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Some teams ignore backup quarterback, often to their detriment. (See: 2011 Colts, Bears, et al) Other teams really, really really don't. The Dallas Cowboys fall into the latter group. They do not feel comfortable if they don't have a veteran backup who can step in and start an NFL game if Tony Romo goes down with an injury. That's why they put in a claim for Kyle Orton when he was waived by Denver during the 2011 season and that's why they have agreed to terms with Orton on a new three-year contract.

When Romo got hurt two years ago, the Cowboys were able to plug in Jon Kitna, a former NFL starter who retired this offseason, and operate their offense basically just as well as it operated under Romo. Kitna wasn't as good as Romo is, and neither is Orton, but given the number of weapons the Cowboys have on offense, they want their worst-case scenario to be a quarterback who won't get rattled by NFL pressure and can get the ball to the right people. Orton, who began each of the past two seasons as the Broncos' starting quarterback and lost his job in 2011 to the Tim Tebow phenomenon, fits the description. If he has to start a lot of games for the Cowboys, they're probably in trouble. But if he has to start one or two -- or finish a game in which Romo gets injured -- they won't have to worry whether he can handle the responsibility.

The other quarterback on the Cowboys' roster is Stephen McGee, who was their fourth-round draft pick three years ago and hasn't seen enough action to be counted on in the event that they need a starter.

Orton was also on the radar for the Washington Redskins, who are in the market for a backup to the rookie quarterback they plan to draft with the No. 2 overall pick in next month's draft. But the Cowboys got him instead. Now, they need to sign a defensive back. More on that later, I believe, as we continue to track what's going on with Brandon Carr.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Yeah, that's right. Breakfast links coming to you live from the host city of Super Bowl XLVI. The AFC champion New England Patriots hit town Sunday night, but the NFC champion New York Giants don't arrive until Monday afternoon, so I really don't have much Giants-related Super Bowl stuff for you until later today.

I am here for you, however, and knowing how much you guys would like to be here, I want to give you some sense of what it's like. There's a lot of walking that goes on when you cover the Super Bowl, and I've brought a pedometer with me to track how much walking I'm doing. On Sunday, after checking into my downtown Indianapolis hotel, I walked 9,979 steps, which roughly equates to 4.6 miles. And that doesn't even count the 4 miles I ran on the treadmill on what wasn't even a real work day! We'll check this number every day I'm here and keep track of how much I've walked, if only to help me explain to myself the way my calves feel.

Meantime, the links don't get a week off just because it's the Super Bowl. The links, like The Dude, abide.

New York Giants

ESPNNewYork.com wants to know if you think Tom Brady was overconfident when he told the crowd that showed up at Gillette Stadium to see the Patriots off that he'd be back for a victory party next week. Thoughts?

Of all the long shots on this long-shot Giants team that barely made the playoffs and finds itself one game away from a championship, Chase Blackburn may be the longest. Johnette Howard has this story.

Philadelphia Eagles

So if you've been sitting around wondering what Andy Reid thinks of the Cleveland Browns' decision to hire Brad Childress as their offensive coordinator, check this out. If you've been sitting around wondering what Andy Reid thinks of the Eagles and who should be their coaches and players next year ... well, you're going to have to keep waiting like the rest of us.

Bleeding Green Nation, for example, would like to know what the Eagles plan to do about DeSean Jackson and his contract situation. It's a mystery, in large part because Reid doesn't seem to feel the need to answer for an 8-8 season.

Dallas Cowboys

You may still be wondering what the Cowboys will do in 2012 for a backup quarterback, but Jon Kitna cares not for your concerns. He has moved on, and will be a high school football coach in Washington.

Oh, and DeMarcus Ware asks for your perspective and patience, as he believes that things will "all pan out" with another year with Rob Ryan as Cowboys defensive coordinator. Ware apparently doesn't understand the era in which he plays, which requires a team to have instantaneous success each and every week.

Washington Redskins

The opportunity to coach the South team in the Senior Bowl this past week was a big one for Mike Shanahan and the Redskins' coaching staff, and Shanahan said he believes the Redskins got a lot of good work in with the senior-class prospects in this year's draft. Keep an eye out and see if anyone from this year's South team gets picked by the Redskins.

