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Yes, the start of training camps is two months away, but it’s never too early to consider the coming season. A look at the best-case and worst-case scenarios for the Giants in 2012.

Dream scenario (12-4): The last time the the Giants won the Super Bowl, they followed it up with a 12-4 season and claimed the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs. It seems a fair bet that, this time, their top wide receiver won't shoot himself in the leg with an unlicensed firearm in a nightclub and severely damage their playoff chances. The Giants remain extremely strong at quarterback, wide receiver and pass-rusher in a pass-heavy NFL era, and for that reason they have reason to believe they can be a much better regular-season team than the one that went 9-7 and made the playoffs on the final day last season. In the Giants' dream scenario, Hakeem Nicks recovers from his broken foot in time to start the season, second-round pick Rueben Randle wins the No. 3 wide receiver spot and someone -- perhaps first-rounder David Wilson -- steps forward to be the running back who can spell Ahmad Bradshaw when he needs a rest. Terrell Thomas comes back healthy and continues along the career path that, this time last year, had him on track to become one of the best cornerbacks in the league. Keith Rivers solidifies the linebacker corps, and Jason Pierre-Paul and Victor Cruz build on their breakout seasons as the Giants get back into the playoffs and make a real run at defending their title.

Nightmare scenario (6-10): The Nicks injury is a reminder that the Giants did lose some depth this offseason. And although they are (a) very strong if their front-line starters are healthy, (b) very good at filling needs internally and (c) always at least in contention even when they miss the playoffs, the likelihood of the nightmare scenario is unimportant to this exercise. This is about imagining, and in the Giants' nightmare scenario their key starters -- such as Nicks, Cruz, Pierre-Paul, Justin Tuck and Bradshaw -- struggle with injury or ineffectiveness. Eli Manning reverts to his interception-happy ways of 2011. Thomas struggles to get back to where he was, Prince Amukamara fails to take the next step forward, and they still can't find a reliable middle linebacker from among the crew they bring to camp. The nightmare scenario also sees the offensive line struggle, especially at the left tackle spot, where Will Beatty was a work in progress in 2011 before eye problems ended his season. Should these troubles come to pass, the Giants would have to lean heavily on their rookies, and it's unlikely that Wilson, Randle and Jayron Hosley could all emerge as successful starters in their first year in the NFL. Again, the Giants' nightmare scenario seems unlikely, but if it happens, it will have to do with depth issues behind the starters.

» AFC Scenarios: East | West | North | South » NFC: East | West | North | South

Yes, the start of training camps is two months away, but it’s never too early to consider the coming season. A look at the best-case and worst-case scenarios for the Redskins in 2012.

Dream scenario (9-7): This would mean Washington's first winning season since 2007, Joe Gibbs' final year as head coach. What has to happen to make it a reality? Well, lots, frankly. Robert Griffin III will need to be very good right away at taking care of the ball and limiting the kinds of mistakes it's reasonable to expect from rookie quarterbacks. Most important, the Redskins' offense must play very well around him. They'll need health from Tim Hightower and continued development from promising fellow running backs Roy Helu and Evan Royster. They'll need Pierre Garcon to play like the potential No. 1 wideout his free-agent price tag says they believe he can be. They'll need the offensive line to stay healthy and play well, with left tackle Trent Williams as its anchor. The Redskins' dream scenario sees Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan cementing their place among the league's top pass-rushing duos, DeAngelo Hall harnessing his ability and playing like a top corner, and something emerging from the muddle they take to training camp at safety. The defense looked like a young defense on the rise last year, and if the Redskins are to threaten or possibly exceed .500, it will have to continue that rise.

Nightmare scenario (5-11): That would mean the same record as last year and one game worse than the year before, and it would drop Mike Shanahan's three-year record as the team's head coach to a rather uninspiring 16-32. That would be what's called, in official NFL terms, "not good." In the Redskins' nightmare scenario, Griffin struggles with the transition, the wide receiver group is as uninspiring as Washington's free-agency critics believe it is, and the offensive line falls apart thanks to injury for the second year in a row. In the nightmare scenario, the secondary remains a big-time weakness of the defense and costs the Redskins dearly in division games against the likes of Eli Manning, Tony Romo and Michael Vick. If all of this happens, the Redskins would enter the 2013 offseason with far more to fix than they currently believe they do, and with questions about Shanahan's future as coach. I don't think there's much that can happen to wreck the Griffin honeymoon between now and January, but if the rest of the team plays well around him and he commits too many turnovers, that particular nightmare scenario could make Redskins fans nervous about the new franchise quarterback going into next season.

The winner of the how-to-order-the-Friday-links contest this week is Michael from Nashville, who suggested tying the order to fantasy sports. I went to the ESPN fantasy football page and looked up the points leaders from last year, and the links are hereby provided in order of each team's highest-scoring fantasy player from 2011.

New York Giants (Eli Manning, 273)

Tom Coughlin says "it's probably going to be close" when asked whether Hakeem Nicks will be ready for the regular-season opener. Nicks broke his foot in practice Thursday and is scheduled to have surgery today to insert a screw into it. The Giants' say the estimated recovery time is 12 weeks, which would be the middle of August, and Coughlin said Nicks is confident he can make that. We shall see.

As I wrote Thursday afternoon, if there's a positive to take out of the Nicks news it's that the Giants will be able to give more offseason and preseason reps to wide receivers Domenik Hixon, Jerrel Jernigan, Ramses Barden and Rueben Randle, and extended looks at those players will help them determine which, if any, is best suited to replace free-agent defector Mario Manningham as the No. 3 receiver behind Nicks and Victor Cruz. Hixon says he's feeling good and ready.

