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I was kind of surprised it look that long, actually.

There was maybe a two-hour window between the time Monday morning that the news broke about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers shopping (and, more likely, cutting) tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. and when people started asking me on Twitter whether he'd make sense for their team. Usually it's quicker than that. But I guess it's a rainy Monday, and maybe folks aren't feeling like themselves. I include myself, of course. Did you catch that Matthew Berry-style column lead up there?

Anyway, in response on Twitter I wrote that you could make a case for any of the four NFC East teams to pursue Winslow, to which four fan bases responded something along the lines of, "Really?", to which I said, "Yeah, really." But the limits of the 140-character Twitter world being what they are, I hereby expand:

Dallas Cowboys

They have been looking, since Martellus Bennett signed with the Giants, for a second tight end to replace Bennett. They drafted James Hanna, but he's not likely the solution right away. The issue here is that Winslow isn't really a blocking tight end, and it might be tough to convince him that he's not among the top options as a receiver.

New York Giants

They signed Bennett, but he only accounts for one of the two holes opened by the ACL injuries of tight ends Jake Ballard and Travis Beckum in the Super Bowl. There are reports that Beckum could be ready early in the season, but optimism sometimes gives way to reality, and the Giants may want to have coverage. As is always the case with the Giants, if they're interested, it would have to be for their specific price.

Philadelphia Eagles

There's been talk in Philly for a couple of years about Andy Reid wanting to use more two-tight-end sets. It hasn't come to fruition, but a re-energized Winslow paired with Brent Celek could open up some of those possibilities. Again, though, as in Dallas and New York, he wouldn't be among the top receiving options, given the rest of the talent on the roster.

Washington Redskins

This only makes sense if the Redskins decide to cut Chris Cooley loose for financial or injury reasons. If that happens, they don't have many (any?) real strong tight ends behind Fred Davis. Receiver Niles Paul and even linebacker Lorenzo Alexander have been mentioned as candidates for tight end snaps this offseason, so it's not as though the roster is currently teeming with options should Cooley be cut.

We did this for the Dallas Cowboys on Wednesday, and it only seems fair to keep it up for the other teams in our division (other than the Redskins, whose draft scenarios are too simple to warrant a whole post). Let's look at Todd McShay's latest mock draft and the various scenarios he lays out for the New York Giants with the 32nd pick.

His No. 1 scenario for the Giants is that they take Ohio State tackle Mike Adams at No. 32. If he falls this far, Adams would be the perfect combination of value and positional need -- nearly an ideal pick for the Giants, who could start him at right tackle right away and possibly develop him into a left tackle if things don't work out with Will Beatty over there.

Scenario No. 2 for the Giants, Todd says, would be to "take advantage of value and make a luxury pick for a player such as Stanford TE Coby Fleener or Nebraska OLB Lavonte David."

This is a fun idea, and Super Bowl champions often do find themselves making "luxury picks" because they don't usually have many holes to fill. The Giants, at 9-7, had the worst regular-season record of any Super Bowl champion in history, so it's reasonable to assume they have more holes to fill than have most teams that have picked last in the first round. The good thing in this case is that players like Fleener and David would address specific holes the Giants do have, while also offering excellent value for the pick. Fleener would be a great hedge against the health of Jake Ballard and Travis Beckum (not to mention the as-yet-unrealized potential of Martellus Bennett), and David would add depth to their corps of very young linebackers, increasing the odds that the group eventually produces a starter or two.

And the third and final scenario Todd lays out is that they trade down, taking advantage of some team's desire to move up and pick a quarterback at the tail end of the first round and amassing picks later in the draft. This would be enticing for the Giants, and they're sure to be getting calls late on that Thursday night.

The NFL draft is now two weeks away, and the teams in our division continue to do their fine tuning in advance of it. Heck, even the Giants got into the act and started acquiring some guys Wednesday. Crazy, I know. Links.

Dallas Cowboys

Rainer Sabin thinks Jerry Jones' reputation as a stubborn owner is outdated and that Jones deserves credit for a willingness to admit and acknowledge his mistakes. Not a bad point, though Cowboys fans would probably respond by saying they'd simply prefer he stop making so many.

