ESPN NFL

Morning. Sorry things kind of tailed off yesterday afternoon, but it was 58 degrees here, and let's just say I felt like the clubs you see in the predictions videos needed to be temporarily relocated. Ironic, no, that this is brought up here? In the links?

New York Giants

Ohm's position-by-position review takes a look at wide receivers, which is a group that got a well-deserved "A" on Ohm's report card. He addresses the Mario Manningham free-agency situation and suggests that Ramses Barden would be first in line for the opportunity to replace Manningham should the latter leave.

I found it interesting to read that former Giant Harry Carson has decided not to run for Congress as a Democrat in the district in which I personally reside. It's a shame. I almost certainly would have voted for him. But Harry says he wouldn't be able to do it with the same passion with which he played football, which I guess is a good reason.

Philadelphia Eagles

Geoff Mosher writes that the people who run the Eagles' front office are under more pressure and more scrutiny from fans than they've ever been before as they head off to Indianapolis for the scouting combine.

The Steelers may end up losing wide receiver Mike Wallace due to their salary-cap situation. Wallace is a restricted free agent who'll be tendered, but teams would be able to get him for a first-round pick if they structure their offer sheet correctly. Sheil Kapadia discusses what this means for the DeSean Jackson situation -- namely, that it'd be tougher for the Eagles to trade him with another outstanding deep threat like Wallace on the market.

Dallas Cowboys

Stephen Jones says he views Jay Ratliff as a nose tackle. Not sure whether that means they're scrapping the idea of moving him to end or if Jones is just saying this because that's the way the roster is constructed right now. Jones also says he thinks the Cowboys have plenty of leaders in the locker room and that Ray Lewises don't grow on trees. That'd be one big tree.

Randy Galloway writes that the most important "leadership" development in the Cowboys' locker room would be an improvement in that area by head coach Jason Garrett. Fair point, especially as it works off of Garrett's bungling of the end of the Arizona game and the days that followed. Garrett is, as we've said here many times, a young head coach who's doing this for the first time. Improvement and growing pains are to be expected in many areas. By the way, Garrett's scheduled to address the media Thursday in Indy. Yeah, we'll have something off of that.

Washington Redskins

Redskins offensive lineman Kory Lichtensteiger recalls an NFL team official asking him, "When was the last time you smoked crack?" during a scouting combine interview. It's one of the neat details in Rich Campbell's combine advance.

Dan Steinberg is trying to track everything everyone in the world is saying about Peyton Manning and the Redskins. In this latest entry, we find that Lorenzo Alexander opposes the idea because he doesn't think Manning's neck is healthy enough (fair), that Torry Holt opposes the idea because he thinks Mike Shanahan's offense requires a mobile quarterback who can get out of the pocket (baloney, it worked 10 times better with Rex Grossman than with mobile John Beck in 2011, and Holt's is an unsupported, clichéd claim) and that Clinton Portis loves the idea as long as Manning's healthy. Yeah. That's me, on the same side of the debate as Clinton Portis.

» NFC Final Word: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 13:

Stoppable force, movable object: The Jets have gone three games in a row without intercepting a pass, but they should get their chance Sunday against the Washington Redskins. Washington quarterback Rex Grossman has thrown at least one interception in seven consecutive games, and according to ESPN Stats & Information, "his 14 interceptions on 270 attempts is the highest percentage by a qualifying QB this season." The percentage is 5.2. Deposed Denver quarterback Kyle Orton, now with the Chiefs, is second at 4.5. Philip Rivers of San Diego is third at 4.1. Rex is in a class by himself here.

Streaking Cows: The Dallas Cowboys have won four games in a row. Should they beat Arizona on Sunday, it would be their first five-game winning streak since 2007, when they had two separate streaks of at least that length -- a five-gamer to start the season and a seven-game winning streak from Weeks 7-14. The four-game November win streak is no surprise, since the Cowboys are 19-2 in Novembers with Tony Romo as their quarterback. He is, as you've no doubt heard, a more pedestrian 8-10 in December. His most recent December was a good one, as he led the Cowboys to a division title and a victory against then-undefeated New Orleans in that season's stretch run. Romo was injured last December and did not play.

