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Back with another edition of the NFC East's rolling All-Division Team, which this week features yet another change at quarterback. The New York Giants' Eli Manning has taken over the top spot after a second straight interception-free victory. Tony Romo has more yards and a better completion percentage, but Romo has also cost his team two games with second-half interceptions while Manning has been the steady leader his team has needed him to be while recovering from its early-season injury problems. Since the second quarter of the Week 2 game against the Rams, Manning has been unflappable and, when it's been needed, excellent.

The Eagles' Michael Vick had the best individual Week 4 game among division quarterbacks, but while I'm sure the vast majority of people who comment on this post and harass me on Twitter about it will ignore what I am about to type here: This list is meant as an overall evaluation of the way the players have played to date, in all four games this season. It is not -- I repeat, NOT -- based solely on performance in this past week's games. (For example: Ryan Torain is not the running back, because LeSean McCoy has had the better year.)

That out of the way, here is the list to which you're all scrolling down anyway. Some notes will follow:

Quarterback: Eli Manning, Giants (Last week: Tony Romo)

Running back: LeSean McCoy, Eagles (McCoy)

Wide receiver: Hakeem Nicks, Giants; Jeremy Maclin, Eagles (Maclin, Miles Austin)

Tight end: Jason Witten, Cowboys (Witten)

Fullback: Owen Schmitt, Eagles (Darrel Young)

Left tackle: Jason Peters, Eagles (Peters)

Left guard: Evan Mathis, Eagles (Kory Lichtensteiger)

Center: Will Montgomery, Redskins (David Baas)

Right guard: Chris Snee, Giants (Snee)

Right tackle: Tyron Smith, Cowboys (Smith)

Defensive end: Trent Cole, Eagles; Jason Pierre-Paul, Giants (Cole, Pierre-Paul)

Defensive tackle: Cullen Jenkins, Eagles; Jay Ratliff, Cowboys (Jenkins, Ratliff)

Outside linebacker: DeMarcus Ware, Cowboys; Brian Orakpo, Redskins (Ware, Ryan Kerrigan)

Inside linebacker: Sean Lee, Cowboys; London Fletcher, Redskins (Lee, Fletcher)

Cornerback: Asante Samuel, Eagles; Aaron Ross, Giants (Samuel, Mike Jenkins)

Safety: Kenny Phillips, Giants; LaRon Landry, Redskins (Phillips, O.J. Atogwe)

Kicker: Dan Bailey, Cowboys (Bailey)

Punter: Sav Rocca, Redskins (Rocca)

Kick returner: Devin Thomas, Giants (Brandon Banks)

Punt returner: Brandon Banks, Redskins (Banks)

• Austin and Darrel Young lose their spots due to injury, and Nicks and Schmitt delivered performances worthy of those spots anyway.
• On the offensive line, I'd had Mathis and Lichtensteiger very close for the past couple of weeks, but I just think Sunday moved Mathis past the Redskins' guard ever so slightly. Washington's offensive line has been underappreciated as a reason for the early success, and they get consideration at every position. (Chris Chester is playing great at right guard but trapped on this list behind maybe the best one on the league). Will Montgomery at center has been a revelation, and replacing Casey Rabach with him might have been one of the critical moves the Redskins made in the offseason. Don't begrudge Tyron Smith that big late sack. He's been a monster all year and done much more to help the Cowboys win than to help them lose. And yes, I'm interested to see who steps up and takes the left tackle spot with Peters out a few weeks. No one's really pushed him for it yet this year, though Doug Free finally had a good game Sunday.
• Did some Redskin-shuffling on their excellent defense. I doubt Kerrigan will mind losing his spot to Orakpo, his mentor, who had a monster game. Those two could trade off all year. And I thought about rewarding Rocky McIntosh for his big game by giving him Fletcher's spot, but Fletcher's been that defense's heart and soul all year and has done nothing to lose it. Oh, and I moved Landry in at safety over Atogwe because, while it's only been two games... wow.
• Cornerback was tough, as it's been all year because so few in this division are playing it well. Ross' assignment wasn't as tough Sunday as was that of Corey Webster, who had to take on Larry Fitzgerald. But Ross has been delivering excellent, reliable coverage all year for the Giants with very few (if glaring) mistakes, and I think he deserves this spot. Jenkins has been fine, but I think overall Ross has played a little bit better and should be acknowledged, especially since he's outperformed the expectations that attended his ascension to the role when Terrell Thomas got hurt.
• I keep waiting for Brandon Banks to break a big kick return, but he hasn't done it, and I think Thomas has looked a little better overall. Banks still remains unchallenged in the punt-return category.

Okay, fire away. Let me know where I screwed up.

The Friday links are up. Enjoy 'em.

Dallas Cowboys

Fresh injury on the offensive line, as Derrick Dockery, the Week 2 starter at left guard, has a knee injury and will miss Monday night's game. Rookie and Week 1 starter Bill Nagy looks like he's in line to start in his place. Are the Cowboys as banged-up on offense as the Giants are on defense? As of now, their starting quarterback, center, top two wide receivers and starting running back have a chance to miss Monday's game in addition to Dockery, and tight end Jason Witten plans to play with rib injuries. London Fletcher and the rejuvenated Redskins defense must be salivating.

Tony Romo's not close to being ready to play, Clarence Hill writes, but that doesn't mean he won't be ready by Monday night. Long way to go yet on this story.

New York Giants

Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell would neither confirm nor deny the assertion by former Giants linebacker Bryan Kehl that he (Fewell) coaches guys to fake injuries to slow down an opposing offense. Which of course means he does. But enough of this story, right?