Were you wondering if someone would take a chance on recently released cornerback Terence Newman? No? Nobody? How about you there in the back? Did you raise your hand? Yes? Well, here you go. He's a Bengal.

New York Giants

The Giants capped off a busy Wednesday by signing former Patriots cornerback Antwaun Molden. They hope to have the Keith Rivers trade finalized and announced today, and maybe once that happens we'll get some clarity about their plans for where all of their linebackers are going to play.

The knee injury tight end Jake Ballard suffered in the Super Bowl was more serious than we originally knew. Ballard had microfracture surgery in addition to the surgery to repair his torn ACL. It's going to be a very tough road back for Ballard.

Philadelphia Eagles

The way Demetress Bell's contract is structured allows the Eagles to get out after a year if Jason Peters is back and ready to go, but it also gives them the option of keeping Bell around as a long-term replacement if that's what they end up needing. Reuben Frank has the details.

Former Eagles running back Brian Westbrook wants the team to give current running back LeSean McCoy his long-term contract. As we have discussed at length here, I believe Westbrook and McCoy will get their wish at some point.

Washington Redskins

Carolina Panthers receiver Steve Smith, who helped Cam Newton flourish as a rookie quarterback in 2011, says the Redskins can have success with a rookie quarterback in 2012 as long as the receivers are open-minded about working with one.

Defensive lineman Jarvis Jenkins, who was a star in his first training camp last year before a preseason injury knocked him out for the season, has been cleared to resume playing football. This helps make the defensive line perhaps the deepest position group the Redskins have, and it should be a strength of their team in 2012.

It's Saturday, which makes it the day I have to take my kids to swim lessons, which makes it the day I understand why some people drink alcoholic beverages before noon.

It also makes it mailbag day.

Andrew from New York, N.Y., admits he's a Philadelphia Eagles fan and therefore likely biased, but he says this to me: "I simply don't understand how you can report what Redskins sources say as the final word on McNabb's work ethic."

Dan Graziano: I didn't, Andrew. I presented and acknowledged both sides. Which Donovan McNabb pointedly did not, even leaving himself and his own win-loss record off his list of failed post-Elway Mike Shanahan quarterbacks. I would welcome a chance to discuss it with McNabb, and I let the producers of First Take know this, but they were not interested in having me on.

Dale from Novato, Calif., asks whether, if the Dallas Cowboys drafted a first-round cornerback, that would mean they're planning to part ways with Mike Jenkins after this season.

DG: Dale, I don't think it would automatically mean that, but as you point out, Jenkins does come with some injury questions. They love the way he played last year when healthy, but he wasn't healthy nearly enough. So if they were to draft a cornerback in the first round this year, they'd obviously be sending a message to Jenkins as well as covering themselves in case he can't get through the year healthy and they decide the best thing is to move on to other options. Better to address this now by thinking ahead then wait until next year when they have a clear problem/need at the position. And in this day and age, there's really no such thing as too many defensive backs.

Chris from Charleston, S.C., tells me that the reason Victor Cruz crushed Brian Orakpo in the Madden 13 cover vote was that Washington Redskins fans were voting against Orakpo because of the "Madden Curse." Chris is of the belief that I've not heard of this "Curse."

DG: Chris, I have heard of the Madden Curse, and of the idea that fans are voting against, rather than for, their favorite players in an effort to avoid having them land on the cover and end up "cursed." I just think it's foolish, and didn't see the need to acknowledge it in my post on the subject. We've reached an odd place in sports-fan history if this is really something about which people feel that strongly.

Tony G from Hamilton, Ontario, wants to know why the Arizona Cardinals are drafting ahead of the Dallas Cowboys when they had identical records and the Cardinals won the head-to-head matchup.

DG: Tony G, head-to-head result is not the tiebreaker for determining draft position. They use relative strength of schedule, and Arizona's was weaker, so their 8-8 record is deemed, for purposes of the draft, to be worse than Dallas' 8-8 record.