Going deep in Big D: According to ESPN Stats & Information, Romo has six touchdown passes in the past four weeks on throws at least 15 yards long. That's the highest total in the league during that stretch. The Arizona defense Romo will face Sunday has allowed the second-most touchdown passes of that length this season (7) and the sixth-highest completion percentage on throws of 15 or more yards this season (47.6 percent).

Hookups: The game between the New York Giants and the Green Bay Packers will feature two of the best quarterback/receiver combinations on deep passes in the league. Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers is 8-for-11 this year when targeting receiver Jordy Nelson 21 or more yards down the field, according to Stats & Info. That's the highest percentage (72.7) in the league for a quarterback/receiver combo with at least 10 such attempts. The Giants' Eli Manning and Victor Cruz rank third on the same list, as Manning is 9-for-14 (64.3 percent) with four touchdowns when targeting Cruz at least 21 yards downfield.

Bizarre historical domination note: The Redskins are 8-1 all-time against the Jets. Sunday will be the 10th time these teams have faced each other in 40 years. (By contrast, the Colts and Patriots meet Sunday for the ninth year in a row.) The last time these teams played each other was Nov. 4 2007, when Shaun Suisham's fifth field goal of the game gave Washington a 23-20 victory in overtime. Clinton Portis rushed for 196 yards for Washington in that game. Kellen Clemens was the Jets' starting quarterback. Washington has beaten the Jets four times in a row. The only Jets victory in the head-to-head series was a 3-0 victory on Dec. 11, 1993. In what had to be one of the worst games in NFL history, Cary Blanchard kicked a first-quarter field goal and no one scored the rest of the way. Jets quarterback Boomer Esiason and Redskins quarterbacks Rich Gannon and Mark Rypien combined for 184 passing yards. Ideally, Sunday's game will be better.

I find it at least entertaining and occasionally hilarious when Clinton Portis talks, so I was excited to learn that he had done an interview with Sirius XM Radio and spoken on a number of topics related to the Redskins and himself. The juicy, newsy bit is that he said he'd like to play for another NFC East team, particularly the Giants, in order to get a chance to play the Redskins twice a year.

"To go to the Giants and get to play the Redskins twice a year after them feeling I wasn't capable anymore, I think that would be outstanding," Portis told hosts Brian McGovern and Maurice Jones-Drew (yes, that one).

To be clear, though, Portis seems to harbor no ill will toward the Redskins or Mike Shanahan for cutting him:

"I think for the situation that was going on in Washington for myself it was time to vacate. The organization was going in a different direction and I really think that Coach Shanahan is going to get the organization back on track and back to winning ways, which is what the people in Washington want to see."

So that's good to know, that it's not personal. Portis even said he wishes he'd been able to pass John Riggins and become the Redskins' all-time rushing leader, but that injuries and circumstances unfortunately conspired against him and he finished 648 yards short. So he's moving on, and said that if not the Giants, he'd welcome the chance to play with a quarterback like Peyton Manning, Tom Brady or Michael Vick.

He said some other stuff, too:

• Asked about his preference for skipping practice so he could be healthy for game day, Portis said his way was better. "When I wasn't practicing I was coming out and producing 100 yards, week in and week out," he said. "All of a sudden it turned out that I gave you everything during the week and I was banged up the last two years after practicing every day in practice." FACT CHECK: Portis has had exactly 12 100-yard games in the past five years.
• He thinks the Washington media did in Donovan McNabb and consistently sabotages the Redskins' chances for success. "It was hard to really have that team bond because the media would shoot at picking it apart and tearing it apart and so critical even when the good times came," Portis said. "I don't think Donovan was ready for that, even coming from Philly. I don't think he understood the position he was coming into." FACT CHECK: OK, (a) McNabb came from PHILADELPHIA, dude. He wasn't ready for negativity? And (b) The media always get blamed when a team doesn't do well, but no one's ever come out and said after a championship, "I really think the positive way the media covered this team was critical to our success." I find that odd. It's almost as if blaming the media is a weak, lazy excuse. Nah....
• He's enjoying the lockout. "Actually, I think it's perfect for me, just having all of the time to recover to train, to get healthy," he said. "Usually by now my back hurts from pushing sleds and doing this and doing that in the offseason program. I think for myself I feel great right now. I'm looking forward to growing completely healed." FACT CHECK: He should have plenty of time.

