NFC East: Jason Witten

Remember the video mailbag? Well, we're upgrading it a bit. Or trying to, anyway. At 2 p.m. ET today on this blog, we will be doing a live video mailbag through something called Vokle. The fantasy baseball guys have been using it for live video chats, and we're going to try it here on the NFC East blog and see how it works. Ideally, you'll be able to join the chat (right from the blog, and I think you can sign in through your Facebook or Twitter account so you don't have to go to Vokle.com and set up a Vokle account if you don't want to) and ask me questions. You can type in the questions as you normally would during our Tuesday chats, and I'll read them and answer them aloud. Or, if you have a webcam and a headset (please, only if you have a headset, as without it the echo is really bad) you can ask a live video question and I'll answer it. It'll be just like when I talk to my mom and dad while they're in Florida, only it won't be 25 degrees here this time.

Anyway, swing by around 2 p.m. ET to try this out with us. Assuming it works, it could help us take the blog to unprecedented heights of technological glory. Also, should be fun. Links.

New York Giants

The Giants start their OTAs today, and it's a chance for guys like Matt McCants, a tackle the Giants took in the sixth round last month, to get at least some sense of what it's like to try to block some of the best pass-rushers in the league.

Paul Schwartz writes that Rutgers product Joe Martinek is hoping to make a case for himself as a fullback on the Giants' roster, kind of the way Henry Hynoski did last year when he was an undrafted free agent in camp with the Giants. I guess you never know.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles continue to move Jamar Chaney all around their linebacker rotation. With Brian Rolle and rookie Mychal Kendricks apparently battling for the strongside linebacker spot, it appears Chaney is now the favorite to start at the weak side with DeMeco Ryans in the middle. Chaney, who played the middle in 2010 when Stewart Bradley got hurt and in 2011 when Casey Matthews proved ineffective, continues to roll with it.

And yeah, the offseason storyline has begun to focus on quarterback Michael Vick and what he needs to change about his game in order to help the Eagles achieve their very lofty goals for the 2012 season. As I've written before -- not about changing style of play but more about changing his sense of responsibility about how he plays the position. Decision-making, study habits, things like that. As he has for the past three years, Vick is saying all of the right things. So we'll see.

Washington Redskins

Redskins.com is breaking down some position battles as the Redskins engage in OTAs this week. I like the rundown of the wide receivers especially, but you know it's a team website when you read something like, "the Redskins have arguably the best tight end duo in the league." I mean, they played the Patriots last year, right? So they know about those guys?

Mike Shanahan was back at work a day after being run over on the sideline by two Redskins players. The players who saw it happen said it was a scary sight, but apparently Shanahan is showing no ill effects.

Dallas Cowboys

Jerry Jones says the window may be closing on the time the Cowboys have to win with their current veteran core, including Tony Romo, Jason Witten and DeMarcus Ware. Of course, lest anyone think this means trouble for the coaching staff, Jones is quick to assert that Jason Garrett feels the same way. Those two are BFFs, I'm telling ya.

Our man Herman Edwards says the Cowboys have "a Super Bowl offense," and I agree with him in terms of the talent at the skill positions. I think we still need to see Super Bowl-caliber performance out of positions like center and guard before we start talking that way, though. And of course, none of that matters if the defense doesn't improve. Which I'm pretty sure is part of Herm's point. You play. To win. The game.
Welcome to the weekend, and to the weekend mailbag, where I try to round up some of your more interesting questions from the week and answer them the best I can. We shall get right to it.

Dave from Brookfield, Conn., would have picked left tackle Will Beatty for the New York Giants' entry in Friday's "Pressure Point" series. I went with Ahmad Bradshaw, as you can see if you click on that link.

Dan Graziano: That's a great call, Dave, and probably a better one than Bradshaw. The offensive line's play (particularly as a run-blocking unit) improved dramatically last year after Beatty's eye injury knocked him out for the season. And while that might have been a coincidence or the result of other factors, it did happen, and questions do still remain about Beatty after he struggled in his first season as the Giants' starting left tackle. The Giants still believe in Beatty and will continue to give him the opportunity to show he can do the job, but they're not convinced yet, and if he struggles again it could be a position they have to address moving forward beyond 2012.


