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Yeah, look. There's no point in trying to deceive anyone. I'm checking out for the weekend. This is one of my very favorite weekends of the year, and I'm going to get it started early. This is the last blog post I'm writing today, and other than a phone interview on NFL32 at 6 p.m., work is over for me for the week. But before I go off to a weekend of char-grilled relaxation, I wanted to do a "one more thing" post. What's a "one more thing" post, you ask? Well, it's something I just thought up where I go through each of our four teams and raise one issue we haven't been discussing very much on the blog. They're all going to be positive issues, because I don't want anyone to go into the weekend upset. We'll do them in order of how close each team's home stadium is to my house, because I just decided that as well.

New York Giants

Corey Webster should get more love. The Giants have question marks at cornerback this year, with Terrell Thomas coming back from injury and 2011 first-round pick Prince Amukamara still learning on the job. But what doesn't get mentioned enough when we talk about those two is Webster, who had an absolutely incredible year in 2011. The Giants asked him quite often to play the Darrelle Revis role of the corner who just plasters himself to the other team's best wideout and keeps him from making plays. Webster was, far more often than not, up to the task. He's 30 years old now and doesn't get mentioned with the league's best corners, but he played like one of them last year, and another year like that will make sure he's on the national radar.

Philadelphia Eagles

I think the biggest thing working in Demetress Bell's favor as he works at the very difficult task of replacing Jason Peters as the Eagles' left tackle is the rest of the offensive line. Evan Mathis, Jason Kelce, Danny Watkins and Todd Herremans teamed with Peters last year to form maybe the best run-blocking line in the league. They are a confident, outgoing bunch of players who are eager to help, and Bell is certainly getting by-the-second lessons on Howard Mudd's blocking scheme from his new linemates. Bell doesn't have Peters' athleticism, and that's certainly likely to show up at times this year. But he's going to get a lot of help from some linemen who played extremely well together last year, and he's in a position to exceed expectations.

Washington Redskins

Don't rule out Pierre Garcon as No. 1 wide receiver material. No, of course he's never really been that traditional No. 1 we all think of when we think of guys like Calvin Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald. But Garcon doesn't even turn 26 years old until August. He had 70 catches and 947 yards last year for a Colts team that was using Kerry Collins, Curtis Painter and Dan Orlovsky at quarterback. And after deciding that one of his top priorities this offseason was finding a No. 1 receiver, Mike Shanahan picked Garcon from among the available free agents. This was the guy he wanted. The Redskins signed him within the first five minutes of free agency. For his offense, Shanahan was looking for a receiver with the speed and athleticism to catch the ball on a slant route and take it the distance. In Garcon, he sees a young man who can be that guy. Garcon will play with a rookie quarterback this year, as you're all aware, but he'll also grow and develop along with that quarterback, and the Redskins believe they have plucked a future No. 1 wide receiver just as he's about to become one.

Dallas Cowboys

Sean Lee wasn't having a good year before his dislocated his wrist. He was having an eye-poppingly fantastic year. Wherever the ball was, there Lee seemed to be at critical moments, to make an interception, deliver a big tackle or break up a pass. He played fine after the injury, when he came back with that big old cast on his arm, but lost in the way the Cowboys' defense melted down at the end of 2011 was that Lee had been one of the best defensive players in the league for the first month. Assuming he's back to full health, Lee could be a monster player for the Cowboys in 2012 -- the kind of do-everything defensive leader they've lacked for so long. DeMarcus Ware is the best player on the defense (some say on any defense), and it's doubtful Lee will ever match him. But given Ware's preference for keeping to himself and out of the media spotlight, Lee's the kind of guy you can imagine emerging, assuming he plays the way he did early last season, as the face of the Cowboys' defense in the coming years. Last year's disappointment shouldn't dim the hopes Cowboys fans have for more great things to come from Lee.

And that's it for now. I really do mean it about this being one of my favorite weekends, and I hope it is for you too. Memorial Day is the day to remember the people who died fighting to protect us. People who literally died so that you and I could keep sitting here arguing about sports. I have no idea if I could die for my country, and as a result I am incredibly appreciative of the people who have done it and allowed me the time and freedom to keep wondering. Think about them as you enjoy the first weekend of the summertime, because we owe them that and much more.

Good Wednesday morning to you fine folks here at the NFC East blog, where today we have the All-Division Team coming up a little bit later along with -- for the second week in a row -- a Wednesday prediction. But before any of that, you need to make sure to have your links.

Dallas Cowboys

Rainer Sabin believes that Tony Romo's ability to make plays on the run and while under pressure is a key part of the reason the Cowboys have been able to survive the changes they made in the offseason to their offensive line. Rainer cites a Pro Football Focus stat that has Romo as the league's sixth-most accurate passer while under duress this season.

It sounds as though the Cowboys expect to have wide receiver Miles Austin back Sunday from his second hamstring injury of the season. Once Austin returns, his presence and the emergence of Laurent Robinson as a reliable target for Romo could prompt the Cowboys to use Dez Bryant more on punt returns. Bryant's 20-yard return in the final minutes of the Thanksgiving Day game was an important part of the victory over Miami, and the Cowboys would like to be able to use him in that role more.

New York Giants

Tim Smith lays the blame for the Giants' recent flops on the disappearance of the pass rush, and fine. That's one way to look at it. The Giants haven't been physical enough on either line to win either of their past two games. I still think, though, that there's something fundamentally and structurally wrong with a defense that can't function at all without a dominant pass rush. Slumps happen, and when the defensive line struggles, there should be someone on the second or third level who steps up and compensates. The Giants haven't had that.

