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Remember the video mailbag? Well, we're upgrading it a bit. Or trying to, anyway. At 2 p.m. ET today on this blog, we will be doing a live video mailbag through something called Vokle. The fantasy baseball guys have been using it for live video chats, and we're going to try it here on the NFC East blog and see how it works. Ideally, you'll be able to join the chat (right from the blog, and I think you can sign in through your Facebook or Twitter account so you don't have to go to Vokle.com and set up a Vokle account if you don't want to) and ask me questions. You can type in the questions as you normally would during our Tuesday chats, and I'll read them and answer them aloud. Or, if you have a webcam and a headset (please, only if you have a headset, as without it the echo is really bad) you can ask a live video question and I'll answer it. It'll be just like when I talk to my mom and dad while they're in Florida, only it won't be 25 degrees here this time.

Anyway, swing by around 2 p.m. ET to try this out with us. Assuming it works, it could help us take the blog to unprecedented heights of technological glory. Also, should be fun. Links.

New York Giants

The Giants start their OTAs today, and it's a chance for guys like Matt McCants, a tackle the Giants took in the sixth round last month, to get at least some sense of what it's like to try to block some of the best pass-rushers in the league.

Paul Schwartz writes that Rutgers product Joe Martinek is hoping to make a case for himself as a fullback on the Giants' roster, kind of the way Henry Hynoski did last year when he was an undrafted free agent in camp with the Giants. I guess you never know.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles continue to move Jamar Chaney all around their linebacker rotation. With Brian Rolle and rookie Mychal Kendricks apparently battling for the strongside linebacker spot, it appears Chaney is now the favorite to start at the weak side with DeMeco Ryans in the middle. Chaney, who played the middle in 2010 when Stewart Bradley got hurt and in 2011 when Casey Matthews proved ineffective, continues to roll with it.

And yeah, the offseason storyline has begun to focus on quarterback Michael Vick and what he needs to change about his game in order to help the Eagles achieve their very lofty goals for the 2012 season. As I've written before -- not about changing style of play but more about changing his sense of responsibility about how he plays the position. Decision-making, study habits, things like that. As he has for the past three years, Vick is saying all of the right things. So we'll see.

Washington Redskins

Redskins.com is breaking down some position battles as the Redskins engage in OTAs this week. I like the rundown of the wide receivers especially, but you know it's a team website when you read something like, "the Redskins have arguably the best tight end duo in the league." I mean, they played the Patriots last year, right? So they know about those guys?

Mike Shanahan was back at work a day after being run over on the sideline by two Redskins players. The players who saw it happen said it was a scary sight, but apparently Shanahan is showing no ill effects.

Dallas Cowboys

Jerry Jones says the window may be closing on the time the Cowboys have to win with their current veteran core, including Tony Romo, Jason Witten and DeMarcus Ware. Of course, lest anyone think this means trouble for the coaching staff, Jones is quick to assert that Jason Garrett feels the same way. Those two are BFFs, I'm telling ya.

Our man Herman Edwards says the Cowboys have "a Super Bowl offense," and I agree with him in terms of the talent at the skill positions. I think we still need to see Super Bowl-caliber performance out of positions like center and guard before we start talking that way, though. And of course, none of that matters if the defense doesn't improve. Which I'm pretty sure is part of Herm's point. You play. To win. The game.

PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Don't you just hate it when football coaches start talking in ultra-technical football jargon and expect us all to understand it as though we're in the meeting rooms with them every day? Like Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid this morning at the NFL owners meetings, explaining what went wrong on defense with his team last year.

"I goofed on that one," Reid said.

This is a new one on me, this "goofed." I'm not sure I've studied enough football to truly understand the complexities of this analysis. Let's back it all the way out and examine the full quote from which this one was plucked.

"The plan I had, I didn't execute it very well, right?" Reid said. "I goofed on that one. I expected the young guys on defense to get where they were getting towards the end of the season sooner, particularly the guys in the middle of the defense -- the linebackers and safeties."