Matt from San Diego asks: "Assuming Fletcher Cox has a solid rookie year, could the Philadelphia Eagles have the best [defensive] line in the league?"

DG: There are some great ones out there, Matt, including the one that's up the highway in N.J. defending the Super Bowl title. But yeah, the Eagles have a remarkable depth of talent on their line. They have the great bookend pass-rushers in Trent Cole and Jason Babin, a versatile defensive tackle in Cullen Jenkins and plenty of depth behind the starters inside and out. They drafted Cox because they believed he could be an impact pass-rusher from the get-go at the defensive tackle spot, and they have their fingers crossed that 2010 first-round pick Brandon Graham can finally stay healthy and contribute to the defensive end rotation. If they get contributions from Cox and Graham, the Eagles will be in that discussion.


David from Fairfax, Va., (and a number of other people) have challenged my repeated answers to the question of whether the Washington Redskins' Robert Griffin III could have a rookie year similar to the one Cam Newton had for Carolina in 2011. I don't believe they're similar players, but part of my stock answer has been, "He doesn't have a Steve Smith in his wide receiver corps." David agrees, but thinks the overall talent level of the Redskins' wide receivers is better than what the Panthers had last year behind Smith.

DG: It is, David, and Griffin will have a wider array of options than Newton had last year. My point is that the Newton-Smith hookup provided the Panthers with a number of long, explosive plays that helped drive up Newton's incredible rookie-season numbers. Because of the lack of anything that approximates that, I don't see Griffin approximating Newton's rookie numbers. But Griffin could have a very excellent and successful rookie season without coming close to Newton's numbers, which were unprecedented. I think there are a number of differences between the two players, though, and the way they play. And I think you'll see what I mean once you watch Griffin operate a multi-faceted offense that isn't likely to rely on him to do quite as much as the Panthers relied on Newton to do last year.


Daniel in San Antonio, Texas, disagrees with the notion that the Dallas Cowboys can replace No. 3 wide receiver Laurent Robinson with some sort of committee of what they have on the roster already. To make his point, Daniel asks: "How many games over the last two years have Miles Austin and Dez Bryant missed due to injury?"

DG: Well, Austin missed six games last year and none the year before. Bryant missed one last year and four the year before. So the answer to your question is 11, and your point is well taken. Robinson really exploded onto the Cowboys' scene last year because of how well he played in place of Austin during Austin's hamstring-injury problems. If Austin and Bryant and Jason Witten are healthy, there's really not much need for a No. 3 wide receiver in Dallas. But even if Austin (or Bryant) should have to miss games again, the Cowboys could surely get by with a replacement who doesn't produce the way the starter did. Most teams do, when it comes to injury. Robinson was a surprise exceptional case, and because of the way he played he got more looks. If he hadn't looked as good as he did, those looks likely would have gone to Bryant or Witten, as they likely will if similar circumstances arise in 2012.


Finally, Justin from B-More has a procedural complaint. He thought doing the daily breakfast links according to the division standings during the season was fine. But as someone whose last name begins with Z, he has a long-held hatred of simple reversion to alphabetical order. He's also a Redskins fan, and doesn't like seeing his team listed last in the links every day.

DG: Your point is well taken, Justin, and in the interest of fairness, here is what I propose: From this point forward until the season starts and we do them in standings order again, I will change the order of the breakfast links every day from Monday through Thursday, so that each of the division's teams is listed first at least once per week. And I will devise some sort of reader contest to allow one reader to determine the Friday order each week. Something like, whoever sends me the best printable joke in the mailbag that Thursday, or whoever answers a trivia question first on Twitter. Details to follow, but the new system goes into effect Monday. We'll call it "The Justin from B-More Doctrine."


Enjoy the rest of your weekend, folks.
Exactly one year ago today, I began my job as the NFC East blogger for ESPN.com. I did not know what awaited me, but it has exceeded all of my expectations. To say nothing of how much fun it is to write about football for a living, this job has put me in direct contact with you, the extremely passionate fans of the teams of the NFC East. It has been an eye-opening pleasure to learn, experience and continually work to understand and appreciate your perspective, without which this blog would have no soul.