Ian from ODU wants to know if I think the Eagles would take Courtney Upshaw, the Alabama LB/DE, with their first-round pick (No. 15 overall) in next month's draft.

DG: Ian, my sense is that Upshaw will be gone by then, making this a moot issue. But if he is there, I'm still not 100 percent sure they take him. Upshaw is being looked at as a pass-rusher, and unless they were going to use him at defensive end in their 4-3 (where they're pretty well stacked with Trent Cole and Jason Babin), he might not be a fit for them. He's probably better suited to a 3-4 team as an outside linebacker who can get after the quarterback. The linebackers in Philadelphia's system aren't responsible for the pass rush.

Paul from Indiana Harbour Beach, Fla., likes Stanford tight end Coby Fleener for the New York Giants when they pick at No. 32 in the first round.

DG: Could definitely happen, Paul, and I agree with you that someone of Fleener's talents could make magic with Eli Manning. But since they've already signed Martellus Bennett and they surely expect Jake Ballard, Travis Beckum or both back at the end of this season if not before, I'm not certain they're looking at tight end as a long-term need position. The Giants will take the best available player still on their board at that spot, and if it's Fleener, I don't think they'd hesitate to do it. But I wouldn't be surprised if the highest player on their board at that point plays offensive tackle or defensive line. They really need a tackle, and they really love to draft defensive linemen.

Ahsen from MD wants to know why the Redskins didn't receive any compensatory draft picks for losing Carlos Rogers in free agency last year.

DG: Ahsen, you only get compensatory picks if your total net loss in free agency is deemed to have exceeded your net gain. So while the Redskins lost Rogers and others last year in free agency, the players they signed -- Stephen Bowen, Barry Cofield, Josh Wilson, etc -- were deemed by the NFL's formula to have been worth more than the total value of the free agents they lost. Hence, no compensatory picks.

Teon Wilson from Richmond, Va., wants to know if it's realistic for the Cowboys to trade for Eagles cornerback Asante Samuel.

DG: A couple of people I spoke with in Palm Beach this week told me they wouldn't be surprised to see the Eagles trade Samuel within the division. Nevertheless, I would. I don't think their need to trade him is so pressing that they'd send him someplace where he'd play against them twice a year. He's still pretty good. My guess is the price for Dallas would be higher than it would be for, say, an AFC team.

Nick from Rutgers wants to know why the Giants aren't at the top of the Breakfast Links posts anymore.

DG: We went back to alphabetical order once the new league year started. New year, standings reset. But I liked doing the links in standings order, and plan to do so again beginning in Week 2 of the 2012 season.

And to answer some questions that came in numerous times from numerous sources:

• I don't know when the arbitrator will decide about the Redskins/Cowboys cap penalties.
• No, I am not crazy.
• Sorry, but unless you're a Redskins fan, I simply do not know which player your team will pick in the first round of the draft.

Enjoy your weekend.

Day 1 of free agency was all about the Redskins around these parts. Day 2 saw the Cowboys get busy and the Eagles make a surprising splash with one of their own players. What does Day 3 hold? All I know is it starts with links.

Dallas Cowboys

Todd Archer offers some examples of reasonable possibilities for Laurent Robinson's replacement, and he barely even scratches the surface. He's right that the Cowboys would have had no business trying to keep Robinson for the money he got in Jacksonville, and his partial list of options proves the key point -- that there will be many names available to the Cowboys as No. 3 receiver options at the level of the market at which they found Robinson a year ago.

The Cowboys signed one guard Wednesday and are bringing in a guy Thursday who's been a regular starter at the position for the past two years. Why two? Well, this post raises the intriguing possibility that Kyle Kosier could move to center, which is where the Cowboys had their biggest problems last season.