So "goofed," then, appears to have something to do with a plan gone awry. The Eagles loaded up last year at cornerback and on the defensive line, brought in a new defensive line coach, converted their offensive line coach to defensive coordinator and believed their strengths -- on defense and on offense -- would overcome their deficiencies. Instead, the defensive deficiencies were a big part of what did the Eagles in during a 1-4 start from which they were unable to recover. Their "Wide 9" defensive front was very good at getting to the quarterback, but when teams attacked the middle of their defense with the run or were able to give their quarterbacks enough time to throw, those teams found major weaknesses at the linebacker and safety spots that were charged with protecting the middle part of the field.

"I expected the offense to carry it through, and that part didn't take place," Reid said. "But yeah, your linebackers -- the more gaps you open up, the more physical they have to be."

The Eagles patched the linebacker corps together with unprepared late-round rookies like Casey Matthews and Brian Rolle and second-year man Jamar Chaney, and it showed. Reid said the group demonstrated improvement and played well late in the year, when the Eagles won their final four games. But the weakness was still glaring enough that the team decided it needed to make a trade for veteran middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans last week, and it's possible they could still look to add at that position this offseason.

Listening to Reid talk Wednesday morning, the thing that seemed to bother him the most about the 2011 season was the high number of turnovers his offense committed. The 25 interceptions the Eagles threw in 2011 led the league, and when you add in their 13 fumbles, it brings their total number of 2011 giveaways to 38, which was second-highest in the league behind Tampa Bay. So no matter what happens on defense, the Eagles will need to make far fewer "goofs" on offense next year in order to get where they need to go.

But with an entire season under the belts of last year's new players and coaches, the addition of Ryans and a full offseason with which to prepare, the Eagles will enter 2012 with high hope that the "goofs" of 2011 are a thing of the past. Reid answered in the affirmative when asked if he believed he had a Super Bowl contender.

"That's what makes it exciting," Reid said. "We have a good group coming back. Every year is different, I understand that. But we've got to take that momentum that we finished with and build on it an continue to get better."

Some thoughts on the Philadelphia' Eagles impressive 26-10 victory against the Dolphins in Miami on Sunday afternoon:

What it means: Well, I mean, I guess, technically you've got to say the Eagles are still alive. The victory moves them to 5-8 for the season, and if they can somehow find a way to play this well on defense the rest of the way and win their final three games, they could theoretically still win the NFC East at 8-8. It's a long shot, and it would require the Giants and the Cowboys to do a lot of losing. But this year in the NFC East, no one's very good. And as bad as the Eagles have been, you just can't put that little "x" next to them in the standings just yet.

Defensive clinic: It looked bad early for the defense, as Matt Moore beat Nnamdi Asomugha with a perfectly thrown 16-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Marshall. But the Eagles' defense locked in after that. It got to Moore and eventually knocked him out of the game. Linebackers Casey Matthews and Brian Rolle made plays. Asante Samuel made a tackle and forced a fumble. It looked a lot like the way the Eagles had hoped they'd be able to play defense all season. And jeez, they went into the fourth quarter with a lead and never even looked as though they'd give it up. The defense had nine sacks, allowed 204 total yards, held the Dolphins to 3-for-15 on third downs and forced three turnovers.

Hoping it was rust, not ribs: Eagles quarterback Michael Vick played after missing three games with broken ribs, and he didn't look great. He hooked up with DeSean Jackson for a long touchdown, but ended the day 15-for-30 for 208 yards and an interception to go with the touchdown. It's possible he was rusty, and the Dolphins' defense has played very well lately, but if the ribs are still hurting Vick when he throws, you have to wonder what the Eagles will or even can do about that.