Oh, and that pass rush isn't likely to get a lot better anytime soon if defensive end Osi Umenyiora's ankle injury keeps him out of Sunday's game against the Packers. Ohm says it looks as though it might, and could cost him even more time than that. The Giants were able to overcome the loss of Umenyiora earlier in the season thanks to the play of brilliant second-year end Jason Pierre-Paul. But teams are now scheming specifically to stop the Giants' pass rush and force other parts of the defense to make a play. Losing Umenyiora would make things even tougher.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles say that, in spite of being 4-7 and all but out of the playoff hunt, they intend to play hard and do everything they can to try to win each of their final five games of this season. Which is nice, since people are still paying for the tickets and all.

A crowd of firefighters from nearly British Columbia will be on hand to see former colleague Danny Watkins play right guard for the Eagles in Thursday night's game in Seattle. Watkins was a Canadian firefighter who actually went to firefighting college in California before transferring to Baylor and taking up football.

Washington Redskins

Deron Snyder writes that one of the good things to come out of Sunday's victory was a sense among fans that the Redskins are on the right track. Even if that's been true all along, Deron says, the six-game losing streak offered an insufficient and unsatisfying level of evidence. Coming back to win Sunday showed character, which is going to be important as they move forward in their rebuild.

John Keim wonders, in his Five Questions, whether the run game can build on Sunday's success and keep it going the rest of the year behind rookie running back Roy Helu. Could be tough against the Jets this week, since they have a tough run defense. But Seattle has one, too.

Right guard Danny Watkins, the Philadelphia Eagles' first-round pick in this year's draft, wasn't ready to be a starter Week 1. He was ready Week 5, and he's done well with the job since claiming it.

Safety Jaiquawn Jarrett, the Eagles' second-round pick in this year's draft, wasn't ready to be a starter Week 1. Or Week 5. But the Eagles are hoping he's ready in Week 10, because that's apparently what's going to happen.

The concussion that starting safety Nate Allen suffered in Monday night's loss to the Bears looks fairly certain to keep him out of Sunday's game against the Cardinals, which would likely press Jarrett into a starting safety role alongside Kurt Coleman. This shouldn't be a major issue, since the Eagles drafted Jarrett thinking he could start right away. But best-laid plans being worth what they're worth, that's not the way it worked out. Jarrett took a back seat behind Coleman and Jarrad Page earlier this year, and according to Jeff McLane he says he's not upset his chance didn't come sooner:

"I was never frustrated -- it's all about learning," Jarrett said Thursday as the Eagles prepared for Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals. "We didn't have [spring practices]. I had a slow start."

That's the way the narrative reads around this season's Eagles -- that they weren't the team they thought they were going to be because they didn't have enough time to prepare and jell. There are holes in this narrative, of course, chiefly that every other team in the league operated in the same compressed time frame and that they managed to look awful in a home loss to the Bears one week after everything had seemed to be jelling pretty sweetly against the Cowboys. But this is what the Eagles are telling themselves, and at least in some individual cases, like that of Watkins, they appear to be correct.

Jarrett is a very specific kind of safety -- a big hitter who's more of an asset in run support than he is in coverage. And given the way the Eagles' cornerbacks have covered this season and the fact that Larry Fitzgerald is on his way to town, that's a bit of a cause for concern. But he's what they've got, and he was a second-round pick, so it's time for Jarrett to show his stuff.

The day in the NFC East was going pretty much as expected until Eli Manning pulled a rabbit out of his helmet and gave us one of the thrills of the year so far. As has become our custom, we do the links in standings order, starting with Eli and Big Blue off their big win in Foxborough.

New York Giants (6-2)

The Giants' locker room sounds as though it would have been a fun place to be after that comeback win, especially when big old Brandon Jacobs took head coach Tom Coughlin and put him up on his big old shoulders. The Giants have overcome a lot to get to 6-2, and while they know they have plenty of work still ahead of them, they deserved to take a few minutes and get a little giddy about a win like that.

Steve Politi says the old question about whether Eli Manning is among the league's elite quarterbacks has been answered -- in the affirmative.

Dallas Cowboys (4-4)

Man, they're cranky down in Texas! The Cowboys won the game, right? Sheesh, you'd never know it to read the coverage. Jean-Jacques Taylor remains unimpressed, saying they should have blown out the Seahawks and the fact that they didn't shows they're just average. Hey, I'm not saying it's the Jimmy Johnson era all over again down there, but they needed a win, they got a win, they're 4-4 with two games left against the Giants, one against the Eagles and a pretty easy schedule otherwise. I think it's too early to give up on the Cowboys.

Rookie running back DeMarco Murray is one guy getting a lot of praise, and with the way he's played (including Sunday against a Seattle team that's stingy against the run), he deserves it. Jason Garrett is declining to say that Murray will remain the starting running back once Felix Jones returns from injury, and that's because (a) he doesn't have to and (b) he's right in saying Jones will give them an additional weapon, not a replacement one.

Philadelphia Eagles (3-4)

Jeff McLane got Howard Mudd talking, which is no easy task, and the Eagles' first-year offensive line coach had a lot to say about rookie guard Danny Watkins and his progress. Watkins was thought by some fans to be a bust when he wasn't ready to start the opener, but in retrospect the Eagles were wise to sit him down and continue his training so that he could be the valuable piece to the offensive line that he's been since he was given the starter's job in Week 5.