Osi Umenyiora finally talked about his contract dispute with the team, which was resolved over a month ago, though not to Umenyiora's satisfaction because the Giants resolved it by just not doing anything and expecting him to play for his contract. I think people are sick of this story too and just want to know now when Umenyiora might play. He still doesn't seem to know.

Philadelphia Eagles

It seems clear by now that Michael Vick will start for the Eagles on Sunday in spite of the concussion he suffered in Week 2. The key, of course, as Bob Ford writes, is finding a better way to make sure Vick doesn't get another one.

Defensive coordinator Juan Castillo said the shift of linebackers could just be a temporary fix designed specifically to help the Eagles stop the Giants' running game this week. Pshaw. If it works, they're really going to go back to the alignment that the Rams and Falcons gashed? I call shenanigans. And I already called pshaw. So that's pshaw and shenanigans on the same story. Your move, Juan Castillo.

Washington Redskins

Brandon Banks is really fast, and he likes talking about how fast he is. Banks is one of those guys who makes you stop and watch the kickoffs and punts, because you hold your breath knowing he's going to break one and you don't want to miss it when he does. Fast and fearless. Good combination for someone in his job.

Redskins defensive coordinator Jim Haslett supports DeAngelo Hall's stated plan to hit Romo in the busted ribs, if only because that may be the only place the rules allow you to hit a quarterback.

Lots of movement is to be expected on these types of things early in the season, and so it is that we see some major shifts in key spots on this week's All-Division Team. The biggest change this week -- or at least the one likely to stir the most debate -- is at quarterback, where the Dallas Cowboys' Tony Romo takes over for the Philadelphia Eagles' Michael Vick.

And no, it is not lost on me that there's a chance neither of those guys plays this week. But this team is based solely on 2011 performance to date. And while Vick, Rex Grossman and even Eli Manning after Monday's rough start have all performed very well this year relative to the rest of the league, Romo has statistically outperformed them all. And I'm just not going to hold a Week 1 goal-line fumble and Darrelle Revis interception against him the whole year.

I'll give you the rest of the team now, and then some more thoughts after:

Quarterback: Tony Romo, Cowboys (Last week: Vick)

Running back: LeSean McCoy, Eagles (McCoy)

Wide receiver: Miles Austin, Cowboys; Hakeem Nicks, Giants (Nicks, DeSean Jackson)

Tight end: Jason Witten, Cowboys (Witten)

Fullback: Darrel Young, Redskins (Young)

Left tackle: Jason Peters, Eagles (Doug Free)

Left guard: Kory Lichtensteiger, Redskins (Lichtensteiger)

Center: David Baas, Giants (Jason Kelce)

Right guard: Chris Snee, Giants (Snee)

Right tackle: Tyron Smith, Cowboys (Kareem McKenzie)

Defensive end: Trent Cole, Eagles; Justin Tuck, Giants (Cole, Jason Babin)

Defensive tackle: Cullen Jenkins, Eagles; Jay Ratliff, Cowboys (Jenkins, Linval Joseph)

Outside linebacker: DeMarcus Ware, Cowboys; Ryan Kerrigan, Redskins (Ware, Kerrigan)

Inside linebacker: Sean Lee, Cowboys; London Fletcher, Redskins (Lee, Greg Jones)

Cornerback: Nnamdi Asomugha, Eagles; Asante Samuel, Eagles (Samuel, Mike Jenkins)

Safety: Kenny Phillips, Giants; O.J. Atogwe, Redskins (Phillips, Jarrad Page)

Kicker: Dan Bailey, Cowboys (Alex Henery)

Punter: Sav Rocca, Redskins (Rocca)

Kick returner: Brandon Banks, Redskins (Banks)

Punt returner: Brandon Banks, Redskins (Banks)

• Yes, I thought Free had a bad enough game to cost him his spot at left tackle. The best left tackle I saw in Week 2 was Washington's Trent Williams, but he was too shaky in the opener to grab the spot ahead of the ever-steady Peters. Kareem McKenzie on the right side had an uncharacteristically poor game for the Giants, and the rookie in Dallas has looked extremely good so far.
• At center, tough game for the rookie Kelce in Philly. I gave strong consideration to giving this spot to Washington's Will Montgomery for his work in the run game, but he looks too vulnerable to an inside pass rush. Baas' biggest problem seems to be the occasional communication breakdown with left guard David Diehl, and I'm not sure whose fault that is. Overall, he's played the best.
• I thought about giving Michael Boley one of the outside linebacker spots, even though the 4-3 OLBs are at a major disadvantage against the pass-rushing 3-4 guys. Boley's been outstanding, and his fumble-recovery touchdown was a game-changer Monday night for the Giants. But Ware and Kerrigan have been superb and did nothing in Week 2 to warrant losing their spots.
• I don't think anyone in the division is playing cornerback especially well. Of course, looking at the passing numbers around the league, I'm not sure anyone in any other division is playing cornerback especially well either.
• Sample size still too small on kickers. Bailey missed an easy one early in Week 2 but hit the big one to send it to overtime and then the game winner. Graham Gano also hit a game-winner for the Redskins, but he's 1-for-3 in the 30- to 39-yard range. Blech. As for punter, Sav Rocca has seven punts downed inside the 20-yard line. No one else in the division has more than two.

Fire away. Let me know what you think. As usual, I'll spend part of the day in the comments to try to answer questions about this as they arise.

Click here for a complete list of the Washington Redskins' roster moves.