Weird day for Shady: Eagles running back LeSean McCoy entered the day ranked second in the league in rushing yards, but had just 38 yards on 27 carries against that tough Dolphins front. He did get two touchdowns to take him to 17 for the season (14 rushing, three receiving), but he wasn't his usual explosive self, and he lost ground to Jacksonville's Maurice Jones-Drew in the race for the rushing title.

What's next: The Eagles have a tough home game Sunday against the New York Jets, who are 8-5 and making their own playoff push. New York's once-feared defense isn't quite what it used to be, and the Jets' lack of big-time pass-rushers could allow Vick a little bit more time to throw than he often gets, so it's not an impossible game. They'll just need to protect the ball, and they'll have a chance to outscore Mark Sanchez and the Jets' offense.

You guys ask so much about why the Philadelphia Eagles haven't signed veteran linebacker Lofa Tatupu that, frankly, I've kind of stopped paying attention to it. But the idea has shown up now in a very interesting place that makes me wonder if something might finally happen soon with Tatupu. That place is Adam Schefter's mailbag, which includes this item:

Q: Adam, why have the Philadelphia Eagles not signed anyone like Lofa Tatupu or anyone else for help at linebacker? It seems like even a slightly unhealthy Tatupu would be better than a trio of Brian Rolle, Jamar Chaney and Casey Matthews?

-- Isaac (Penn.)

A: Hard to argue against your point, Isaac. The interesting part is that Tatupu wanted to play for the Eagles as much as, if not more than, any team in the league when this season kicked off. He did have some casual conversations with the Eagles during the summer, but Philadelphia wanted to see its young linebackers and how they performed. So far, not so well. At the same time, Tatupu's knees weren't quite as ready as he wanted them to be, though they are now. He is ready to play. But he has wanted to play for a winning team and right now the Eagles are struggling. However, to think Tatupu would be the difference for this team is a bit short-sighted. For now, the Eagles' issues are larger.

My thought on Tatupu all along has been that, since he's been out there for two months and nobody's even looked at him, he must be washed up or unlikely to be a help. But Adam indicates that he's healthier now than he was when he and the Seahawks parted ways, which means maybe a team like the Eagles could take a look. Two interesting points, though, from Adam are that the Eagles aren't the "winning team" right now for which Tatupu wants to play and that the Eagles' problems likely don't have a solution as simple as adding one linebacker.

One of those problems appears to be myopia. The idea that "Philadelphia wanted to see its young linebackers and how they performed" is completely out of line with everything else the Eagles did this offseason. We were led to believe -- told, actually -- that they were going all-in for a Super Bowl run this season. A team that does that doesn't decide to look at young guys at one position while piling up veterans everywhere else. The Eagles seem to have believed that they could mask linebacker deficiencies with excellence on the defensive line and in the secondary. But that's a strategy that has cost the Giants in recent years, and it's cost the Eagles this year, in part because the secondary hasn't been excellent and in part because the strategy just doesn't make any sense. NFL offenses will seek out weaknesses and attack them, and the Eagles' weaknesses weren't hard to find.

The Eagles' problems are systemic, it would seem, and unlikely to get better anytime soon or with the help of any midseason acquisition. So while it wouldn't be surprising to see them make such a move, I'm not sure it would be the panacea that Eagles fans might imagine it to be.

A little groggy this morning. Was up late watching baseball, which ... wow. But I know you gotta have your links.

Dallas Cowboys

Jason Garrett says Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson is "arguably the best player in the National Football League," and Johnson is a main focus of Dallas' preparation for Sunday's game. Practice squad receiver Andre Holmes is 6-foot-5, same height as Johnson, and the Cowboys are using him this week in practice to try to simulate Johnson's ability to out-jump defenders for the ball, especially in the end zone.

I'd thought, if Dan Bailey could kick the ball into the end zone Sunday with David Buehler on the shelf, the Cowboys could cut Buehler, get down to one kicker and pick up a roster spot. But Jerry Jones says it's not happening, and Buehler's in no danger of losing his job.