The Washington Post offers a nice profile of new Redskins secondary coach Raheem Morris, who was an NFL Coach of the Year candidate last year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com has been at the Senior Bowl keeping up with what the Dallas Cowboys are doing there, and he has some notes. I find it interesting that they met with Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden, who's old enough to be a veteran backup even if he's not "veteran" enough. Calvin doesn't think the Cowboys will draft a quarterback, and Weeden wouldn't fit the profile of a guy who'd be ready to take over for Tony Romo when Romo's done (because Weeden will turn 29 next season and would be 32 or 33 by the time Romo's ready to retire). But perhaps his maturity level relative to the rest of the quarterbacks in the draft class made him someone the Cowboys wanted to at least check out for the backup role vacated by Jon Kitna's retirement. Due diligence, as Calvin said.

Of greater interest, potentially, is the Cowboys' interest in defensive players they might draft. As we mentioned in today's Breakfast Links, they met with Alabama pass rusher Courtney Upshaw, who'd be a great pick if he were still on the board at No. 14. Calvin also mentions here that they met with troubled North Alabama cornerback Janoris Jenkins and could take a look at Georgia's Brandon Boykin, who could help in the return game as well as the secondary.

If the Cowboys are doing "due diligence" on backup quarterbacks, I imagine they're doing much more than that in an effort to spot defensive backs of interest. They need those. A qualified veteran backup quarterback is a luxury.

Friday the 13th, huh? Well, we'll get through it together. Or something like that. Links.

New York Giants

Johnette Howard writes of Corey Webster, and how much has changed for both him and the Packers since that game four years ago when he intercepted Brett Favre in overtime.

Packers defensive lineman B.J. Raji says the Giants' offensive line is "not the toughest" against which he's played. Meh. I'm sure he's right, but why do these guys keep saying stuff like this?

Philadelphia Eagles

LeSean McCoy went on the NFL Network and said the team is sticking by coach Andy Reid and that next year will be the Eagles' year. Why didn't he tell us this five months ago? Really could have covered the season a lot differently if we'd known. Next year. Not this year. Next.

The Minnesota Vikings are striking out like crazy in their efforts to find a new defensive coordinator, and Tom Pelissero suggests a possible target that will cause Eagles fans to spit their milk and Cheerios through their noses: Juan Castillo. Seriously, read it.

Dallas Cowboys

Looks as though the "offensive coordinator" part of Bill Callahan's title is a formality, as all of the coverage of the Cowboys' Thursday announcement indicates that head coach Jason Garrett will continue calling plays. Regardless, former Jet Damien Woody has lots of good stuff to say about the Cowboys' new offensive line coach.

The Cowboys also will be in the market for a veteran backup quarterback, as Jon Kitna has told them he's retiring. This is not a surprise.

Washington Redskins

This is day-old news but bears mentioning: Redskins linebacker London Fletcher has won this year's Bart Starr Award for outstanding character and leadership. Fellow NFC East players Nnamdi Asomugha and Jason Witten were also finalists.

What will the teams at the top of the draft do about quarterback -- even the ones who already have one? Dan Daly muses on that and what it could mean for the Redskins' pursuit of their new signal-caller.

One week to go in the NFC East, one game for all the marbles. You can't start a week like this without your links.

New York Giants (8-7)

The Giants still have the worst rushing offense in the league at 88.1 yards per game, but they've been much better lately, averaging 100.3 rush yards per game over their past three. After totaling 6 rush yards in the first half Saturday against the Jets, they poured on 109 in the second half, and their ability to win the physical battles up front that they weren't winning earlier in the seaosn was a key to their ability to control the game late.

The NFL will not be looking into the postgame exchange between Giants running back Brandon Jacobs and Jets coach Rex Ryan, according to Jenny Vrentas. Dumb situation that arose between two hotheads who should have just ignored each other. The Star-Ledger has reported that Jacobs started it by yelling, "Time to shut up, fat boy!" But like the league, I'm done with this situation. Said what I had to say.

Dallas Cowboys (8-7)

The Cowboys think they may have found a spark in the kick return game with Dwayne Harris, who averaged 42.5 yards on his two kick returns against the Eagles. The return game is an area in which the Giants can be vulnerable, so this is something to watch in Sunday night's game. It's been a problem area for the Cowboys for much of this season.

The Cowboys like to have a veteran backup quarterback behind Tony Romo, but with Jon Kitna injured, Stephen McGee got his first significant first-team action of the season in the hopes of showing the team that he's ready to be Romo's No. 2 next season. He wasn't all that great, but Jerry Jones said it was a tough situation for a young player to find himself in, and that he saw some things from McGee that he liked.

Philadelphia Eagles (7-8)

Once the Giants game went final Saturday and the Eagles were officially out of the playoffs, it was the Cowboys who took their foot off the gas. But Bob Ford wonders why the Eagles didn't do the same, since they were putting Michael Vick and LeSean McCoy and some other key 2012 pieces at risk by leaving them out there against DeMarcus Ware and the Dallas defense.