New York Giants

Martellus Bennett says he "only played like 30 percent of the snaps while I was in Dallas. I think, in a larger role, I can do so much more. I think the sky is the limit. I don’t think anyone has really seen who I am as a player and what I have to offer." His estimate isn't awful. A quick scan of the ProFootballFocus.com stats shows Bennett played about 42 percent of the Cowboys' offensive snaps over the past four years. His premise, however, is that he can be a great player if he plays more than that. We shall see. Injured tight end Jake Ballard played 75 percent of the Giants' snaps last year, so there's opportunity for Bennett to prove it.

The Giants still might look for another tight end, and old friend Jeremy Shockey wouldn't mind being considered, according to Gary Myers. Hey, don't laugh it off. They brought in Plaxico Burress and tried to sign him last year. Giants management is all about bygones if the value is right.

Philadelphia Eagles

Marcus Hayes writes of the Eagles' efforts over the past few days to lock up their young core long-term, and why it's a rare opportunity they have with a young core that appears ready to win now. His points are all well-reasoned, of course. But a lot of this is going to come down to a 32-year-old quarterback and whether Michael Vick is ready to win now.

Jeff McLane writes that the next big internal move could be a new contract for running back LeSean McCoy. Apparently, talks are under way and have been for a while now, and the sense in Philadelphia is that it could be done in short order. Somebody asked which team in the division is having the best free agency right now. And while I like what all four teams have done so far, you can make a strong case that the answer is the team that's signing its own stars to below-market deals while the market goes bonkers.

Washington Redskins

Robert Griffin III says he's not yet willing to concede that he'll be a Redskin for sure. It appears as though he believes he can still convince the Colts to take him with the No. 1 overall pick. Which, good for him. If I were in that situation and had confidence in my ability, I wouldn't be conceding anything to Andrew Luck. It wasn't Luck who won the Heisman Trophy, remember. Anyway, the Redskins surely don't care. If the Colts took Griffin at No. 1 overall, they'd run to the podium to draft Luck with the second pick. That's why they paid so much to move up to No. 2 in the draft -- so they'd be guaranteed to get one of the two guys in the draft who looks like a franchise quarterback.

With their wide receiver pursuits nearly complete, the Redskins have turned their free-agent attention to defensive backs and offensive linemen. According to this story, that includes a pursuit of free-agent guard Ben Grubbs, who's drawing interest from many teams.

After a day of meeting with the New York Giants in New Jersey, former Dallas Cowboys tight end Martellus Bennett tweeted a short time ago that he was "officially a New York Giant!!" Bennett deleted the tweet soon thereafter, as he'd done Tuesday night with a tweeted photo he took from a plane as he arrived in the New York area, but ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the deal between Bennett and the Giants will be a one-year, $2.5 million contract once it is, in fact, official.

Good deal for the champs. Yes, Bennett was a disappointment in Dallas. But he's only 25 years old and he's an athlete of considerable physical talent. The Giants are a team that believes very strongly in the ability of its coaching staff and its quarterback to get the best out of players, and if they can get Bennett focused and dedicated, they could have a steal on their hands. If not, the deal appears to come with minimal risk. It doesn't lock them into Bennett beyond this season, and if he doesn't perform, they'll probably have injured tight ends Jake Ballard and Travis Beckum back at the end of the year and therefore plenty of options.

The Giants needed a tight end after losing Ballard and Beckum to knee injuries in the Super Bowl, and they got a young, cheap, talented one. We'll see if they continue to address the position in free agency or the draft, but they clearly targeted Bennett, and they got him locked up on the second day of free agency.

You've waited, speculated, hoped and fretted for months, and today it finally arrived -- the start of NFL free agency. It was a busy and hectic day, as it often is, and it's liable to continue into the wee hours of the morning. But for now, as we creep toward midnight, it seems like a good time to stop and ask each of our division's four teams our favorite free-agency question.

So, how was your day? ...

Washington Redskins?

"Exciting." The Redskins were extremely busy right away, agreeing to deals with wide receivers Pierre Garcon and Josh Morgan and working on another for wide receiver Eddie Royal. The fact that they moved so quickly led to industry-wide cries of "Same old Redskins -- champions of March," because there's no more powerful force in the NFL than conventional wisdom. But an actual close look at what they're doing reveals the kind of smart, long-view plan that Mike Shanahan and Bruce Allen began working to execute last offseason.

