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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 Cowboys in 2012.

Dream scenario (12-4): The issue in Dallas is the extent to which the defense improves. If the improvement remains incremental, they'll lose some games they should win and have to scrap to stay in the division race. But if the defense takes a dramatic step forward in its second year under defensive coordinator Rob Ryan and with Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne having been brought in to upgrade the secondary, the Cowboys become a Super Bowl contender quite quickly. In the Cowboys' dream scenario, Tony Romo has another big year at quarterback, Miles Austin and DeMarco Murray stay healthy and Dez Bryant takes a big developmental step forward of his own, using his considerable physical ability to dominate matchups in other teams' secondaries and the end zone. The new guys on the offensive line tighten things up in the interior, the move back to right tackle makes Doug Free more comfortable and Tyron Smith transitions seamlessly to left tackle. And in the dream scenario, the improvements in the secondary help the defensive front seven get more pressure on the quarterback, with outside linebacker Anthony Spencer playing the way he did in December 2009 and DeMarcus Ware playing like ... well, like he always does.

Nightmare scenario (6-10): The Cowboys' nightmare scenario, as is the case with anyone's, includes injuries. In this scenario, Austin and Bryant struggle to stay healthy, and the team actually does find itself missing the surprisingly effective replacement Laurent Robinson provided in 2011. Murray also gets banged-up, forcing them to rely again on Felix Jones and little else at running back. Claiborne struggles, as young corners often do, to adjust to the speed and intensity of the NFL game, and Spencer muddles along again, content to be a pretty good but not great player opposite Ware. In the nightmare scenario, Romo has a bad year riddled with turnovers and the kind of inconsistency that gives his critics actual evidence for their criticism, and he raises legitimate questions about how much longer the Cowboys will remain committed to him. The nightmare scenario includes a slow start against a very tough-looking early portion of the schedule and sees the Cowboys succumb to the tension and negativity that's always so quick to cling to them in times of trouble. And no, because you're asking, I don't think that even the nightmare scenario puts Jason Garrett on the hot seat. Jerry Jones loves that guy.

I have been writing for some time that there's no need to panic about the Dallas Cowboys' No. 3 wide receiver position just because Laurent Robinson caught 11 touchdowns last year and signed with Jacksonville. But ever since the first night of the draft, I have detected a burgeoning opinion among Cowboys fans that I am a moron who has no idea what he's talking about. You guys are subtle about it, but I can detect these things, in large part because I have not (to answer to several of your very polite mailbag questions) had a lobotomy.

So if you won’t take my word for it, I present the word of Mr. Todd Archer, the esteemed Cowboys writer for ESPNDallas.com, who made the case in a detailed piece Wednesday morning that the Cowboys can replace Robinson without having to find a guy to replace Robinson:

The No. 3 wide receiver on the Cowboys is really Tony Romo's fifth option offensively behind Jason Witten, Miles Austin, Dez Bryant and either DeMarco Murray or Felix Jones.

The Cowboys did not dial up a ton of plays specifically for Robinson last year.

His biggest plays came when coverage filtered to the other wideouts or to Witten (hello, 70-yard touchdown versus Philadelphia) or plays broke down. This isn't meant as a knock on Robinson, because he was terrific last year. He and Romo were simpatico when plays went haywire, and that takes skill, not time.

Just ask Roy Williams that.

The Cowboys don't need to replace Robinson's numbers with one guy.

This is a fine summary of the way the Cowboys were thinking about their No. 3 wideout situation last summer, after they cut Williams and before they found Robinson on the free-agent scrap heap. And it is because of the way things worked out last year that the Cowboys remain convinced they can approach the situation the same way this year. Had Robinson not come along and did what he did in 2011, the Cowboys' offense would have found a way to replicate his production. His most significant contribution, as Todd points out, was his stint as a reliable fill-in during the times Austin had to miss due to hamstring injuries. If they can keep Austin's hamstrings healthier this year, then they won't have a need for someone to do what Robinson did last year. And if they can't, they feel decent enough about their ability to fill in, even if they need more than one player to do it this time.

We are in the eighth week of NFL free agency, and the position to which it has been most unkind is running back. Due to the ever-increasing emphasis on passing offense and the punishing nature of the running back position, teams see less and less value in investing big money in the position. So as the calender flipped to May, a number of veteran running backs with pretty good résumés remained on the open market.

