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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.

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

New York Giants (Eli Manning, 273)

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

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

Philadelphia Eagles (LeSean McCoy, 270)

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

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

Dallas Cowboys (Tony Romo, 265)

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

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

Washington Redskins (Rex Grossman, 141)

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

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

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.

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.

Former Indianapolis Colts GM Bill Polian writes for ESPN now, which is especially handy this time of year because he's actually made NFL draft picks and can offer insight that schlubs like me can't offer. Today, Bill ranks the draft performance of each NFL team over the past three years . (Except the Colts, since he made those picks and doesn't feel he can be objective. Fair enough. If I were ranking the best ESPN.com NFL blog entries of the past calendar year, I'd have a hard time figuring out how to handle the NFC East ones.)

Anyway, Bill's got the New York Giants ranked among "The Best" in his rankings, behind only the Ravens, Lions and Packers. He picks a "best value pick" and a "cornerstone pick" for each team, and for the Giants he lists wide receiver Hakeem Nicks (29th pick, 2009) as the best value pick and defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul (15th pick, 2010) as the cornerstone. Based on the results alone, these are both very good picks for the Giants, and they offer different types of examples of the Giants' broad-thinking approach to the first round.

Nicks was the fifth of a whopping six wide receivers taken in that year's first round. The Giants, who take a best-player-available approach to the draft and almost never pick based on need, identified that this was a year in which those two concepts overlapped. They needed a receiver, and this was a first round that offered great value at that position. After Darrius Heyward-Bey went seventh to Oakland and Michael Crabtree went 10th to the 49ers, the Giants were locked in on Jeremy Maclin and reportedly had a deal in place to trade up to No. 20 to take him if he fell that far. Instead, the Eagles moved up and picked Maclin at 19. The Vikings took Percy Harvin at 22 and the Giants, with well-regarded Rutgers product Kenny Britt still on the board at 29, went with Nicks.

The Giants believed Maclin and Nicks were both top-15 value picks that had slipped into the second half of the round. They had them rated very closely together and believed each offered something special. With Maclin it was his raw speed and special-teams ability. With Nicks, it was his studious nature and everything they'd been told by his college coaches about his attention to detail and the level of responsibility he'd assumed as a leader of the wide receiver corps at North Carolina. They were ecstatic to get him at 29. If not for the saturation of first-round wide receiver talent in that particular year, they might not have been able to sniff either guy. They took advantage of a rare and exciting confluence of value and need to make that year's first-round pick, and it's paid off.

As for Pierre-Paul, we've been over this story a million times. The Giants were picking in the middle of the first round that year, and the value at that spot was going to be pass-rushers, which is their wheelhouse. Five defensive ends went in that year's first round, and the names of Brandon Graham and Derrick Morgan were being kicked around for teams in the middle of the first round. Pierre-Paul was a mystery man -- raw and inexperienced but unquestionably gifted as a pure athlete. Everybody saw the tape of him doing the backflips. No one -- not even the Giants -- knew for sure how that would translate into NFL football.

But the Giants fell in love. Tom Coughlin went to watch Pierre-Paul work out. They decided that his talent was worth taking a chance on, given the strength of their belief in the ability of their coaches and their veteran players to groom great defensive linemen. Their need was at linebacker, but there was no linebacker in that year's first round that offered value at No. 15. And they didn't need a defensive end who could help right away, since they were already loaded at that position. So why not take the guy whose potential cornerstone talent you believed you could mold into a cornerstone player?

The Eagles traded up to get Graham at 13 -- a move that has subjected them to derision in light of Pierre-Paul's rapid ascent and Graham's health struggles (and the fact that safety Earl Thomas went one pick later). And with the seemingly more NFL-ready Morgan still on the board, the Giants picked Pierre-Paul. They didn't know he'd be one of the best defensive players in the league two years later. They thought maybe he could eventually be that, and that his potential combined with their program made him worth the pick. This was a pick that made more sense for the Giants than it might have made for any other team picking in that spot. They identified that, and again, it has paid off.