New York Giants

Eli Manning admits it took him a while to develop rhythm and a comfort level with the Giants' offense this season as he adjusted to life without Steve Smith and Kevin Boss. But since the second quarter of the Rams game, he's looked like a different guy, and he thinks the key was to stay patient. He'll have to stay as patient going forward as he was Sunday in Philadelphia, where he waited for his shot at big plays and then hit them. Eli gets in trouble when he tries to force a big play.

Sam Borden's got a look at the Giants' goal-line defense, which was another key to the win Sunday and represents the kind of thing in which they'll need to and should be able to rely on as the year goes along.

Philadelphia Eagles

Michael Vick sounds like a different guy than he did Sunday, saying things like, "I'm tired of letting my guys down" and promising to do whatever he can to finish games from here on out. Phil Sheridan wonders if NFL players lean too much toward trying to tough out injuries. He may have a point, but it's doubtful that's going to affect Vick as much was watching Tony Romo on Monday night apparently did.

The Eagles are making another switch at linebacker, in case you didn't hear, sending Casey Matthews to the bench and replacing him at the weak side with fellow rookie Brian Rolle, who says he'd like to get a chance to cover 49ers tight end Vernon Davis on Sunday. Well, hey, you might as well find out how good you are right away, huh?

Washington Redskins

Sick of all the praise Romo's getting for toughing out that victory over the Redskins on Monday? Well, Brian Orakpo's right there with you. "I mean, they tried to make it seem like the guy was hospitalized the night before the game," said Orakpo, who left the same game with what the team said were cramps. Orakpo's point seems to be that Romo played the way Romo always does, but I guess I'd counter by saying people reacted the same way people always react to Romo's performances, be they good or bad. Over. People always over-react to Romo.

DeAngelo Hall has thought about it, and he's not as upset as he was Monday about the decision to zero-blitz Romo on third-and-21 Monday night in Dallas. Says he'd have done the same thing if he were faced with the same situation in Madden. That's got to be nice for Jim Haslett to know.

Well, I got to see all four NFC East teams in person this week, and while it wasn't always pretty, the two division matchups were plenty intense. That intensity is likely to last all season in a division in which nothing appears as though it will come easy. To see you through it, you'll need some things you can count on. Like the links.

Dallas Cowboys

DeMarcus Ware didn't like the way he was treated by the Redskins on Monday night, and he didn't like the way the officials handled it. Ware was upset at holds he felt weren't called, and especially that Trent Williams ankle tackle that saved a sack on that last drive. And like every great pass-rusher who complains about this stuff, Ware is correct, and he should be allowed to do his job without his opponents getting away with breaking the rules. But it happens and will likely continue to happen. I talked to Williams after the game and told him Ware was upset about the ankle tackle. Williams said it was "part of the game," and that on a play like that he'd rather risk a penalty flag than a strip-sack. I can see his point, but that doesn't make it right.

Anthony Spencer did get the strip-sack that iced the game for the Cowboys, and like Babe Ruth, he called his shot.

New York Giants

The Giants do not agree with Michael Vick's assertions that some of their hits against him Sunday should have resulted in penalty flags. "He's entitled to his opinion," said defensive tackle Chris Canty, who delivered the hit that injured Vick's hand and that Vick said should have been ruled a late hit. "Obviously he has been real banged up so I can understand where he's coming from." Hey, the winners write the history books, right?

Antrel Rolle defended himself for losing his cool and getting into a scuffle with Eagles players that resulted in a penalty Sunday. Rolle is a confident fellow, but his coach doesn't seem to agree with him that it was OK to get into the fight.

Philadelphia Eagles

Oh, it's getting ugly in Philly, where Sam Donnellon writes that Andy Reid's act is wearing thin after 13 years of poor game management and a grumpy reluctance to answer for it. Sam thinks Reid is a master preparer but doesn't have what it takes to call the right play at the right time in a big spot, and Sam believes he's got enough evidence to make this assertion. I agree that 13 years is a long time. Reid's operating under more pressure than ever this year. He's got the roster everybody thinks can take him all the way, and it's on him not to mess it up.

