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

New York Giants

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

Philadelphia Eagles

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

Washington Redskins

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

Dallas Cowboys

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

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

I found this interesting, from Les Bowen, on the Philadelphia Eagles' assistant coaches media availability Monday. Offensive line coach Howard Mudd, who oversaw a complete change in the way the Eagles' offensive linemen blocked in 2011, is not around for this portion of the offseason program. The team insists this is no big deal and will be back before long, and the fact is the man is 70 years old and doesn't get around all that well, so it makes sense to make some concessions regarding his schedule. But I think it's interesting in light of one major issue facing the Eagles this offseason: The need to replace star left tackle Jason Peters.

Peters is almost certainly out for the year, having had the same Achilles' tendon surgically repaired twice this offseason, and his replacement is free-agent signee Demetress Bell. And while there is plenty of time for Bell to learn Mudd's system -- even from Mudd himself, once he returns -- Bowen's story touches on the fact that it's not so easy to do. This from Eugene Chung, the assistant coach filling in for Mudd:

"His style is very unique," Chung said Monday, when asked about teaching the Mudd system. "It allows a player to be athletic. It's a good style, once you know the concepts."

...

"Demetress is a great athlete also," Chung said. "I'm not concerned with our left tackle position because Demetress is in there. I know Jason was a great leader out there; I'm sure Demetress will be, too. He's an older vet [28] now, the guys have embraced him ... I'm not concerned."

And there's nothing to indicate that Eagles fans should be overly concerned either. Bell won't be Peters, because no one is, and the Eagles' offensive line would suffer for Peters' absence regardless of who replaced him. The question on Bell is whether and how quickly he can adapt to the way the Eagles play offensive line under Mudd. Players like Evan Mathis, Todd Herremans and Jason Kelce eagerly embraced and thrived in Mudd's system last year, and as a result of that (and of Peters' outstanding year), the Eagles' offensive line was a strength of the team. Particularly as a run-blocking unit, it ranked among the best in the league.

But there are challenges associated with learning a new blocking technique -- not to mention challenges that go along with blocking front of a quarterback who moves around and keeps plays alive as long as Michael Vick does. And the development of Bell within the Eagles' system is going to be a story to watch as this offseason continues.

This is the part where I check the mailbag, pick out a few of your questions and do the best I can to answer them before we all get on with our nice spring weekends. I hope you enjoy it.

Joe D from Panama City, Fla., asks why I keep talking about the Dallas Cowboys' need to improve their pass rush, given that they finished tied for seventh in the league in sacks last year.

Dan Graziano: Touché, Joe D. The overall sack numbers were nice -- 42 in 16 games. But when the Cowboys talk about improving their pass rush (and believe me, they do), I think the concern is rooted in the extent to which the responsibility for that aspect of the defense continues to fall on one man. As a team, the Cowboys had 42 sacks, but DeMarcus Ware had 19.5 by himself. And 12 of those came in the first seven games of the season. The concern over the pass rush in Dallas isn't about the overall numbers, but rather on an effort to get Ware some help so that maybe he can see one or two plays a game on which he's not double-teamed and so that he can perhaps avoid seeing his sack numbers drop as the season goes along. They'd like to see Anthony Spencer be a more credible threat from the other outside linebacker spot, or get more pressure on the passer from their defensive line. But on plays when the opposing offense can find a way to account for Ware, the quarterback tends to have too much time to throw. Your point is well taken, but the Cowboys are looking for more players who can help their pass rush bring more pressure from more different spots on the field.

Tramell from Bowie, Md., was rankled by something I wrote Thursday about "question in the secondary" for the Washington Redskins. He likes DeAngelo Hall and Josh Wilson as the starting corners, thinks Tanard Jackson will be an upgrade over O.J. Atogwe at safety and that DeJon Gomes shows promise.