Anyway, the other teams in the NFC East are much further down the list, all in the bottom-17 portion of Bill's list labeled "The Rest of the Rest." He picks Sean Lee as the Cowboys' value pick and Tyron Smith as the cornerstone. The Eagles' value pick is Jason Kelce (sixth round!) and the cornerstone pick is LeSean McCoy. The Redskins' value pick is Roy Helu (fourth round!) and their cornerstones are Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan, though the Redskins are hoping the real cornerstone is the guy they're picking No. 2 overall next week.

One of the topics our man Adam Schefter addressed in his regular SportsCenter spot Monday morning was the Philadelphia Eagles' effort to replace left tackle Jason Peters, who ruptured his Achilles tendon last week and could miss the entire 2012 season. Adam notes that free-agent Demetrius Bell was in for a visit this weekend but didn't sign, and that Bell also has visited the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Washington Redskins, and he says the Eagles might not be willing to pay him what he seeks.

Schefter also discusses free-agent Marcus McNeill, but he says injury concerns have knocked him out of the picture for Philadelphia.

Schefter indicates he believes the Eagles could address the tackle position in the draft, which is an interesting idea. We did our bloggers' mock draft last week, and it'll be posted soon. I gave the Eagles Mississippi State defensive tackle Fletcher Cox at No. 15 in the first round, and then after the Peters news broke I was going to change it. But I don't think the Peters injury, as devastating as it is, changes the Eagles' approach in the first round. Stanford's Jonathan Martin or Georgia's Cordy Glenn are options, but if I'm the Eagles, I don't feel I need to solve this problem with my first-round pick.

The Eagles have two second-r0und picks, first of all. And it's important to remember that offensive line coach Howard Mudd seeks specific types of linemen. He found his starting center, Jason Kelce, in last year's sixth round, and afterthought free-agent signing Evan Mathis became a star at left guard. It's entirely possible the Eagles could find a viable starting tackle in the middle or late rounds if they strike out in free agency, trusting in their system to get the best out of a player on whom other teams passed.

Good morning to you in the East. After a long stretch in which not much has happened, this past weekend saw the start of some very real action. The Redskins' trade up to get the No. 2 pick in next month's draft was the first truly significant offseason move by any of our four teams, and this week will bring more. Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET is the start of free agency, and in a few days the shifting, updating 2012 rosters of our division's four teams will begin to give us some clues as to what might happen in the coming season. It's an exciting time, for me as well as for you, and I look forward to a fun week.

We'll have the usual free-agent bells and whistles. Those of you who remember "How was your day?" from last summer will be happy to know I'm planning to bring that back, for instance. And the goal is to have a post reacting to every signing as they happen, so it shouldn't be a problem to keep the blog fresh and updated.

One thing on which you know you can always count, however, is the reliable morning presence of your hot, fresh links.

New York Giants

Ohm offers a Giants free-agency primer over at ESPNNewYork.com. It's very thorough and will get you set up to follow the Giants in the coming week. Interesting that Ohm seems to think the return of Steve Smith as the team's No. 3 wide receiver is a very real possibility.

It looks as though the Giants have completed their 2012 coaching staff with the hiring of Temple assistant coach Matt Rhule to replace Jack Bicknell Jr. as assistant offensive line coach. The Giants' coaching staff was picked over a bit in the wake of their Super Bowl victory, as often happens, but replacements have been found for everyone.

Philadelphia Eagles

The run of free-agency primers continues with Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer breaking down the decisions the Eagles have to make with their own free agents, including important players such as Evan Mathis, Antonio Dixon and Derek Landri. Jeff thinks that, if they lose Mathis, they'll try to mine the middle rounds of the draft for a replacement, since Howard Mudd-type linemen (like Jason Kelce) are available later in the draft.

And Les Bowen of the Daily News takes a look at what the Eagles might do externally on the free-agent market. Again, as I and many others have been writing recently, don't expect a repeat of last year's Eagles free-agent frenzy. They may go out and add a piece or two, but they're not likely to be this year's offseason headline-grabbers.

Dallas Cowboys

Tim MacMahon and Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com have a Hot Button debate about what the Cowboys' free-agency priority should be. Tim says they'd be wiser to spend on a guard such as Carl Nicks than to throw money at big-name cornerbacks who will end up disappointing them. Calvin says the need for cornerback is their most glaring and should be addressed. I'm inclined to side with Calvin, but Tim makes his case very convincingly. Anyway, you can vote!