And defensive coordinator Juan Castillo, also feeling the heat, says he's not planning any changes at linebacker this week. But the tea leaves indicate that we might start seeing more Brian Rolle and a little bit less Casey Matthews as the year goes along.

Washington Redskins

LaRon Landry played in his first game of the season, having finally recovered from his hamstring injury, and there was no mistaking the impact he had on the Redskins' defense.

The Redskins' offensive line played a pretty good game Monday night against the Cowboys, Barry Svrluga writes, until it absolutely had to make a play. Work in progress, this. Overall, the Redskins' line has had a very good year. And the Cowboys' defensive front is the kind of test that can wear you down as the game goes along, which appears to be what happened.

Click here for a complete list of the Philadelphia Eagles' roster moves.

Surprise move: It's not a huge surprise that nickel cornerback Joselio Hanson was released, considering how deep the Eagles were at cornerback after their frenzied first week of free agency. But I do think people are surprised that they couldn't get anything for him in a trade before releasing him. It seems no team wanted to compensate the Eagles and also assume Hanson's contract, which had $7.6 million left over the next three years. He was an extremely effective nickel corner last year and surely will end up on someone's roster (Cleveland? Arizona? St. Louis? The Giants?) before long.

It was a bit of a surprise to see the Eagles cut defensive tackles Anthony Hargrove and Derek Landri and keep Cedric Thornton, but ultimately I guess they believed Landri and Hargrove weren't big enough to play the position in Jim Washburn's scheme. Very small but very effective former CFL star Phillip Hunt made the team at defensive end, though. And cutting Sinorice Moss and Johnnie Lee Higgins leaves the Eagles looking for help in the return game.

No-brainers: Keeping five safeties (Jarrad Page, Kurt Coleman, Nate Allen, Jaiquawn Jarrett and Colt Anderson) and six linebackers (Casey Matthews, Jamar Chaney, Moise Fokou, Akeem Jordan, Brian Rolle and Keenan Clayton) makes some sense because they have questions at those positions and will hold onto depth until they sort out roles. Tight end Donald Lee probably can help someone, but with all of the options the Eagles have at receiver, there isn't much room in the game plan for many two-tight end sets. Mike McGlynn started 14 games for the Eagles last year, but it was clear from the start of camp that there was no place for him on the new offensive line.

What's next: The Eagles are likely to poke around and look for help at linebacker and kick returner, but they're set at almost every position and extremely deep at most. If I'm their front office, I begin focusing my attention on whatever potential resolution there might be to the DeSean Jackson contract situation.

The Philadelphia Eagles used only one offensive starter in their final preseason game, a meaningless 24-14 victory over the New York Jets, and so I thought I'd focus on him. He was Danny Watkins, the first-round pick out of Baylor and the Eagles' starting right guard. He played about 20 snaps against backup Jets defenders, looked good on some, looked lost on others, and I came away with no idea how prepared he is to help protect Michael Vick once the real games begin.

The good: Watkins generally looks strong enough to hold his blocks once he gets his hands on his man. He got good second-level push on one of Dion Lewis' runs on the second offensive series of the game. And he did an excellent job getting down field to make a block on a defensive back on the screen pass to Lewis on the play right before the Eagles' first touchdown. (Oddly, he appeared to be beaten on the touchdown play, but it didn't matter since Vince Young made the throw before the pressure got there.)

The not-so-good: There was a three-play sequence on the first offensive series where he looked very much like a rookie. On the first, his man beat him to the outside and got into the backfield. On the next play, he made some progress into the second level, as Howard Mudd is trying to teach his linemen to do, but got knocked to the ground quickly. And then on the next, he was kind of swimming around in the crowd, blocking no one and looking as though he didn't know where he was supposed to be. Two plays later, he failed to pick up a blitzing Aaron Maybin, who got to Young but was unable to sack him because he's Aaron Maybin and so Young completed the pass anyway.