Philadelphia Eagles (LeSean McCoy, 270)

The concern with the Eagles is that Michael Vick's history says he's likely to miss at least a game or two due to injury this season. And if he does, there's very little in the way of experience among the backup options behind him. Jeff McLane breaks down the Eagles' backup quarterback situation, which should be Mike Kafka at this point.

As Sal Paolantonio reported the other day, second-year center Jason Kelce will be taking over the responsibility for making the protection calls at the line of scrimmage. The Eagles gave Vick that responsibility last year, and shifting it to Kelce will give Vick less about which to worry, and I think that's probably a good thing.

Dallas Cowboys (Tony Romo, 265)

Jean-Jacques Taylor writes that third-year wide receiver Dez Bryant has had a nice, blissfully quiet offseason and that he's on the verge of greatness. As we discussed many times last year, Bryant is a physical mismatch for almost anyone who tries to cover him, even at the NFL level. It's about committing to his own development and route-running, and once he does that he'll be as good as anyone.

And yeah, two from ESPNDallas.com this morning, as the crew there debates whether the Cowboys can beat the Vegas over/under of 8.5 wins for 2012. I bring this up as a preview to the "Dream/nightmare scenario" posts that are coming from each of our division's teams this morning. So, you know. Look forward to that.

Washington Redskins (Rex Grossman, 141)

In a bit of irony, the Redskins (and the Cowboys) are among the defendants in the NFLPA's collusion case against the league for the spending practices during the uncapped 2010 season. It's ironic because the union says the only way it found out about what it alleges to be collusive behavior was because the league punished those teams for not adhering to the secret agreement regarding 2010 spending. What you should take from this, once and for all, is the fact that the union's collusion case is in no way whatsoever aimed at helping the Redskins and Cowboys getting any relief of those cap punishments. That part of this case is over, they will pay the penalties and that's really it. I promise. No matter how nicely you guys ask.

The Redskins put Robert Griffin III's locker between those of London Fletcher and Brian Orakpo, which LaVar Arrington says could be crucial to the rookie's development. One of the Redskins' strengths as a team is the veteran leadership they have in their locker room, and they'll surely want to put Griffin in the best possible position -- literally as well as figuratively -- to benefit from that.

This is the kind of stuff you hold your breath and hope you don't hear about your team when it takes the field for offseason practices: New York Giants wide receiver Hakeem Nicks fractured the fifth metatarsal of his right foot Thursday morning while running a route during OTA practices, the team announced. Nicks is scheduled to undergo surgery Friday to have a screw inserted into his foot, and the Giants estimate that he'll need about 12 weeks to recover. Assuming no setbacks, that puts his return around the middle of August. But because you can't assume there won't be setbacks, Nicks' availability for the start of the regular season is at least in question.

Real rough break for the Giants, who lost No. 3 wide receiver Mario Manningham in free agency and likely can't afford to have their No. 1 wideout miss significant time. The good news, if there is any, is that it happened now as opposed to a month or two from now, and Nicks will have time to recover. Once he does return, there could be questions about how much he can handle and how soon without re-aggravating the injury, and it's possible he won't be his usual dazzling self right away. Nicks is one of the best wide receivers in the entire league, and he and Victor Cruz form the strength of the Giants' Eli Manning-led passing attack.

This will open up reps in the preseason for receivers such as Ramses Barden, Domenik Hixon, Jerrel Jernigan and rookie Rueben Randle, which could help the Giants better figure out which of those guys is the best bet to replace Manningham at that No. 3 receiver spot. That may be a side benefit of the unfortunate news, and last year's Giants obviously were able to succeed in spite of a rash of significant preseason injuries, so they surely believe they have coverage. But there's no one on the roster who brings everything Nicks brings to his position, and they'll surely hope his recovery will be on the short side and they'll have him on the field in plenty of time for their Sept. 5 regular-season opener.

Yeah, sorry about the Vokle chat. Sometimes our technology just doesn't do what we want it to do. There are plans in the works to try again. I hope you'll give us another shot if we try next week.

Anyway, back to the blog. As a twist on the usual Power Rankings, we had a panel of ESPN experts put together something called the NFL Future Power Rankings , basically projecting how the Power Rankings will look three years from now. It's Insider, so you have to pay to read it and I can't give it all away to you here. But if you are interested, the piece explaining how the panelists came to their conclusions is available to everyone and is here.

Here's how the NFC East teams fared, and partial explanations for why:

3. New York Giants

Trailing only the Packers and the Patriots, the Giants got a score of 81.13 out of a possible 100, with coaching, front office and quarterback their highest-scoring categories. Here's Trent Dilfer on the quarterback in particular:

He has the baby-brother look, but Eli Manning turns 32 this season, and since his 1-6 record as a rookie, has started all 16 games in seven straight seasons. He has had his INT issues, but is an elite passer when he gets comfortable with his targets. He has many good years ahead.

7. Philadelphia Eagles

Quarterback was the only place where the Eagles didn't score high, as uncertainty about Michael Vick's age (32) and future in Philly pushed them down to a 5.75 in that category. They had an overall score of 74 out of 100, buoyed but very high marks in front office, draft and coaching. Mel Kiper on their drafting:

A remarkably good draft in 2012 could shore up the defense and make the Eagles Super Bowl contenders. If Vick has any health issues, is Nick Foles the next guy in line? You never know what they'll do at that spot. But they have a system, draft very well and, at least based on my board, maintain a really strong sense of value and how to maneuver.