Blogging the Boys has some Cowboys free-agency predictions. It believes the team will swiftly come to an agreement with wide receiver Laurent Robinson (I'm not so sure) and sign both cornerback Brandon Carr and guard Carl Nicks, effectively taking both sides in the aforementioned ESPNDallas.com Hot Button debate. Hey, everybody's allowed to dream.

Washington Redskins

Sally Jenkins believes that Robert Griffin III's background and upbringing as a self-described "military kid" tells you more about who he is and why he's worth betting on than anything he's done on the field.

The Redskins' big draft trade Friday night has had the effect of energizing the fan base and prompting some season-ticket renewals, Rich Campbell writes. This is a look into one of many reasons quarterback is so important in the NFL. If you have a viable quarterback (or, in this case, the chance to get one), your fans have reason to believe. If you don't, they don't.

The Friday links, as you should know by now, require no introduction.

New York Giants

Mathias Kiwanuka says the Giants are "definitely a Super Bowl team." Major, major shift in confidence and attitude around this Giants team since the loss to Washington a few weeks back. It comes from the way the defense is playing. If they maintain it, Kiwanuka could be proven right. They're just going to have to maintain it against some of the best offenses in the league.

Fascinating story by Johnette Howard about how defensive backs, who always preach that "you have to have short memories," actually do, in general, have shorter memories -- and lower Wonderlic scores -- than other players on the team. And how defensive backs are the only position group that performs better as Wonderlic scores drop. The point here is that the Giants' DBs, whatever their Wonderlic scores, have been working to forget the failures of earlier in the season.

Philadelphia Eagles

Geoff Mosher has 10 moves the Eagles need to make this offseason, and it may surprise you that he starts with "re-sign DeSean Jackson." I predict there will be two very vocal sides to this debate -- perhaps even within the Eagles' front office -- and I have no idea how it will turn out.

In this notebook, we learn that Jamaal Jackson's agent expects the Eagles to release their one-time starting center, that Jackson's replacement (Jason Kelce) will not need surgery on his foot as originally thought, and that Eagles player personnel director Ryan Grigson is a candidate for GM jobs in Indianapolis and St. Louis.

Dallas Cowboys

Todd Archer writes that the Cowboys ranked fifth in the league in penalties, and he breaks it down by player. DeMarcus Ware and Doug Free had the most, with 10 apiece.

With former Cowboy Sam Hurd having been indicted Wednesday on federal drug charges, Jean-Jacques Taylor hits the Cowboys for putting their head in the sand about the situation and failing to prepare their current players to deal with the questions that would inevitably arise.

Washington Redskins

Mike Jones has five offensive-related questions for the Redskins as they head into this offseason, starting right where you'd think he'd start and also wondering about Fred Davis, the offensive line, the running backs and kicker.

Brian Burke breaks down the stats and determines that the Redskins' biggest needs are ... right where you'd expect them to be -- quarterback, wide receiver and offensive line. I think it's interesting to see how the EPA grades came out on defense, too.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

So it's apparently become a big deal in Philadelphia this week that a couple of Eagles offensive linemen, Evan Mathis and Jason Kelce, went across the street from the team's training facility Monday and asked a couple of fans to take down a sign calling for coach Andy Reid to be fired. The fans apparently complied, but the players have taken some heat for even making the request, and they are defending themselves, per Jonathan Tamari:

Kelce said he did not regret doing it.

"I don’t regret it at all. There was nothing ever physical mentioned, there was no harm mentioned – we asked them to take the sign down," he said.

Mathis told a similar version of events.

"We’re trying to come together as a team and stay together as a team and create a positive environment around here and it’s different if you’re going to write about it or call into a radio show or blog about it or talk amongst your friends about it. To go in our front yard and put something so negative right here -- I stand by telling them to take that down," he said.

"I didn't want anything negative out there that would start, that could have any kind of potential to create a divide in this team, so we asked them, take it down."