Watkins is a rookie who didn't have an offseason, and as such he's a work in progress. He'll almost certainly be better by Week 4 and Week 9 and Week 17 than he will be in Week 1. The key is that he has to be good enough, consistently, from play to play, to keep Vick from getting crushed and help the Eagles' offense put points on the board early in the season. Because the Eagles are one of these teams, due to the offseason they had, that can't afford to get off to a slow start unless they're happy with the whole world jumping on their backs about it.

Anyway, some more stuff I saw in the Eagles' final preseason game:

1. Dion Lewis! Oh, I don't have any idea how much he can expect to play -- if at all -- in an Eagles offense that features as many dynamic options as it does. He's the No. 3 running back behind LeSean McCoy and Ronnie Brown in an offense that passes more than it runs. So we might not hear much more from him the rest of the year unless they're going to use him on kick returns as they did Thursday. But if we do, man, is he fun to watch. Good burst at the line. Doesn't need much of a hole to squeeze himself through. Fast. Shifty. Patient. Balanced. Tough to bring down. Yeah, against second-teamers. But he's got some obvious skills, and should be a nice option for the Eagles if they suffer an injury or two at that position.

2. Vince Young is the backup quarterback, and a very good one. The idea that Mike Kafka could beat out Young for the backup quarterback spot was rooted in the idea that Young would take a long time to learn the West Coast offense. And Young may not have it all down yet. But he looks more advanced by leaps and bounds than he did in the first preseason game and in the early training camp practices. And his pure athletic ability and experience as a quarterback making throws in the NFL puts him well ahead of Kafka in terms of being a guy the Eagles can put in, should Vick get hurt, and ask him to win them a game. Young did end up leaving this game with a hamstring injury (on a play that wouldn't have happened but for a botched field goal snap on the play before, incidentally), and Kafka with a rib injury, so there's no way to know what the depth chart looks like at quarterback for the opener. But if everyone's healthy, what Andy Reid said after the game about Young being the backup sounds obvious at this point.

3. Defensive backups. Linebacker Brian Rolle looked good, and defensive lineman Trevor Laws had some nice moments after missing the bulk of the preseason due to injury. Defensive end Phillip Hunt also had a sack, and he's an interesting guy as cuts loom, because he made a big-time name for himself in the CFL and is someone who obviously knows how to play the game and the position. But he's so small for his position that you wonder if he can have any impact at all in a real game against first-team offensive linemen. Hunt has been very good this preseason, but nothing is assured for him yet. The Eagles have to decide if his playmaking ability outweighs his measurables.

4. Alex Henery doesn't look great. And hasn't all month. And you do wonder if going with a rookie kicker is the wisest move in the world for a team with expectations as high as the Eagles' expectations are. Henery missed his first field goal attempt of the night -- a 43-yarder -- very badly. He made a 49-yarder late in the game, which is fine. But there's no doubt he can make a kick from almost any distance. What the Eagles would like to know about him is whether he's reliable enough to make every kick they need him to make. And the first-quarter miss is the kind of thing that makes you wonder. On the plus side, rookie punter Chas Henry looks excellent.

Anyway, four games, none of which mattered, and now the Eagles have a week and a couple of days before they need to beat the Rams in St. Louis or everybody starts yelling that the sky is falling. The spotlight -- and the bulls-eye -- will be on this team all year, and fun time is over.

The plan was for the Philadelphia Eagles' starters to play three quarters of Thursday night's preseason game against the Browns. But Michael Vick took such a beating in the first half, and it was raining so hard at halftime, that it just didn't make any sense to run him back out there. And while it's easy to look at the big picture and say the Eagles looked a lot better in this 24-14 exhibition victory than they did last week against the Steelers, the fact is the offensive line's play in the first half had to be extremely disconcerting to their fans and their coaches.