14. Dallas Cowboys

The highest score the Cowboys got was their 7 in quarterback, and their overall score was 62.06 out of 100. Their lowest marks were for draft and front office, and this is Gary Horton on their roster:

Age is a concern. And unless they do a good job in free agency and the draft, the talent level will drop off in the next couple of years. They should remain fairly young at WR and RB, and they seem to be rebuilding their offensive line. Defensively, they are not very young and their best playmaker of the future will be rookie CB Morris Claiborne, but a lot of replacements are needed.

20. Washington Redskins

An overall score of 56.38 out of 100, with the highest mark their 6.75 in coaching. The panel gave them a 6.25 for quarterback, which is generous since their current starter has never played an NFL game. But the assumption is that he'll fit in well and that he has the talent to be a franchise quarterback. Dragging the Redskins' score down the most is the 4.75 for the current roster. Here's Horton on that:

Obviously, this future will be built around rookie QB Robert Griffin III. The challenge will be to surround him with talent on both sides of the ball with limited high draft picks. Washington doesn't have a lot of young, talented guys at the offensive skill positions. The Redskins tried to upgrade the passing game in free agency and TE Fred Davis is a solid player. On defense, age is a real problem and with the exception of young edge rushers Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan, upgrades will be needed.

So like I said, Insider if you want to read it all. And remember, no one's saying this is definitely how it'll all turn out -- just the way it looks to those experts' eyes from here.

Let's have a little debate, shall we? With nearly four months still to go before the games start, a good, old-fashioned quarterback debate may be just the thing to wake everybody up and get the blood going.

Now, for the purposes of this particular debate, I don't much care which quarterback you think is "better" than the other. Fact is we can't trust you guys to have an unbiased argument about that anyway. Which is fine. You're fans. You're not supposed to be unbiased. I just feel like we can turn this debate a couple of degrees and ask a different kind of question, namely:

Which quarterback is under more pressure to perform in 2012? Michael Vick or Tony Romo?

Yeah, the poll has all four listed, because that only seemed fair. But Eli Manning's a two-time Super Bowl MVP and Robert Griffin III is a rookie in charge of a rebuilding project, so I don't think either of those guys faces the same kind of pressure as Vick faces in title-starved Philadelphia or Romo faces in perpetually unsatisfied Dallas. Go ahead and vote for one of those guys if you really think he's the right answer, but in the context of 2012 only, with Manning coming off a Super Bowl win and Griffin learning the league, I think the answer to this question is between Vick and Romo.

And if you've been reading regularly, you know my pick is Vick. I don't think any quarterback in the NFL this year will be under more pressure than Vick will be. The Eagles are in a must-win situation after their high 2011 hopes flopped, and they can't afford to flop again. Not that the Cowboys can afford to flop, mind you, but I just think Vick is in a higher-pressure situation.

Vick was far more responsible for his team's 2011 flop than Romo was for his team's. Vick has not demonstrated the same kind of year-in, year-out production that Romo has, so he has less of a track record on which to stand. And fair or not, Vick is always going to be judged against his own brilliant 2010 season. A lot of the Eagles' plans last year were based on the idea that Vick could do many things no other quarterback could do, and that that gave them an edge against the other good teams in the league. He may not have to be as incredible as he was in 2010, but he's going to have to show some of that ability in order to make teams fear him and the Eagles.

Vick is in a fascinating situation. He obviously has to mature as a quarterback and a decision-maker in order for the Eagles to succeed. But he has to do so without sacrificing too much of what sets him apart, athletically, from the others who play his position. It may well be an impossible balance to strike. But Vick is being asked to do it anyway, and I think that puts him under a different kind of pressure than Romo or anyone else faces in 2012.

What do you guys think? Play nice!

Our weekly Blogger Blitz video stays on the rookie theme we started (to the consternation of many) last week. In the video you see above, I explain why I think New York Giants rookie receiver Rueben Randle is in an excellent spot from which to succeed early in his career. Success as a rookie in the NFL can often be tied to opportunity. And while there are a number of NFC East rookies, including Robert Griffin III, Morris Claiborne, Fletcher Cox and Mychal Kendricks, who will or could be starters right away, Randle is in a unique position to make a big leap from his so-so college stats to bigger things in the NFL.

Randle played at LSU, where they attempted to win the national title this year without the use of a quarterback (and nearly pulled it off). Now, he'll be working with Eli Manning, who has developed a reputation for helping receivers learn, develop and flourish. Add that to the meeting-room company of such low-ego stars as Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz, and the Giants' second-round pick will have plenty of help adjusting to the pro game. If he has the ability to be a star NFL receiver, as the Giants think he does, he'll certainly have the opportunity to cash it in.

This is an exciting week for me, personally, here on the NFC East blog. Friday will mark the one-year anniversary of the date on which I took over the blog. And since we're in a bit of a slow time of the year, I thought I'd take a part of each day this week to use that occasion to celebrate, to look back and hopefully to look ahead.

This is my job, as I think most of you know, but the blog is, in intent and hopefully in execution, a community and a collaboration between myself and its readers. I try as much as I can to spend time in the comments section, to respond to mailbag queries and, at @ESPN_NFCEast, to handle as many Twitter questions as I can. It is my hope you have found me accommodating and accessible, and I will endeavor to continue to be those things as we roll into Year Two.