My goal was to maintain a community where we could all debate topics and issues of interest to the four diverse and often adversarial fan bases, and I feel like that's exactly what this has been. We don't always agree, but hopefully you're all having as much fun with it as I am. I thank you for making this a regular stop on your daily journey of procrastination around the Internet, and I hope to continue to make it worth your while.

Links.

Dallas Cowboys

In the lead to his latest mailbag, Calvin Watkins examines the paths taken to the NFL by two of the less likely members of the Cowboys' roster.

Brandon George thinks the departure of Laurent Robinson could hurt the production of tight end Jason Witten, since teams had to devote attention to Robinson late last year and presumably devoted less to Witten. I kind of go the other way here. Especially in the red zone, Tony Romo began to look for Robinson last year. I think if no one emerges to do what Robinson did (which is likely), those red zone targets could find their way back to Witten, where they used to go.

New York Giants

Things haven't been great for all-time Giants star Lawrence Taylor for the past couple of years, and now he's auctioning off his Super Bowl XXV ring. Every day, it seems, brings us another story about players struggling with life after football. Sadly for Taylor, this is far from the first (or the worst) one involving him.

Brandon Jacobs blew off the Giants' Super Bowl XLVI ring ceremony the other night so he could stay and work with his new 49ers teammates in San Francisco. I've seen a couple of people suggest that Jacobs should have gone to the ceremony, but I disagree. I think he and Mario Manningham are trying to set a tone with their new team, as Ohm Youngmisuk's story suggests, and that they were right to play it the way they did.

Philadelphia Eagles

LeSean McCoy's agent says Andy Reid's direct involvement in the negotiations was a key to getting the new five-year deal for McCoy done. It's the third significant long-term deal the Eagles have done with Rosenhaus this offseason, including those for DeSean Jackson and Evan Mathis. Clearly, whatever damage the Terrell Owens years may have done to this particular agent/team relationship has been repaired.

There are plenty of reasons to like the McCoy deal, as Sheil Kapadia writes. I think one of the most important things to remember is that McCoy is still very young. And while some may say a long-term investment in a running back is a bad idea in this day and age, it will be some time before McCoy reaches the age at which backs start to wear down and see their production diminish.

Washington Redskins

The Redskins have agreed to terms with fourth-round draft pick Keenan Robinson, who will work at inside linebacker behind Perry Riley and the ageless London Fletcher. The opportunity to learn from Fletcher is a special one for Robinson, who has talent and could become a very good player in the NFL with that kind of a mentor.

Robert Griffin III appeared Thursday night on "The Tonight Show," and he talked about wanting to play basketball with the president. He also showed off some socks. (Have you heard he's into socks?) Here are some clips, in case you were already in bed like I was.
I have been writing for some time that there's no need to panic about the Dallas Cowboys' No. 3 wide receiver position just because Laurent Robinson caught 11 touchdowns last year and signed with Jacksonville. But ever since the first night of the draft, I have detected a burgeoning opinion among Cowboys fans that I am a moron who has no idea what he's talking about. You guys are subtle about it, but I can detect these things, in large part because I have not (to answer to several of your very polite mailbag questions) had a lobotomy.

So if you won’t take my word for it, I present the word of Mr. Todd Archer, the esteemed Cowboys writer for ESPNDallas.com, who made the case in a detailed piece Wednesday morning that the Cowboys can replace Robinson without having to find a guy to replace Robinson:
The No. 3 wide receiver on the Cowboys is really Tony Romo's fifth option offensively behind Jason Witten, Miles Austin, Dez Bryant and either DeMarco Murray or Felix Jones.

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

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

Just ask Roy Williams that.

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

This is a fine summary of the way the Cowboys were thinking about their No. 3 wideout situation last summer, after they cut Williams and before they found Robinson on the free-agent scrap heap. And it is because of the way things worked out last year that the Cowboys remain convinced they can approach the situation the same way this year. Had Robinson not come along and did what he did in 2011, the Cowboys' offense would have found a way to replicate his production. His most significant contribution, as Todd points out, was his stint as a reliable fill-in during the times Austin had to miss due to hamstring injuries. If they can keep Austin's hamstrings healthier this year, then they won't have a need for someone to do what Robinson did last year. And if they can't, they feel decent enough about their ability to fill in, even if they need more than one player to do it this time.
On Thursday, we offered "One big question" for each of our division's teams and took a stab at answering it. If you missed them, you can check them out here. But I get tons of questions, and not all of them are big. So as we head into the weekend, I thought I'd take a shot at answering a couple of smaller, more specific questions I seem to be getting asked a lot these days. Let's do one per team.