Biggest surprise: The decision to keep Chris Neild as a backup nose tackle and release Anthony Bryant. There was some chatter in the offseason about Bryant's possibly being promoted to starting nose tackle if the Redskins focused their offseason energies on defensive end. But once they signed Barry Cofield, they didn't need two backups, and they liked what they saw from Neild, especially on special teams.

Running backs Evan Royster and Keiland Williams have apparently been released, victims of overcrowding in a Redskins running back field now headed by Tim Hightower. Ryan Torain will remain on the roster, along with Roy Helu, as a top option if Hightower should falter. And it's a bit surprising to see them keep eight receivers, including Brandon Banks, Leonard Hankerson, Niles Paul and Donte' Stallworth.

No-brainers: They're only keeping two quarterbacks, John Beck and Rex Grossman, while cutting Kellen Clemens and Matt Gutierrez, but I don't think that's surprising. Those last two were only there to help take up preseason snaps when they needed to rest guys who might be their starters at any point this season. Rookie receiver Aldrick Robinson didn't do anything to help himself. And Artis Hicks has been squeezed out of the offensive line mix. They looked into trading Hicks Saturday but ultimately had to put him on waivers.

What's next: They could hit the market for a third quarterback, obviously, though that's not a major concern. I wonder if they'll still look for help at defensive end with Jarvis Jenkins out for the year. The Cowboys just cut Igor Olshansky, who's a name that will surely catch someone's attention.

So, when you guys helped convince me to watch the Washington Redskins' game live and the other three on delay, you neglected to tell me the Redskins' game would be the longest one by a half-hour. Sheesh.

Aaaaanyway, this was clearly not John Beck's best work. The Redskins' 29-24 exhibition victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their final game of the 2011 NFL preseason was the worst of the three preseason performances Beck has turned in during his audition to be the Redskins' starting quarterback. He looked much better in each of the previous two games than he did Thursday night, when he was 10-for-21 for 108 yards and an interception.

The question, of course, is what it all means.

Certainly, if Beck's chances of being the starter were riding on his performance in this game, he didn't help himself. But I don't think he necessarily had to play well Thursday in order to win the job. As we have discussed many times on this blog, the competition between Beck and Rex Grossman is not as simple as a straight-up contest based on preseason performance. Mike Shanahan and Kyle Shanahan do not view Beck and Grossman as equal quantities. They like Grossman and feel certain he can operate their offense. But they believe Beck offers more upside, and they wanted to use the preseason to help them gauge how he would handle the pressure of his opportunity.

Beck surely did that in the Redskins' second and third preseason games (after missing the first with a groin injury). And he showed a couple of things Thursday night, too. There was the 2nd-and-9 play where he dodged pressure up the middle and completed the pass for a first down. He hit a big third-down completion to Donte' Stallworth while taking a hit. He showed his obviously quick release and made a couple of smart decisions, including not throwing to Stallworth a couple of plays later when he saw that Stallworth was in double coverage.

But he also did some bad things, including a couple of bad-decision throws into crowds and the interception in the end zone. He looked as though he could have had a touchdown pass to Niles Paul, but he threw the ball to Paul's back shoulder while Paul was going up expecting the throw to be high. Not sure whose fault that was, but it didn't look good.

Now, Beck did play behind the Redskins' starting offensive line. But he didn't have starting wide receivers Santana Moss or Jabar Gaffney, who got the night off. And he had rookie running back Evan Royster, who's not the same factor in the passing game (as a blocker or receiver) as Tim Hightower is. It's hard for me to believe the Redskins' coaches would have sent Beck out there thinking he had to play well in this game to get the job and then not give him Moss or Gaffney to throw to.

Some time in the next nine days, Mike Shananan will name his starting quarterback for the Sept. 11 season opener against the Giants. I still believe, based on the conversations I had when I was at Redskins training camp and what I've seen in the preseason, that it'll be Beck because it's been Beck all along. But if it's not Beck, I don't think he lost the job Thursday night. And I seriously doubt it means he won't be the starter at any point (or even for the majority of the games) in 2011.

Some other observations from the Redskins' final preseason game:

1. Ryan Torain is a good running back. Hightower is sure to open the season as the Redskins' starting running back. But Torain, who missed the bulk of this preseason with a broken hand, will remain a threat to steal carries and maybe the job itself. Torain entered the game late in the first half after Royster started the game, and he ran with obvious power. Torain's issues have been health-related, and if he stays healthy and continues to show something in limited action, don't be surprised to see him get a turn as the starter at some point this season.

2. Josh Wilson got an interception on a nice leaping catch, and it had to feel good. Wilson was brought in to be a starting cornerback, but he's had injury issues this preseason and hasn't looked great when he's been in there. As good as the Redskins' defense has looked overall, Wilson must have enjoyed being a productive part of it going into the season. Still think the secondary as a whole will improve once the starting safeties are in there.

3. Oh yeah, Brandon Banks. After an injury-plagued preseason of his own, Banks got into Thursday's game and showed what he can do on returns, running one back 95 yards for a touchdown. He's so fast and such a sharp runner when he's got a head of steam, and as he crossed the goal line you couldn't help thinking, "Yeah, that gets the guy on the team." Then you saw the replays they were reviewing and that Banks hot-dogged it across the goal line and very nearly dropped the ball before crossing that goal line because of his hot-dogging. And even though the call wasn't overturned and he did get credited with the touchdown, you couldn't help thinking, "Yeah, that's why there's a chance a guy with that kind of speed and talent might not make the team." Good lesson for Banks. Would have been a better one if they'd taken away his touchdown.

4. Second-team defense. Guys like Keyaron Fox and Rob Jackson looked very fired-up and very effective, making you think the Redskins have some interesting depth on defense. But then you remember they're playing against backups on the Tampa Bay defense and that there's no way to know what you're really watching in preseason, and we'll just leave it at that.