So, I'm interested in hearing your thoughts on my first year here and your suggestions for my second. What have you liked? What have you not liked? Could be a column, a trend, a way I have of doing things that has excited or irked you. What are your favorite memories from the past year we've spent together? The pineapple thing? The Mike Shanahan interviews? The first time I waded into an Eli Manning-Tony Romo debate without a full understanding of the firestorm that would result?

Most importantly, I'd like to know how to help this blog evolve. What should we be doing more? What should we be doing less? What should we be doing differently? As I continue the regular work on the blog this week, I'll check back in the comments section of this post and in the mailbag to try and get a sense of your thoughts. I appreciate them all, and I very much enjoy our ongoing discussion on this blog. I mean it in the most non-cliched way possible when I say it would not be possible without you.

The defending Super Bowl champions get back to work this weekend, as the New York Giants hold their rookie minicamp in East Rutherford, N.J. Repeating is hard work, though, and there are good reasons why only one team this century has been able to do it.

You lose players. You lose coaches. You become the No. 1 target for teams that have identified you as the biggest obstacle standing in their way of getting what they want. The people who run the Giants, and many of the people who play for the Giants, were in this position four years ago, and they know all about the challenges that face the defending Super Bowl champs.

But this year's Giants are not your ordinary defending champ. They were, speaking strictly in terms of winning percentage, the weakest Super Bowl champion in history. They didn't even secure their playoff spot until the final game of the regular season. With two weeks to go, they were 7-7 and in real danger of finishing under .500.

All of these things are facts, just as much as the title they won. So as they get back to work this spring and summer, the Giants face the seemingly incongruous dual task of maintaining the magic that brought them their title while also improving a 9-7 team.

They have some things going for them, and I'm not just talking about Eli Manning, Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz, Justin Tuck and Jason Pierre-Paul. The Giants run their franchise as one that's perpetually in transition.

Rather than wait for problems to present themselves, or roster holes to open, the Giants constantly churn the middle and the back end of their roster, developing players in their system so they're ready to step in when need arises. There are running backs and wide receivers on the roster who have been waiting for the opportunity created by the free-agent defections of Brandon Jacobs and Mario Manningham, and those players will get the chance to do what Cruz and Pierre-Paul did last year when presented with similar chances. The Giants never allow themselves to get so thin at any one position that they don't at least have options for replacing those who leave or get hurt or decide to sit out training camp.

That said, this Giants team does have holes to fill and problems to solve. They finished 32nd in the league in rushing offense -- a fact that, while mitigated by the improvements the run game showed in December and January -- didn't sit well with their running backs and their offensive linemen. They will need to get better there, and to do so they'll need Ahmad Bradshaw's feet to stay healthy for the first time in years. Plus, they must find someone to replace the 167 touches and eight touchdowns Jacobs contributed to last season's cause.

They'll need to shuffle the offensive line again. While Kareem McKenzie was not what he used to be, he was the starting right tackle on a team that won the Super Bowl, and they did not replace him. They hope that Will Beatty (a) comes back healthy from his eye injury and (b) plays better than he did at left tackle in the first 10 games of last season.

David Diehl isn't around to slide over and bail him out this time. Diehl's got to play right tackle in place of McKenzie. The Giants have some offensive linemen they like for the long-term, but this looks like another transition year on the line. While they have enough good veterans in place to pull it off, that's a tough tightrope act to try too many years in a row.

They have bodies at linebacker, with Keith Rivers brought in as a good veteran reinforcement and some of last year's promising rookies hopefully ready to take a next step, but they have no clear man for the middle. They have bodies at cornerback, but they have question marks there, too.

Corey Webster was awesome in 2011. Can he repeat that performance? Is Terrell Thomas fully recovered from the preseason knee injury that cost him the whole season? Will Prince Amukamara make more of a contribution?

Don't think for a second that GM Jerry Reese isn't concerned. He used each of his first three draft picks on positions at which he lost a player in free agency -- running back (David Wilson for Jacobs), wide receiver (Rueben Randle for Mario Manningham) and cornerback (Jayron Hosley for Aaron Ross). And he's smart to be concerned, because while these Giants rightfully consider themselves a championship team, they're also a team that won one less regular-season game in 2011 than it won in 2010. Had someone in the NFC East won 10 and the Giants missed the playoffs, their offseason narrative would have been that of a team moving in the wrong direction.

Instead, the Giants have a two-front problem to solve. They have a division and a conference and a league full of teams that saw what they did and now consider Super Bowl glory more attainable than ever. And they have an internal mandate to be better this year than 9-7, because they know first-hand that it's not usually good enough to get you the chance to make a Super Bowl run.

They're capable of doing it, and they'll deservedly enter the season among the favorites to win it all again. They have superstars at quarterback, wide receiver and defensive end, and in this day and age that can carry you a long way. But as far as defending Super Bowl champions go, these Giants have more issues than most -- and more work to do.

So every Tuesday at noon ET we open up a SportsNation chat room and we do this thing where you guys ask me questions and I answer them. We call it the weekly NFC East chat, and it's oodles of fun. Those who don't come and join in... well, they're beyond hope at this point. So rather than fill them in with the highlights, I present these chat highlights for those of you were there, so you can relive all the fun we had together.

Wesley from Woodstock, Va. believes that, due to his lofty draft position and the attendant hype, Robert Griffin III will be targeted by defensive players in 2012 for "welcome to the NFL" hits. Considering this, Wesley wanted to know if I thought the Washington Redskins' current backup plan of Rex Grossman and Kirk Cousins was sufficient.

