley, the former passing game coordinator in Dallas, will take this one personally. He
still knows a lot of people with the organization and he definitely has a tremendous grasp of the Cowboys' personnel. Potential loss for the Cowboys. I assure you Haley already has this one circled.

Who benefits most?

The Redskins have the best schedule against the AFC West. I like that they host the Chiefs and Broncos before they get into late November. The Skins make the trip to Oakland on Dec. 13, and that game doesn't scare me because the Raiders will be out of it. The Redskins finish the season with a cross-country trip to San Diego. Something tells me that game won't matter for the Chargers because they will have sewn up a playoff spot. And that would be a good thing for the Skins if they're actually still in the hunt.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

NFC East Draft Picks • Dallas Cowboys • New York Giants • Philadelphia Eagles • Washington Redskins

At one point Friday, it sounded like the Eagles and Giants were once again hot and heavy for Cardinals wide receiver Anquan Boldin. But that story flickered out quickly and both teams focused on building through the draft. On Day 1, it was only a three-team division. The Cowboys had the No. 51 pick, but things moved too quickly for them and they were frustrated when center Max Unger came off the board two spots ahead of their pick.

Instead of staying at 51 and picking Oklahoma offensive tackle Phil Loadholt, the Cowboys moved out of the second round and added a couple of Day 2 picks.

The Redskins may have been interested in Mark Sanchez, but they were thrilled to end up with Texas defensive end Brian Orakpo. He was one of the most disruptive players in the Big 12 and he should flourish playing next to defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth. In a draft where the Redskins didn't have much ammunition, Orakpo should give the team a boost. And I honestly think most people at Redskins Park (maybe not Dan Snyder) are relieved that Jason Campbell will quarterback the team for another season. Call me crazy, but I'd like to see what he can do in the second season of the Jim Zorn era.

	Icon SMI
	The Eagles moved up to select Jeremy Maclin.

Best move

I thought taking Orakpo was a no-brainer and the Giants took the best wide receiver left on the board with North Carolina's Hakeem Nicks. But the best move of Day 1 certainly came when the Eagles moved up a couple of spots to take Missouri wide receiver Jeremy Maclin. When a player of Maclin's skill level starts to slip (thanks to people like Oakland's Al Davis), you have to take advantage of the situation. Everyone assumed the Eagles would take a running back in the first round, but that was never the case. If Knowshon Moreno had slipped to No. 21, you go ahead and take him. But he was long gone. The Eagles patiently waited until the second round, when they grabbed Pittsburgh running back LeSean McCoy, a perfect fit for their offense. They need an instinctive runner and that's McCoy's best trait. He should prosper in a zone-blocking scheme.

Riskiest move

I didn't see any particularly risky picks in the first couple rounds. I guess you could say it was risky for the Cowboys to forfeit their only Day 1 pick. But for a risky pick, let's look at the Giants going after Cal Poly wide receiver Ramses Barden in the third round. It's always interesting to see division rivals trade with each other. The Eagles traded out of the No. 85 slot to allow the Giants to move up and take Barden. He put up amazing numbers at Cal Poly and you have to love his size (6-6, 229), but he didn't play against elite competition. At the Senior Bowl, he really struggled getting off the line of scrimmage against press coverage. He might end up being a nice red-zone threat, but I was just a little surprised to see the Giants go after him that early in the draft -- especially after taking Nicks. To me, the Barden selection speaks volumes about how the club feels about Sinorice Moss and Mario Manningham. I know we keep reading about Manningham's progress, but I still have my doubts about him.

Most surprising move

I thought Jerry Jones was providing comic relief Sunday when he drafted a kicker in the fifth round. USC kicker David Buehler might be the best kicker in the draft, but the Cowboys just happen to have one of the top kickers in the league in Nick Folk. Did they actually want to create some competition in training camp? Honestly, this felt like a throwaway pick to me. Maybe the Cowboys think someone will get desperate before the season and trade a third-rounder for Buehler. But that's a real stretch. Of all the baffling things that Jones did in this draft, put the Buehler pick at the top.