All four teams in our division could conceivably still be in the market for a veteran running back. The Washington Redskins continue to negotiate with Tim Hightower, who was last year's starter before he tore his ACL, and would like him to come back to front an otherwise young running back corps that leaned on 2011 draft picks Roy Helu and Evan Royster over the final weeks of the season. The New York Giants, having lost Brandon Jacobs to free agency, picked David Wilson in this year's first round, but given the youth of their backup plans behind starter Ahmad Bradshaw, it wouldn't be ridiculous for them to bring a veteran back into camp.

The Philadelphia Eagles whiffed on Ronnie Brown as LeSean McCoy's backup last year and have plenty of intriguing youngsters at the position now, but they don't know what to expect from Dion Lewis or Bryce Brown or Chris Polk. And even the Dallas Cowboys, with DeMarco Murray as the starter and veteran Felix Jones as the backup, could stand to add some depth.

So here's a look at the top 10 remaining free-agent running backs and what they might bring if one of our division's teams were to sign them.

Ryan Grant. Rushed for a total of 2,456 yards in 2008 and 2009 as the Packers' starting running back, but an injury in the 2010 season opener cost him that whole season. Showed flashes of his old form in 2011, averaging 4.2 yards on his 134 carries, and he's 29 years old. Might be looking to start somewhere. He was talking to the Lions this week.

Thomas Jones. The graybeard of this group, Jones will turn 34 in August, and his days as a full-time starter are behind him. Might still be able to help in the passing game, but as a runner he'd be well down the depth chart. Well-regarded veteran locker room presence who might help the development of the younger guys who are getting the carries in a place like Washington.

Joseph Addai. Another 29-year-old who's struggled with injuries and probably needs a part-time role to better his chances of staying healthy. Even in his prime as an Indianapolis Colt, Addai was never a 20-carry-per-game guy. His value there was mainly as a receiver and as a blocker in the passing game. But there are some teams in this division that might be looking for a part-time guy who's good at that stuff.

Cedric Benson. He topped 1,000 yards in each of the past three seasons as the workhorse back in Cincinnati. Some say he chafed at the part-time role that developed for him as the 2011 season wore on, but at this point in the market he must see that a part-time role is his only option. Has had off-field issues that could scare teams away, but aside from that he might be a nice fit with Bradshaw in New York.

Tim Hightower. The Redskins loved him as a runner, receiver and pass-blocker, and would have him back in a second as their starter if they were sure about his knee. But he hasn't signed yet, and a recent visit to New England indicates he's looking for more than the Redskins are willing to offer.

LaDainian Tomlinson. One of the best ever at the position and a possible Hall of Famer, Tomlinson could be looking at retirement as he comes up on his 33rd birthday next month. But if he wants to play and can approach the level he showcased in 2010 with the Jets, he's the kind of guy who'd get a young running back's attention.

Cadillac Williams. Another 30-year-old for whom injuries have been the dominant story in recent years. He can be a more than productive backup with starter potential if he can stay on the field, but he generally can't.

Ronnie Brown. Only twice in the past five years has the 30-year-old Brown had 200 carries in a season. He was never able to assert himself as the starter in Miami, and as the Eagles' backup last year he was pretty much a complete disaster. It's going to be tough for Brown to sell himself as a reliable backup with what he showed in 2011.

Justin Forsett. He's small and quick and doesn't have a lot of miles on him. He won't turn 27 until October. The question is how much you can get out of him, and in what role. He's not a power runner, but he's good at finding holes. He accelerates well but doesn't have great top-end speed. He catches the ball well but isn't much help as a blocker in the passing game. Someone will sign him, and if they find the right role he could be a good change-up back for someone. It just feels as though each NFC East team already has someone like him.

Maurice Morris. Morris is 32 but has never been a regular feature back. He's been under 100 carries in each of the past three years, and of all of the backs on this list he has the most experience in the kind of part-time role we're talking about. He can catch the ball out of the backfield and doesn't mind playing special teams. He will find a home.

ESPN Insider Chris Sprow discusses Felix Jones' future with the Cowboys.