The issues Thursday were at and to the right of center. Rookie Jason Kelce got the start with the first team at center in place of veteran Jamaal Jackson, and he did little to make you think Jackson's job is or should be in jeopardy. Kelce had a holding penalty and a bad exchange with Vick, and he and fellow rookie Danny Watkins were repeatedly shredded by rookie Phil Taylor and the Cleveland defensive line. As a result, Vick was under pressure throughout the first quarter and didn't have time to find his wide receivers downfield.

Running back LeSean McCoy continued to look excellent as a runner and as a great check-down option for a harried Vick in the passing game. And if the line is going to be this shaky all season, McCoy could catch 100 balls. But the line has to get better, or it could sink this promising Eagles season.

Center can be fixed, of course, because they can just put Jackson back in there until Kelce is ready. And King Dunlap is only a fill-in starter at right tackle until Winston Justice and/or Ryan Harris are healthy. But Watkins was the first-round pick, and he's going to start. And he's going to have to block better and communicate better with whoever is out there to his right and left, or Vick is going to be knocked around a lot.

Now, as we keep saying, it's only preseason, and the Eagles still have more than two weeks of practice time in which to fix these problems. I am by no means saying they cannot or will not fix their issues. But while the result of this game doesn't matter any more than the result of last week's game did, there are some specific issues that came up, good and bad, and the poor play of the right side of the offensive line was the one that stood out the most.

Some others:

1. Better work by the linebackers this week. The Eagles' defense this season will be based on aggressive upfield pursuit by the defensive line, which means the linebackers will have to be more effective and responsible in coverage. We saw that Thursday night, especially from Jamar Chaney and rookie middle linebacker Casey Matthews. Last week was rough on Matthews, but the Eagles seem to have done a good thing for him this week, replacing him with Brian Rolle and/or Brandon Hughes on passing downs and allowing him to focus on playing the run more. Matthews' first-quarter highlight was a big stop on Montario Hardesty up the middle, and in general the linebackers in this game seemed to be in the right place and for the right amount of time much more reliably than they were against the Steelers.

2. Mike Patterson helps. Back in action less than a month after suffering a seizure on the practice field, Patterson was a big addition to the defensive tackle rotation. He picked up an early sack, drawing a nice ovation from the pre-rainstorm crowd at Lincoln Financial Field, and along with Cullen Jenkins, Derek Landri and Anthony Hargrove, he helped deliver somewhat consistent pressure up the middle as the game went along. If Antonio Dixon makes it back from his injury, the Eagles are going to have a very deep, very talented defensive line rotation that will allow them to keep everyone as fresh and aggressive as Juan Castillo and Jim Washburn want them to be throughout the games.

3. Vick was better but tough to evaluate. He didn't throw three interceptions, as he did last week, and in general he did a better job of identifying and reacting to the blitz. His inability to get the ball to his receivers wasn't his fault, as discussed above, but he did a good job of finding McCoy and, every now and then, taking off running when all else had failed. We're not likely to see him in the final preseason game, so this was his last warm-up before the regular season. But he'll surely hope Jeremy Maclin is back and fully healthy by then, since that will help matters all around.

4. The cornerbacks all did nice things. Nnamdi Asomugha was his swarming, suffocating self, taking receivers out of the game. Asante Samuel came up with an interception. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie blocked a kick. As they are on the defensive line, the Eagles are deep in the secondary, especially if Jarrad Page and Kurt Coleman can continue to make the contributions they're making at safety. In general, the defense was much more intense and directed this week. Again, we don't know what we're looking at in the preseason. The Eagles might have planned for this game, and the Browns might not have. But from a confidence standpoint, the Eagles had a lot more about which to feel good on defense than they did after Ben Roethlisberger took them apart seven nights earlier.