DG: Even if everything you write is true, Tramell, that doesn't mean they don't have questions to answer in the secondary. Jackson was cut for attitude reasons in Tampa Bay (though they claimed it was for injury reasons), and the theory is that he'll click with former Bucs coach and new Redskins secondary coach Raheem Morris, but we don't know that that'll be the case. I do know that they like Gomes as a starting-caliber safety, but they don't know if he'll be ready for that this year or if he may need some more time before taking on that full-time role. Brandon Meriweather, Madieu Williams... there are going to be a lot of bodies in that secondary in training camp, and I think it's fair to say there are questions about how it will all shake out.

Kenya from NY noticed a mention Friday about the fact that Philadelphia Eagles offensive line coach Howard Mudd likes his quarterback to call out the protections at the line of scrimmage, and that last year (Mudd's first in Philadelphia) was the first year Michael Vick was asked to handle that responsibility. Kenya wants to know why an offensive line coach would prefer this arrangement.

DG: As I understand it, Kenya, part of Mudd's philosophy is that the quarterback and the line have to function in concert with each other. His offensive line meetings always include the quarterback as an active participant, and having Vick identify the middle linebacker and change the protection if he feels it's warranted is another way of making him feel invested in and aware of what his linemen are doing. In theory, it should help Vick identify throwing lanes and intelligent opportunities to run. But put simply, I believe Mudd likes the quarterback to feel as though the line functions as an extension of what he's doing on each play. Kenya, you also asked whether I believe Vick is good enough to do this, and my answer is yes -- Vick is "good enough" to do anything he wants to do on a football field, as long as he's continually committed to improving and honing his craft as a quarterback.

Kyle from Boston, Mass., wondered what the status is on contract extension talks between the New York Giants and head coach Tom Coughlin, as well as long-term deals for young stars such as Hakeem Nicks, Jason Pierre-Paul and Victor Cruz.

DG: The Giants have a deliberate way of doing things, and an order in which things need to be done. There is an understanding between Coughlin and team management that a contract extension will be done, probably between now and the start of training camp. My guess is that it'll be a three-year deal, and neither side is stressed out about it. But when you start asking about the players, you get some sense of why they're not eager to do a new deal with Osi Umenyiora. Already up against this year's cap, the Giants are looking down the road at new contract situations that will need to be addressed. You name a few, and Giants management is obviously aware that they are on the horizon. But you have to prove it in New York -- and for more than one year. Cruz and Pierre-Paul are not near the front of the line for new contracts. Nicks is closer than either of them. Mathias Kiwanuka just quietly got one. They take care of their own cornerstone pieces, but they do so only after (a) making sure that they really are cornerstones and (b) when the time is right. I wouldn't expect to see any extensions for any of the guys you named this offseason. Except Coughlin, of course.

Have you heard? The Philadelphia Eagles are having a great offseason. Yeah, again. They settled the DeSean Jackson contract mess, extended deals for a few key veterans, stole middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans from the Texans and, according to many analysts, may have had the best draft of any team in the league. If the season were starting today, I guarantee they'd be the most popular pick to win the NFC East, ahead of the Super Bowl champion Giants and everyone else.

But me, I'm not so sure. I need to see it from the quarterback.

Michael Vick will enter the 2012 season under more pressure than any other quarterback in the NFL. The Eagles have told anyone who'll listen that they believe last year's team was too talented to go 8-8, that it got better as the year went along and that the four-game winning streak that closed their season can have a carryover effect into 2012. But no matter how true any of those assertions turn out to be, it's still going to be up to Vick to cash them in.

The defense took a lot of the heat for the Eagles' 2011 disappointment, and early on it did struggle to come together. But it finished eighth in the league in fewest yards allowed and tied for the league lead in sacks. If the defense does that again, it's going to be tough to blame whatever goes wrong on that side of the ball.