Former Eagles coach Buddy Ryan gets honored tonight at the Monday Night Football game against the Bears, and I know you're not surprised that he still has plenty to say as he drops back in town between cancer treatments. Bob Grotz has the story.

Washington Redskins (3-5)

The Redskins' offense was awful again, as you already know by now, and it doesn't look like it's going to get better anytime soon. But Jason Reid writes that Mike Shanahan would be wise to continue doing what he started to do Sunday -- give more looks to rookies and young players like Roy Helu to help him determine whether they can help the team in the long run.

Deron Snyder writes that the 49ers gave the Redskins a model to envy and/or admire, and in pointing out the discrepancy between San Francisco's Alex Smith and Washington's John Beck, Deron makes the point that the Redskins wouldn't have had to reach very far to find a better quarterback for this season than the ones they have on their roster.

A lovely, if a bit chilly, Saturday out here in the East. Let's take a dip in the mailbag and see what's happening.

Tom from Vegas wants to know about the job first-round pick Danny Watkins is doing with the Philadelphia Eagles since they made him the starting right guard in Week 5. Tom says he hasn't heard much about Watkins and figures, since he's an offensive lineman, that that's a good thing.

Dan Graziano: I'm sure there are other factors, but ESPN's Stats & Information Group sent some numbers the other day about the difference in the Eagles' offense since Watkins took over as the starter. They're averaging 6.3 yards per carry and 8.3 yards per pass attempt in three games with Watkins at right guard. They were picking up 5.4 yards per carry and 7.8 yards per pass while Kyle DeVan was playing the position. They're also 2-1 in those three games, which is of course the stat that matters most. Watkins grades out fairly well according to Pro Football Focus, which ranks him as the 14th-best right guard in the league so far this year in its analysis of individual performances by linemen. Watkins obviously wasn't ready to start right away after the shortened offseason, but sitting him down for those first four games appears to have helped.

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Gene from DC wants to know when I'll start grading the Washington Redskins' Will Montgomery as a left guard instead of a center on the NFC East All-Division team, since he's been playing left guard ever since the season-ending injury to Kory Lichtensteiger.

DG: Well, Gene, the answer is that I already have. He just hasn't played well enough to take that left guard spot away from Philadelphia's Evan Mathis, who's been lights-out. And Montgomery's five-game body of work at center is still better than the full-season performance of anyone else in the division at that position so far. David Baas and Phil Costa have been disappointing, and while Jason Kelce is a major factor in that Philadelphia run game, his pass-blocking deficiencies have so far kept him from overtaking Montgomery for the spot. But you're right -- if Montgomery doesn't go back to center this year, eventually someone else will have to get the spot just because of his relative lack of snaps played there. Hasn't happened yet.

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Joseph from Florida wonders if adding rookie Prince Amukamara to the cornerback mix Sunday (assuming he's healthy enough to play) would benefit the Giants, because the Patriots struggled against man coverage last week and Amukamara was a man-cover guy in college.

DG: Joseph, even if Amukamara is ready to play Sunday, my guess would be that the Giants would ease him into action a little bit more than that. I'm not sure they bring their rookie off foot surgery and just say, "Go ahead and cover Deion Branch." They're doing fine in the secondary with Corey Webster covering the other team's No. 1 wideout and Aaron Ross more than holding his own in coverage. Amukamara would add depth and allow Antrel Rolle to play safety instead of corner in nickel situations. And that would benefit them in a number of ways, not the least of which is that might allow them to bring Deon Grant back up toward the line and help with the run.

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Finally, Vince DeBlasis from Philadelphia and several others wrote in with questions about this Thursday's post on Tony Romo and whether the Cowboys were reining him in and limiting his downfield throws. The chief criticism of the post is that it originally said Romo was averaging 6.9 yards per pass attempt this year when in fact the number is 7.8.

DG: This one's on me, folks. Those numbers came from the ESPN Stats & Information Group and I mis-translated them. The stat was not "yards per pass attempt" but rather "air yards per pass attempt," which I take to mean the average distance Romo's passes travel in the air before they are caught or fall incomplete. I have since gone back and edited the post so that the chart is correctly labeled, and I regret the error and any confusion that resulted from it.

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

Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 9:

From the Dept. of Sore Subjects: The Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks have met twice since the famous 2006 playoff game that Tony Romo blew with a botched hold on a field goal, and I'm sure it comes as little comfort to Cowboys fans to know that Dallas has won both. Even if the Cowboys win and improve to 4-4, this will be the second straight season in which they made it through the first half with a non-winning record. According to ESPN Stats & Info, the last time that happened was 2001-02. They were 2-6 after eight games in 2001 and 3-5 in 2002. Last season, you might remember, they were 1-7.

Timing John Beck: Is the Washington Redskins quarterback to blame for the 10 sacks he took last week? ESPN Stats & Information has a "next level" number that indicates the issues might lie up front with the offensive line. According to S&I, Beck takes an average of 2.57 seconds to release the ball after it is snapped, which is a league-average figure. Last week, six of the 10 sacks the Bills recorded against Beck and the Redskins happened before that 2.57-mark. So while it was nice of Beck to come out and take responsibility for some of the sacks, the overall problem is, I believe, that banged-up offensive line in front of him. The good news is that offensive lines tend to improve as they play together, so maybe it'll be better this week?