Mathis, who has played for the Dolphins, Bengals and Panthers in previous career stops, said, "You don't know how good you have it around here having Andy as a coach. Andy is a good coach."

Couple of things:

1. Mathis' final point is always worth mentioning when it comes to Reid. Fans may have grown tired of his weak postgame news conference act, the drab quotes that offer no insight or information about the team and of course the persistent, troublesome lack of a Super Bowl title so far in Reid's otherwise excellent 13-year tenure. But it's worth remembering that no team in the NFL has had more consistent, year-in, year-out success than have Reid's Eagles and that fans who call for his head should think a little bit about how sure they are that someone else could come in and win 10-11 games a year and always make the playoffs.

2. That said, Reid's job performance this year has been awful, as has that of the team as a whole. And as Jon points out later in his story, Mathis and Kelce are new to Philadelphia this year and don't understand that Eagles fans have a different perspective on Reid than do players who play for other, less successful organizations. (As Mathis has. Kelce, of course, is a rookie.) Longer tenured Eagles likely saw the same sign and thought of other, similar signs and instances from the past decade, shook their heads and went on with their respective days.

3. While I believe Mathis and Kelce -- who have both struck me, in my personal dealings with them, as pleasant, well-spoken, mild-mannered gentlemen -- when they say they didn't intimidate the folks holding the sign, the mere presence of a couple of dudes who go about 6-foot-4 and 300 pounds is intimidating in and of itself. To think that the fans would have reacted the same if my kid brother and I had asked them to take the sign down is kind of silly. Intended or not, intimidation was at least a small part of Mathis and Kelce's ability to get the result they wanted here.

4. In the end, though, I have no issue with them doing what they did. First of all, it's two teammates acting in the interest of fostering team harmony. And when the team is 1-4, there's nothing wrong with that, provided no one gets hurt, which no one did. A lot of players talk about standing behind their coach -- these guys actually went out and did it. And I know we talk a lot on this blog about how I'm not a fan of a team and therefore don't understand certain fan behaviors, I have never understood why fans of a team would show non-support. I don't understand why fans boo their own teams, or why they feel the need (as in this case) to try and foster discord -- especially when there's enough of that going on without their help. Deep down, don't fans want their teams and their players and their coaches to do well? Wouldn't it be better for Eagles fans if the Eagles won their last 11 games and went on a Super Bowl run? If Reid turned things around?

I fear that fans have begun to think they have (or should have) too much influence. I think what happened in Denver, where vicious non-support of Kyle Orton in favor of Tim Tebow created a situation in which the team had to change starting quarterbacks because Orton's position in town had basically become untenable, sets a bad precedent. Fans are fans, and the people who coach these teams are chosen by owners of multimillion-dollar businesses to make decisions in thoughtful, dispassionate ways. Just because you're angry over a few losses doesn't mean it would be right to fire a coach who's won your team so many games.

It made no sense for people who actually want the Eagles to do well to make and hold up that sign, and Mathis and Kelce were well within their rights to ask them to take it down. Incidentally, the fans would have been well within their rights to tell Mathis and Kelce to go pound sand. But they didn't. Maybe they realized that what they were doing was a bad idea in the first place.

The Friday links are cooling on the windowsill. Sure, you can have a taste.

Dallas Cowboys

For all the hype around Tony Romo and his broken-rib performance Monday night, running back Felix Jones has been playing with a dislocated shoulder and will continue to do so, he says. If they keep winning through all of this, could this year's Cowboys team develop a reputation as a bunch of tough guys? Who saw that coming?

Dez Bryant's thigh bruise is still bugging him, and though he toughed it out Monday night there seems to be some concern over whether he'll be able to go Sunday against the Lions. This is an issue, because Miles Austin is still out and even if Bryant does play, he could be limited as he was last week. And the Cowboys will need more than field goals to beat this Lions team.

New York Giants

So apparently Brandon Jacobs, like LeBron James before him, is of the opinion that those who don't believe in his team are living "miserable lives." About four or five times a year, Jacobs says something and you think to yourself, "He'd be better off if he never gave interviews." This is one of those times. The Giants were 5-0 two years ago. They're going to start chirping after 2-1?