The old, reckless-spending Redskins would not have been outbid for 29-year-old Vincent Jackson, who got $55.5 million ($26 million guaranteed) from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The receivers the Redskins signed will be 26 and 27 years old at the start of the season. And while five years, $42.5 million ($20.5 million guaranteed) is obviously too much for Garcon, who has never been a No. 1 wide receiver, it's what it cost to get him. Shanahan has identified him as a guy who can explode, based on where he is in his career, the way he'll fit in Shanahan's offense and the potential for him to grow along with Robert Griffin III. If Shanahan's wrong, the contract could haunt him. But he's not just throwing money around. Garcon is a guy Shanahan targeted for good, specific reasons. There is a plan here, and it's likely to continue as they work to fill holes on the offensive line and in the secondary in the coming days and weeks.

The Redskins also re-signed Adam Carriker on Tuesday to maintain depth on the defensive line. What Redskins fans would like to see next is a re-signing of linebacker London Fletcher. I believe the Redskins would like that too, but the longer it goes without getting done, the greater the chance the Redskins will lose one of their most valuable defensive players. What's clear is that, in spite of being docked $36 million against the cap for violating some sort of amorphous fake spending limit during the uncapped 2010 season, the Redskins still have plenty of room to work under the cap.

Dallas Cowboys?

"Better than Monday." A day after learning that they'd be docked $10 million against the salary cap over the next two years for the same kinds of bogus violations that nailed the Redskins, the Cowboys set about executing their own plan. They cut Terence Newman and David Buehler and restructured the contracts of Doug Free and Orlando Scandrick -- a combination of moves that bought them about $15.8 million in extra cap room this year. Then, according to Adam Schefter, they brought in free-agent cornerback Brandon Carr, who at this writing seemed likely to sign with Dallas as Newman's replacement as early as Tuesday night. With Cortland Finnegan having signed for five years and $50 million in St. Louis, and Carlos Rogers having re-signed for four years and about $30 million in San Francisco, the market seemed set for Carr, and the Cowboys seemed determined not to let him leave Dallas without a deal.

Schefter also reported that the Cowboys were looking at Kyle Orton, who'd be an excellent veteran backup option for Tony Romo at quarterback. And ESPNDallas.com writes that the Cowboys plan to bring in former Panthers linebacker Dan Connor and former Bears tight end Kellen Davis for visits as well. Connor makes sense because they'll need depth at linebacker and may need more time for Bruce Carter to develop behind a veteran. Davis makes sense as a possible replacement for Martellus Bennett, who's in New York to visit the Giants. So if they get Carr done, they'll have addressed their most glaring need on the first day and are already at work on filling some other important needs. They still need to find offensive line help, and it looks as though they could lose wide receiver Laurent Robinson to the Jaguars or Dolphins, but cornerback was the place for them to start.

New York Giants?

"Productive." The champs began the day by re-signing cornerback Terrell Thomas, which was a priority of theirs, and buying themselves some cap room with the restructuring of the contract of center David Baas. Then they flew Bennett in for a visit, since they need a tight end to replace the two they lost to serious knee injuries in the Super Bowl. Cowboys fans are chuckling at the idea that another team would want Bennett, who earned a reputation as a pass-dropping underachiever during his time in Dallas. But the Giants see a guy who's 6-foot-6, 270 pounds, fast and still just 25 years old. They certainly trust their coaching staff and their quarterback to get the most out of any player, and if they can get him on a reasonable deal, it's certainly worth a shot that he still could transform his remarkable physical talent into reliable on-field production. And if he can't, Jake Ballard and Travis Beckum should be back healthy at the end of the season anyway. It's worth the Giants' time to check on Bennett.

The Giants target guys they like but are otherwise patient, so don't expect to hear much about them and Mario Manningham, Aaron Ross or Jonathan Goff anytime soon. They'll let those guys see what they can get on the market, and if they come back disappointed and willing to sign for the Giants' numbers, they could return. If not, the Giants feel confident they can find replacements.