Manning protecting the ball: New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning has been interception-free in four of his past five games. He had only four games all of last season in which he didn't throw at least one interception. After throwing a league-leading 25 interceptions in 2010, Manning has just five so far this season through seven games. Additionally, according to ESPN Stats & Information, Manning in 2010 had 14.1 percent of his passes either picked off or tipped by a defensive player, which was the sixth highest such figure among qualifying quarterbacks. This season, he's had only 9.1 percent of his passes intercepted or tipped by a defender, which is the 33rd highest such figure among qualifying quarterbacks.

Shady finds the end zone: Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy has scored a touchdown in each of his team's first seven games this season. That's the sixth time since the merger that a running back has accomplished that feat. Four running backs -- Dallas' Emmitt Smith in 1999, Washington's George Rogers in 1986, Washington's John Riggins in 1983 and Buffalo's O.J. Simpson in 1975 -- have scored touchdowns in each of their team's first eight games. Also, incidentally, since rookie Danny Watkins took over at right guard for the Eagles in Week 5, Philadelphia is gaining 6.3 yards per carry as opposed to the 5.4 it was gaining with Kyle DeVan as the starter at that spot.

Rematch fun: The Giants-Patriots game is the ninth game this season that has been a rematch of a Super Bowl. The team that won the Super Bowl in question is 6-2 in those games, including the Giants' victory against the Bills in Week 6. The only two that have gone the way the Super Bowl didn't go were the Bills' victory last week against the Redskins and the Packers' Week 4 victory against the Broncos.

Time once again for our weekly exercise in position-specific agitation: The NFC East All-Division Team.

First, the disclaimer that no one will read: This is an All-Division Team based on overall 2011 performance to date. It is not, I repeat, not based solely on performance in the most recent games. And that, to answer your question, is why Brent Celek is not on it.

Who is on it are the usual suspects at quarterback and running back, as Eli Manning and LeSean McCoy easily held their spots with brilliant Week 8 performances. I made a change at wide receiver, moving Jeremy Maclin back in for Dez Bryant after Bryant's disappearing act against Maclin's Eagles. And I switched up at a couple of spots on defense and on the offensive line.

This week's team features eight Giants, seven Cowboys, six Eagles and six Redskins, and here it is:

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

Running back: LeSean McCoy, Eagles (McCoy)

Wide receivers: Hakeem Nicks, Giants; Jeremy Maclin, Eagles (Nicks, Dez Bryant)

Tight end: Jason Witten, Cowboys (Witten)

Fullback: Darrel Young, Redskins (Young)

Left tackle: Jason Peters, Eagles (William Beatty)

Left guard: Evan Mathis, Eagles (Mathis)

Center: Will Montgomery, Redskins (Montgomery)

Right guard: Danny Watkins, Eagles (Chris Snee)

Right tackle: Tyron Smith, Cowboys (Smith)

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

Defensive tackle: Jay Ratliff, Cowboys; Rocky Bernard, Giants (Ratliff, Bernard)

Outside linebacker: DeMarcus Ware, Cowboys; Mathias Kiwanuka, Giants (Ware, Brian Orakpo)

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

Cornerback: Corey Webster, Aaron Ross, Giants (Webster, Mike Jenkins)

Safety: Kenny Phillips, Giants; Abram Elam, Cowboys (Phillips, LaRon Landry)

Kicker: Dan Bailey, Cowboys (Bailey)

Punter: Sav Rocca, Redskins (Rocca)

Kick returner: Brandon Banks, Redskins (Devin Thomas)

Punt returner: Brandon Banks, Redskins (Banks)

OK, first, on the offensive line: Watching Peters play left tackle Sunday night made you realize how important he is to what the Eagles do, especially as a run-blocking line, and how much they missed him when he was injured. Giving him his spot back over Beatty was a no-brainer. Peters is far and away the best left tackle in this division. Yes, I know Montgomery is playing left guard now for the Redskins, but he played center for their first five games and no other center in the division has a seven-game body of work that's more impressive than what Montgomery did in his five. And at right guard ... Snee is the most accomplished guard in the division, to be sure, but like the rest of the Giants' line he is not having a great year. Missing a game with a concussion didn't cost him his spot, but returning this week and playing a poor game did, especially with the rookie Watkins looking very good in Philadelphia. And yeah, the line could have been even more Eagles-heavy, as I took a long look at moving Todd Herremans into that right tackle spot over Smith, who hasn't been as awesome in the last three games as he was in his first four.

Tight end was a tough call for the first time. Fred Davis' numbers match up very well with Witten's, and if the Dallas passing game continues to struggle and Davis gets healthy and has another big game, you could see a change there soon. That was one of those spots that looked as though it might be unchallenged all year, but Davis is making it interesting.

People keep saying Jason Babin over Cole at defensive end, but they're just not comparable players. Babin is a sack artist, and a brilliant one, but that's literally all he is. He'd even admit to that, and credit Jim Washburn for identifying it last year in Tennessee and allowing him to focus on nothing else. Cole's return from injury made that line whole and flexible, and the way they played Sunday night showed you they'd been missing him as the offensive line had been missing Peters.

As I wrote last week, I've really been thinking for a while about putting one of the Giants' 4-3 outside linebackers on this team, even though the 3-4 outside linebackers in Washington had such a great start to the season. This week seemed like the week to do it. Kiwanuka's performance this year has been remarkable, considering he was asked to switch positions for the good of a team that was weak at linebacker. He and Michael Boley have both played very well, but I really think what Kiwanuka does has earned him the spot over Orakpo to this point.