It was on the offensive side that Vick turned the ball over 14 times during last year's 3-6 start, coughed up the Arizona game by playing with broken ribs and not telling anyone and then missed three games during which backup Vince Young threw enough interceptions to make Vick look like the world champion of darts. Vick was as responsible for the Eagles' flop of a season as anyone else was, and it's worth making a point of that as the Eagles look ahead to 2012 with high hopes. Because that word -- "responsible" -- is the one the Eagles would most like Vick to keep in mind.

The Eagles don't need Vick to be the dazzling, electrified, high-speed wonder he was in 2010. It'd be nice, but no one expects him to repeat that once-in-a-lifetime performance and no one ever did. What the Eagles wanted from Vick in 2011 was to evolve a bit as a top-level quarterback -- to assume more responsibility for the offense, not to mention the ball and his own body. Vick has undeniable athletic talent of a sort no one else in the league could ever dream. But what he has yet to do is take that critical next step that transforms quarterback talent into quarterback success.

The quarterbacks who become great in the NFL are the ones who treat the position as a craft to be perpetually honed and refined. Vick had that opportunity in 2011 as a clear starter on a team that surrounded him with brilliant weapons. At the urging of new offensive line coach Howard Mudd, who prefers things to work this way, Vick was for the first time in his Eagles career given the responsibility of calling the protection at the line of scrimmage -- of reading the defense before the snap and calling out the assignments for the linemen based on what he saw. At the beginning of the year, it caused confusion, as one might expect. But even as the year went on, Vick struggled to get in sync with his line.

Part of that is the style with which he plays -- running around behind the line, determined to keep plays alive past a point at which most quarterbacks would have thrown the ball out of bounds. But that's part of this responsibility theme, too. Part of Vick's maturation as a quarterback needs to include knowing what he should and shouldn't try -- and when. If he becomes more responsible about knowing the right and wrong times to take chances, that'll help his protection, his turnovers and his health.

And he has to take care of those last two things above all else. No team can afford to turn the ball over as much as the Eagles in did in 2011, and the Eagles can't afford to play without Vick. As proud as they are of their draft, last year's free agency and the depth of talent on their roster, they're not a contender if Mike Kafka or Nick Foles or Trent Edwards is the guy taking the snaps for an extended period of time. Just as they weren't a contender last year when Young was under center. The Eagles' offense is built around Vick and must run through him or it's not going to operate on the level required of a team with Super Bowl aspirations.

So the pressure on Vick isn't just to win -- it's to be responsible. To think more carefully about his throws and his other on-field decisions. To keep the big picture in mind. If he can do this -- if he can take these next critical steps in his development as a quarterback, even at the age of 32, Vick is good enough to cash in his opportunity. He's good enough to pilot an offense that has Jackson and Jeremy Maclin and LeSean McCoy to playoff glory. He's good enough to come up with that signature game-winning fourth-quarter drive his résumé still lacks. He's got the talent and he's got everything in place around him to help him succeed. But once the curtain goes up on this 2012 season, it's going to be on Vick himself to make sure he does. It may well be the best and last chance he ever gets.

The Philadelphia Eagles used their second pick of the sixth round (No. 30 in the round, No. 200 overall) to select Miami offensive lineman Brandon Washington. He played tackle last year at Miami but guard the two years prior to that, and the Eagles announced him as a guard, which is where he projects to play in the NFL. At 6-foot-3, 320 pounds, he feels a little big for a Howard Mudd guard. But perhaps his experience at guard and tackle is part of the appeal for a team that was looking to add bench depth behind its offensive line starters.

As we wrote when the Eagles picked tackle Dennis Kelly in the fifth round, the Eagles allow Mudd to have some say in deciding who they pick at the offensive line spots, and he tends to like a certain kind of player with which he believes he can work. Under Mudd, the Eagles' offensive linemen have to be quick and athletic to get out and block from a position upfield from the one in which they start, and maybe they saw something on tape with Washington that made him think he'd take to it.