Dan Graziano: I don't know how much better a backup QB situation can get, actually. Grossman is the exact right guy to be backing up RG3 right away -- a QB who knows the offense and can help with the new guy's education (as long as the rookie ignores the parts about throwing it to the other team 20 times a year). And Cousins is a well-regarded young guy who'll be learning along with the starter. I think they've backed him up just fine.

St8prop from Atlanta saw a rumor that the Baltimore Ravens had offered the New York Giants a third-round draft pick for disgruntled defensive end Osi Umenyiora and wondered, if the Giants don't trade him, whether it would be because they believed they could do better in compensation picks for losing him to free agency next year.

DG: I think if they don't move him it's because they determined the value of keeping him on their roster outweighed what was offered. They don't NEED to move him. They're not worried about his discontent affecting what they do, and he showed last year that he can still make a major impact when he does play. And he's cheap.

(Ed. note: Please also remember that, if the Giants lose Umenyiora in free agency next year, their compensation pick wouldn't come until the 2014 draft, and it would depend on who else they lost in 2013 free agency and which players they signed as well.)

DAN FAN from Florida asked who would lead the division in touchdowns in 2012 and offered Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo as a guess.

DG: You mean passing TDs? I'd go with Eli Manning there, taking everything into consideration including his weapons and the relative states of the Giants' and Cowboys' running games.

So then Talon from Muncie, Ind. asked me to "elaborate on the state of NYG & DAL running games."

DG: Well, the Giants were last in the league, Ahmad Bradshaw has chronic foot injuries and Brandon Jacobs had 40 percent of their carries and is now gone. I think it's fair to say the state of the Giants' run game is questionable.

Mark from Los Angeles said he thought Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick "started getting a little lazy" after signing his big contract last offseason and wondered what his state of mind is going into this season.

DG: I don't agree with "lazy" as a characterization of Vick from what I saw last year. I felt all along that the Eagles needed to see some development and maturation from him as a leader, and while he showed some of it late in the year, I don't think he showed enough of it early. I do not ascribe that to laziness, though. I think he works very hard. I just didn't feel that he showed enough improvement in his specific areas of weakness. That could be because he doesn't identify those areas correctly, or because more work needs to be done in them than he or we are willing to admit, or any number of reasons.

And Gavin from Maryland asked how much of an upgrade new Dallas Cowboys fullback Lawrence Vickers would be over Tony Fiammetta, who got a lot of press last year for his role in the run game once DeMarco Murray got hot.

DG: The folks I talked to around the time of that signing all liked Vickers a lot better than they liked Fiammetta. I think by the end of the year, the consensus was that the midseason success of the Dallas' run game was much more Murray than it was Fiammetta, in spite of what some believed while it was happening.

Enjoyed it, as always. Though we didn't hear back from our old buddy Jack from Raleigh. I hope we didn't scare him off.

Good morning. I have a confession to make. We've been having turkey bacon with breakfast lately, not links. Whew. I feel better for having got that off my chest. These here will remain links. "Breakfast turkey bacon" is just going to make the headline too long. Plus, you know ... they're links.

Dallas Cowboys

First-round draft pick Morris Claiborne called into "NFL 32" on Monday and talked about everything from what he's seen in rookie minicamp to how he deals with those silly Wonderlic questions. Claiborne can't participate in minicamps or team activities right now due to his injury, but he's been spending as much time as he can around his new team to learn and get acclimated.

Mac Engel says there's a reason no one has a problem with Eli Manning hosting "Saturday Night Live" or Tom Brady being spotted at the Kentucky Derby but that Tony Romo attending a White House Correspondents' dinner and rubbing elbows with celebs bothers his fans: Because those other guys have accomplished something that Romo still has not.

New York Giants

Offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride says the Giants are expecting first-round pick David Wilson and second-round pick Rueben Randle to contribute to the offense right away. He also talked about the offensive line alignment, admitting that David Diehl at right tackle and Kevin Boothe at left guard is the way they'd likely go. I'm a little confused, though, about this part of the line quote: "If we keep Beatty healthy, he's already out now." Was Gilbride saying Will Beatty's hurt again? Because last I heard, he was cleared to go.

Manning was teased about wearing a dress and had bananas thrown at him when he returned to the Giants' locker room Monday. Both were consequences of his appearance last weekend as host of "Saturday Night Live." I can't get into the banana thing here.

Philadelphia Eagles

Jimmy Kempski has crunched the numbers, and yes, he has determined that the Eagles have the shortest group of potential starting linebackers of any 4-3 defensive team in the NFL. (Interestingly, he has the Giants and Bengals tied for the tallest.) I don't know what this means. Guess it could hurt them in pass coverage against tall receivers. Guess it could mean nothing. But I thought it was interesting, especially for May 8, so there you go. Don't thank me, thank Jimmy.

Trent Edwards doesn't know how much of an opportunity his situation as part of the Eagles' backup quarterback mix will present him, but he's thankful for any opportunity at all.

Washington Redskins

Trent Williams says he's learned his lesson from the drug suspension that cost him the final four games of the 2011 season, and that he's resolved to be more of a leader going forward. We shall see, of course, on this. If he gets caught for drugs again, he's going to lose a lot of money this time.

The Redskins believe second-year wide receiver Leonard Hankerson is capable of big things if he can get his hip healthy. Hankerson says he's on track to be ready for the start of training camp. He's a key part of a group of young receivers -- including free-agent signees Pierre Garcon and Josh Morgan -- the team hopes can grow up alongside rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III, whose name has now appeared in 114 consecutive editions of "Breakfast links."