Philadelphia Eagles?

Wait. That was today? Yeah, the Eagles had a quiet day. They extended Todd Herremans' contract and, as Sal Paolantonio reported, were working on an extension for Trent Cole as well. Part of the reason for the quiet is that the Eagles did a lot of work in free agency last year and expect those players to play better in 2012. Part of the reason is that the position at which they need the most help is linebacker, and the linebacker market hasn't really started humming yet. I still think Fletcher makes sense for them on a number of levels, and I wonder if he's a guy they're quietly targeting to steal away from Washington. We'll see. They won't go as nuts as they did last year, but the Eagles won't stay silent for long.

New York Giants GM Jerry Reese took his turn at the podium Saturday at the scouting combine in Indianapolis. Our man Ohm is on the scene, and he reports that 2011 third-round pick Jerrel Jernigan keeps being mentioned as the Giants' favored candidate for the No. 3 wide receiver spot if Mario Manningham leaves via free agency. Reese also mentioned perpetually injured Ramses Barden as someone who could help replace Manningham and said, "We'll continue to look if we can't bring Mario back."

Reese discussed the tight end situation as well. With Travis Beckum and Jake Ballard both having suffered torn ACLs in the Super Bowl, it's unlikely either of those two will be ready to start the season. That leaves the position, right now, to Bear Pascoe and practice-squad player Christian Hopkins:

"We'll address it somehow, with the draft or free agency, but we'll definitely look to address that," Reese added. "And hopefully those guys [Ballard and Beckum] will be back at some point with the ACLs."

I can't imagine Reese, Giants fans or quarterback Eli Manning is overly panicked about these issues. After all, wide receiver and tight end were supposedly big concerns last offseason after the Giants didn't do anything to address the position. And you know. That worked out all right.

Dallas Cowboys

ESPNDallas.com's Tim MacMahon breaks down the Cowboys' offensive line play last season and looks ahead to what might be in store in 2012.

The Cowboys haven't done particularly well drafting linebackers in the past decade -- with DeMarcus Ware and Sean Lee being the notable exceptions.

Is there a rift between owner Jerry Jones and former Cowboys receiver Terrell Owens?

New York Giants

After his breakout 2011 season, receiver Victor Cruz feels he's outplayed his current contract and now he's looking for a new deal. "Honestly, with what I did this year, statistically and the records and everything like that, obviously I feel like just looking at the top players in the league and looking at what I did this year, I feel like naturally there should be an increase in pay," Cruz said.

The Giants will be looking for tight end help this offseason. GM Jerry Reese said tight ends Jake Ballard and Travis Beckum will likely both start the 2012 season on the physically unable to perform list.

Philadelphia Eagles

Free-agent receiver Plaxico Burress (45 catches, 612 yards, 8 TDs in 2011) expressed interest in coming south to join the Eagles.

New secondary coach Todd Bowles is intrigued by Philly's talented secondary. "You see a lot of athletes, you see some playmakers back there, and you see some guys that can hit, so you see potential," said Bowles. "You see potential, but you just have to bring it all together."

Washington Redskins

The Redskins need to resist the temptation to fill their hole at quarterback by chasing a short-term fix like Peyton Manning, argues the Washington Post's Jason Reid. Instead, Reid would like to see the Skins acquire Baylor's Robert Griffin III.

Meanwhile, Mike Jones makes a case for the Redskins to tab Kyle Orton as their quarterback.

Thanks to the blog editors for picking me up on the breakfast links Tuesday. There was just no way. But I'm back! For today, at least, and we resume our daily trip around the division through the eyes of others. Curious to get your thoughts: Do we keep doing the links in order of division standings right through the offseason, or is there some point at which it makes sense to go back to doing them alphabetically? These are the things that keep me up nights, you know.

New York Giants

It turns out that not one but two Giants tight ends tore ACLs in the Super Bowl. The Giants announced Travis Beckum's during the game and Jake Ballard's on Tuesday while they were parading up the Canyon of Heroes in downtown Manhattan. It's unlikely either will be ready for the start of the 2012 season, so expect this to be an area the Giants address in the draft or in free agency.