Biggest reason the Giants are 2-1? How about turnovers? As in, not committing them. Through three games, the Giants have committed only two turnovers, tied for the lowest mark in the league. The Giants' injury situations have left them with little margin for error, so they're benefiting from limiting the kinds of errors that have cost them games over the past couple of years.

Philadelphia Eagles

Marcus Hayes has a column detailing reasons the Eagles and their fans shouldn't be concerned yet, and within it is a nugget from rookie center Jason Kelce, who indicates that the four false-start penalties from Sunday could have happened because it was the first game in which they were working with a cadence. The Eagles' first two games were road games in domes, so this makes sense, and it also serves to remind us that this Eagles' offensive line remains a dramatically overhauled work-in-progress that is not yet as good or cohesive as it eventually will be.

DeSean Jackson is going to need to make some catches if he wants to continue to make his case for a big new contract. The Eagles wouldn't mind getting him those catches, even if it ended up costing them money. Marty Mornhinweg admits he needs to get Jackson the ball more, and with Jeremy Maclin limited Thursday in practice, it might be even more important.

Washington Redskins

Why didn't the Redskins run the ball more in the fourth quarter Monday when they had the lead? Well, Kyle Shanahan explains that it wasn't a big enough lead to allow them to go exclusively to the run. And also, the Cowboys were stopping it, which led to fewer plays overall. Worth watching, though. The Redskins clearly want to run, but part of being a running team is being able to run the ball down an opponent's throat when they know that's your plan. They couldn't do that Monday.

And in spite of getting burned on an all-out blitz on the big third-and-21 play from Romo to Bryant, the Redskins will continue to blitz in myriad ways going forward, working to disguise and confuse as much as possible and remaining aggressive, especially this week against Sam Bradford and the pass-happy Rams.

Incidentally, I'll be at 49ers-Eagles on Sunday in Philadelphia and watching the other three games on the tube. And I'll have my predictions for all four games ready to go for you in just a few hours, so stay tuned ...

PHILADELPHIA -- Michael Vick doesn't know whether he'll play next week. He broke his right hand (which is not the hand he throws with) in Sunday's 29-16 loss to the New York Giants on a hit he thought should have been penalized. It was the second week in a row he left the game while the Philadelphia Eagles had a lead and the second week in a row they failed to hold that lead and lost. The conventional wisdom is that this Eagles team will go as far as Vick takes it -- that if he's out, it has no chance to realize its Super Bowl goals. In the long run, a 16-game season, I agree.

However, after watching the Eagles try to run their offense Sunday without any semblance of cohesion or reliable communication, consumed by their fear of getting their quarterback knocked out of the game, I now believe that a couple of weeks without Vick would actually benefit the Eagles. I think an injury that keeps Vick out for, say, two or three weeks would be a blessing in disguise for an Eagles team that right now, with Vick, is in disarray.

"Kafka, Vince, whoever plays, we should be fine," running back LeSean McCoy said, invoking backup quarterbacks Mike Kafka and Vince Young. "A team isn't based only on one player."

He is right, of course, and as brilliant and vital a player as Vick is, the Eagles are not devoid of talent elsewhere on the roster. They have one of the best backup quarterback situations in the league with Young, a veteran with a 30-17 career NFL record, and Kafka, a young backup who has spent the past couple of years learning the offense under Andy Reid and Marty Mornhinweg. As long as they have their full complement of receiver and running back stars, the Eagles will have more than enough talent to score points with a backup quarterback on the field.

But it goes deeper than that, this notion that losing Vick for a short time might benefit the Eagles. They have major issues to sort out on defense and on the offensive line, and this mess with Vick is impeding those units' chances for progress and improvement. Vick and the problems they're having keeping him upright and on the field are suffocating the Eagles right now, and they could use a break from all the chaos.

"After getting a concussion and coming back the next week, you never really know what's going through his head," wide receiver DeSean Jackson said. "We have to protect him and make sure he's healthy. Every time he steps out on the field, I'm very confident in what he's able to do. We will just have to figure things out."