Dallas Cowboys: Will they go after Jacoby Jones?

It'd make a lot of sense, for the right price. He's a veteran receiver who can help as a return man. Basically what they need after Laurent Robinson and the 11 touchdowns he caught last season left for Jacksonville. But remember that last year, when No. 3 wide receiver was a question mark, the Cowboys didn't panic. They believed that Jason Witten's pass-catching ability at tight end lessened their need to prioritize that position, and they scooped up Robinson as a late-offseason bargain and got more than they ever expected. If there's competition for Jones, I wouldn't expect the Cowboys to push overly hard. There are still other options, including fifth-round pick Danny Coale and some of the other young guys on their roster.

New York Giants: Will they trade Osi Umenyiora?

This one surfaced with renewed energy Thursday after the news broke that Baltimore's Terrell Suggs was out for the season. The Ravens liked Umenyiora last year and now really could use him, and it's possible they'll call. But I don't see the Giants as motivated sellers. They have Umenyiora under contract for a reasonable price, and they have no fear that his contract situation will be a distraction to the team as it gets ready for the season, because everybody on the team is used to Umenyiora and his contract situation by now. The Giants would have to be blown away by an offer, and I don't expect that to happen. He'll either play for them in 2012 or sit out of his own accord.

Philadelphia Eagles: Do they need a red-zone receiver?

The name of Plaxico Burress has been floated, and he remains a free agent who'd fit the description of the kind of big end-zone target Eagles fans say the team needs. But as with the Cowboys above, I don't see the Eagles going too crazy to bring Burress in. If the price is right, and there's little risk involved from the team's end, sure. But with a running back in LeSean McCoy who rushed for 17 touchdowns last season, I don't think the Eagles feel the need to do anything dramatic to improve their performance in the red zone. When they get close to the goal line, they feel pretty good about their chances to run it in.

Washington Redskins: Who will start at running back?

My money's still on Tim Hightower, but there is that nettlesome little issue of his not currently being on the team. The Redskins have worked at re-signing him, and even if they do he's still going to be recovering from a torn ACL. Second-year backs Roy Helu and Evan Royster showed promise as rookies, but the Redskins' coaching staff isn't yet convinced of either as a full-time starter for 2012. Even if they bring back Hightower, I'd expect them to add another running back or two to the camp mix. And if Hightower goes somewhere else, I expect them to give themselves as many options as possible there, kind of like they're doing at safety.
If you've been following along on Twitter (@ESPN_NFCEast), then you know I'm not in love with the Dallas Cowboys' draft to this point. I do not think they have done a good job of maximizing the value of their picks. Obviously, we can't predict how, when or how much any of these guys is going to play, so it remains to be seen whether the guys they're taking are impact guys in the NFL or not. But I don't think their draft, through the first five rounds, shows a strong understanding of the value of the picks. They've also been taking nothing but project guys (other than Morris Claiborne), and for a team that needed a lot of immediate help, I'm not agreeing with that strategy.

But I kind of like their sixth-round pick, Oklahoma tight end James Hanna. I don't know if he can replace Martellus Bennett as their second tight end behind Jason Witten, but he looks the part (6-4, 252) and he has the physical tools, speed and athleticism to succeed in the NFL if he puts in the work and learns what he needs to learn to make the transition. He wasn't a big-time producer at Oklahoma in spite of those skills, however, which makes you wonder, but at this point in the draft the Cowboys could do a lot worse than to find a guy with those kinds of tools at a position of need. Plus, he's a local kid from Flower Mound, Texas, so if he hits it big that's a cool story.

The Cowboys have one more pick -- the 15th one in the seventh round.
One week from tonight, young men in suits will hug the NFL commissioner and put on brightly colored caps on a stage at Radio City Music Hall. Just one more week. Can you make it that long? I know what'll help. Links.

Dallas Cowboys

Jason Witten says that the lesson he and the Cowboys can learn from last year's Giants is that "you've got to be your best at key times." He also said a lot of the right things about the Cowboys having to prove stuff and having plenty of leaders, etc. You know. We'll see.