Scouts Inc.'s Matt Williamson examines the running backs of each NFC East team. Today: Washington Redskins

Washington fans think I have a vendetta against their beloved Skins, but I can assure them that I am looking at the roster with the utmost objectivity. The Redskins just consistently fall short of their divisional foes in positional rankings such as these.

To be frank, Washington is well behind the other three NFC East teams at the running back position, especially if Ahmad Bradshaw returns to New York.

Forgive me, Redskins fans, but I think Ryan Torain is the definition of “just a guy.” I am the first to admit that Mike Shanahan doesn’t need Hall of Fame talent in the backfield to have an extremely productive running game. Torain is a very good fit for what Shanahan needs from the position. But he is a runner only. He doesn’t have make-you-miss abilities or the breakaway speed to create big plays. Torain is a grinder and a volume runner who brings little else to the table.

There is a guy though in this backfield that I want to see more of -- Keiland Williams. Torain runs harder, but Williams can do more things. He is intriguing as a pass-catcher out of the backfield. I still don’t think either player is a legitimate starter in this league, but with all the needs in Washington, this is probably who they will open the season with.

One more thing to note: Clinton Portis is gone now, and the pass blocking and blitz pickup from the running back spot will probably deteriorate drastically. That is a big deal for any team, but even more so for one that could be starting a rookie quarterback behind a very suspect offensive line. Just callin’ it like I see it.

Scouts Inc. watches games, breaks down film and studies football from all angles for ESPN.com.

» NFC labor impact: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

A team-by-team look at how a continued labor impasse and extended NFL freeze on transactions would affect the division:

New York Giants: This is largely a veteran team with a veteran quarterback, Eli Manning, so missing offseason workouts shouldn’t be devastating. But the big challenge that a long labor impasse will bring to this team will be how it deals with a couple of key veterans who are coming off injuries and are not under contract.

Defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka (neck) and wide receiver Steve Smith (knee) would have to continue rehabilitating their injuries away from the team’s medical staff. This could mean months of not being able to gauge how Smith and Kiwanuka are progressing, and that could make it very difficult to make informed decisions. If a long labor impasse lasts beyond the draft, the Giants may have to do some guesswork on whether they think these players eventually will be re-signed and if they’ll be healthy.

For instance, Smith has been New York’s No. 1 receiver. If the Giants are left to guess on his health status, they suddenly may feel a need to get a receiver very early in the draft. The Giants also must be poised to make some accounting moves the moment the labor impasse ends. The Giants have $132.9 million committed toward the 2011 salary cap. We won’t know what the new cap will be until there is a new labor agreement, but early estimates say it will be somewhere in the $115 million to $125 million range.

Philadelphia Eagles: This was supposed to be an important offseason for the Eagles in their quest to take a step forward, and a long labor impasse could really hurt. Quarterback Michael Vick played exceptionally well last season, and the Eagles were looking forward to having him get all the first-team work this offseason. That’s something Vick didn’t do last offseason because Kevin Kolb got all the first-team work up to the start of the season.

A long labor impasse could also tie the Eagles’ hands when it comes to Kolb. They would like to at least listen to trade offers for Kolb, but those can’t come if the NFL freeze on transactions continues. If this situation remains until the draft, the Eagles won’t be able to get picks for Kolb this year, and that probably lessens the chances of their trading him once the labor impasse ends.

The other major setback from a continued labor impasse for the Eagles relates to the health of last year’s first-round pick, defensive end Brandon Graham, and second-round pick, safety Nate Allen. Both players are coming off major knee injuries as rookies, and the Eagles were hoping to get them back on the field for offseason workouts.

Washington Redskins: This was a team already surrounded by uncertainty. Now, it could get worse. The Redskins don’t even know who their quarterback will be. Coach Mike Shanahan previously said he doesn’t expect any decision on Donovan McNabb’s future until after the draft. An extended impasse means the Redskins can’t do anything with McNabb until there is a new labor agreement. Rex Grossman, who started some games in place of McNabb last season, isn’t under contract.