The inimitable Calvin Watkins, who spends his summer nights at baseball games but still writes about the Dallas Cowboys by day, has a piece on ESPNDallas.com about five Cowboys players whose roster spots could be negatively affected by the draft. One of those players is running back Felix Jones, who lost the starter's job to rookie DeMarco Murray last year and, Calvin thinks, could lose his spot on the team to another rookie depending on how the draft goes:

The Cowboys were interested in Boise State running back Doug Martin, but the storms of last week prevented him from visiting Valley Ranch for a predraft visit. Jones isn't an elite running back, or that matter a No. 1 back. His coach, Jason Garrett, continues to call him a complementary running back, and the team had internal discussions about trading him. If the Cowboys find a younger version, it wouldn't surprise anyone if he's let go. DeMarco Murray, Phillip Tanner and quite possibly a draft doesn't make the Cowboys younger, but gives them some fresh legs.

Would be quite a fall for Jones, from starter in September 2011 to looking for a job in the summer of 2012. But it gives you some idea what the Cowboys think about him. He did an okay job filling in for Murray after Murray got hurt last year, but the offense tailed off considerably with Jones as the lead back. It may be that they believe they need someone or something different in that role -- or that they'd like to give Tanner more carries. Certainly, if you see them draft a running back in the top half of the draft, you have to think Jones is at least in trouble.

The other four players Calvin lists are defensive ends Kenyon Coleman and Marcus Spears, center Phil Costa and receiver Kevin Ogletree, though I don't think it comes as any kind of surprise to think their spots could be in danger. The Cowboys still have a number of areas they can reasonably address in the draft, and veterans do tend to hold their breath until all seven rounds are complete.

Part 2 of ESPNDallas.com's position-by-position series is on running backs. Bryan Broaddus assumes that DeMarco Murray comes back from his ankle injury and regains the starter's role in which he thrived, and that fullback Tony Fiammetta recovers from his own health issues and is re-signed for the fullback role in which he thrived. But Bryan raises this interesting question regarding Felix Jones, who opened the 2011 season as the starter but lost the job to injury and Murray:

Should the Cowboys consider trading Jones this offseason? It's hard to accomplish a trade with Jones entering the final year of his contract. The Cowboys should explore whether a fourth-or fifth-round pick is available for the former first-round pick. The team doesn't trust Jones to become a 20-down back in the NFL. He's a solid backup, which leads us to Phillip Tanner. He should compete with Jones for more playing time. If he makes the roster, he should get more game-day carries and special teams snaps.

Personally, I'm kind of with Broaddus in that I don't see how much value Jones is going to have. If you're saying he's not good enough to be an every-down starter, and that's the reason you're dealing him, you can't really expect another team to decide you're wrong and that he can. So you're basically offering a change-of-pace back and hoping to get a fourth- or fifth-round pick for him. If a team's in the market for a back like that, why wouldn't they just draft one with that fourth- or fifth-round pick and develop him themselves?

Jones is, at this point, a nice luxury for the Cowboys -- a starting-quality back who can sub in for a short time if Murray gets hurt but isn't likely to be able to hold up over long stretches. With one year left on Jones' deal, the Cowboys would do well to give Tanner more time next year and see what they have with him. That'd be easier with Jones out of the picture, but he's worth too much to just cut or give away for nothing. If the Cowboys can find a team willing to part with a mid-round pick for Jones, it'd be a wise deal to make. But if not, he's worth hanging onto in the role in which he finished the 2011 season.

It may well be that Bill Callahan was looking to escape an organizational fiasco with the New York Jets, but last week when asked what drew the Dallas Cowboys' new offensive coordinator to Dallas, Callahan had several answers. According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Callahan listed the commitment of owner Jerry Jones, Cowboys Stadium and the reputation he says the Cowboys have around the league as a good organization for which to work. But the most important thing he talked about was the pieces that are already in place to make a great offense:

"We had a chance to see them throughout the year because of the AFC East and the crossover with the NFC East," he said. "It was great to see this team roll and see their receivers and Austin and Dez and Witt, all those guys did great. That's the exciting aspect of this job. All those pieces are in place. You're always trying to get better. Now it's just a matter of shoring up the offensive line, continuing to improve that aspect of these young players and their development and again, get in this playoff and try to take a run at it."