Stanford offensive lineman David DeCastro visited the Cowboys on Wednesday. His initially planned visit was scratched due to the heavy storms that rolled through the Dallas area a couple of weeks back. DeCastro was a popular pick for the Cowboys once upon a time in mock drafts, and I guess he still could technically be the pick. But the Cowboys seem more interested in taking a defensive player, and Michael Brockers was the Wednesday visitor more likely to be taken at No. 14, I would think.

New York Giants

Ohm's latest Giants draft preview looks at wide receiver. The Giants have two top-line starters in Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz, but Ohm lists some of the internal candidates who could replace Mario Manningham as well as some names the Giants could look at in the first or later rounds of the draft if they decide to add to their depth at that position.

Left tackle, right tackle, left guard, whatever. David Diehl doesn't know which position the Giants will ask him to play in 2012, and he doesn't care, either.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles drafted for need last year, particularly in using their second-round pick on a reach for safety Jaiquawn Jarrett. But as Paul Domowitch writes, Philly would rather go back to a best-player-available approach this year. Makes sense, especially early. The Eagles have few clear immediate positional needs, and some of the ones they do have (linebacker, backup running back) are spots where value can be found in later rounds.

DeSean Jackson says he thinks Eagles fans "deserve" for the team to win them a Super Bowl title. Funny. My experience tells me that's exactly what Eagles fans think, too!

Washington Redskins

Jabar Gaffney says he's been told to stay away from voluntary workouts while the Redskins attempt to trade him. Gaffney thinks this has something to do with a profane Twitter rant he went on last week, and he continues to deny that it was actually him doing the ranting. I have no idea on that last point, but to the first: I'm pretty sure this has a lot more to do with the fact that the Redskins are overloaded at receiver and trying to get something for a guy who's unlikely to get another 947 yards this year before they have to cut him.

Want to know what the Redskins are up to this week during the conditioning-only portion of voluntary offseason workouts? Yeah, that's right: Pilates.

Cowboys still hunting tight ends

April, 12, 2012
Apr 12
2:49
PM ET
It's not that the Dallas Cowboys were terribly sorry to see Martellus Bennett go -- even to the division-rival Giants. The Cowboys had seen enough of Bennett, suffered enough dropped passes and waited long enough for him to make good on what they believed was his vast potential. But Bennet did serve a role, especially in the Cowboys' two-tight end sets, and he has not been replaced. The only two tight ends on the Cowboys' roster are Jason Witten and John Phillips, and it's an area the team still would like to address before the season begins.

They could look for a tight end in the draft, and the middle rounds do offer some options. But they're looking in a number of places. Todd Archer reports that the Cowboys are looking at former Packers and Dolphins tight end Joey Haynos, who appears to be some sort of mountain and could help as a blocker if not a pass-catcher. The Cowboys have plenty of pass-catchers, including Witten, and need a tight end who can help them set the perimeter.

Expect the Cowboys to continue to look at tight end options between now and the draft and possibly even beyond, if they don't get the situation resolved on draft weekend.
All right, we have 16 days left until the draft. Today we'll have our chat and hopefully a number of other fun stuff for you. But we begin, as ever, with our trusty links.

Dallas Cowboys

Jason Witten says he thinks the Cowboys' efforts in free agency have been "awesome," and that he enjoyed playing the part he played in them, as one of the guys at dinner at Cowboys Stadium helping to convince cornerback Brandon Carr to sign with Dallas.

We talked Monday about whether Mississippi State defensive tackle Fletcher Cox would be the answer for Dallas with the No. 14 pick, and David Moore has a closer look at him today.

New York Giants

The Giants haven't taken an offensive lineman in the first round since 1999. But as Kyle Langan writes, if someone like Mike Adams falls to them at No. 32, this could be the year. Adams was my pick for the Giants in the blogger mock draft last week, and if he's there at 32, he's a combination of good value and help at a need position. He could move right in as the starting right tackle in 2012 and eventually play left tackle if they end up having a need there.