Both Giants corners appear again this week after going back to the Mike Jenkins well last week. Thought about Terence Newman, who's played well since his return, but when I watch the Giants I really like what Ross is doing, and Webster had another big week against a No. 1 wideout, this time the Dolphins' Brandon Marshall.

Oh, and I made a change at safety, moving Landry out after a poor game and giving his spot to Elam. Might not have felt like the right week to elevate someone on the Cowboys' defense, but this is a year-to-date team, after all. The Cowboys' defense had been extremely good up until Sunday, and Elam deserves credit for his contribution as its leader in the secondary.

So that's it. What'd I mess up?

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- With star defensive end Trent Cole inactive Sunday due to a calf injury, the Eagles are happy to welcome back defensive ends Darryl Tapp, who missed the previous two games with a torn pectoral muscle, and Juqua Parker, who sprained his ankle in Week 2 and hasn't played since. Tapp starts in place of Cole.

The Eagles also announced Mike Kafka as one of their inactives, which leaves Vince Young as the only active quarterback besides starter Michael Vick. With starting left tackle Jason Peters out with a hamstring injury, King Dunlap will start at left tackle. First-round draft pick Danny Watkins finally gets his first NFL start at right guard in place of Kyle DeVan, who is inactive. And tackle Winston Justice is active for the first time this season and will help with depth on the offensive line.

I'll be here at Ralph Wilson Stadium all afternoon, and you can join in our live chat of the game here starting at 1 pm ET.

The complete list of inactives for today's Eagles-Bills game:

QB Mike Kafka
S Jaiquawn Jarrett
CB Curtis Marsh
DE Trent Cole
OL Kyle DeVan
T Jason Peters
G Julian Vandervelde

BILLS

CB Aaron Williams
CB Terence Wheatley
LB Chris White
G Colin Brown
T Demetrius Bell
LB Chris Kelsay
NT Torell Troup

So Chris Cooley explained himself Wednesday on the whole I-liked-seeing-Romo-choke thing, and part of the explanation was that he was joking. Which is fine, even if it's also the excuse my five-year-old uses when he says something he's not supposed to say and gets called on it. I've spent a lot of time discussing this whole issue on Twitter since I wrote that what Cooley said was unprofessional. And while I stand by it, there are a couple of things I need to say before I stop discussing it altogether.

First, some people have suggested that what I wrote was meant in defense of Tony Romo, and that's simply preposterous. While the whole thing may not have come to my attention (or anyone else's) had the perpetually-in-the-news Romo not been involved, I nonetheless would have felt the same way if Cooley had made the comments about any other player, or if Romo had made them about Cooley. If professionals act unprofessional, I'm going to call them on it, and the only bias at work there is my bias against adults who insist on acting like children.

Second, the more civil Twitter interactions I've had over this have been very instructive and informative to me about Cooley and his unique place in the hearts of Redskins fans. So while I still don't think he should have said what he said, I have come to a better understanding of why he said it and what it means to his fans that he said it. I still think this kind of dialogue is best kept between and among fans and that the players themselves should stay out of it, but that's just my opinion. I am not a Redskins fan, or a fan of any other team, and because of that it is always valuable for me to learn as much as possible about the way fans of these four teams think. It can only help me continue to work to make this blog a better place for those of you who come here to read it.

So that's it from me on Cooley, who's welcome to keep clowning around on the radio if that's part of his deal. I feel like he crossed a line on this one. Many of you disagree, and that's fine. Not the first time, won't be the last.

Now, let's hit the links.

Washington Redskins

Redskins receiver Niles Paul got fined $20,000 for his helmet-to-helmet hit on Rams punt returner Austin Pettis in Sunday's game. Big bill for a rookie to get, and it doesn't sound as though Paul was too thrilled about it.

Mike Shanahan says Sunday's was the best defensive game the Redskins have played so far in his two seasons as their head coach. He specifically praised the pass rush. Washington's defense is obviously vastly improved and looks legit.

New York Giants

You likely remember Chad Jones, the former LSU safety the Giants picked in the third round of the 2010 draft. Before he ever got a chance to play for the Giants, Jones wrecked his leg and nearly died in a terrible car accident. Well, he turned 23 on Wednesday and celebrated by breaking five seconds in the 40-yard dash. Cool story.

A couple of fresh injury issues for the Giants, as linebacker Michael Boley and running back Brandon Jacobs missed Wednesday's practice with knee injuries. As of now, it sounds as if both plan to practice today and/or tomorrow and play Sunday, and that the injuries to center David Baas and defensive end Justin Tuck are the more worrisome with regard to this week's game.

Dallas Cowboys

A lot of people did a lot of things wrong for the Cowboys toward the end of Sunday's collapse, and Felix Jones was one of them, stepping out of bounds on a fourth-down play when he was 13 yards short of the first-down marker. Jones said he "got caught up in the moment." As Calvin Watkins writes, the question about the Cowboys is whether or not they can handle the big moments.

Rookie right tackle Tyron Smith has offensive line coach Hudson Houck comparing him to Larry Allen. That's some seriously high praise in Cowboys Country.

Philadelphia Eagles

With the Eagles finally ready to start first-round pick Danny Watkins at right guard this weekend, Sheil Kapadia looks at the number of snaps taken so far this year by each of the other first-rounders. He found five others who have yet to play a single down, but of those five, four are out with injuries, meaning that Watkins and Vikings rookie quarterback Christian Ponder are the only healthy 2011 first-rounders who have yet to play. The Eagles' hope, of course, is that the extra month of practice is what Watkins needed to be ready. We shall see.