Good morning, and welcome to another fun offseason week on the NFC East blog. As I promised, I did not stay up to catch Eli Manning on "Saturday Night Live." It's on the DVR, and I will get to it. I understand he held his own. It's all any of us can hope to do during these slower parts of the NFL offseason, after all. Links.

Dallas Cowboys

Rob Ryan says just because Anthony Spencer doesn't get a lot of sacks doesn't mean he's not a great football player. Ryan says he thinks Spencer is a great player, and went out of his way to defend him against accusations to the contrary. We get it. We've heard it all before. And it may all be true. But this is 2012. If you're playing outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense and the guy on the other side of the field is double-teamed on every play and you only come up with six sacks in a season, people have every right to criticize.

The Cowboys are trying to put Dez Bryant through a very structured offseason in the hopes that he doesn't wander off into shopping malls and get into trouble on his own. They believe it's working so far.

New York Giants

Osi Umenyiora has opened a Twitter account, and given the current state of his relationship with the Giants, his dissatisfaction over his contract and the strong possibility of him skipping offseason workouts and/or holding out of part of training camp in protest, it looks like a must-follow.

Ohm's got a review of Eli's performance on "Saturday Night Live," in case you've been missing "Rapid Reaction" since early February and need a fix.

Philadelphia Eagles

Geoff Mosher caught up with Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham, who believes this year will offer him an opportunity to cash in on the promise that led the Eagles to use a first-round pick on him in 2010. Graham says he's healthy, and if he is, he could be a valuable part of the defensive line rotation -- a high-energy addition to a unit that tied for the league lead in sacks in 2011.

And Bleeding Green Nation has a nice interview with Evan Mathis, who was a Twitter phenomenon long before Osi got on there. Mathis talks about his rise from little-noticed free-agent signing to indispensable starting left guard, and apologizes to Eagles fans for calling them "idiots" last year for wanting Andy Reid fired. (To clarify: He's not saying they were right, just apologizing for his word choice.)

Washington Redskins

First-round draft pick Robert Griffin III showed enough in rookie minicamp to win the starting quarterback job for the 2012 season, according to Mike Shanahan. Consider this your latest reminder that the Redskins' 2011 quarterback situation was in need of an upgrade. Truthfully, Griffin won the Redskins' starting quarterback job the instant the Indianapolis Colts selected Andrew Luck with the first pick in the draft.

Rich Campbell writes that the next step for Shanahan is to design an offense tailored to the unique skill set Griffin brings -- something Shanahan says he's already begun the process of doing, now that he's had him on a practice field for a few days.

Junior Seau never played in the NFC East, but if the story of his death Wednesday at the age of 43 didn't shake you up, you're made of stone. Police are investigating the possibility of suicide, and since he died of a gunshot wound to the chest, that possibility recalls former Bears safety Dave Duerson, who shot himself in the chest last year and left messages asking that his brain be studied for evidence that playing football damaged it. We don't know yet of any such message left by Seau. We don't know why he's dead, or if playing football had anything to do with it, and we may never know. A lot of conclusions are being jumped to, and the temptation to make those jumps is understanding, but the fact is that a man is dead, far too young, and the outrage can and should be put on hold while respect is paid.

A few things are clear, though. Seau's story -- the part that came before Wednesday -- indicates a man who struggled with his transition to post-NFL life. Whether that struggle had to do with damage done to him by playing the game remains to be seen and surely debated. But stories such as this one are a major part of the current culture surrounding today's NFL.

The idea that Seau's death might even possibly be fallout from a playing career that took too intense a toll is part of the expanding tapestry of concern that governs the league's actions on such matters as the Saints' bounty scandal. With more than 1,100 former NFL players currently suing the league for allegedly ignoring the long-term effects of head and other injuries suffered during their playing careers, the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell feel required to take a hard line on player safety. Rules will continue to be changed and modified to address the violence inherent in the game. Suspensions for actions the league believes could result in too-serious injury will continue to be harsh, even extreme, to give the league as strong a base as possible from which to claim it did not turn a blind eye if and when any of these suits ever find their way to a judge.

The NFLPA took some heat Wednesday, in the wake of the announcement of the Saints' suspensions, for not negotiating during the last CBA talks a change in the discipline policy that would have allowed players to appeal to someone other than Goodell. What wasn't mentioned during those discussions were the many concessions the players did win in last year's negotiations -- quality-of-life things like improved post-career health care, injury guarantees in contracts, reductions in the demands made on players during the offseason program and drastic cutbacks in the amount of contact permitted in offseason and training-camp practices. Those are the issues the players believed were most important, because those are the issues that affect them and their families long term, as people, once their short careers are over.

Part of the problem with the NFL is that fans tend to see these players as characters that appear on a weekly TV show, not as real human beings who are willingly subjecting themselves to physical punishment for our entertainment. But when something like Seau's death happens, everybody gets reminded of the reality that lurks behind the noise and the excitement and the bright colors of game day. And while fans may not like these reminders, sadly, they're not going away. They're a part of the game in 2012 and in the future, and they're here to change the way the people who watch and run football think about it. Or else.

Thank you for indulging me. Here are your links.

Dallas Cowboys

As the Cowboys look down their roster for a possible new No. 3 wide receiver, it's worth remembering Raymond Radway's turn last summer as a fun breakout possibility. He got hurt, and that ended that, but he says he's feeling better now and would like a chance to compete for the spot. I image he'll get that chance.