Safety Tyler Sash opened eyes on special teams as a rookie, and he's hoping for an expanded role on defense in 2012.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Jason Peters injury nearly scuttled Derek Landri's chances of returning to the Eagles in 2012, but Landri did re-sign Monday for one year. I don't think the Landri signing lessens the chances of the Eagles taking a defensive tackle in the first round. They can't have too much depth in the middle of that line.

Les Bowen has some thoughts on Asante Samuel, who's working on a colorful exit from Philadelphia and looks as though he'll be traded sometime in the next few weeks.

Washington Redskins

Rich Campbell writes that Robert Griffin III fits the athletic profile of the quarterbacks who have had success under Mike Shanahan. Of course, Shanahan would argue that Andrew Luck does as well, but Griffin is the guy on whom everyone in Washington has their eye, and the Redskins will be excited to officially have him in the fold 16 days and 12 hours from now.

James Lee, the new tackle the Redskins signed Monday, has some experience as a teacher, as he's already appeared in an online instructional video of sorts to teach proper offensive line technique. Maybe they'll watch his tape in training camp?
Three weeks until the draft. Given the current state of fan agitation, I estimate our chances of surviving that long at around 21 percent. But they go up if we make sure and get our links.

Dallas Cowboys

In this clip from NFL 32, Cowboys tight end Jason Witten asks our NFL analysts who the Cowboys should take with the No. 14 pick in the draft. Todd McShay says that, if Mississippi State defensive tackle Fletcher Cox is still on the board, he's the guy they should take. On a related note, Calvin writes that Cox is headed to Valley Ranch for a pre-draft visit.

The Cowboys' official site takes a look at cornerback Mike Jenkins, who was one of the bright spots on the Cowboys' 2011 defense when various injuries weren't limiting his playing time or production. A healthy Jenkins would be an asset in 2012, and if he gets through the season fully healthy, he might be able to that new contract he's looking for.

New York Giants

Speaking of Witten, he has good things to say about former teammate Martellus Bennett and Bennett's chances for success with the Giants.

Travis Beckum, one of two Giants tight ends to tear an ACL in the Super Bowl, said on Twitter on Wednesday that he got great news from his doctors and that there's a "very good chance" he could be ready by the start of the season. If that turns out to be true, it lessens the Giants' need to look for a tight end in the draft.

Philadelphia Eagles

Sheil Kapadia looks at the number of different players on the Eagles' roster who will be affected by the performance of Demetress "Don't Call Me Demetrius" Bell, who's the new left tackle after signing Wednesday to replace the injured Jason Peters. The numbers on how often and how successfully the Eagles ran to the left side in 2011 are eye-opening.

Nnamdi Asomugha, a California guy at heart, has been bicoastal this offseason, showing up in Philadelphia to work out with teammates in preparation for what he and the Eagles hope is a much better second season than his first.

Washington Redskins

Mike Shanahan told the Washington Post that he'd rather "take the high road" than respond to the sour-grape foolishness Donovan McNabb was spouting on First Take last week.

Mark Maske looks at the complicated questions at the heart of the Redskins' and Cowboys' grievance against the NFL and the NFLPA over the salary cap sanctions that were imposed just before free agency.
Good morning in the East, where spring has sprung early and the roster tinkering is in full swing. What will Wednesday bring? More signings? Another surprise trade? All we know for sure is it starts with links.

Dallas Cowboys

New Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr said one of the things that convinced him to sign with Dallas was an in-person sales pitch from DeMarcus Ware, Jason Witten, Sean Lee and Miles Austin, all of whom attended the dinner at which the team's brass treated Carr at Cowboys Stadium on his free-agent recruiting visit. The $26.5 million guaranteed surely didn't hurt, either.

Troy Aikman says he thinks Tony Romo is already a better quarterback than he ever was, which surely comes as a surprise to those who wanted the Cowboys to sign Peyton Manning or wish they would trade Romo for Tim Tebow.

New York Giants

Ahmad Bradshaw says his fractured foot has healed completely and that he believes he can handle a workload similar to the one he had in 2010. That would be especially nice if his friend Brandon Jacobs finds work elsewhere, as it appears he will. But I'd still expect the Giants to bring in some veteran running back to help spell Bradshaw just in case.