The Redskins have the No. 10 overall pick in the draft and could get a quarterback there. Otherwise, their hands are tied until the labor situation is resolved. They don’t have a starting running back after releasing Clinton Portis, the offensive line isn’t very good and Santana Moss, the only real wide receiver threat, is not under contract.

The good news is that the release of Porter and some other preemptive moves have put the Redskins in decent salary-cap shape. They should have somewhere around $20 million to work with when and if free agency starts. Owner Daniel Snyder never has been shy about spending money. The only difference is that this offseason he’ll have to sit and wait.

Dallas Cowboys: Aside from the Redskins, an extended labor impasse probably puts the Cowboys at the biggest disadvantage of the NFC East teams. Jason Garrett took over as interim head coach last season and earned the permanent job. Garrett has history with the team and knows the personnel well. But he could really use this offseason to firmly establish his system and style. The Cowboys added defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, and an extended labor impasse prevents the defensive players from even getting to know their new leader.

Quarterback Tony Romo missed the last 10 games of last season and could use the on-field time with the rest of the offense, particularly receiver Dez Bryant, who has yet to go through a full offseason with Romo. The Cowboys also face a big task coming out of a long labor impasse. They have a league-high $137.4 million committed toward a 2011 salary cap, and that doesn’t include draft picks or tenders. Depending on when the labor situation is resolved, the Cowboys will have to create a lot of cap room quickly, and that might prevent them from being able to be active in whatever kind of free-agency period ends up taking place.

Dallas Cowboys

Jean-Jacques Taylor of The Dallas Morning News shares his thoughts on why Alabama running back Mark Ingram won't end up with the Cowboys.

Cowboys coaches met with players on Wednesday in an effort to get on the same page in advance of the looming lockout.

New York Giants

Domenik Hixon has reached an agreement on a new deal with the Giants.

Wide receiver Steve Smith is hopeful he'll be rewarded with a new contract.

Philadelphia Eagles

Michael Vick's creditors could be among the big winners as a result of the quarterback signing the franchise tender, writes D. Orlando Ledbetter.

David Akers' agent says the kicker has no plans on signing the transition tender that was placed on him last month.

Washington Redskins

Even at the age of 70, former Redskins coach Joe Gibbs is showing no signs of slowing down.

Love him or loathe him, there's no denying that recently released running back Clinton Portis left a mark on the team.

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys sent a letter to cornerback Bryan McCann saying they will retain him as an exclusive rights free agent, reports ESPNDallas.com's Calvin Watkins.

The Dallas Morning News has an interview with draftnik Dane Brugler, who talked about some first-round possibilities for the Cowboys.

New York Giants

The Giants told running back Ahmad Bradshaw that signing him this offseason is a "priority." The team is expected to issue the highest possible restricted free-agent tender to Bradshaw this week.

Mathias Kiwanuka, who suffered a serious neck injury last season, has been given medical clearance to return to the field.

Philadelphia Eagles

Now that Michael Vick has become a starting NFL quarterback again, he has to show he can handle the fame and fortune that goes with that job, writes Ashley Fox of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The Inquirer's Jonathan Tamari gives his final thoughts on the NFL combine from an Eagles-centric perspective.

Washington Redskins

In an interview on WJFK on Monday, the recently released Clinton Portis wouldn't say his days as a featured back are over. "I'll never do [a two-running back system]. I wouldn't adopt that mindset."

The Washington Post's Stephen L. Carter thinks the Redskins should stay away from quarterbacks in the draft's first round.

John Clayton on what's next for former Redskins running back Clinton Portis, who was released on Monday.

Dallas Cowboys

ESPNDallas.com's Todd Archer asks: Are the Cowboys' gambling they'll be able to re-sign left tackle Doug Free?

The Cowboys will let defensive end Marcus Spears and safety Gerald Sensabaugh test free agency before offering those players new deals, if at all, writes ESPNDallas.com's Calvin Watkins.

New York Giants

The Star Ledger's Mike Garafalo takes a look at how the labor dispute might affect the Giants' running back situation.

Philadelphia Eagles

Daily News columnist Paul Domowitch believes if there is a market for NFL quarterbacks this offseason, Eagles quarterback Kevin Kolb will be a big part of it.

Eagles' owner Jeff Lurie was a producer on the documentary "Inside Job" which won an Oscar on Sunday.