In addition to receivers Miles Austin and Dez Bryant and tight end Jason Witten, Callahan specifically mentioned quarterback Tony Romo and "the two young backs," meaning DeMarco Murray and Felix Jones. What he's speaking to is really the defining aspect of the Cowboys' offense over the past couple of seasons. They have as strong a skill-position core as any team in the league -- talent all over the field at positions from which people score points. But maybe the reason they pursued Callahan, who's an offensive line coach, is because those last couple of years have proven that the skill-position excellence can be undone by shoddy line play.

We'll go back and forth here over the next three months on whether the Cowboys should use their first-round pick on a cornerback or a pass-rushing linebacker, and it's possible they will go defense at No. 14. But unless they do something like sign Carl Nicks or otherwise address the line in free agency, it's going to remain possible that they draft an interior lineman at that spot. It's just become too obvious, over and over again, how important that is for them. Offensive line will and must be one of the Cowboys' areas of offseason focus. And that's probably, more than any other reason, why Callahan is now on the coaching staff.

I guess I'm the only one who still doesn't get it. All week, a whole bunch of people kept insisting that, if the New York Giants beat the New York Jets in the early game Saturday, the Dallas Cowboys' late game against the Philadelphia Eagles wouldn't matter. I don't know why it was so important to everyone that this be true. I only know that it wasn't. If the Cowboys had won, and if the Atlanta Falcons had lost their final two games, the Cowboys could still have been a wild-card team even if they'd lost to the Giants next week.

But added to the list of those who were determined to label this game as meaningless were apparently the Cowboys themselves, who lost starting quarterback Tony Romo in the first quarter and spent the rest of the day insisting that it didn't matter. The fact is, it did matter, and by not trying to win the game the Cowboys willingly closed off one potential avenue to the playoffs. They still have the best one -- if they beat the Giants next Sunday, they're division champs and will host a playoff game on Jan. 6 or 7. But I don't understand why everybody around the Cowboys was as nonchalant Saturday night as they were about a game that they mistakenly claimed had meant nothing.

That's their choice, I guess. But if the Falcons lose to the Saints on Monday and get upset by the Buccaneers (yeah, yeah, I know) next week, this is going to come up again. And the Cowboys, if they lose to the Giants, will have to answer for it.

As it stands, the matter is still in their hands. If they beat the Giants, they're in. And they certainly could do that. The game a couple of weeks ago was close until the end, with the Giants winning in a game in which neither defense could stop the opposing offense. The same thing could happen next Sunday. You don't know which Giants team is going to show up from one week to the next. They played defense on Saturday better than they'd played it in two months. I don't know where it came from or if it'll show up again next week. If it doesn't, the Cowboys have a fine chance to win the road game and get into the playoffs. But if it does, it's going to be tough.

The Cowboys' offensive line was completely overmatched by the Eagles' front Saturday. The Giants do a lot of things up front that are similar to what the Eagles do -- hold back on blitzes and work on getting pressure with the defensive line. They had success against the Jets and could have success against the Cowboys. Rookie right tackle Tyron Smith, who's played like a star all year, handled sack artist Jason Babin, but the rest of the Dallas line was manhandled.

Romo, assuming he plays, is better at improvising on the run when the play breaks down than is Stephen McGee. But the Cowboys now find themselves hoping that Romo, who was one of the hottest quarterbacks in the league coming into this game, is healthy for Sunday and, if he is, can turn it right back on after shutting it down for a week.

Yeah, the Cowboys have matters in their own hands. But if they decided they could shut down Romo and Felix Jones and anybody else today just because the Giants had won that game, I think they may have made a mistake they could end up regretting.

A very special holiday edition of the weekly picks. Click on the video to hear and see why this week's picks result in chaos in the NFC East race:

Redskins 23, Vikings 10
Jets 24, Giants 14
Eagles 35, Cowboys 31

Last week: 2-1
Season to date: 25-23

Wednesday's links are actually Thursday's links this week because all of the games this week are on Saturday. I don't think that means we'll do predictions on Thursday, but I guess you never know. All we do know for sure is that we can count on our links, served hot and fresh and always right on time.

Dallas Cowboys

Tim MacMahon writes that one of the things that's helping everybody get along in the Cowboys' wide receiver corps is the strong relationships quarterback Tony Romo has helped forge among them and between himself and them. Miles Austin, Dez Bryant and Laurent Robinson each caught a touchdown pass in Saturday's victory over Tampa Bay, and there's no better way than that to keep wide receivers happy.