I'm sick of banging my head against my desk every morning looking for a second Giants link. Nobody who covers or blogs about the Giants is writing anything right now unless the Giants sign someone or one of their guys signs somewhere else. Since that didn't happen Tuesday, there's nothing out there. Go ahead, check for yourselves. I'm open to suggestions. You guys tell me what the second Giants link should be. I can't find it.

Philadelphia Eagles

Jonathan Tamari likes the deal for linebacker DeMeco Ryans. And while Jonathan does bring up a couple of the reasons to wonder how they got him so cheap, the fact is it's an impossible deal to dislike. Ryans was a great player for Houston before his Achilles injury and will be nearly two full years removed from it (and still just 28 years old) when the 2012 season starts. Houston wasn't using him enough to justify what they were paying him, because they were taking him off the field in nickel situations in the sub packages in their new 3-4 defensive scheme. The Eagles saw a guy who was being undervalued by his team but would fill the biggest need on theirs, and they snagged him. Good for them. If it doesn't work out, they lost a fourth-round draft pick. But there's no doubt Ryan is better than anything they had at linebacker in 2011.

Players on the Eagles are excited about the move and players on the Texans are bummed out about it, as Les Bowen writes. That tells you a great deal.

Washington Redskins

Free-agent quarterback Josh Johnson, late of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, will visit the Redskins on Wednesday. When this news broke Tuesday night, people were asking why, and I don't see what the great mystery is. You need to be at least three-deep at quarterback, and Johnson as the No. 3 (or the No. 2, if he can pass Rex Grossman on the depth chart) seems like a heck of a lot better option than paying John Beck $1 million. Why not take a look? Quarterback is a position at which it's important to be as good and as deep as you can possibly be. And remember, as excited as everyone is about Robert Griffin III, he is going to be a rookie. He'll need good backups.

The Redskins also re-signed Kory Lichtensteiger, who was playing very well for them at left guard last year before blowing out his knee in that completely disastrous Week 6 loss to the Eagles in which everyone got hurt and Grossman got benched for Beck. They still need to upgrade at right tackle, and if Lichtensteiger isn't fully healthy they still need to be looking for help on the interior. But they were happy with what Lichtensteiger was giving them before his injury, so he's back.
You guys know I'm active on Twitter (@ESPN_NFCEast and, to a lesser extent, @DanGrazianoESPN). I'm there to answer whatever questions I can, and at times like these the activity is more intense than it is at other times of the year. So I'm on there in between blog posts to help out. You can ask questions, vent, call me names, whatever. I'm there for you.

Some of the questions I get on there become so frequent that they take on lives of their own and become worthy of their own posts. Such is the case, I feel, with the question of Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Laurent Robinson, who is making free-agent visits to places like Jacksonville and appears unlikely to return to Dallas.

To hear Cowboys fans on this topic, you'd think we were talking about the second coming of Jerry Rice. I mean, Robinson played very well for the Cowboys last year, and only three players in the league caught more touchdown passes, but I refuse to buy into the idea that replacing his production would become a major offseason priority for the Cowboys if and when he signs elsewhere.

Possible options for replacing Robinson include:

1. Throwing the ball to Jason Witten, Miles Austin and Dez Bryant more.

2. Finding a third wide receiver in the bargain bin, which is where they found Robinson last summer when no one else wanted him.

This isn't rocket science. Robinson became Tony Romo's favorite red zone target and ended up with 11 touchdown catches, but that doesn't mean Romo would be crippled in the red zone without him. Witten used to be his favorite red zone target, and there's no reason to think he can't be again. If they can keep Austin healthy and if Bryant (just 23 years old) continues his development, they won't need a No. 3 wide receiver to produce the way Robinson did. Robinson's production was a pleasant surprise, but it's not as though Romo and the Cowboys would have been lost without him.

The Cowboys need help on defense and on the offensive line. They're pretty well-stocked at receiver. Falling in love with Robinson and overpaying him off his first good season would be a free-agent gamble, and given their strengths and their needs, it's one the Cowboys would do well to let some other team make.
The New York Giants need a tight end, having lost two of them to major knee injuries in the Super Bowl, and they appear to have their eye on former Cowboys tight end Martellus Bennett. Todd Archer and Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com are reporting that Bennett will visit the Giants, and these first-day visits very often lead to quick deals.