Oh, and Michael Vick says we can't use "Dream Team" anymore, which... well, we'll see about that too. But Vick's message is the right one for quarterback to be sending to team at this dismal point in the Eagles' season: All that preseason hype is irrelevant, and we need to scrape and fight for our playoff spot like everybody else, so let's get to work and stop goofing around. He's right, but it's going to be tough. You could easily see the Eagles and their permissive defense losing each of these next two games.

Sending first-round draft pick Danny Watkins to the bench right before the start of the season didn't mean the Philadelphia Eagles were giving up on him. It just meant they didn't think he was ready yet to be their starting right guard. Some rookies had less trouble making the transition to the NFL in a compressed offseason than did others. Eagles center Jason Kelce is an example. Cam Newton is apparently another.

But Watkins did struggle in the preseason, so the Eagles went out and signed veteran Kyle DeVan to start at right guard in his place. Now, however, the kid is back. According to Geoff Mosher of The News Journal, the Eagles plan to start Watkins at right guard for this week's desperation game in Buffalo.

DeVan had a rough time Sunday against the 49ers, and that's got to be part of the reasoning. But the Eagles wouldn't be making this move if they hadn't seen some level of improvement from Watkins in practice each week. Part of the reason for drafting Watkins was that he looked like a guy who'd be ready to start right away. For whatever reason (the lockout, his holdout or any number of other possible reasons) he wasn't. But it's not out of the realm of possibility to think all he needed was another month in order to get ready.

The Eagles had better hope he is, because with left tackle Jason Peters out with an injury, the line is already thinner in front of Michael Vick. And the Bills will no doubt work on trying to attack the spot where a rookie is making his first NFL start.

PHILADELPHIA -- Quarterback Michael Vick is active and listed as the starter for the Philadelphia Eagles' game here this afternoon against the New York Giants. Also active for the game are backup quarterbacks Vince Young, who was inactive for the first two games because of a hamstring injury, and Mike Kafka, who replaced Vick last Sunday night when Vick left the game with a concussion. It's unclear which quarterback would come in if Vick gets hurt again today, but the Eagles appear to have two options.

For the Giants, as expected, wide receiver Mario Manningham is listed as inactive because of the concussion he sustained Monday night against the Rams. Combined with the season-ending knee injury Domenik Hixon suffered in the same game, that leaves the Giants with Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz, Brandon Stokley, Devin Thomas and rookie Jerrel Jernigan as their options at wide receiver. Cruz is listed as the starter along with Nicks.

The Eagles have two reserve defensive ends -- Darryl Tapp and Juqua Parker -- listed among their inactives, which means they only have three active defensive ends for the game -- Trent Cole, Jason Babin and Phillip Hunt. Expect defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins to move outside and play end if they have an injury at that position, since he has experience playing defensive end as well.

For the second time in three games, Eagles first-round draft pick Danny Watkins is among the inactives.

I'll be here at Lincoln Financial Field all day, and you can join our live chat of the game on ESPN.com starting at 1 pm ET by clicking this link right here.

The full list of inactives:

GIANTS

RB Da'Rel Scott
G Mitch Petrus
T James Brewer
WR Mark Clayton
CB Prince Amukamara
DE Osi Umenyiora
WR Mario Manningham

EAGLES

S Jaiquawn Jarrett
CB Curtis Marsh
DE Darryl Tapp
G Danny Watkins
G Julian Vandervelde
T Winston Justice
DE Juqua Parker

Friday in the East, which means predictions are a mere hours away, games only couple of days. Meantime, we have links.

Dallas Cowboys

Jerry Jones says Terence Newman "has to have it just right" and doesn't, with regard to his groin injury, so Newman won't play Sunday but receiver Dez Bryant will. Sounds like the Cowboys' plan is to try to win a shootout. Of course, it's Tony Romo vs. Alex Smith, so they've had worse plans.

Tyron Smith will play, though, as he did in Week 1 in spite of a hyperextended knee suffered a couple of weeks earlier in practice. I'm not sure the game Smith played Sunday night against the Jets got as much attention as it should have. After all of the concerns over the offensive line all preseason, Smith played an outstanding game at right tackle, especially for a rookie on a bum knee.

New York Giants

Gary Myers says Tom Coughlin's job security will be called into question if the Giants lose Monday to fall to 0-2 and then again in Week 3 to the Eagles to fall to 0-3. We've heard this before, it seems to me, about four years ago. And Gary's right that Coughlin's job security would become a question, but one debated by the fans, not by the people who own the team. The Giants aren't about to change coaches midseason. Just not how they roll. And how are the injuries and the failures in free agency on Coughlin, exactly? Anyway, we're getting ahead of ourselves here. The Giants haven't played, let alone lost, either of those games yet. Though Gary's opening point that there will be heightened panic if they lose Monday is a worthwhile one.

One guy who'd disagree with the idea of Coughlin on the hot seat is his opponent in Monday night's game, Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo, who considers Coughlin a mentor and is eager to defend him against his critics.

Philadelphia Eagles

DeSean Jackson is putting his hopes for a long-term contract at risk by playing instead of sitting out, and because of that he's taken out a multimillion-dollar insurance policy on himself for this season. Smart move.

Paul Domowitch wonders whether Danny Watkins would have been better prepared to start the Eagles' opener if he hadn't held out the first five days of training camp while his contract was being worked out. Watkins wonders along with him, saying those were critical days and that he's "still playing catch-up now."