Washington Redskins

The Redskins have released running back Clinton Portis, just 77 yards shy of 10,000 career rushing yards and 648 shy of Hall of Famer John Riggins' Redskins franchise record.

The Washington Redskins could release veteran running back Clinton Portis as soon as tomorrow, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. And I hope this isn't catching anyone by surprise.

Portis was to make $8 million in 2011, and there's no way the Redskins could roll the dice with him for another season. Coach Mike Shanahan made the questionable decision to enter training camp last year with a stable of aging running backs. He certainly appreciates Portis' talent as much as anyone, but you can't commit that type of money to someone who misses so many games to injury.

Former Redskins coach Joe Gibbs had an incredible amount of respect for Portis because of his willingness to play through pain. Gibbs would get emotional when he talked about how much passion the running back displayed during games. But Portis wasn't a player who liked hanging around Redskins Park in the offseason, often choosing to work out on his own.

Shanahan convinced him to put in the work this past offseason, but it didn't keep him from suffering a groin injury that landed him on injured reserve. Some team might give Portis an opportunity as a backup running back, but his starting days are likely over.

Former Washington Redskins salary cap specialist J.I. Halsell has analyzed the club's roster and come up with a list of players who could possibly be released or traded this offseason. Halsell also notes that Washington will be saving some money by demoting Donovan McNabb to third-string for the last two games:

"What is absolutely certain is that if McNabb is listed as the team's third quarterback for the final two games of the season, he will lose $31,250 for each of those games, because his contract contains a per-game roster bonus provision that is contingent upon him being on the 45-man active roster," writes Halsell.

Just think of all the wonderful moves the Skins can make if they're able to squirrel away an extra $62,500. It's the type of fiscally responsible decision that we can all celebrate during this blessed holiday season. Here's a look at the list Halsell provided in his blog item for the Washington Post. (The amounts are what the Redskins could save on a possible salary cap).

RB Clinton Portis: -$5,645,500

LB London Fletcher: -$4,900,000

QB Donovan McNabb: -$4,750,000

CB DeAngelo Hall: -$4,400,000

DT Albert Haynesworth: -$3,400,000

C Casey Rabach: -$3,000,000

NT Ma'ake Kemoeatu: -$2,500,000

OG Derrick Dockery: -$1,565,000

DE Adam Carriker: -$1,420,000

OG Artis Hicks: -$1,400,000

DE Phillip Daniels: -$1,250,000

DE Vonnie Holliday: -$1,250,000

TE Fred Davis: -$555,000

DE Andre Carter: $2,909,998

When we last heard from Washington Redskins running back Ryan Torain, he was having a pretty decent season. But he suffered an injury against the Detroit Lions in Week 8 and hasn't returned to the lineup since. Now the man with the lingering hamstring issues is set to return as a starter Sunday against Tampa Bay.

Torain still leads the Redskins in rushing (391), which speaks to how much they've struggled in that area. I think Torain has a huge opportunity in the last four games of the season to prove to coach Mike Shanahan that he could part of the team's future. If Torain suffers another setback from a physical standpoint, I don't think he'll be around next season.

He obviously has some talent, but he's never been able to remain healthy in the league for an extended period of time. The Skins will have to look to the draft for help in the running game because it's unlikely that Clinton Portis will return in 2011. And even if he's healthy, Shanahan can't afford to enter another season with question marks at this position.

I generally applaud players for speaking their minds, but New York Giants safety Antrel Rolle is in desperate need of an inner filter this week. He first sparked a bit of controversy Tuesday by complaining that Giants fans booed his team at halftime of Sunday's game against Jacksonville. He quickly learned that New York/New Jersey's not the right place to be complaining about booing. You go out there and stink up the brand new joint for a half and trail 17-6, you're going to hear some boos.

But instead of tempering his remarks Thursday, Rolle took it to the next level, which turned out to be an embarrassing level for him. He threw common sense and good taste out the window and compared his plight to our troops coming home from war.

"They want to make it that guys paid this much money for a ticket, yeah, I understand that," Rolle said Thursday. "We're risking ourselves out there on the field each and every day also. When soldiers come back from Iraq, you don't boo them. I look at it the same way."