The Redskins had a nice preseason. Stallworth's fingertip catch for the touchdown that sealed this meaningless win was a fun way to end it. The way they played this month should help their confidence. No idea if it means they'll have a good regular season. Right now they need to be thinking about how to beat the Giants. And yeah, settling on a quarterback.

Observations from the Redskins' 34-31 preseason loss to the Ravens on "Monday Night Football":

Everyone loves a horse race, so it's no surprise so many people who are watching the Washington Redskins' apparent quarterback competition are treating it as one. Rex Grossman bounces a couple of throws, he's in trouble. John Beck hits a deep ball, he's in the lead. Grossman looks sharp in the 2-minute drill, he's not dead yet. Beck throws an interception, he's lost the job! Oh wait! Beck comes back and leads a 95-yard touchdown drive! The job is again his to lose!!!

It's just not as cut and dried as that. The key thing to remember about the preseason games is that we never really know what we're looking at. Some teams concoct game plans, some teams don't, and you have no idea, really, who is trying hard and who isn't. So the evaluations have to be about more than performance and results. And for Mike Shanahan and the rest of the Redskins' coaching staff, they are.

Shanahan and the Redskins know exactly what Grossman is. He doesn't have to show them anything. They believe, if they install Grossman as the starter, they know exactly what they'll get. And so far this preseason, nothing he's shown has done anything to sway them from that opinion.

They believe, however, that Beck has the ability to give them more. That he can make plays and move the chains with his feet. That he has a quicker release, and that he anticipates throws better. They think the upside is higher with Beck, and what they wanted to see from him when this preseason began is how he would handle the pressure of being the starter -- or at least the opportunity to finally be a starter in the NFL.

So while, yes, it matters that Beck made a bad throw that was intercepted on his first play of the second half, it almost certainly matters more that he rebounded to lead that long touchdown drive. You're not going to judge a guy on one throw, good or bad. But to watch Beck engineer that drive, make smart decisions quickly, let go of the ball with that kind of speed ... that's the kind of thing that, if the question is whether Beck can handle the pressure of the situation, the answer is affirmative. Shanahan is not likely to announce his decision for another week or so at least, but I believe Beck has been the favorite all along and has done nothing to lose that status.

Some other thoughts from what turned out to be an exhibition loss when Tyrod Taylor and the fired-up Ravens went in for a touchdown with 22 seconds left:

1. Ryan Kerrigan is an impact player. Sure, he's a rookie still learning to play standing up as a linebacker instead of in the three-point lineman stance he used in college, and he still needs to get used to the coverage schemes. But when they send Kerrigan after a quarterback, he can flat-out get there. He picked up his second sack in two preseason games, and it appears as though he and fellow outsider 'backer Brian Orakpo can be a fearsome combination. Overall, the Redskins' first-team defense looked very good, although it could suffer if the knee injury sustained by rookie defensive end Jarvis Jenkins in the first quarter is a long-term issue. Jenkins has been a star during training camp.

2. Terrence Austin is playing himself into a roster spot. For the second game in a row, Austin was a standout at the receiver position. He caught Beck's touchdown pass and had 71 yards on five catches. He's also served as the punt returner the past couple of weeks with Brandon Banks out (although he got only one chance in this one), and that could help him make the team. If he has a connection with Beck, and if Beck is the starter, it's going to be difficult to cut Austin.

3. Interesting night for DeAngelo Hall. He had the interception return for a touchdown, nicely anticipating the route and sitting on it while Joe Flacco fired it right to him, but he also gave up Lee Evans' touchdown for Baltimore. He had tight coverage on Evans and just didn't see the ball in time to make a play on Flacco's pinpoint throw. In general, the Redskins' secondary has been the weak spot of the defense in this preseason. In fairness, they have been playing without starting safety LaRon Landry and cornerback Josh Wilson -- as well as without inside linebacker London Fletcher, who is not a member of the secondary but is an on-field leader of the defense whose presence and knowledge are missed. It was encouraging to see O.J. Atogwe on the field for the first time this preseason, and Reed Doughty has played well at safety during the injuries to the starters. But once Landry is back there, things will feel much more whole.

4. Santana Moss will be a huge help to whichever guy is the quarterback. Moss is simply a great, professional route-runner. They could use a bigger red zone threat than they have, but Moss is going to be a safety net for Beck and/or Grossman all year as they work on moving the ball down the field. As for that red zone threat ... maybe Leonard Hankerson can develop into it. We got on his case last week for drops, so it should be noted that he made a very nice shoestring catch on the only ball that came his way on this night. And Anthony Armstrong looks like a potential deep threat, as Beck found him for 33 yards on his first throw of the game.

5. Tim Hightower. Not much else to say. He ripped off another big run, didn't fumble the ball and looks like he's moving up fantasy draft boards as the season approaches. Nine carries for 56 yards, no sign of injured Ryan Torain to challenge him and Roy Helu looks like a fun, speedy backup at this point. Hightower is a factor in the passing game as well, as a blocker and a receiver, and if he holds onto the ball, he's going to be an asset.

Once again, no way to know whether the good stuff we've seen from the Redskins will carry into the regular season, and no real reason to think it will. The preseason just doesn't have that kind of predictive value. But even though they lost the game, there were a lot of things about Thursday night to help make the Redskins feel good about themselves, and there is value in that as the season gets ready to start.