Washington Redskins

Trent Williams owns up to the plays on which he got beaten badly last week by Jason Pierre-Paul, but overall he and the Redskins' coaches said the tape showed a decent game and improvement from the second-year left tackle. Fair enough, I guess, but the key with Williams is to bring it every play and every week consistently, and that's what needs to start showing up on tape -- not just that he had more good plays than bad ones.

The Shanahans say they're planning to call a lot of run plays this week against the Cardinals, which to me means they'll probably throw on every down. Or maybe not. Maybe they're trying to use some kind of double-reverse psychology or something. All I know is, when coaches talk about their plan for the upcoming game, something's fishy. In general, the idea of sticking with the run even when it's not working is a worthy one, and the Redskins demonstrated that commitment in Week 1.

He knows he's not a charity case. Jason Kelce can look at the Philadelphia Eagles' inactives list from Sunday's season opener and see first-round pick Danny Watkins on there. From the day he was drafted, everybody was sure Watkins would be the Eagles' starting right guard in that game. But he couldn't pick up the blocking schemes in time, and so he was a healthy scratch. These Eagles aren't messing around. They're thinking Super Bowl, and they're not interested in linemen who have to learn on the job.

"They want to play the best five guys, and the guys who are going to help them are going to play immediately," Kelce said in a phone interview Thursday. "They obviously have confidence in me that I'm able to do that, and I appreciate that."

Kelce was drafted two days after Watkins was, in the sixth round. It's said around the Eagles that he was the hand-picked choice of new offensive line coach Howard Mudd. So although it was a surprise to see Kelce getting center reps with the first team over veteran Jamaal Jackson when training camp began, it made sense on some level. At 6-foot-3, 282, Kelce fits what Mudd is looking for in an offensive lineman -- smaller, quicker and more agile than the traditional 300-plus-pound monsters. Mudd wants his linemen jumping out and establishing the spots on which they'll block. And as soon as Kelce met his new line coach, he knew it'd be a good fit.

"A lot of his schemes and techniques are suited for guys with my skill set," Kelce said. "It wasn't that I was expecting to be the starter. I just just excited about the opportunity to compete for anything."

He may have been set up to succeed, but Kelce still had to win the spot. And if Watkins can be classified as a disappointment because he wasn't able to take the field for the first game of his rookie season, Kelce deserves credit for having earned the spot. Watching him block gives you a window into Mudd's mind. Especially in the run game, Kelce is quick and agile enough to move with the play, clearing room for the backs behind him with simultaneous grace and physicality.

Those who watched the rookie in the preseason saw a guy who needed work in pass protection, sure. But it's coming along quickly. Remember, rookies have had only about six weeks' worth of NFL practices in which to learn all of this stuff so far.

"The whole mental aspect of the game just really hits you right away when you start practicing and going to meetings at this level," Kelce said. "There's a lot to take in, and you see that right away when you show up. But once you settle in, you find it starts to come quicker."

One of the keys, Kelce said, is the way he's been received by the Eagles' veterans. Players like Todd Herremans and Evan Mathis around him on the line have helped him adjust even as he's been the one having to make the line calls. His young yet solid relationship with quarterback Michael Vick, who sits in meetings with his offensive linemen this year so he's better prepared for his new responsibilities of changing the protection at the line, helps Kelce feel comfortable. And the first name he spits out when asked who his mentor is is that of Jamaal Jackson, whose job he took.

"Jamaal's just been a huge help to me," Kelce said. "Without him I don't know that I would have been able to come close to being ready to play at this level. I'm not saying I'm there yet, because there's a lot I have to work on. But those guys I have around me, they do a good job of making me feel comfortable."

In return, Kelce's job is to help do the same for Vick. So far, it's working out pretty well. How can you tell? Just from the fact that Kelce wasn't on Sunday's inactives list. He may be a rookie, and he may have been Mudd's choice. But the Eagles have made it clear they're not giving anybody any breaks this year. Kelce has earned his spot.

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FALLING

1. Fan patience with Tony Romo. Romo was outstanding against the New York Jets defense Sunday night until the fourth quarter, when a couple of bad decisions and turnovers by the star quarterback cost the Dallas Cowboys the game. This did not help combat the popular opinion that Romo is a talented guy who can't get it done in the clutch or show the leadership qualities the team needs to make a run at the Super Bowl. It's only one game, and he surely will have chances to undo the damage he did Sunday, but Romo starts the season in a hole of his own making.

2. The New York Giants' margin for error. The Justin Tuck injury wasn't the reason the Giants lost to the Washington Redskins, but it may well have been the final Jenga piece that came out before the tower fell down. The Giants are so beaten up, so thinned-out by injuries and free-agent defections, that they can't afford any more hits. Losing their best player to injury in the days before the season opener, on top of everything else that had already happened, was too much to overcome. And until they can get a little bit more whole, this is going to be their issue. Lack of depth shows up as the game goes along, and Sunday they got outplayed in the second half. The guys they do have are going to have to play something close to error-free football if they're to have chances to win. Fortunately for them, their next game is against the St. Louis Rams, who may be even more banged-up right now than they are.