We have reached the add-depth portion of the NFL draft, and the Philadelphia Eagles have added some depth -- not to mention height -- at a position of need. With the 18th pick in the fifth round (No. 153 overall), the Eagles took Purdue tackle Dennis Kelly, who is 6-foot-8 and 304 pounds. Kelly moves into the backup offensive line mix following the injury to starting left tackle Jason Peters and the signing of new starter Demetress Bell and the re-signing of backup tackle King Dunlap.

Kelly is a project lineman, but the project lineman that offensive line coach Howard Mudd got in the sixth round last year was Jason Kelce, who emerged as the Eagles' starting center last summer and held that position all year. So Kelly becomes Mudd's next developmental guy, and the speed with which he picks up Mudd's blocking schemes will determine how quickly he can be a contributor on the line for the Eagles.

You know, when you submit mailbag questions, you're supposed to give your name, location and e-mail address. Just sayin.

Orangeskins from oompa loompa land saw Adam Schefter's report late Friday that running back Tim Hightower was visiting the Patriots and asks whether the Washington Redskins have given up on trying to re-sign him.

Dan Graziano: No, they have not. The Redskins still like Hightower an awful lot, and if he's fully recovered from his ACL tear they would love to have him back as their starting running back in 2012. Yes, ahead of youngsters Roy Helu and Evan Royster. Mike Shanahan loves Hightower, whom he views as an every-down runner, a good receiving back and a help in pass protection as well. He's not sold on either of last year's rookies as the total package yet, and so the Redskins' ideal plans for 2012 include a healthy Hightower at the front of their running back corps. Now, the question is how much they want to offer him before they're sure he's healthy again, and if he's getting interest from other teams, his price could stray beyond what they're willing to risk. Ryan Grant and Joseph Addai were also reportedly in New England for visits this week, so it remains to be seen what the chances are of Hightower signing there. If he does, the Redskins will look for a veteran back or two to add to the Helu/Royster mix.

Joseph Kony from Antarctica asks whether I share his belief that New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning's production will drop now that his big brother is back in the league this year. Joseph believes that "without the pressure of having to compete with his brother, Eli was able to have his best statistical year and win the SB... again."

DG: I think that's a reach, Joseph. Eli Manning's career arc is one of steady improvement year over year, with the one exception being the interception total from 2010. He's an excellent player in his own right, obviously mentally tough enough that no one should still be questioning the way in which he handles the fact that his big brother operates in the same profession. I would have thought the second Super Bowl ring would have eliminated questions about Eli and Peyton's shadow. But your question reinforces my sad theory that people are always going to believe what they want to believe, even in the face of evidence to the contrary.

Robert Shipman of Mobile, Ala., a Crimson Tide fan, likes the idea of safety Mark Barron going to the Dallas Cowboys with the No. 14 pick but wonders if the Cowboys might consider outside linebacker Courtney Upshaw instead as a pass-rushing complement to DeMarcus Ware.

DG: From everything I've been told about Dallas' mindset, they have evaluated Upshaw and Melvin Ingram and the other pass-rushers at the top of the draft and decided that they're all pretty much similar players to Anthony Spencer. And since they have Spencer on the franchise tag already, they believe the best way to maximize the value of that pick is to look at other positions. If they drafted Upshaw, it would be because they'd decided to rescind the franchise player designation and let Spencer leave as a free agent, and that doesn't seem a likely course of action. I think if both players were there at 14, they'd take Barron. The question at this point seems to be whether Barron will last that long.

Zach Iseminger of Southland, Texas recalls that last year, the Philadelphia Eagles for the first time gave responsibility for calling the offensive line protections at the line of scrimmage to quarterback Michael Vick. "Obviously there were other factors like a new O Line coach and a new blocking scheme and two rookies starting on the line, but just curious if a full off season with OTAs will help this year."

DG: It certainly could. I remember writing about this change last year at the Eagles' opener in St. Louis. Howard Mudd likes giving the quarterback the ability to call changes in protection based on what he sees at the line, and that game was the first time Vick had that responsibility. The pass protection did improve as the year went along, as everybody on the line got used to each other and to Mudd. It's still tough to block for Vick, who likes to try to keep plays alive as long as any quarterback in the league does. And the loss of left tackle Jason Peters is going to have a negative effect. But to answer your basic question, yes. As I tell my kids, the best way to get better at anything is to practice, and more practice identifying defensive schemes and calling those protections at the line can only help Vick.