5. The Eagles are deep at running back, too. Ronnie Brown continues to look like a one-year steal, and Dion Lewis like a guy who could make it not matter if Brown leaves after one year. If McCoy is going to be leaned on heavily, the Eagles can feel good about their ability to give him breaks and keep him fresh.

I also thought both rookie kickers looked good and that in general most of the individual evaluations off this game had to be position. But the offensive line play in the first half was so alarming that it had to be the story of the night, and all eyes will be on the right side of that line once the games start for real.

Morning, all. Happy Plaxico Burress Release Day. We'll have some coverage, as you might imagine. It started Friday, really, but if you missed any of it, you can find it all (or get to it all from) here. As I wrote Friday, I think the Eagles make the most sense for him both ways, but it only makes sense for the Eagles if they don't have to get into a bidding war for him. If some other team is going to pay him to be its No. 1 WR and the Eagles are looking at him for the limited role he'd fit perfectly on their offense, they'll probably let him go. What would be interesting is to see if Burress would take less to go to a place, such as Philly, that could be better for him personally than he'd get to go to a team offering more money and a larger role.

But it's a long time until the lockout ends and we know how this all ends. A long time and a lot of links.

Dallas Cowboys

Hey! Dez Bryant went to the mall and didn't get thrown out. Must've stopped at a belt store this time, eh? Oh come on, that's never going to get old, right?

Oh, and it turns out the Tony Romo wedding wasn't even the Cowboys wedding of the year. You know, given the choice between the two, you'd have rather been to the Martellus Bennett wedding. Don't pretend otherwise.

New York Giants

Mike Garafolo had a nice profile of Giants third-rounder Jerrel Jernigan in Sunday's Star-Ledger. Talked to the young man's high school and college coaches, who paint the picture of a tough, explosive player who likely will make an instant contribution on special teams next year. Seems undersized to play a full-time WR role, but I imagine he's heard that before and yet here he is. And it says something about the guy that he's using the lockout time to finish his college degree.

And Paul Schwartz of the New York Post delves into the issue of whether the Giants are doing enough in terms of player workouts during the lockout. Schwartz quotes Justin Tuck and Shaun O'Hara, each of whom espouses the very typical Giant point of view that they don't care what other teams are doing and they're going to do things their way. Again, we'll ultimately see which approach pays off -- whether the teams who did a lot on their own during this time are helped or hurt or not affected at all. But when the time comes to study that, the Giants will be the prime example of a team that didn't do much.

Philadelphia Eagles

So they're trying to get a statue of Eagles great Chuck Bednarik built in Philadelphia, and Philly.com polled readers to ask which other Philly sports legend would deserve one. Reggie White is running third in the poll.

Former Ohio State linebacker Brian Rolle, a sixth-round pick of the Eagles in April's draft, said in a recent ESPN radio interview that he was offered a car while at Ohio State. Hey, who wasn't? Difference is, Rolle says, he turned it down.

Washington Redskins

Eric Edholm thinks the Redskins will pursue a veteran free-agent running back to add to the Ryan Torain/Roy Helu duo. He suggests Joseph Addai and Darren Sproles as possibilities, and his logic makes sense. Can't have too much depth there. I just think the Redskins have bigger FA needs on defense and at receiver, and I wonder if they'll go low-end on running back options as a result.

Speaking of receiver, Dan Pompei's Sunday notes included his rankings of "old wide receivers," defined as those who would be 32 or older by the scheduled start of the 2011 season. He ranks free agent Santana Moss No. 5 on his list. But he also ranked fellow free agents Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens ahead of Moss. I still think Moss is the most likely and sensible FA option for Washington at the position.

Finally this morning, JB from Whistler, BC, wrote into the mailbag: "Hey Dan: I hope your analysis of the Beast proves to be more on target than your opinion of the Dallas Mavericks' NBA title chances. GO MAVS!"

Dan Graziano: Sorry, JB. They won one more game than I thought they would, and sadly (because my goodness, who could possibly want the Heat to win?) I think that's all they get.