As Jonathan Tamari writes, Sunday's regular-season finale could be the final home game as an Eagle for wide receiver DeSean Jackson. The situation with Jackson, whose hopes for a contract extension suffered during his disappointing season, is one of several fascinating offseason scenarios about to play out once this Eagles season comes to its actual end.

Washington Redskins (5-10)

Jason Reid tried but struggled to remember all of the good things that have happened for the Redskins this year while he watched one of their most perplexing losses of the season. I can see that. Given the quality of the opposition, I'm not sure the Washington defense has had a worse game this season. Not sure how much that means for the future -- could mean nothing at all. But it sure was weird.

Rich Campbell says that while Rex Grossman has done a capable job as the Redskins' quarterback, his turnover issues are too much to overlook, and that the team once again finds itself at a quarterback crossroads as the season comes to a close. It has to be the Redskins' No. 1 offseason priority to upgrade that position. Even if a rookie's back there next year throwing interceptions, at least it'll ideally be somebody they think has big-time franchise-QB upside. Ideally.

Because they claimed Kyle Orton on waivers last week and because Jon Kitna's injury has had them looking for a veteran backup quarterback, there was speculation Thursday that the Dallas Cowboys might claim Donovan McNabb following his release from the Vikings. But according to Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com, Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said Friday that would not happen. Garrett also said the Cowboys would not claim recently waived Sage Rosenfels either, and were planning to roll with Stephen McGee as Tony Romo's backup the rest of the way:

"They've both been very good players in this league," Garrett said of McNabb and Rosenfels before Friday's practice at Valley Ranch. "Obviously we've competed against Donovan a lot when he was a quarterback for the Eagles and he's been a great player for a long, long time and the same thing with Sage, in a different role. He's been a veteran player who has played for 10-12 years now and really done a nice job with the role he has been in. But right now, we're going to just stand pat with where we are when we evaluate our quarterback situation."

The Cowboy are right to pass on McNabb, who has shown nothing over the past two seasons to indicate he's happy in a backup role or that he could even help if pressed into duty as a starter. I believe there's a chance he makes it all the way through waivers this afternoon, and I think it's possible that we might already have seen the end of his career.

One game in the books already this week in the NFC East, and it has shaken up the standings. Well, not really. Just pushed the preseason favorite to the bottom, which is where you'll find them in Friday's links.

Dallas Cowboys (7-4)

Tim MacMahon thinks the Cowboys would be unwise to claim Donovan McNabb on waivers. It was one thing last week to claim Kyle Orton, a 29-year-old with experience in their system, because they're looking for a veteran backup for Tony Romo with Jon Kitna hurt. But as Tim points out, the last thing the Cowboys need as they gear up for a run at the division title and the playoffs is a circus atmosphere brought on by a backup quarterback who can't play anymore.

Jerry Jones is getting a different vibe from this year's team than he did from last year's. He says this year's team doesn't have "a bad case of that flu, which is the flu that we had last year, which said when the ball is snapped, something bad's going to happen." They seemed to be suffering the lingering effects of that flu in some fourth quarters earlier this season, but the mojo's been a lot more positive lately, for sure.

New York Giants (6-5)

Matt Ehalt writes that the Giants have gone four straight games without scoring a touchdown in the first half, which I find so inconceivable I had to go check it and risk making the links late. But it's true, and it's upsetting offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride. They haven't had one in the first quarter since the Buffalo game on Oct. 16.

If they do get a first-half touchdown Sunday against the Packers, it doesn't sound as though it'll come from Mario Manningham, whose status is in doubt and he thinks he might need to have surgery on his knee.

Washington Redskins (4-7)

Dan Daly doesn't think it'd necessarily be a bad idea for the Redskins to let LaRon Landry leave after this season is over. The way he plays -- and the way a strong safety of his talent is expected to play these days -- he's not going to suddenly find himself able to avoid all of the injuries that have held him back so far.

Rick Maese takes a look at the impact that outside linebackers Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan, and their ever-increasing comfort level, have had on the emergence this year of the Redskins' defense. This was the plan, of course, when the Redskins picked Kerrigan in the first round -- to key the defense around a couple of sack specialists on the outside.

Philadelphia Eagles (4-8)

DeSean Jackson's 25th birthday was not a happy one. He came up with four catches for 34 yards in the Eagles' loss to the Seahawks on Thursday night. Cameras followed him all over the field and the sidelines, chronicling a series of moves that led Jeff McLane to write that the talented wideout has "checked out mentally."