I thought Clinton Portis' take earlier this season on women in the locker room was misguided, but Rolle made him look enlightened. I wonder how long it took the Giants' excellent PR staff to make Rolle aware of his gaffe. I'd set the over/under at 45 seconds. The Giants safety released a statement through the team the same evening:

"I used a very poor, inappropriate example earlier today to demonstrate how seriously I take my job," said Rolle. "Obviously there is no comparison between the men and women of our military putting their life on the line defending our country and what I do. They risk their lives and that gives me the opportunity to play a game for a living.

"After I made my earlier comments, somebody even said to me: How would your father, who is the chief of police in Homestead [Fla.] and puts himself at risk every day, feel about the comparison you made? Again, it was a very poor, very inappropriate choice of words."

I think Rolle's comments probably upset coach Tom Coughlin as much as anyone in the building. He has a profound respect for our military and he's brought in soldiers to speak to his players on several occasions. I don't think Rolle's a bad guy or anything, but perhaps he should step away from the mike for a day or two.

One of the things that Donovan McNabb was thrilled about when he joined the Washington Redskins was his belief that Mike Shanahan would make the running game a major priority. That was before Clinton Portis ended up on injured reserve and Ryan Torain started missing games with a hamstring injury. Through 11 games, the Skins are one of the worst running teams in the league. Shanahan developed a reputation for being able to turn pretty much anyone into a 1,000-yard rusher, but he hasn't been able to manufacture much with this group.

Rick Maese of the Washington Post delved into Shanahan's Denver past to illustrate just how awful things have been this season:

"The Redskins are on pace to total 1,452 rushing yards this season," writes Maese. "Their average of 90.7 yards per game is worse than all but six other NFL teams. In his 14 years in Denver, Shanahan's Broncos teams never came close to posting so few rushing yards. For that period, no NFL squad was more successful running the ball than Shanahan's teams. His worst rushing team in Denver was actually his last one, in 2008; it ran for 1,862 yards on the season, an average of 116.4 per game. He was fired following the season."

I think Shanahan may have been undermined by his own reputation heading into his first season in Washington. Even though he doesn't yet have the right offensive linemen for his zone-blocking scheme, he believed that aging backs such as Portis and Larry Johnson would be able to get the job done. The Redskins didn't address the position in the draft and they knew that Torain's history of injuries.

I know the Redskins also have issues at receiver, but I think his first priority this coming offseason will be to retool this running game. McNabb knows what it's like to play with an excellent running back because he had Brian Westbrook for several years. And after watching Westbrook on Monday night, I'm wondering why the Redskins weren't able to get something done with him.

No offense to James Davis and Keiland Williams, but I'm thinking Westbrook would've been a much better option. The Redskins tried to make something happen with the former Eagles running back, but it looks like they should've tried a little harder.

This year's Redskins team is averaging 22.5 carries per game. Shanahan's Denver teams averaged 30.6 carries per game.

The Washington Redskins made it official Wednesday -- placing running back Clinton Portis on injured reserve after he tore an abdominal muscle against the Tennessee Titans. Coach Mike Shanahan doesn't think Portis' career is over, but it's hard to imagine him playing for the Skins next season unless he's willing to restructure his contract.

"I don't think there's any question about it," Shanahan said. "He's got such a strong will. It all depends on does he come back a hundred percent? Does he want to come back and play? He's got that inner drive that most people don't have. He wants to compete. But obviously, he's got to get well."

Former Redskins coach Joe Gibbs may have been Portis' biggest supporter over the years. He once became emotional while explaining to me how fearless Portis was on game days. But the issue that coaches and fans had with Portis over the years was his unwillingness to commit to the team during the offseason. He often returned to Miami instead of participating in the club's conditioning program. And that may have caught up with him in recent years. Portis stayed in Washington this past offseason to prove his commitment to Shanahan, but he still ended up on the IR for the second time in the past three seasons.

Mike Wise of the Post has a good column Thursday talking about how Portis grew up after losing his close friend and teammate, Sean Taylor. I've taken issue with some of the things Portis has done during his Skins career, such as calling out quarterback Jason Campbell, but the leadership he showed in the aftermath of Taylor's death was pretty remarkable. And that will be a big part of his legacy in Washington.