Good morning to all, and to all some good, piping-hot links:

Dallas Cowboys

Dez Bryant says "one drop is too many" and seemed to be beating himself up a bit over that ball he dropped on third down with the Cowboys driving in the first half of Sunday night's preseason game. It was indeed a bad drop, and if it were to keep happening we could add it to the list of concerns. But the fact that Bryant didn't wave it off as a "just preseason" thing is encouraging for Cowboys fans. When Bryant has the ball in his hands, he's pretty tough to bring down.

Jason Garrett was unhappy, too, pointing out that his team committed three turnovers and forced none. At first I thought it was silly for the coach to be upset over a preseason loss, but that specific critique made me change my mind. Garrett sees a loss in which the Cowboys didn't look very good as a chance to teach a lesson. More intensity on defense, more care taken on offense. And the fact that the starting quarterback was directly responsible for one of the turnovers helps drive home the point without making anyone further down the roster feel as though he's taking it out on only them.

New York Giants

Zach Berman looks at Travis Beckum, the disadvantages he faces as a small tight end and what he's doing to overcome them so he can take the place of Kevin Boss as the Giants' starter at the position.

Aaron Ross is happy to be back playing the position he loves -- cornerback, instead of spotting in at safety and nickelback. The Giants want to see something, though. With Prince Amukamara and Bruce Johnson hurt, they're looking for depth behind their very good starting corners, and Ross should get a chance in tonight's preseason game to show what he offers in a backup corner role.

Philadelphia Eagles

The chances of the Eagles starting two rookies on the offensive line took a big step forward over the weekend. They've informed Jason Kelce that he, not Jamaal Jackson, will be the starting center in the next preseason game. And while that could be a matter of wanting to take a longer look at the rookie, it could mean much more. New offensive line coach Howard Mudd is the one, they say, who hand-picked this guy. He's light and athletic, the way Mudd likes his linemen. And he's been sharing first-team reps with Jackson since the first day of training camp. Kelce is a legitimate candidate to be the starting center soon, if not right now. I wouldn't be surprised if the Eagles decided to line him up next to rookie right guard Danny Watkins in Week 1.

The headline on this notebook says, "DJax likes Fitz deal," and I'll just bet he does. I'd be more than willing to bet that DeSean Jackson does, indeed, approve of the eight-year, $120 million deal Larry Fitzgerald just signed with the Cardinals. I believe Jackson likes Fitzgerald's $50 million guarantee, too. Currently in a dispute with the Eagles over his own contract, and with one year left until free agency, a deal that moves the market for top receivers the way Fitzgerald's just did is manna for Jackson and his agent. Not that Jackson's as good as Fitzgerald, but a deal like that moves the price up for everyone at or near the top.

Washington Redskins

After watching the tape of Friday's game, Mike Shanahan came away impressed with quarterback John Beck. Said Beck made good decisions, which I thought was one of the most important takeaways from that game. They rolled him out a lot to try and take advantage of his speed and athleticism, but at the end of the rollouts he made smart plays. He threw the ball away when there was nothing there and, as this story points out, he didn't look for something downfield just for the sake of doing that. The Redskins' offense right now isn't going to offer much in the way of deep downfield options. Maybe as the year goes along, but not right now. Beck did a good job of taking what he was given, and it appears the right people noticed.

The Redskins are getting a bit healthier on defense. A hamstring problem has slowed LaRon Landry's recovery from his Achilles injury, but it sounds as though fellow safety O.J. Atogwe, cornerback Josh Wilson and linebacker London Fletcher are all back practicing and gearing up for Thursday's preseason game. Not as encouraging on the other side of the ball, where tight end Chris Cooley and kick returner Brandon Banks don't seem to be making much progress.

Coincidentally, I am in Washington, D.C., for a couple of days, doing some sightseeing with the wife and kids. So unless something huge goes down, you're not likely to hear from me again until I'm online tweeting during the Giants-Bears game. But I promise I won't forget about you, and you can always come back here to the links to yell at each other.

Excellent morning to you all. Busy Tuesday planned, what with the regular weekly chat scheduled and some work still to do for later in the week on the "Dream Team of Tomorrow," so let's get right on with the links:

Dallas Cowboys

The St. Louis Rams on Monday became the latest team to cancel their out-of-town training camp because of how long the lockout has dragged on. Matt Mosley says the Cowboys could be next, as they're getting close to the time by which they have to decide on whether to pull the plug on San Antonio. At this point, with the best-case scenario for the end of the lockout looking like sometime late next week, you have to wonder if anybody's going to hold training camp away from home. As you know from reading the blog, I don't think it matters at all. But I guess we'll see.

Blogging the Boys ponders John Phillips, and whether he can emerge as the kind of do-it-all fullback Daryl Johnston was for the glory years teams. This leads to an interesting question about Martellus Bennett's continued usefulness, though I imagine the fact that Bennett caught a career-high 33 passes last year, as BTB points out, indicates more multiple-tight-end sets (and perhaps less need for a fullback) to come. It is the trend, after all, in a copycat league.

New York Giants

Linebacker talk! Paul Posluszny said in a recent radio interview that he prefers to stay with the Buffalo Bills (perhaps a story unto itself), but that he enjoyed the time he spent with Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell while Fewell filled that same role (and, for a brief time, that of head coach) in Buffalo and that the Giants are an interesting potential destination for him as he becomes a free agent. Remains to be seen, of course, whether he's on the Giants' wish list. Remains to be seen whether the always-stubborn Giants actually do anything at linebacker this year. But his name's been mentioned more than once in connection with the Giants, and he bears watching.

And Giants.com takes a look at sixth-round pick Greg Jones, the linebacker out of Michigan State. Michael Eisen writes that most expect Jones to begin as a special-teamer but that the college overachiever "likely hopes to get a shot to unseat Jonathan Goff as the Giants' starting middle linebacker." Hey, you never know, right?