One place where the Cowboys still face a big question mark is at punter, with an injured Mat McBriar still unsigned and Chris Jones the only punter currently on their roster. So they're working out new punters to see whether they can upgrade. Hey, it matters. Just ask the Jaguars.

New York Giants

Eli Manning plans to "kind of let loose" when he hosts "Saturday Night Live" this weekend. He also says one of his favorite "SNL" skits of all time was the "Chippendales" bit that Chris Farley and Patrick Swayze did. I was always more partial to Matt Foley, motivational speaker, myself.

While we wait to find out where Manning ranks on this year's player-voted NFL Network top 100, Giants receiver Hakeem Nicks checked in at No. 90 on the list. Still underrated, is Nicks, but he doesn't care.

Philadelphia Eagles

Sheil Kapadia has a nice breakdown of the Eagles' linebacker situation with DeMeco Ryans and rookie Mychal Kendricks in the mix. Number of different ways they can go there, but with Ryans brought in to start in the middle, it sure seems as though they plan on Kendricks starting alongside him at one of the spots.

Ray Didinger discusses the possibility that rookie Vinny Curry could surpass 2010 first-round pick Brandon Graham on the depth chart at defensive end, and how soon that might happen.

Washington Redskins

Robert Griffin III is no ordinary football player. Read Rick Maese's story about the plans Griffin has for the film he's working on to complete his master's thesis. It's something he calls "mixed reality." Different kind of cat, this one. Got some things going for him.

Yes, Redskins fans have fallen head-over-heels in love with their new quarterback, and for what appears to be good reason. Dan Daly writes that Griffin's task is to make sure not to lose that love.

We had our regular weekly chat Tuesday, and it was awesome as always. But I'm kind of done selling the chat after almost a full year of doing it. If you don't come chat with us on Tuesdays, I'm not sure what hope there still is for you. Here are some highlights of what you missed this week.

Damien from Philadelphia asked which of the NFC East first-round picks I believe will have the most 2012 impact.

Dan Graziano: Morris Claiborne, because I think the learning curve is less steep for a cornerback at this level than it is for a quarterback.

Well, this really upset Jack from Raleigh, who called it "a ridiculous answer," said something along the lines of "learning curve, shmurning curve" and insisted that it's completely impossible for a cornerback to affect a football game to the same extent that a quarterback (presumably he's suggesting Robert Griffin III) does.

DG: Ok then.

But Jack from Raleigh wasn't done. He came back with this bit of furious grammatical genius: "Who impacts a game more Revis or Brady, Brees, Mannings, Big Ben, etc..... its just ridiculous, the Eagles had the best collection of corners in the league and because Vick got hurt there season was a whiff....if you want to say RGIII is overrated fine, but don't tell me a corner can have a bigger impact than a QB...so is that what your saying? that RGIII is going to bust?"

DG: Holy hell, Jack. Calm down. The question was, "Which first-round pick do you think has the biggest impact next year?" I think, given how much harder it is to learn QB at the NFL level than it is to learn CB, Claiborne is the right answer. That's no insult to Griffin, who I believe will be great as I have written many times. But to think Griffin won't struggle this year, or that they won't lean on the run to help him out, is kind of silly.

Honey Badger from DC later asked what was up with Jack from Raleigh.

DG: He seems very upset. I felt like giving him a Snickers bar. Jack from Raleigh, you're not you when you're hungry.

Anyway, I think Claiborne's going to be great. And I think Griffin probably will too, but that it'll take longer. And we did talk about other things Tuesday. On the rookie-impact topic, Kyle from Lock Haven, PA asked whether the Giants' Rueben Randle could be the best rookie receiver in the league this year with the help of the Giants' outstanding quarterback.

DG: Don't underestimate the impact Eli Manning has on Randle's chances to develop quickly. He's certainly a better quarterback than that of any WR who was drafted ahead of Randle. Only one who has a case, for me, is Ryan Broyles' QB in Detroit.

Garrett from Wilmington asked how much longer the Eagles will stick with Michael Vick at quarterback, given the way in which his annual injury issues limit how far his rare talent can taken them.

DG: This is the proverbial make-or-break year for Vick in Philly. They can get out of his contract after this year with very little pain, I believe. If it all bottoms out, I imagine they'll look elsewhere.

Scott from VB, VA noted that Mel Kiper says he'd have given the Washington Redskins an "A" for their draft if they'd picked Zebrie Sanders in the third round instead of Josh LeRibeus and wondered what I thought about that.

DG: I'm sure the case can be made for Sanders as a better offensive lineman than Josh LeRibeus. But it's important to remember that the Redskins lean hard on a zone-blocking run game and draft and sign linemen they believe are well suited to that scheme. They likely see something in LeRibeus that they believe fits the unique kind of blocking schemes they like to run, so it's not as simple as saying, "This guy was rated better, so he'd have been a better pick there."

And finally, Z from P, SD (feel like I'm watching Sesame Street there) wonders whether we're safe to assume the Cowboys' Claiborne pick automatically means Mike Jenkins can't be a starting cornerback anymore, since Jason Garrett is always preaching the value of competition at every spot.

DG: Sure, but moving up to pick Claiborne certainly indicates that Jenkins isn't beginning the competition from an especially strong position in the minds of the coaching staff.

So yeah. Fun chat, as always. If you weren't there, drop by next week.

» NFC draft analysis: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South


The only NFC East team that didn't trade up in the first round is the one that just won the Super Bowl. That gives you a sense of how hungry the division's other three teams are to catch the New York Giants and take their shot at the Lombardi Trophy they were holding up in Indianapolis a few months ago.