With Vick in the game Sunday, the Eagles were tentative. They were out of sync on offense. Center Jason Kelce referred multiple times to "cadence issues" that cost the offense in penalties and broken plays, and those could have been the result of Vick's having missed practices last week during his concussion testing. Even when they did get the snap off, there were too many plays when it looked as though Vick's protection of himself was the foremost thing on his mind. Plays where he'd normally run but seemed to pull up as if thinking, "Wait! I'm not supposed to do that as much," then threw into coverage instead. When the Eagles got near the goal line, they tried ramming the ball up the middle instead of taking a chance on rolling out Vick to either throw or run it into the end zone -- as though they were afraid of leaving him exposed for a big hit.

"I am conscious of my safety, and I want to protect myself at all times, even though sometimes I can't," Vick said. "I trust in my offensive linemen, and I want to stay healthy for my team. I guess I've got to do more."

Maybe. But maybe he has to do less. Maybe it wouldn't hurt the Eagles for Vick to spend a game or two on the sideline, letting his hand and assorted other bumps and bruises heal while the offensive line and defense do the work they need to do to get into their own rhythms. Maybe a couple of weeks in which Vick isn't the all-consuming issue around the Eagles would be the break the rest of the roster needs to work on the things they need to do that have nothing to do with Vick. And then maybe, in a few weeks, when he's all better, he would come back behind an offensive line that has more confidence and cohesion than it has now.

Vick doesn't need confidence. He has it by the truckload. But his linemen could use some. So could the Eagles' linebackers. Heck, after being burned twice by Victor Cruz, of all people, the Eagles' gold-plated secondary could use a bit of a confidence boost, too.

The Eagles don't want Vick to be hurt. They'd love for him to be on the field, doing everything they know he can do to help them win when he's at his best and everything's clicking. But right now, when Vick is on the field, everything's not clicking, and the Eagles aren't at their best. That's why a couple of weeks without Vick might just be what the Eagles need to get their feet under them.

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.

So here was Evan Mathis, free-agent guard, looking for work last month in the middle of the most frenzied free-agent market in NFL history. He'd told his agent he wanted to go somewhere and be a starter. His agent told him the Philadelphia Eagles were interested. Mathis ran through their linemen in his head and was interested but not convinced.

"Would you please have Howie Roseman call me?" Mathis asked his agent.

A short time later, Mathis told me in a phone interview Thursday, the Eagles general manager did call him. And this was the message he delivered about the team's plans for the offensive line:

"He said, 'We're ready to win, we're going to be selfish about it and we're going to play the best five guys'," Mathis said. "That was enough for me. I came in with the intention of proving I was one of the best five."

Mathis knew the Eagles were planning to start first-round pick Danny Watkins at right guard, that injuries had left things unsettled at right tackle and that either he or the starting left guard, Todd Herremans, could move to tackle if need be. The Eagles were a team, Roseman had told him, that wasn't going to worry about people's feelings. Just because someone is the first-round pick doesn't automatically means he plays. It's Super Bowl or bust for the Eagles this season, and that's why the line has undergone so many changes already before a game has even been played.

Contrary to the early-August plans, it now appears as though Mathis will start at left guard and Herremans at right tackle in Sunday's season opener in St. Louis. It also appears as though sixth-round pick Jason Kelce will start at center and first-round pick Watkins will not start at guard, having been demoted this week in favor of newly signed veteran Kyle DeVan. Watkins' demotion is the clearest evidence yet that what Roseman told Mathis was true.

"I think a lot has been expected of Danny because he's the first-round draft pick," Mathis said. "But I see a guy who's built to play football, a very smart guy who's tough and physical, and I think Danny's going to be fine."

But it appears he'll need more time before he can crack this starting line, which is charged with the tasks of learning the aggressive new blocking schemes taught by new line coach Howard Mudd and protecting their slippery and mobile quarterback, Michael Vick.

"Whoever's back there, you're not really thinking about who it is. You just have to keep him clean," Mathis said. "The way he plays, sometimes it might just mean we have to roll out with him if he's doing that. Howard's scheme might work well with a quarterback like Michael Vick."

That's because Mudd picks quick, athletic linemen and teaches them to get out, push forward and block aggressively -- a scheme designed to dramatically increase the room in which the players behind the line have to work.