Keep the questions coming, folks. Next Saturday, we'll be writing about the fourth through seventh rounds of the draft instead, but maybe we'll do this on Sunday.

Dallas Cowboys

Like many members of the Cowboys family, Darren Woodson says he was hit hard by the news of the death of former special-teams coach Joe Avezzano.

The Cowboys have claimed quarterback Rudy Carpenter off waivers from the Buccaneers. This says a lot, I would think, about Stephen McGee and his tenuous hold on the team's No. 3 quarterback spot behind Tony Romo and Kyle Orton.

New York Giants

Former Giant Carl Banks tells the New York Daily News that the Gregg Williams speech that got all of the attention Thursday was more or less standard Saturday-night pregame stuff, though "some of the stuff was over the line." I think that's the point. In the current NFL culture, where player safety is a paramount issue, the revelation that coaches are encouraging players to target specific existing injuries just doesn't fit. This thing that came to light Thursday wasn't about bounties. It was about intent to injure, and the warning that went out league-wide (if people were listening) was that such specifics need to stop being part of pregame speeches. No matter how common a practice it has been up until now.

The staff of Giants.com debates some questions regarding the team's safety position and its outlook for the 2012 season.

Philadelphia Eagles

In this story about Demetress Bell's introductory news conference in Philadelphia, we learn that Eagles offensive line coach Howard Mudd was the one who encouraged the tackle who used to call himself Demetrius Bell to come forward with what turns out to be the correct spelling of his first name.

The Eagles' website takes a big-picture look at the offensive line as a whole with Bell in place as its new left tackle.

Washington Redskins

Former Redskins and current 49ers cornerback Carlos Rogers came to the defense of Williams, the embattled former Redskins and Saints defensive coordinator.

The release a few weeks ago of veteran fullback Mike Sellers didn't get a lot of attention, but it had an effect on current fullback Darrel Young, who credits Sellers for help with his development.

The Philadelphia Eagles announced Friday that star left tackle Jason Peters ruptured his right Achilles tendon while training earlier this week and will have surgery Monday to repair it. This is a crushing blow for an Eagles team that believed its offensive line would be a strength in 2012. The Eagles didn't reveal a timetable for recovery, but it's safe to assume that Peters will miss most and possibly all of the 2012 season.

Peters is one of the best tackles in the NFL and will be nearly impossible to replace. But replace him they must. The Eagles re-signed free-agent King Dunlap to a one-year contract Friday, which will help because he's their best backup tackle. But Dunlap doesn't project as a 16-game starter for a team with championship dreams, so Philadelphia have to look at other options.

The Eagles have two second-round picks in addition to the 15th overall pick in next month's draft, so it's possible they could package some picks and move up in the draft to get someone like Iowa's Riley Reiff. The Minnesota Vikings have indicated a desire to trade out of the No. 3 spot in the draft, so if the Eagles wanted to really get crazy, they could trade all the way up there and pick USC's Matt Kalil.

But those are big deals and tough to pull off, and the Eagles' efforts to make such a move likely would be hampered by the fact that everyone now knows they need a tackle. So they're more likely to look at other options. The best remaining tackle on the free-agent market is Demetrius Bell, who's had offers from teams to play right tackle but may have been holding out for a left tackle job (or at least left-tackle money). The Eagles have the cap room to sign someone like Bell, and if Peters were to come back during the season or next year they'd have impressive depth at tackle.