3. Philadelphia Eagles' early-round draft picks. Not only did first-round pick Danny Watkins lose his job as the starting right guard last week -- he wasn't even active for the Eagles' season opener in St. Louis. Head coach Andy Reid keeps saying Watkins is taking "a step back to take a step forward," and he certainly may well be the starter at some point this season. But the Eagles are in win-now mode, and they're not going to allow Watkins to learn on the job if it's going to be a detriment to the team. Also inactive were second-round safety Jaiquawn Jarrett and third-round cornerback Curtis Marsh. But fourth-rounders Casey Matthews and Alex Henery are the starting middle linebacker and placekicker. Fifth-rounder Dion Lewis is the kick returner and a good-looking backup running back and sixth-rounder Jason Kelce is the starting center. So they got a little bit more immediate help in those later rounds.

RISING

1. Rex Grossman and the Redskins. Theirs was the feel-good win of the week in the division, with Grossman throwing for more than 300 yards against that depleted Giants defense and the Washington defense stifling the Giants' run game. I've been writing for weeks that I didn't think -- as many did -- that the Redskins would be one of the worst teams in the league. And I don't know that they should be printing Super Bowl tickets just yet. But they're going to be a tough team to play against, and with the way the schedule lays out, they wouldn't be a huge shock as a borderline playoff contender.

2. The Eagles' offensive versatility. I don't expect Michael Vick to pick up 98 rush yards every week, but he was running to beat the blitz, and he said after the game that he'd be happy to keep doing it if teams wanted to persist in sending extra rushers. Vick's ability to extend drives and turn broken plays into big gains isn't any big news, but it was one of many options the Eagles showcased Sunday, including DeSean Jackson as a downfield threat and LeSean McCoy as a fourth-quarter weapon. Vick's protection held up well when St. Louis wasn't blitzing more guys than they could account for, and once they get Jeremy Maclin and Brent Celek and Steve Smith into the mix, the Eagles are clearly going to be a very scary offensive team.

3. Sean Lee. Snagged the starting inside linebacker job away from veteran Keith Brooking and ran with it, having a great game against the Jets. Lee has long been viewed as the future for the Cowboys at that position, but the way he played Sunday night makes you think he might be the present as well. He was an asset against the run game and picked up an interception as well. Making plays the way he did Sunday, he's not about to give that job back anytime soon.

Morning, all. Another Tuesday in the NFC East, and we wouldn't let you start it without your daily serving of links.

Dallas Cowboys

In the Cowboys' locker room, there was backlash Monday against the anti-Tony Romo backlash coming from all corners of the outside world. "I'll take that guy over anybody in the league," Keith Brooking said. "Y'all might thing I'm crazy, but he's going to have an all-time year. He's going to shatter every record." Could be bravado, but for me it's a reminder that the players on a pro sports team do not view the game or its players the same way we on the outside do. The Cowboys are going to watch a lot of film this week of Romo doing a lot of great things against one of the league's best defenses, and it's not myopic of them to focus on that instead of the fourth-quarter turnovers.

Drew Pearson isn't ready to start carving Dez Bryant's Hall of Fame bust just yet. Pearson had some strong words for the second-year receiver and his inability to make it through the entire game healthy Sunday. Bryant is clearly a monster talent, but questions do remain on a number of fronts -- most of them focused off the field rather than on. When he's on the field and healthy, he's pretty tough for the other team to handle.

New York Giants

Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN New York says one of the most important things the Giants need to do is figure out their identity on offense. This has actually been a problem for the Giants, within games, over the past couple of years. Fundamentally, they want to run the ball and work the passing game off of that. But with Eli Manning flourishing as a passer and with options like Hakeem Nicks, Steve Smith and Mario Manningham having emerged over the past two seasons, they looked to pass more a more. Now, it seems as though they'd be better off trying to focus on the run with Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs, but they did not do that Sunday against the Redskins. Interested to see how they come out offensively Monday night against the Rams.

In case Giants fans haven't heard enough bad injury news, Nicks is apparently struggling with some type of knee injury. It doesn't sound as though it's serious, but the Giants' luck with this stuff obviously hasn't been good, and Nicks has been dinged up in each of his first two years in the league, so it bears watching.

Philadelphia Eagles

DeSean Jackson has been playing the good soldier in the absence of the contract extension he wants, but Ashley Fox wonders how long the peace and harmony will last if the Eagles don't budge soon. Fox seems to suspect, as I do, that the Eagles and Jackson aren't very close on contract terms and that this isn't going to get solved soon. Many Eagles fans I hear from can't conceive of the team allowing Jackson to leave as a free agent, but the fact is he's no sure bet to play in Philadelphia long-term.

Eagles first-round pick Danny Watkins wants to play, of course, but he's a long-view guy who says he wouldn't want to play right guard if he's not sufficiently ready to help protect Michael Vick. The idea that Watkins can relax now that he doesn't have to worry about being ready to be the starter right away is a legitimate one, I think.

Washington Redskins

The Redskins were allowed to take Monday off following Sunday's victory, but they decided not to. Under the leadership of linebacker London Fletcher, they reported to team headquarters to watch film and get their treatment and workouts in. It's all part, they say, of a culture change they believe is going to pay huge benefits this year. It's also the latest in a burgeoning string of reasons for Redskins fans to feel good about their team.

Mike Shanahan is also hopeful that he'll have a full-strength secondary for Sunday's game against the Cardinals, as safety LaRon Landry could be nearing a return from his hamstring injury. Shanahan also doesn't expect the ankle injury Brian Orakpo suffered Sunday to keep him out of next week's game.

Lots more on the docket Tuesday, including the 2011 debut of Stock Watch and our weekly live chat at noon ET. Be there or you'll regret it. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon, and for the rest of your life ...