Running back Felix Jones missed Tuesday's practice with a hamstring injury, which is alarming since Sammy Morris is the only other tailback on the roster. I'm sure Cowboys fans would enjoy seeing Jones practice today. I promise to keep you posted.

New York Giants

Ed Valentine of Big Blue View is getting a little bit of a run in The New York Times' NFL blog in the days leading up to the big Giants-Jets game Saturday. On the topic of which team owns New York's heart, Ed offers a nice contrast between this historical basis for the feelings of Jets and Giants fans and concludes that whichever team is winning will turn out to be the answer.

Tom Coughlin strongly believes that leadership needs to come from within the locker room and that players need to be accountable for game-day performance, and he says he's leaning harder on his team's leaders this week and believes they will deliver.

Philadelphia Eagles

Geoff Mosher writes that the Ryan brothers seem to bring out the best in the Eagles' offense for some reason. Saturday's game against defensive coordinator Rob Ryan and the Cowboys will be the Eagles' third game this year and second in a row against a Ryan brother-coached defense. They whipped head coach Rex Ryan and the Jets Sunday in Philadelphia.

Jeremy Maclin and DeSean Jackson aren't having the statistical seasons they would have liked or expected, but as Jeff McLane writes, they're finding other ways to chip in. Maclin's blocking, for instance. With the year LeSean McCoy has had, the Eagles are wise to lean more on him and de-emphasize the deep passing game, no matter how talented their wideouts are.

Washington Redskins

With the Redskins in need of a franchise quarterback this offseason, Amy Shipley takes a look at the process teams go through in trying to find one. Hint: It's not easy.

Rick Maese writes of Jabar Gaffney's emergence as the No. 1 receiving option for quarterback Rex Grossman. With Santana Moss having missed time with that broken hand and all of the tight ends having disappeared, Gaffney has indeed been one of Washington's constants this year. If he sticks around, he could be a big help to whoever the quarterback is in 2012.

He has surely had more spectacular games in his career, but if you're a fan of the Dallas Cowboys the game Tony Romo played Saturday night was an absolute thing of beauty. Romo was 23-for-30 for 249 yards, three passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown in a nearly uncontested 31-15 victory over a dead Tampa Bay Buccaneers team. He was efficient. He was in control. He was ruthless and reliable and made sure that the Cowboys put one of their easiest wins of the season in their pocket when they needed a win in the worst way.

The Cowboys move to 8-6, temporarily a half-game in front of New York pending the Giants' game Sunday afternoon. If the Giants win, Dallas will have done little Saturday night but hold serve. The victory doesn't dramatically help their playoff chances, but a loss would have damaged them severely. Romo deserves credit for making sure it was never a reasonable possibility.

He wasn't perfect, of course. No one is. The fumble on the first possession of the second half was careless. And I didn't think he made the wisest choice on his first touchdown throw to Miles Austin in traffic at the goal line. But Austin caught the ball for a touchdown, which made the throw look great. And Romo responded to the fumble by engineering a 12-play, seven-minute field-goal drive that denied the Bucs any shot at momentum.

Sure, Felix Jones had 108 rushing yards. But the Cowboys played ball-control all game, even when they were throwing it. Romo took no irresponsible shots downfield. He played completely under control. He took sacks when he should have, and he did a great job of extending plays with his feet until receivers got open. He completed passes to seven different targets, with no one making more than five catches and no receiver gaining more than Jason Witten's 77 yards. It was a clinic in levelheaded quarterback play, and while a Tampa Bay team that has now lost eight in a row might not have been much of a challenge, Romo's been playing like this against everyone lately. He has thrown 18 touchdown passes and two interceptions in his past seven games, and the Cowboys are 5-2 in those games.

Talk that coach Jason Garrett and the Cowboys don't trust Romo is ridiculous. Watching Romo on Saturday night, you saw a guy who was in complete control of his offense. A guy who was picking among fantastic targets and had the confidence and competence to find the right one. Heck, all three of his touchdown passes came from inside the 10-yard line. You don't keep throwing the ball from the 8 and 9 if you don't trust your quarterback.

Romo's reputation is a tough one to shake, but he's done nothing wrong in the second half of this season. He is not the reason Dallas lost to Arizona and New York in the two games before this one. And as the Cowboys look ahead to their final two games of the season, knowing they win the division if they can win them both, they do so with a great deal of well-deserved confidence in their starting quarterback.