Regardless of what they do, the Eagles will be hurt by this. Peters was one of the few reliable players they had in 2011, and because he's so good and so athletic in a division that features so many great edge pass-rushers, his was a spot that inspired supreme confidence -- not just a lack of concern. The Eagles had planned to return their entire 2011 offensive line intact, and now the other four members of it will have to get used to a new left tackle, and whoever the new left tackle is will have to get used to them and to Howard Mudd's unique blocking schemes. Won't be easy, but it now becomes one of the major offseason issues facing the Eagles.

Evan Mathis was one of the pleasant surprises of the Philadelphia Eagles' 2011 season. Picked up in one of their least trumpeted offseason transactions, he stepped into the starting left guard job in training camp and performed as one of the top guards in the entire league. He learned Howard Mudd's blocking schemes quickly and provided reliability and leadership on the offensive line. The Eagles would like to have him back.

But the Eagles have not been paying attention to unrestricted free agents -- even the ones who could be on the way out of their own locker room. Defensive end Juqua Parker signed with the Browns on Thursday. And, as Jamison Hensley tells us in his daily AFC North wrap-up, Mathis could be closing in on a new deal with the Baltimore Ravens.

"I think it's a good fit," Mathis told the Carroll County (Md.) Times. "We had a good meeting."

Asked if a deal is imminent, Mathis said: "We're not at that point yet."

Now, just because Mathis is going to dinner with the Ravens doesn't mean the Eagles are out of it. First of all, Baltimore's only about an hour's drive from Philadelphia, so he could easily get back and see the Eagles on Friday even if he wakes up in Baltimore. Second, he played for the Eagles this year, so it's not a place he'd have to visit before signing. And third, these things can be handled on the phone. But the fact that the Ravens are putting a big push on, and that Mathis is talking so positively about them, makes you think the Eagles are in danger of losing a key piece of their very good 2011 offensive line. And with the top guards on the market already having signed elsewhere, they could have a hard time finding a sufficient replacement.

The Philadelphia Eagles announced Saturday that they had "released" secondary coach Johnie Lynn, which on its face isn't a surprising move. The Eagles had a disappointing season, the defense's propensity for allowing big plays was a major reason why, and as Eagles head coach Andy Reid surveys his personnel -- coaches and players alike -- it's reasonable to expect some tinkering.

But the move with Lynn leads one to wonder what else might be coming. Former Eagles defensive assistant Steve Spagnuolo, who won a Super Bowl four years ago as the New York Giants' defensive coordinator, was just fired as head coach of the St. Louis Rams and is looking for work. The Eagles' defensive coordinator is Juan Castillo, who this time last year was their offensive line coach and did in fact look overmatched at times in his first season on the defensive side of the ball. But Castillo is a longtime member of Reid's staff, and even if they are looking to upgrade at coordinator with someone more accomplished, such as Spagnuolo, it's unlikely the Eagles would just want to fire Castillo and make him the scapegoat, considering the difficult position in which Reid put him.

It's also unlikely that they could give Castillo his old job back. He was replaced at offensive line coach by Howard Mudd, and even if Mudd decided to move back into retirement, things wouldn't be so simple. Mudd installed completely new blocking schemes and techniques that bear little resemblance to what Castillo was coaching before Mudd replaced him. The Eagles' linemen bought in completely to Mudd's teachings and performed well, and it's likely that, even if Mudd were to leave (and there's no reason to believe he would, other than his health), they'd likely want to continue to teach and practice Mudd's technique.

So if, hypothetically, the Eagles want to hire Spagnuolo (or anyone else) to replace Castillo as defensive coordinator, and if they don't want to fire Castillo, they'll need a place to put him. There is now an opening at secondary coach, so you know ... just sayin'. Worth paying attention to, especially if Reid is planning more changes down the line on his defensive staff.

It's hard to know what, exactly, we were watching Saturday when the Philadelphia Eagles won their third game in a row, 20-7, over a Dallas Cowboys team that was missing several of its most important players. The New York Giants' victory that concluded in the early minutes of the Eagles-Cowboys game eliminated Philadelphia from playoff contention -- a punctuation mark that would have been far more bitterly disappointing if it hadn't been all but assured weeks earlier.