Philadelphia Eagles

Brandon Graham's knee appears healthier than Tiger Woods' knee, since he can apparently play golf on it. But while Graham says the knee is coming along, he's not going to be ready to start the season, which is one of the reasons you keep hearing the Eagles connected with potential free-agent pass-rushers.

DeSean Jackson said in this radio interview that he and Plaxico Burress would be "a dangerous combination" if the former Giants wideout were to sign with the Eagles. But Jackson, like all of us, doesn't know how likely that is to happen. The Eagles would be good for Burress, there's no doubt. The question is whether they believe he'd be good for them.

Washington Redskins

Hey, if we can spend a week speculating on who'll make the Pro Bowl in 2014-16, why can't Redskins.com talk about who'll make it this year? Looking at potential candidates who've never made it before, they highlight Lorenzo Alexander, Anthony Armstrong, O.J. Atogwe, LaRon Landry and return man Brandon Banks. One quibble: Isn't Alexander about to lose his job to the team's first-round pick?

Mike Jones takes a look at the final six picks the Redskins made in the draft and sizes up each one's chances of contributing this year. Of the group, sixth-round receiver Aldrick Robinson and seventh-round guard Maurice Hurt may have the best chances to see playing time in 2011, since those positions are positions of opportunity on the Redskins' roster. Though I did chuckle at Mike's characterization of Hurt as "rather fleshy" during the player-led workouts. Hey, we all let ourselves go a little in the offseason, don't we?

Breakfast time. More later. Be excellent to each other.

Morning, all. Lockout's still on, but the rampant speculation and analysis train rolls along. Santana Moss gave a radio interview in Washington and said he'd like to return to the Redskins if they'll have him back:

"That's the only thing I can think of," Moss told ESPN 980. "I'm a Redskin. I feel like I invested a lot into this team. I would hate to leave and see the team be successful, knowing I was here."

We've joked a bit here over the past week about the Redskins' receiving corps, and it's certainly not among the team's strong suits. But Moss is coming off a very good season, and indications are that the Redskins would like to bring him back. If they don't, they're left with Anthony Armstrong, Brandon Banks, Leonard Hankerson, Terrence Austin and a couple of guys they drafted in later rounds in April.

The free-agent wide receiver market doesn't look sensational, populated as it is by question-mark guys like Randy Moss, Chad Ochocinco, Terrell Owens and the soon-to-be-released-from-prison Plaxico Burress. So while Washington could use an upgrade at receiver, there may not be a clear one to be had. They're probably better off giving Santana his wish and hoping someone like Armstrong, Banks or Hankerson takes the next step and emerges as a starter.

In the meantime, I link, therefore I am:

More Redskins

Mike Jones says Lorenzo Alexander took some snaps at inside linebacker during last week's player-led workouts and thinks it's because rookie Ryan Kerrigan is an OLB and that Alexander will need to play ILB to get playing time. I say that all makes sense, but it doesn't make a difference until a coach tells him to practice there.

Dallas Cowboys

The Tony Romo wedding is the breakfast links gift that keeps on giving. Yahoo! Sports' Shutdown Corner blog absolutely blasts the job Romo and his new bride did filling out their gift registries at Macy's and Crate & Barrel. Apparently, they registered for incredibly cheap stuff like 50-cent tea lights and came up with 150 items from the C&B registry alone:

"In the truest sign yet that the lockout has already started affecting NFL players, nobody bought the couple the three most expensive items on the registries: Calphalon cookware ($569), a Dyson vacuum ($549) and Wusthof cutlery ($399). DeMaurice Smith, you only have yourself to blame if and when Romo and Crawford's poorly cut, unevenly cooked dinners fall on the floor and are unable to be picked up by the world's first bagless vacuum."

Sensational.

In more ... relevant, on-field news, rookie running back DeMarco Murray has apparently been working out with former Oklahoma Sooners teammate Sam Bradford during the lockout and tells NFL.com in a video, "I don't want to sit on no bench." I can see his point, but if he gets stuck there, at least he'll have a really huge TV to watch.

New York Giants

Steve Smith told ProFootballTalk that he expects to be back with the Giants. Some have wondered about that, thanks to talk of a large contract extension that followed Smith's big 2009 season. But his 2010 knee injury likely dampened those plans, and now it seems as if he plans on sticking around in New York. Smith told PFT, "I was going to leave, but then Graziano ranked our WR corps No. 1 in the division, so I have to stay and help make him look good." No, actually. He didn't say that.

If you haven't checked out our "Faces of the Lockout" series we ran yesterday, go ahead and do that. I'll wait right here. Pretty good stuff in there. Ohm Youngmisuk's contribution looks at Barry Cofield's uncertain situation, which people ask about all the time in the printable parts of the mailbag.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles worked out again, this time without the use of a football. Revolutionary practice tactics emerging during the lockout! Read to the bottom to find out why Brent Celek has put a shirt on for the past couple of practices.

And there's more Howard Mudd-related stuff today from Les Bowen, who talked to Todd Herremans about the videos Mudd handed out to offensive linemen back when coaches and players could still do stuff like that together.

I, too, am going to work out without a football today. But I'll be back later with plenty of Thursday goodness here on the NFC East blog. I hope you enjoyed your breakfast.

A good morning to all. I hope you all had as nice a holiday weekend as I did. That Bill P from NJ really knows how to throw a barbecue.