Some more observations from the Cowboys' Saturday night victory:

• Jones looks great running the ball, and maybe more importantly Sammy Morris looks like a guy who can reasonably spell Jones and keep the Cowboys from having to overwork him during the next couple of weeks. We'll see how they perform against a defense that doesn't allow 5 yards per carry, but the signs from the run game were encouraging for the Cowboys.
• I thought the defense was encouraging too, at least while DeMarcus Ware and Jay Ratliff were in there. The unit pressured Josh Freeman and were able to run a lot of those moving, confusing fronts to rattle the Bucs' offense into mistakes. And I had no problem with Garrett holding Ware and Ratliff out in the second half to rest them and decrease the risk of further injury. That game was over at halftime, no matter how scared Cowboys' fans were about their team's second-half issues. And if it had become legitimately close, they could always have put Ware and Ratliff back in, right? I think the Cowboys managed that situation intelligently.
• The difference between this game and the Detroit game (other than the vast differences between Detroit's offense and Tampa Bay's) was that, when Romo made the costly turnover right after halftime to give the other team points, he didn't make another. Sounds simple, but it's important. The way you recover from your mistakes says much more about you than whether or not you make one.
• The sight of right tackle Tyron Smith on the ground at the end of the game had to be upsetting for Cowboys fans. He walked off on his own power and seemed fine, but Smith would be a devastating loss for an already-shaky line on which he's been far and away the best player. Smith has played tackle at an elite level this year, and would be irreplaceable.
• Next up for Dallas is a crucial home game next Saturday against the Eagles, who beat them 34-7 in Philadelphia in Week 8.

As you get ready for Saturday night's game against the Buccaneers in Tampa, here's one reason for Dallas Cowboys fans to feel good and one reason for concern:

Feeling good: If ever there was a good game in which to re-establish the ground game with Felix Jones as the lead back in place of the injured DeMarco Murray, this is the one for Dallas. The Bucs allow 4.6 yards per rush attempt and 139.7 rush yards per game, making them one of the worst run defenses in the NFL. Dallas would do well to commit to the run early and get Jones into a rhythm. They won't be able to use him the same heavy way they used Murray, and they will have to throw more the rest of the way. But they should be able to make themselves multidimensional on offense against a Tampa Bay team that's lost seven games in a row.

Cause for concern: Tampa Bay is pretty good at protecting the passer, having only allowed 24 sacks this year. The Cowboys were unable to get a sack last week against Eli Manning and the Giants, and they're surely planning to run some creative blitzes against the Buccaneers to try to rattle quarterback Josh Freeman. If they can't get to Freeman -- especially on the blitz -- they're going to leave themselves exposed in the secondary, where they've had some real problems over the past month.

The Friday links require no introduction.

New York Giants

The Giants do not know what has gotten into Brandon Jacobs the past two games, and they do not care as long as he keeps it up. The Giants have the worst rush offense in the league this year, but it has looked revitalized the past two weeks as Jacobs has been running like the punishing back he was when he was younger and the beaten-up offensive line has been blocking better than the healthy one was. Sometimes, these things are tough to explain.

Regarding that offensive line, backup Kevin Boothe has been "outstanding" filling in at center for David Baas, according to offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride. But the team is concerned about one aspect of his game that's pretty important for a center to have down -- snapping the ball. Some of Boothe's snaps are now drawing comparisons to former Yankees second baseman Chuck Knoblauch, and in case you don't remember what was going on in Yankee baseball 10 years ago: That's not good.

Dallas Cowboys

The folks who covered the Cowboys when Sam Hurd was on the team didn't recognize the guy they were reading about Thursday in a government affidavit. Hurd, who played five seasons for the Cowboys before signing with the Bears prior to this year, is facing serious federal drug trafficking charges, and it was apparently a hot topic Thursday around his former team.

The Cowboys' offense came to life earlier this season when rookie running back DeMarco Murray became its focal point. But quarterback Tony Romo says he's not feeling any additional pressure to carry the offense now that Murray is out for the season with an ankle injury. The Cowboys likely can still run the ball with Felix Jones for a few games, but Murray helped them put away late leads -- something with which they've struggled this season -- and it's going to be on Romo and the defense to figure out how to do that now.