Eagles fans could be happy their team is playing hard and finishing the season strong after a 1-4 start, but that kind of stuff is for fans whose teams didn't have preseason Super Bowl expectations. This is a lost and lousy season for the Eagles no matter how you slice it -- a terrible missed opportunity in a season that required no more than nine wins for the NFC East title.

So what are we looking at when we're watching Michael Vick slice up the Cowboys and the Eagles' defense torment an opposing quarterback for the third week in a row? Does the Eagles' late-season performance matter? Does it say something about the way we can expect them to play next year? Or is all of this easily swept under the "meaningless games" rug and dismissed as useless for predictive purposes?

I think there's a pretty good chance these are the real Eagles -- the Eagles the way they were supposed to be when they put this thing together in July and August. If you remember, the Eagles weren't playing bad football in September and October -- they were merely finding different and agonizing ways to lose games in the end. They matched up physically with nearly every team they played this season. Of their eight losses, they held fourth-quarter leads in five. There were two games they weren't in at all -- New England and Seattle -- and they were using their overmatched backup quarterback in both of them. And they're 4-1 in the division with one game left against Washington next week, so it's not as though they have major problems with their closest competition.

This is, of course, the angle that Eagles coach Andy Reid will try to sell to the front office and ownership when he meets with them in the coming weeks to discuss the team's future and his own -- that the way the team has played indicates a potential for great things if they stay the course, cut down on turnovers and put in a full offseason program with the players and coaches who are suddenly playing and coaching so well. And while Eagles fans may not buy it, it's entirely possible ownership will. It depends on the level of faith they have in Reid. That faith has long been considerable, but it would be understandable if it had been shaken a little bit by what went on this year. We'll see whether Reid is in trouble (I doubt he is), or whether he'll have to sacrifice first-year defensive coordinator Juan Castillo or make other staff changes to keep his own job.

The Castillo issue is interesting. Even if Howard Mudd goes back into retirement, the Eagles can't shift Castillo back to his old position of offensive line coach. Mudd introduced a completely new way of blocking, and the Eagles' linemen have bought into it and thrived in it. They're not about to tell Castillo to go back to his old job and coach Mudd's schemes instead of his, and they're not about to tell the linemen they're going back to the old way of doing things. That's out. The three choices with Castillo are to fire him (which Reid would surely hate to do), reassign him to a defensive position-coach job or keep him right where he is in the hopes that this late-season defensive surge represents his potential as a coordinator.

That last one would be an impossible sell to the fans, even if Reid could sell it to ownership. But much worse, I personally believe it would be a tough sell to the players. Castillo is a nice, hardworking guy, but the defense has had too many failures in too many big spots this year for the players to maintain faith that Castillo knows what he's doing. Bringing him back in the same role could actually damage the late-season progress the Eagles have made if the players on the defensive side of the ball don't believe in him.

Lots of fascinating decisions yet to be made with the Eagles, and the way they are finishing the season can't help but factor in. Three weeks ago, we said Reid could be in trouble if the team played the final four games as if it didn't care. The opposite has happened, so it stands to reason that that only strengthens Reid's position. At this point, you have to believe he'll be back in 2012. The question is, based on what we've seen from the Eagles this month, is there reason to be encouraged about that?

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

New York Giants (6-2)

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

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

Dallas Cowboys (4-4)

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

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

Philadelphia Eagles (3-4)

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

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

Washington Redskins (3-5)

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

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

It would have been easy, while they were losing four games in a row, for the Philadelphia Eagles' players to curse change and blame the complexities of the team's new schemes and coaching changes. So many new things to learn on offense and defense in such a short period of time -- it was a ready-made treasure trove of excuses if they wanted it. But as they sat in the film room and reviewed loss after loss, the players found it impossible to blame anyone but themselves.