The Eagles' DeSean Jackson was a hot topic on our lil' ol' blog Friday, as the debate over the division's best wide receiver corps got everybody nice and fired up heading into the weekend. But there's no debating the fact that Jackson is using his lockout-induced free time for good. We've linked here before about his work with his Pancreatic Cancer foundation and mentioned the time he's spent back in Oakland going to schools to talk about the dangers of bullying. The Oakland Tribune's Monte Poole recently accompanied Jackson on a visit to San Quentin, where he spent time chatting with inmates. Impressive dude on and off the field, it would seem, is Jackson.

Meanwhile, here at the blog, with the holiday behind us, we link:

More Eagles

Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Ashley Fox thinks Kevin Kolb is naive to trust Andy Reid to do right by him, and that Reid will only do so if it's also what's best for the team. Kolb, who said after the season that he wants to be traded to a team for which he can be the starting quarterback, softened a bit last week and said he wouldn't be "a turd" if stuck in Philly. Which is nice.

This report indicates that the Arizona Cardinals, thought to be the Eagles' most likely trade partner for Kolb, still have some questions about him. Now, they could be putting that out there for leverage reasons, sure. But the longer the lockout drags on, the more difficult it's going to be to put this deal together. What may have seemed like an obvious fit months ago might start to break apart under more extensive examination. Just saying, don't assume it's a done deal.

Dallas Cowboys

There were short ribs on the menu and, apparently, a "pizza bar" at the Tony Romo wedding Saturday night. Sure, I mean, when you invite that many football players to your wedding, you've got to give them something to eat. But man, I'm going to be thinking about "pizza bar" all week. And I'm not even hungry right now.

Rainer Sabin mulls the question of whether the Cowboys were actually right to pick Felix Jones with the No. 22 selection in the 2008 NFL draft, one pick before Pittsburgh selected the considerably more productive Rashard Mendenhall. The conclusion here seems to be that Jones, the better receiver, fits the Cowboys' scheme better than Mendenhall would have. To which I say: Okaaaaaay, but ... Tennessee took Chris Johnson at 24. How we rationalizing that one?

New York Giants

Justin Tuck is assembling celebrities for his annual charity pool tournament this week in New York. Tuck's charity benefits literacy programs in central Alabama, where he's from. Tuck takes a lot of pride in being from Alabama and was recently there helping to raise money for tornado victims.

Giants 101 spoke with Kevin Boothe, who said rookies are missing out on valuable classroom time because of the NFL lockout.

Washington Redskins

Mike Jones from the Washington Post spoke with the father of Brandon Banks about how the Redskins' receiver is dealing with the aftermath of his November knee surgery and his February stabbing. The Redskins' exclusion from our discussion of the division's best wide receivers would seem to speak to a potential opportunity for Banks, who would be a nice comeback story if he could return to the field and make a positive contribution.

Word here that Albert Haynesworth might settle his road rage case, which would be good. I'm sure Haynesworth would like to move on so he can go find something else about which to be angry.

Not me, though. I'm as happy as can be to be back with you for another week. Let's do it to them before they do it to us.

Morning. Quick little bit of background here. All this stuff we do and debate here that involves rankings and voting? Not my first rodeo. In 17 years as a professional sportswriter, you do a lot of it. I covered baseball long enough that I have a Hall of Fame vote in that sport. I know how hard it is to make those lists and sift through all of the numbers and information and make a judgment about whether one player is or was "better" than another.

Very often, of course, those of us who do this kind of voting are criticized for our decisions. Very often, we are told that sportswriters aren't qualified to make such decisions, and that it should be left to the players, because who would know better than the players who's truly good at the games they themselves play?

That argument sounds good the first time you hear it, but unfortunately it doesn't hold up. When players are asked to vote on these things, we see that they bring their own issues to it. Bias. Personal grudges. Shortsightedness. Many are simply too close to their fellow players to be able to make reasoned decisions about how to rank them against each other.

The point? Ah, yes. You'll be wanting that. My point today is about this list the NFL Network did where it asked the players to rank the top 100 players of 2011. Specifically, my point is about the fact that Giants quarterback Eli Manning isn't in that top 100. This, as it has been suggested to me several times over the past couple of days by readers, is absurd, and these readers want to know how it could possibly happen. How could NFL players really leave Manning off this list and put Josh Freeman and Donovan McNabb on it?

It's a very good question, and I don't have the answer. For that, you need to ask the players who voted. I have a guess, of course, and that guess is "money."

Players in all sports use money to rank themselves against each other. If Player A makes more money than Player B does, but Player B believes he's better than Player A is, Player B begins to think irrationally about Player A -- to focus on the things about Player A he deems insufficient. To say things like, "Player A isn't that good," or "Player A is overrated." Eli Manning made big news back in 2009 when he signed a contract that made him (for a time) the league's highest-paid quarterback. Players remember that, and they probably still think Eli makes more money than he should. They may even be correct. But in spite of the interceptions and whatever other deficiencies you may perceive about Eli Manning, he belonged on that list somewhere.

On, then, to the links:

More Giants

Offensive lineman James Brewer, picked by the Giants in the fourth round last month, is relieved that the league canceled the rookie symposium, Paul Schwartz writes. Why? Well, because Brewer figures he doesn't need it. "I don't think I need someone to tell me not to hit women and stuff like that. I think I kind of know that already," Brewer tells Schwartz. Charming.

Speaking of Giants saying dumb things, Mike Vaccaro took issue with former Giant Tiki Barber comparing himself to Anne Frank, and I can't say as I blame Mike. Can't think of too many ex-athletes who've made themselves look more completely foolish with their immediate post-career behavior than Tiki has.