File it away

I'll give you a couple to file away. I think the Eagles got tremendous value with Florida tight end Cornelius Ingram. Yes, I know he missed the entire 2008 season, but he's the type of threat that gives Donovan McNabb another option in the red zone. Ingram was No. 59 on draft guru Rick "Goose" Gosselin's top 100, which is passed around in personnel offices across the league.

He played basketball at Florida and we've seen some former ballers turn into pretty solid tight ends. Antonio Gates and Tony Gonzalez come to mind. I'm not saying this guy is going to the Pro Bowl in his first season. But in the fifth round, I think the Eagles did really well with Ingram.

The Giants took Sam Houston State quarterback Rhett Bomar in the fifth round. It's probably a sign that the Giants have already soured on Andre Woodson, their sixth-round pick from last season. I used to watch Bomar in high school in Grand Prairie, Texas, and he was on his way to being an excellent quarterback at Oklahoma before running into off-the-field issues. He has plenty of flaws, but I could see the Giants being a great fit for him. My bold prediction of the day is that Bomar will someday be used to land the Giants a second-round pick.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones' reputation for being a renegade helped him forge a friendship with Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis in the early '90s. And based on Jones' recent moves, it's becoming difficult to tell the men apart.

	Wesley Hitt/Getty Images
	Jerry Jones was unable to get Dan Reeves to stay with the organization.

Since taking over the Cowboys in 1989, Jones has emulated his GM predecessor, Tex Schramm, when it comes to selling his product. He's one of the most accessible owners in professional sports, in part because he loves the attention. But since the Cowboys' season ended with an embarrassing 44-6 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Jones has basically gone underground.

Just before disappearing from sight, he made the worst sales pitch of his illustrious career in a call for continuity that centered on head coach Wade Phillips suddenly changing his personality after 30 years of back-slapping. For the first time anyone can remember, Jones informed reporters at the Senior Bowl that several topics were off limits, including anything that seemed remotely pertinent.

Privately, he has conducted a witch hunt to identify the anonymous sources who've had ESPN's Ed Werder on speed dial this season. When I reached a longtime Cowboys employee by phone two weeks ago, he spoke in hushed tones as he explained that an internal e-mail had warned people in the building not to speak to the media unless they have clearance from the club's public relations office. That's in stark contrast to the beginning of the Phillips era, when Valley Ranch basically turned into a public park.

Phillips may have been the first head coach in club history to decline interviews at the Senior Bowl because "[P.R. director] Rich [Dalrymple] told me not to talk."

The latest gaffe involves a beloved member of the Cowboys family, Dan Reeves. At his end-of-the-season news conference, Phillips indicated that he would consult with former associates about how to clean up the mess at Valley Ranch. Reeves played and coached under Tom Landry before head-coaching stops with the Broncos, Giants and Falcons. Phillips had replaced him as head coach in Denver and Atlanta, but the two men had remained friends over the years.

	NFL.com Video
	Rise and fall of the 2008 Cowboys.

As I understand it, Phillips recommended that Reeves be brought in to serve as a consultant. Jones already had fired Phillips' close friend and defensive coordinator Brian Stewart, and Phillips thought Reeves' expertise on offense would allow him to devote most of his time to the defense. It seemed like such a good fit that Reeves moved into an office at Valley Ranch on Monday before details of his contract had been finalized.

A local TV station first broke the news of Reeves' presence at Valley Ranch on Tuesday evening. The next morning, Werder reported that Reeves would report directly to Jones. And by late Wednesday afternoon, Reeves was out of a job. (Cue the "Benny Hill" music.)

"I thought the thing was done, and we finally agreed on what the title was going to be," Reeves told ESPN late Wednesday. "I didn't want to have a coaching title and not have authority coaching-wise. I wanted to work with him [Jones] and Wade and help in any way that I possibly could. We finally agreed the coaching thing wouldn't be in there, but then the contract changed and there were some things in there I couldn't see being in there, and they were important to him. He made a lot of concessions, but this was something that was important to him, and I just didn't feel like I could live with it. So it didn't make sense for us to go forward."

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