Osi Umenyiora says he plans to "party for a month" and not worry about his own Giants future. With a year left on a deal about which he was so publicly sour a year ago, you'd have to think he'd want out. But in the wake of his second Super Bowl title, Umenyiora's saying all the right things, including, "It is not going to be on me," which made me wonder if he means he's done complaining about his contract and asking for trades or if he's just speaking literally to the fact that he's under contract for another year and it's up to the team to decide what to do with him.

Philadelphia Eagles

Trent Cole says the Eagles were "inches away from being great, being a dominant team" in 2011, and that he thinks "some teams are going to be worried about" playing the Eagles in 2012. Any or all of those things could be true, but in this humble reporter's opinion, it might be a nice idea for the Eagles to have a quiet offseason from a talking standpoint.

If the Eagles part company with DeSean Jackson, I think it'd make some sense for them to take a wide receiver with the 15th pick in the draft. Sheil Kapadia examines the wisdom of such a move and takes a look at the recent success (or lack thereof) of first-round wide receivers.

Dallas Cowboys

Tony Romo will be playing in the Pebble Beach Pro-Am this weekend with Tiger Woods, who thinks highly of the Cowboys' quarterback as a golfer. I put this in here because I know how much you guys like to read about Tony Romo's golf game.

In case you missed it the other day, SportsCenter had a debate about which team that missed the 2011-12 playoffs has the best chance to win Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans next February. Tim Hasselbeck said the Cowboys, Herman Edwards said the Eagles. It begins!

Washington Redskins

Mike Jones believes the Redskins are interested in a pursuit of Peyton Manning, assuming he's healthy. But he ponders the question of whether Manning would want the Redskins back. Mike Shanahan has talked a lot about the importance of improving the group around the quarterback -- in particular wide receiver and the offensive line. If he's planning to try and woo Manning, he should be ready to show him how he plans to do that.

Brian Mitchell remembers the days when the Redskins didn't take pride in beating the eventual Super Bowl champion but rather in being the eventual Super Bowl champion.

INDIANAPOLIS — The New York Giants already lost backup tight end Travis Beckum to a knee injury in the first half of Super Bowl XLVI, and it appears as though they have lost starting tight end Jake Ballard to a knee injury as well. Ballard injured his knee on a play in the fourth quarter. And while he walked off the field under his own power, when he tried to test out the knee by running on the sideline he fell down and had to be helped to the locker room.

Assuming Ballard can't come back into the game, the only tight end the Giants have for the final 9:24 is Bear Pascoe.

INDIANAPOLIS — New York Giants tight end Travis Beckum suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in the second quarter of the Super Bowl on Sunday night against the New England Patriots. He is obviously out for the remainder of the game, and his ability to be ready for the start of the 2012 season is in serious question.

Beckum was jammed by a defender while running a route with the Giants driving up 9-3 in the second quarter and crumpled to the ground. He had to be helped off the field by trainers, and the announcement of his injury came soon thereafter.

Beckum had five catches for 93 yards and a touchdown in the regular season and seven catches for 45 yards in the playoffs. He is not the Giants' primary tight end, and the fact that starter Jake Ballard is healthy helps lessen the loss. Tough break for Beckum, though, who has a long recovery ahead of him and has to watch the rest of the Super Bowl from the sideline.

Only a little more than 48 hours now until kickoff of the NFC Championship Game between the New York Giants and the 49ers in San Francisco, and we have a few updates on some issues that might be important to you as you fret about it.

First, on the injury front, some new names showed up on today's Giants injury report. Center David Baas missed Friday's practice because he's apparently caught Eli Manning's stomach bug. Tight end Jake Ballard missed practice after having medication injected into his ailing knee on Thursday. The Giants are listing Ballard as questionable and Baas as probable for the game, though Ballard says he expects to play.

Also listed as probable are wide receiver Hakeem Nicks, who was limited in practice after turning his ankle, and running back Ahmad Bradshaw, who practiced Friday after sitting out Wednesday and Thursday with a foot injury, as he's been doing for the past month or so.