"Some of his techniques I've seen a lot of other places and seen a lot of other coaches use them, but not as much as Howard," Mathis said. "It's much more aggressive, but it works. The things he does work. And once you've done it enough times, you realize why it works."

It's got to work quickly, but Mathis isn't as worried as some on the outside are. I asked him if he thinks Kelce is going to be continuing his learning process during the regular season, and he said not as much as you'd think since there's been so much more focus on teaching and learning in this training camp than there usually is. Plus, he really likes Kelce.

"Very smart kid, very naturally talented, a lot of quickness," Mathis said when asked for the Kelce scouting report. "I think he came into college as a linebacker, and I think if he dropped 30 pounds, he could be a linebacker again. Plus, he's a smart, witty guy. Centers are usually like that. Centers are usually the only ones I think can compete with me in Words With Friends."

Nice to know they're all coming together. Maybe Sunday will bring about a more successful edition of "Block With Friends" than we saw from the Eagles' offensive line in the preseason.

So when I put together the first All-NFC East team this week and saw that there were New York Giants in four of the five first-team offensive line spots, I smiled, knowing my Giants fans would gleefully point this out to me, and you guys didn't disappoint. But facts are facts, and at those four spots the Giants either have (in the case of right guard and right tackle) the best player or (in the case of left guard and center) the best of a mediocre lot. (To be fair, it could be a lot about which we just don't know much. Evan Mathis could well turn out to be the best left guard in the division -- I just haven't see him there enough to know.)

But while the Giants should feel good about their line relative to the rest of their division, that says a lot about the serious concerns the other teams have on their lines with only four days left until the start of the season.

In Dallas Wednesday, right tackle and first-round pick Tyron Smith injured his knee and will be out of action 2-to-4 weeks. Smith was one of two rookies slated to start on the offensive line in Sunday night's opener and now will be replaced by the team's only backup tackle, Jermey Parnell. Rookie Bill Nagy is still expected to start at left guard with second-year man (and first-year starter) Phil Costa at center.

And in Philadelphia Wednesday, the Eagles apparently demoted their first-round pick, Danny Watkins, and elevated the newly signed Kyle DeVan to the position of starting right guard. Watkins struggled in August and was a big reason why Eagles quarterback Michael Vick was insufficiently protected in the team's second and third preseason games. In the past couple of weeks, the Eagles moved Todd Herremans from left guard to right tackle because of their injuries on the right side, made Mathis the starting left guard and elected to go with rookie Jason Kelce as the starting center over veteran Jamaal Jackson. "Upheaval" isn't an unfair word to apply here.

The Redskins feel good about their line, but it's loaded with guys who have to prove they can perform consistently as week-to-week starters. And even the Giants have a question mark at left tackle, where Will Beatty enters his first year as a full-time starter.

But the O-line situations in Philadelphia and Dallas, where hopes are high for playoff contention with high-scoring offenses, are worrisome and illustrate a key point about what to expect for the early part of this NFL season. Had 2011 been a normal year with no lockout and regular spring minicamps and OTAs, these teams could have sorted out many of their offensive line issues in May and June.

By now, the Cowboys and Eagles could have convinced themselves and their fans that the rookies were reliable players. They might have performed better in preseason games, inspiring more confidence, since they'd have been better trained before those games began. Players like Watkins and Kelce and Nagy and Smith will be better in a few months than they are now, but they're not as good now as they would have been if they'd been practicing since May.

Instead, we're entering an NFL season whose first month or so will be a continuation of the offseason in terms of teaching and learning and developing and putting lineups together. There are many teams -- the Eagles and Cowboys included -- who have new coordinators or new coaches or tons of new faces in new places and haven't had enough time to put everything together yet. The key for teams like this, who are likely to be better in November than they are in September, is how well they weather the early challenges. Do they squeak out a couple of tougher-than-they-should-be wins? Do they bounce back well from tough losses to teams they think they should have beaten? There are very few teams, if any, that are as prepared as they'd like to be for this season. The story of the early part of 2011 will be about that, in large part. The offensive line issues in the NFC East are but one example.