The Washington Redskins made their trade-up a month early, dealing away three first-round picks and this year's second-rounder in order to secure the man they believe will be their franchise quarterback. The Dallas Cowboys made theirs Thursday night, when they decided it was worth spending their first- and second-round picks this year to secure the best defensive player in the draft. And the Eagles made theirs a short time later, when the defensive tackle they wanted, Fletcher Cox, fell further than they expected him to fall and the price to move up and get him became reasonable.

But after the top half of the first round, the NFC East teams' drafts went very different ways. The Cowboys, in need of 2012 help at various places on the roster, oddly began picking project players and unknown safeties. The Redskins made some head-scratchers in the middle rounds before getting workmanlike about their offensive line late. And the Eagles had one of those drafts where everything seemed to be falling their way. Time will tell, of course, and there's no way right now to know how any of these players will perform. But here are some thoughts on how it looks in the very early post-draft light.

BEST MOVE

Washington's trade to get quarterback Robert Griffin III and Dallas' trade to get Morris Claiborne were the headline-grabbers, and I believe that each team will be happy with its first-round pick. But the four high picks the Redskins gave up and the two high picks the Cowboys gave up keep me from labeling either of these the division's "best move" from this year's draft. Washington doesn't have another first-rounder until 2015. And Dallas, which needed help at multiple positions, spent its first two picks on a position they'd already addressed at great cost in free agency. Not enough value in either deal for it to be called a shrewd move.

So I'm giving this to the Eagles' deal to move up and get Cox. Philadelphia arrived at the draft Thursday convinced Cox was the player they wanted, and they believed they might have to move up to No. 6 or 7 to get him. To do that, they likely would have had to surrender at least one of their second-round picks, and they didn't want to pay either of those or their third. Once Cox fell to No. 12, the Eagles were able to move up by surrendering their first-rounder, a fourth-rounder and a seventh-rounder, securing the player they felt was their top target without giving up the picks they wanted to preserve. So while, yes, of course, I consider Griffin and Claiborne better players, I think the Eagles made the best first-round move of any NFC East team -- getting a player who can make a difference for them in the short-term as well as the long-term without handicapping themselves for the draft's second night.

On Friday, the Eagles converted their two second-round picks into a speedy outside linebacker (Mychal Kendricks) and a pass-rushing defensive end (Vinny Curry) and took the quarterback prospect they wanted (Nick Foles) in the third round. That Day 2 haul, compared with what the Cowboys and Redskins were able to get with their Day 2 picks, is what made the Eagles' trade-up the best overall move of the draft in the NFC East.

RISKIEST MOVE

This is a close contest between the two moves that lost out in the first category. It'd be easy to say Griffin, because he cost so much more. But I'm giving this to the Cowboys' trade-up to get Claiborne. It's a tough call, because I think Claiborne may be the best player any NFC East team got in this draft (barely, if at all, ahead of Griffin) and he cost less than Griffin did. But I'm basing this call on the circumstances specific to each team.

The Redskins are taking a big risk, sure, by picking a kid to be their franchise quarterback and telling him they don't have a first-round pick in either of the next two years with which to build around him. But the Redskins had no choice. Their need for Griffin was overwhelming, and they were right to let it overwhelm their priority list for this draft and the next two. Washington hasn't had a franchise quarterback in 20 years, and once they were convinced Griffin could be one, this was a risk worth taking for them.

I do not think, however, that Dallas' need for Claiborne was nearly as great as Washington's need for Griffin. Yes, the Cowboys' secondary was the obvious weak spot of their team last year -- the main reason they fell one game short of the Giants in the division race. But they'd already spent their big free-agent bucks on Brandon Carr and had Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick at cornerback. Does Claiborne have a good chance to be better than any of them? Yes. Could that happen as early as this year? You betcha. But with needs at safety, linebacker, defensive line and offensive line, the Cowboys should have conserved their picks to address multiple needs. They weren't one great cornerback away from being a championship team in 2012, and by trading their top two picks for Claiborne, and then picking project players and reaches the rest of the way, they decided to operate as though that were the case. It's a big risk, and if lingering weaknesses at those other spots do them in this season, they could regret it.

MOST SURPRISING MOVE

Without a doubt, it was the Redskins' selection of Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousins with the seventh pick of the fourth round Saturday. It was Washington's third pick of the draft and the second that had been used on a quarterback. Their reasoning is that quarterback is a vitally important position at which it's impossible to be too deep, and as long as they make it clear to the players involved and to their fan base that Griffin is the starter and Cousins is the backup, it can work. They can develop Cousins in the backup role, have a player they like in reserve in case Griffin gets hurt and perhaps eventually trade him for something of great value in a league in which quarterbacks are the most prized commodities.

FILE IT AWAY

Nobody in this division does the draft better than the Giants, and it'll be worth remembering that the wide receiver (LSU's Rueben Randle) they picked at the end of the second round was a player they considered taking at the end of the first. Randle is a dynamic talent who now gets a chance to develop behind brilliant and selfless starting wideouts Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz and with the help of quarterback Eli Manning, who has an outstanding record of getting the best out of his receiving targets. Randle could not have been drafted into a better spot for his own development, and he could potentially be an immediate asset for the Giants in the passing game, because he can play the outside spot vacated by free-agent defector Mario Manningham and allow Cruz to stay in the slot position from which he exploded onto the scene in 2011. The Giants managed to combine need picks and value picks at almost every turn in this draft, and their second-rounder may turn out to be their biggest prize.