Dallas Cowboys

Rainer Sabin doesn't expect the Cowboys to be one of the teams in danger of being fined for players making too many excessive or flagrant hits. Under new rules passed this week, the league can fine a team if it decides there's a pattern of that team's behavior in violation of the crackdown on dangerous hits. But Sabin points out that only four Cowboys players were fined at all for such infractions in 2010 and only one -- Anthony Spencer -- was banged more than once. There's a joke in here somewhere.

Football Outsiders ranks the Cowboys' 2009 trade of three draft picks to the Lions for Roy Williams as the ninth-worst trade of the past 25 years. This is an Insider article, so if you're not an Insider just call me and I'll give you my password so you can read it. But in case I don't answer, know that it points out that the Lions didn't exactly use those picks to build the foundations of a dynasty. They got Brandon Pettigrew with the first-rounder, and they like him, but the third- and fifth-rounders turned into Derrick Williams and Aaron Brown. The point, from the Cowboys' end, is that they may well could have used at least one of those picks on someone who might have helped them more in 2009 and 2010 than Roy Williams did.

Philadelphia Eagles

Checking in from Eagles player workouts, Jeff McLane reports that Mike Kafka is "ready to take the next step" and be Michael Vick's backup if Kevin Kolb is traded. That's nice, and I know they like Kafka as a developmental guy. But with Vick an injury risk, if the Eagles trade Kolb they'll need to bring in a backup they believe can start now and give them a chance to win games. It's unlikely they feel that way about Kafka right now. Matt Williamson thinks Vince Young is a great fit in Philly as Vick's backup, and I believe that might just be a perfect arrangement. Surely, Andy Reid and the Eagles don't fear their own ability to coach something out of Young's talent so that it's there when/if they need it.

Jeff's been busy (thankfully) doing things other than providing updates from player-organized workouts. He offers this nice profile of Jaiquawn Jarrett and his upbringing in basketball-crazed Brooklyn.

Washington Redskins

I did not know that the Redskins' first-round pick, Ryan Kerrigan, was deaf in his left ear. Clearly, this isn't an issue that detracts from his ability to play football, since he was able to do that well enough at Purdue to become a first-round NFL draft pick. But it's an interesting story of a kid who had something rough happen to him when he was 8 years old and managed to overcome it. I like those stories.

Speaking of overcoming things, Brandon Banks tells CSN Washington he's 90 percent healthy and enjoying being on the field for workouts three months after he was stabbed outside a D.C. nightclub.

All right. That's enough. Have a good day out there, everybody, and don't get captured.

Washington Redskins return specialist Brandon Banks will remain in the hospital for a third night after suffering superficial knife wounds during an early Saturday morning attack, according to a statement from his agent. The agent, James Gould, said Banks would be released within the next 24 hours.

"In response to the well wishes, many calls and concerns for Brandon Banks, he still remains in a local hospital for precautionary reasons and is expected to be released within 24 hours. He would like to thank everyone again for their concerns."

Banks' Redskins teammates have been reaching out to him through this entire ordeal. And I would imagine that coach Mike Shanahan will eventually use Banks' situation as an example of why players don't need to be shutting down nightclubs at 3 a.m. ET.

Washington Redskins return specialist Brandon Banks was set to be released from the hospital last night, his agent told the Post. Banks and a friend were both stabbed early Saturday morning during an altercation outside a D.C. nightclub.

"He's recovering well, there's no damage and no residual effects, so it looks like he's going to make a full recovery and be just fine," said Banks' agent James Gould, in a phone interview with the Post. "Brandon's friend also is recovering. He was talking today, and also is expected to make a full recovery."

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys have 13 free agents to deal with whenever a new CBA is finalized, but according to ESPNDallas.com's Calvin Watkins, the Cowboys have just one they need to worry about: left tackle Doug Free.

After 11 seasons with the New England Patriots, strength and conditioning coach Mike Woicik could be headed back to the Cowboys, sources told ESPNDallas.com and ESPNBoston.com.

Quarterback Tony Romo is too worried about whether teammates like him to be the Cowboys' true leader, argues Jean-Jacques Taylor of The Dallas Morning News. (subscription required)

New York Giants

Vic Carucci of NFL.com has five tough questions the Giants need to address this offseason.

Michael Eisen of Giants.com goes inside the numbers in reviewing the 2010 season.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles' new defensive staff under Juan Castillo will emphasize a simpler scheme than the one employed by former coordinator Sean McDermott.

Eagles quarterback Kevin Kolb is inspired by the path to stardom taken by the Packers' Aaron Rodgers.

New defensive line coach Jim Washburn had to leave his comfort zone when he decided to leave Tennessee behind for Philly.

Washington Redskins

Diminutive kick returner Brandon Banks said he'd like to add 11 pounds to his playing weight last season of 154.

Barry Barnes of DC Sports Examiner looks ahead at the Skins' 2011 schedule and concludes home will not be so sweet.

In an article examining owner Dan Synder's lawsuit against Washington City Paper, Thomas Alter writes that "With every stupid lawsuit, every self-serving act, [Snyder] puts another blemish on the great history of the Washington Redskins."

Washington Redskins special-teams coach Danny Smith will remain with the club rather than accept an offer from Denver Broncos coach John Fox, according to CSNWashington.com. Smith was one of the few holdovers from Jim Zorn's staff in Washington. He helped develop rookie Brandon Banks into one of the most exciting returners in the league and apparently he worked well with coach Mike Shanahan.

The Redskins were second in the league in punt coverage but 29th at covering kickoffs. The Redskins eventually released punter Hunter Smith this season after he botched a hold late in a game. Smith has a reputation for coming up with some entertaining fake field goals, some of which were on display during the Zorn era.