Philadelphia Eagles

Jeff McLane writes that these final three games of the season are important for DeSean Jackson, who will still want a new contract when this terribly disappointing season is over and can use this time as an audition to convince the Eagles or some other team that he's worth the money he seeks. Teams will pay for talent in this league, and Jackson just turned 25 years old.

The Eagles' playoff hopes took an expected hit Thursday when the Falcons won, leaving only one wild-card spot even potentially available to them. If the Lions win Sunday, the Eagles will be unable to claim a wild-card spot even if they win out. And if the Cowboys win Saturday and the Giants win Sunday, the Eagles are eliminated from the division race no matter what they do. But there remains a slim chance so they'll still need to win Sunday's game, and Les Bowen says to do that they'll need to solve an old problem -- their red zone defense.

Washington Redskins

The Redskins' 2011 plan on defense hinged, in large part, on the idea that they would have one of the best safety pairings in the league in LaRon Landry and O.J. Atogwe. But plans don't always work out, as we know, and injuries have kept those two off the field way too much. Landry's season ended Thursday when the team announced he needed surgery on his ankle and put him on injured reserve.

Santana Moss says he would "love to ruin" the Giants' season with a win Sunday. The Redskins started off this season by beating the Giants in Washington, and the Giants were extremely angry about that loss. This isn't the same Redskins team they trotted out in Week 1, but it does seem to be a proud bunch capable of more than people expect. I don't believe they'll make it easy on the Giants. Of course, predictions come out in a few hours.

Good morning and a happy Wednesday to you all. I hope your holiday shopping is going well enough to allow you to spend some time hanging out here on the NFC East blog today. We have another edition of the All-Division Team on the way and a number of other goodies planned. But as always, we start you off with a big plate of links.

New York Giants

Paul Schwartz caught up with Manny Martin, the Florida high school football coach responsible for turning Jason Pierre-Paul from a basketball player into a football player when Pierre-Paul didn't want to make that switch. Martin was the defensive coordinator at Deerfield Beach High School at the time and was struck by how long Pierre-Paul's arms were. "The kid could stand up and probably scratch his kneecap without even bending over. I just knew he had a body frame to be a nice defensive end." Martin knew it before Pierre-Paul did, apparently.

Antrel Rolle's New York radio appearances are getting more wide-reaching and bizarre every week. This week, he ranted against those who blamed him for Dez Bryant's wide-open touchdown catch Sunday (without explaining what did happen on the play) and said he "doesn't plan on losing to the Redskins" this Sunday. Remember, Rolle was one of the most vocally furious Giants players about the season-opening loss to Washington, saying at the time that, if the teams played each other 100 times, the Giants would win 95. He apparently now has that number at 99.

Dallas Cowboys

Todd Archer says that, for the Cowboys to recover and make the playoffs, they need Felix Jones to run the way DeMarco Murray was running. The issue as I see it is not whether Jones can be a full-time starter or rack up yards, but rather what happens at the end of games. That's what changed most about the Dallas run game when it switched from Jones to Murray -- the ability to grind out the clock by picking up first downs on the ground in the fourth quarter. They couldn't do it earlier in the season with Jones, they could with Murray, and now they're back to Jones again. So they'll have to show something they haven't been able to show with him as the starter in the past.

Mike Jenkins tells Calvin Watkins that the problems in the secondary are the result of communication issues, that the Cowboys have identified them and know what it is that they need to improve on. Saturday's game in Tampa Bay gives them a chance to get things right. The free-falling Bucs have lost seven games in a row, and if Dallas can't come up with a way to win that game, then their issues run too deep to fix before the end of this season.

Philadelphia Eagles

Michael Vick says he wasn't 100 percent healthy Sunday in his return after missing three games with broken ribs. But he doesn't think that was the reason he had so many passes batted down, because as he points out, that's been happening to him all year. I don't think it's as simple as Vick being relatively short for a quarterback. Unless a quarterback's 7-foot-5, he's not going to be tall enough to consistently throw the ball over his and the other team's linemen. Quarterbacks throw through passing lanes, and one of Vick's weaknesses as a passer is that he's not consistently good at finding those.

Paul Domowitch takes a moment to step back from a year's worth of well-deserved criticism and appreciate the brilliant LeSean McCoy season that is getting lost in the Eagles' overall disappointment.