Bennett just turned 25 three days ago and is an impressive physical specimen at 6-foot-6, 270 pounds. The Cowboys had worked hard over the past past several years to find a productive role for him as the No. 2 tight end in their offense behind Jason Witten. But a series of dropped balls and bonehead plays in the passing game limited Bennett's development, and the Cowboys soured on him to the point where they allowed him to hit the market.

Now, that doesn't mean he can't be a good player for the Giants. Again, very young and very physically gifted. The Giants would use him differently than the Cowboys did. They rely more on their wide receivers as pass-catchers and might be able to make Bennett's life and development less complicated. Plus, there's the old change-of-scenery theory that might suggest all the young man needs is some new surroundings to allow his talent to flourish.
My name's Dan G, and I write the blog

I help you shake off that morning fog

I ain't lookin' to start no trouble

I'm just here to do the Breakfast Links shuffle!

New York Giants

Yeah, I don't know if you heard, but one of our division's teams is in the Super Bowl. It's kind of a big deal. The Giants are looking for a way to slow down mountainous New England tight end Rob Gronkowski, and Ohm Youngmisuk takes a look at whether the fact that they've faced Dustin Keller, Jason Witten, Tony Gonzalez, Jermichael Finley and Vernon Davis in their current five-game winning streak can help.

Wednesday was the 25-year anniversary of the Giants' first Super Bowl title, which coincidentally came one year after the song I just ripped off was written for a team from Chicago. Rich Cimini took a look back.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles haven't drafted a linebacker in the first round since 1979, which is almost seven years before that song I just ripped off was written. Sheil Kapadia has a chart that shows that drafting linebackers in the first round isn't as bad an idea as the Eagles make it seem, and looks at some options they may have in case they want to extend their streak to 33 consecutive years.

Jimmy Kempski's at the Senior Bowl keeping track of which players the Eagles talk to, and his impression is that most of them have been pass rushers. The Eagles don't seem to need pass rushers, but they do seem to be the kind of team that believes you can never have enough pass rushers. Hence, pass rushers.

Dallas Cowboys

Todd Archer writes of the injury recovery that likely helped Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware make it onto our Any Era Team. Obviously, Ware's play before and since, coupled with his relentlessly outstanding sack totals, helped. But the panel was looking for tough guys, and Todd's piece speaks to Ware's toughness.

It has not been a fun postseason to be a Cowboys fan, as The Landry Hat points out. I can't imagine Cowboys fans are rooting for the Giants in the Super Bowl, but I also can't imagine too many of them love the idea of rooting for the Patriots. I imagine it'd be easier if the Giants' opponent were some plucky underdog who'd never won before. Tough times, indeed.

Washington Redskins

Wisconsin's Russell Wilson is one of the quarterbacks at the Senior Bowl, where Mike Shanahan and the Redskins are one of the two coaching staffs. The Redskins need a quarterback, as you know. Mike Jones takes up the issue of whether Wilson is big enough to play in the NFL.

Meet the newest member of the Redskins' coaching staff: Former Giants wide receiver Ike Hilliard, who's the Redskins' new wide receivers coach. Ryan O'Halloran caught up with him in Mobile, Ala.

NFL Any Era: Day two

January, 24, 2012
Jan 24
2:06
PM ET
No NFC East players in today's edition of the Any Era Team, which is our project in which 20 Hall of Fame players and Hall of Fame writer John Clayton voted for the 20 current players they believe could have played in any NFL era. I'm not telling you if our division has one or two or even I guess 12 in the top 12, which will be rolled out over the next three days. But I did ask for your input Monday, so here's some of it.

A lot of people mentioned Eli Manning as a candidate, because he's obviously hot right now and exhibiting the kind of toughness that would seem to be a qualification for this list.

Justin Tuck, Jason Witten, Trent Cole and DeMarcus Ware all got some support, but I think the guy who was named the most in the comments section yesterday was Washington Redskins linebacker London Fletcher, who doesn't generally get as much attention as some of those other guys but probably fits the description of "Any Era" player pretty well. Great teammate, hard worker, tough, selfless, not driven by fame or credit... I like Fletcher as a candidate for this list. But again, I can't tell you whether he or any of the rest of those guys made it. Tune in tomorrow to see if we have anyone in the No. 9-12 portion of the list.
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