On the weather, it's apparently raining pretty hard in San Francisco today and tonight, but the forecast for Saturday calls for morning showers and afternoon sunshine. And the game-day forecast calls for a 30 percent chance of rain and a high temperature of 54 degrees. That's a radical change from the forecasts from earlier in the week, which said it would rain every day leading up to the game and on game day. Assuming the field is covered by a tarp, per NFL rules, all the worries about slick and muddy field conditions could turn out to have been for nought.

Finally, I know you all love to talk and worry and complain about the officials, and you know I think it's all a bunch of hooey that gets way, way, way too much attention. But I'm here for you, and if you'd like you can check out Mike Sando's post over on the NFC West blog about Ed Hochuli and all of the holding penalties he calls. Just remember, Hochuli isn't working this game with the same holding-happy crew with which he worked during the regular season. The NFL picks top officials and puts them together on "all-star" crews for the conference title games and the Super Bowl.

Back with more in these final 50 or so hours before the game. But in case I don't see you, have a very nice Friday evening.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- They have announced the inactive players for this afternoon's NFC playoff game between the New York Giants and the Atlanta Falcons, and the lists are encouraging for the Giants' passing game.

Not only is Giants tight end Jake Ballard, who missed the final two games of the regular season with a knee injury, active for the game, but Falcons cornerback Brent Grimes, who had been listed as questionable and hoped to play, is inactive, depriving the Atlanta secondary of a starter. Falcons linebacker Stephen Nicholas is also injured and inactive, as expected.

The Giants' inactive list offered no surprises. Defensive ends Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora are both healthy and will dress and play. Cornerback Corey Webster, who was hampered by a hamstring injury during this past week, will play. And the return of Ballard, the Giants' best receiving tight end, will help Giants quarterback Eli Manning pick and choose opportunities if given enough time against the Atlanta defense.

I'll be here all day, along with NFC South blogger Pat Yasinskas, to keep you updated. We'll be live-chatting, so click this link here and come join in starting at 1 p.m. ET.

The full list of inactives:

GIANTS

• WR Ramses Barden
• RB Da'Rel Scott
• LB Mark Herzlich
• OL Jim Cordle
• DE Justin Trattou
• DT Jimmy Kennedy
• OL James Brewer

FALCONS

• QB John Parker Wilson
• LB Stephen Nicholas
• C Brett Romberg
• OT Kirk Chambers
• DE Cliff Matthews
• CB Brent Grimes
• WR Kerry Meier

New York Giants defensive end Justin Tuck didn't practice Friday, held out due to a shoulder injury. But Giants coach Tom Coughlin told reporters in East Rutherford that he did not expect it to be an issue in Sunday's playoff game against the Atlanta Falcons, and Tuck was listed as probable on the final injury report.

Also listed as probable were tight end Jake Ballard, running back Ahmad Bradshaw, running back Da'Rel Scott, defensive end Osi Umenyiora, cornerback Corey Webster and offensive lineman Tony Ugoh, all of whom the Giants listed as having practiced on a "limited" basis. The only ones among those that bear a second look are Ballard, who has missed the past two games with a knee injury but was able to practice some this week, and Webster, who has a hamstring injury that just cropped up this week. But the Giants believe both of those players will be healthy enough to play, and Webster is not concerned about possibly being limited in the game.

Linebacker Mark Herzlich is listed as "out" and will not play due to the ankle injury that caused him to miss the final five games of the regular season.

As for the Falcons ... well, they listed 18 guys as probable, and all 18 of them practiced Friday, so that's just silly to even look at that list. The two key names higher up on on Atlanta's injury report are those of linebacker Stephen Nicholas, who has a toe injury and missed four of the Falcons' final five games, and cornerback Brent Grimes, who missed four of those last five games with a knee injury. Nicholas is listed as doubtful and Grimes as questionable. According to the estimable Pat Yasinskas, the Falcons appear to have some hope that Grimes will play but little hope that Nicholas will.