Washington Redskins

Veteran linebacker London Fletcher loves playing for the Redskins, loves his coaches and teammates and is determined to do what he can to make sure he's still in Washington when things turn around for the franchise. Jason Reid says the Redskins need to sign their veteran leader before he hits free agency at the end of this season and has a chance to change his mind. Fletcher is a major asset to the Redskins for a number of reasons, not least his play on the field. But a team that's still going to be young and building next year would do well to have a guy like this around.

John Keim's weekly Five Questions are always worth a read, and this week he looks at whether LaRon Landry and DeAngelo Hall should be back with the Redskins next year, what Willie Smith showed in his first start at tackle and a couple of other issues. I find it tough to believe the Redskins would move on from both Landry and Hall, considering all the work they need to do on the offensive side of the ball this offseason. But given Landry's health issues and the issues that bubbled to the surface with Hall this past Sunday, it's possible.

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FALLING

1. Rob Ryan. The Dallas Cowboys' defensive coordinator was a hot name on the head-coaching rumor mill a couple of weeks ago. But lately, Ryan's defense hasn't been able to stop anyone. He seems to blitz when he shouldn't blitz, to not blitz when he should ... the kinds of things that happen when your coverage in the secondary is failing you. And it's failing Ryan big-time right now. Terence Newman has regressed throughout the season. Mike Jenkins looks like an injury waiting to happen. And the guys behind the starting corners aren't playing well at all. Of all the Cowboys' collapses this year, the one that might haunt them the most if they don't end up in the playoffs is blowing a 12-point lead in the final six minutes against the Giants on Sunday night.

2. New York Giants secondary: The Giants as a whole are rising, as they're back on top of the division by virtue of a tiebreaker and in spite of the four-game losing streak they just ended. But if you watched Sunday's game, you noticed the Cowboys weren't the only team in it that couldn't get a stop on the back end. Giants coach Tom Coughlin called his team's coverage issues a "grave concern," and the Giants need to get some things fixed in the secondary these next two weeks against Rex Grossman and Mark Sanchez before they see Tony Romo & Co. again in what could be a critical Week 17 rematch.

3. Santana Moss, Redskins receiver. Normally one of the Washington Redskins' most solid and reliable offensive performers, Moss cost his team a chance to send Sunday's game against the Patriots into overtime. An offensive pass interference penalty moved the Redskins back as they were driving for the tying touchdown, and Grossman's final throw of the game went off Moss' hands and into the arms of Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo for an interception that ended all hope. It hasn't been the greatest year for Moss, who missed games earlier in the season with a broken hand, but Sunday was a low point.

RISING

1. Eli Manning, Giants quarterback. He's been here before, but Manning just keeps on rising and rising and rising. His 400 passing yards in his latest comeback victory established a new single-season career high. He's over 4,000 yards for the third year in a row and one of four quarterbacks who are threatening to surpass Dan Marino's single-season NFL record of 5,084 yards. If Aaron Rodgers hadn't already locked up the award, Manning would be in the MVP race. He's led five game-winning touchdown drives this year for a team that has only seven wins. If the Giants' run game can look as good as it looked Sunday behind a resurgent Brandon Jacobs, the way Manning's playing could make them one of the best offenses in the league in the final month.

2. Felix Jones, Cowboys running back. Sadly for Cowboys rookie running back DeMarco Murray, his season is over because of a severe ankle injury he suffered in the first quarter of Sunday's loss. That means a lot more carries for Jones, who was the starter earlier this season before he got hurt and Murray took over. Jones looked fresh and spry and more than capable Sunday. The problem now is that they have practically nothing behind him, so the priority has to be keeping Jones from getting hurt. I imagine the Cowboys will throw the ball more over their final three games, but when they run, they'll ask Jones to do the running.

3. Philadelphia Eagles defense. They totally cooled off a red-hot Miami team Sunday, knocking quarterback Matt Moore out of the game and shutting down the Dolphins after an early Brandon Marshall touchdown. First-year defensive coordinator Juan Castillo is working new guys into new roles and expanding what the defense is capable of doing. It was the best the defense has looked all year and the way the Eagles had hoped they'd be able to play consistently this year. The talent is there, and if the scheme and focus issues are settled, it may be enough to carry the Eagles to a strong finish, even if it is too little too late.