"There was definitely frustration," right tackle Todd Herremans said in a phone interview Friday. "But as we'd watch film after games, it was obvious they were all errors we were making. Mental errors. Technique errors. Turnovers. So it's not like we were watching film and saying, 'This scheme stinks and it's not going to work.' It was more like, 'It works. We just need to clean up our own stuff and we'll be fine.'"

As they prepare to play the Chicago Bears on ESPN's "Monday Night Football" in a game they hope will be their third win in a row and get their record back to .500 for the first time since Week 2, the Eagles believe they've emerged on the other side of that difficult time. The Week 6 victory over the Redskins and their Week 8 domination of division-rival Dallas has them feeling as though all the learning they've been doing since all of those new players and coaches showed up at once in early August has begun to come together. They're playing more smoothly, more confidently and more mistake-free, and they believe that's going to keep building.

"I think it's going to be a work in progress until the end of the year, but I see it clicking with a lot of the guys," Herremans said. "And you're definitely starting to see it take the form of production on the field."

If you're looking for reasons to believe the Eagles can recover from their 1-4 start and still win the NFC East, you have a few. Their talent on offense and defense is undeniable. Andy Reid's coaching record in the second halves of seasons is tremendous. But one of the most encouraging things for Eagles fans has to be that the improvement they're seeing is happening in foundational, building-block areas of the team -- specifically on the offensive and defensive lines.

"It's obvious when you watch the film, and that gets guys excited," defensive end Jason Babin told reporters after practice Thursday. "Just that feeling that things are jelling."

Babin is one of the new guys, and he came from Tennessee along with new defensive line coach Jim Washburn. The switch of offensive line coach Juan Castillo to defensive coordinator combined with the addition of Washburn to the coaching staff brought about a shift in defensive philosophy. No longer would the Eagles live and die by the blitz. This defense would be about pressuring the passer with the four down linemen and supporting that pass rush with excellent coverage in the secondary. It took time it to look any good, mainly because the linebackers were playing so poorly in coverage and run support. But some recent adjustments, including moving Jamar Chaney to middle linebacker and occasionally lining up the defensive ends a bit less wide, have tightened things up and have the defensive players on the team feeling better about their ability to limit what other teams can do.

The offensive linemen are fired up as well. To replace Castillo, Reid brought in longtime Colts offensive line coach Howard Mudd, who completely changed the way the Eagles block on offense. It took a while for linemen who hadn't played in Mudd's schemes to get comfortable in it. And although none has totally mastered it, they're all enjoying the feel of it as they continue to learn.

"It's not really about whether it's geared toward the run or geared toward the pass. It's about learning how to do everything out there more efficiently," left guard Evan Mathis told me last Sunday night after the Dallas game. "Every day, I learn something new from [Mudd] -- whether it's footwork, hand position, head position, anything. There are so many little detail things that you just can't help but learn something every single day, and you can tell, just being out there, that it's making you better as a player and making us better as a team."

There are a number of things going right for the Eagles now. LeSean McCoy is running like one of the best backs in the league. Nnamdi Asomugha played last week like the superstar free-agent cornerback he was signed to be. Quarterback Michael Vick is looking more comfortable with new responsibilities that include calling the offensive line protection at the line of scrimmage, and the past couple of games he's limited turnovers. When the Eagles' offense doesn't turn the ball over, it's nearly impossible to stop.

"That's kind of how we've felt this entire time," Herremans said. "If we can just keep the turnover battle close, with the weapons and the options we have on offense, we feel like we're going to win the game. And if we can win the turnover battle, that's almost a guaranteed win."

A big part of the reason for that is the work the Eagles are doing in the trenches to lay a foundation on which their great playmakers can perform. That's the basis for their confidence as they head into the second half of their season knowing how much work they still need to do to recover from all that went wrong earlier.

"I think everybody realized how terrible it felt to lose four games in a row," Herremans said. "Nobody forgot how that felt. And we know we made our road a lot harder by having such a slow start, but our goals don't change. Our goal is to win the Super Bowl. We've never done that here, you know. So that'd be nice."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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