Evan Mathis says in this Rich Hofmann column that the Eagles "didn't give up." Mathis plays offense, and I actually think that, outside of maybe Jackson, this was the case. But the only way you can convince me that the Eagles' defense didn't give up on that game last night is if you convince me they weren't actually there. ESPN Stats & Information says the Eagles had eight or more defenders in the box on 17 of Marshawn Lynch's 22 attempts but that he nonetheless got 123 of his 174 rushing yards in those situations. Total system failure, folks.

We'll have more on the Eagles as the day goes along. They're the miserable blog gift that keeps on giving.

Still no practice for Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick, and personally I think it would be a complete shock if he played Sunday against the Patriots. That means at least one more week of Vince Young at starting quarterback while Vick's broken ribs continue to heal.

The most common question I'm getting on Vick is why the Dallas Cowboys' Tony Romo was able to play quarterback with broken ribs this year and Vick is not. Some seem to feel this reflects on Vick's toughness, his character or his leadership abilities. And hey, I'm not in the guy's head. All of those things could in fact be true. But I think it's a big jump to make, mainly because none of us are in the guy's body. We don't know how Vick's rib injury compares to Romo's. We don't know which ribs we're talking about, where they're located, how badly broken they are or how much the injury affects his ability to throw the ball. All we know is, by whatever standard Vick and the Eagles are applying, he's not able to play right now. And I've never personally been comfortable saying a player's not tough enough to play through injury because... well, it's not my injury. As for the Vick-Romo comparison, I guess I'd just say I have no reason to think their injuries were identical just because they were both classified as broken ribs.

The Eagles officially listed Vick as questionable for Sunday's game after he missed practice again Friday. He has not practiced since the Nov. 13 game in which he suffered the injury. Cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, who injured his knee in Thursday's practice, also did not practice Friday. Neither did wide receiver Jeremy Maclin, who has hamstring and shoulder injuries, or offensive lineman King Dunlap, who's still dealing with the effects of a concussion. Dunlap is listed as out for Sunday's game, Maclin as doubtful and Asomugha as questionable. Eagles coach Andy Reid said in his address to reporters that Maclin's more serious problem was the hamstring. I'd be surprised if he played. Rueben Frank of CSN Philadelphia reports that the Asomugha injury isn't serious and that he might be able to play.

Wide receiver DeSean Jackson is listed as probable after limited participation in practice Friday. And cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie was a surprise limited participant in practice and is listed as questionable. I say "surprise," because I don't think most people expected him to practice Friday or have a chance to play Sunday.

New York Giants

Running back Ahmad Bradshaw and linebacker Michael Boley remained out of practice because of their respective foot and hamstring injuries. Wide receiver Mario Manningham, who has a knee injury, also missed practice. But defensive end Justin Tuck and right tackle Kareem McKenzie, who missed Thursday's practice, were both upgraded to limited participants Friday, and running back D.J. Ware was a full practice participant as he is now apparently recovered from his concussion. The Giants don't play until Monday, so all of these players have time yet. The only player they've ruled out is left tackle Will Beatty, who had surgery Thursday to repair the retina in his right eye and likely will be out for a while.

Washington Redskins

The injury news is basically all good for the Redskins, as tackles Trent Williams and Jammal Brown, wide receiver Santana Moss, linebacker London Fletcher, safety LaRon Landry and cornerback Josh Wilson are all listed as probable. The Redskins list no one as "out" or "doubtful" and only two players -- receivers Niles Paul and Donte' Stallworth -- as questionable. The Redskins head to Seattle at something resembling full strength, minus the out-for-the-year guys like Tim Hightower, Chris Cooley and Kory Lichtensteiger. The return of Moss is especially significant for the struggling Redskins offense.

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys' Week 12 game is already in the books, so there's no official injury report. But owner Jerry Jones went on the radio and said fullback Tony Fiammetta and backup quarterback Jon Kitna are already ruled out for the Dec. 4 game in Arizona. The Fiammetta thing is weird -- an illness that makes him nauseous when he exerts himself and of which the team has been unable to get to the bottom. Kitna's got a back injury, and it's serious enough that the Cowboys are looking around for a veteran backup to Romo, since they don't like to be without one of those.

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all. This morning's links will be lighter than usual, since we'll all be eating plenty later on. Meantime, know how thankful I am for my wonderful job and for the time I get to spend here online mixing it up with all of you each day. I hope you all enjoy a wonderful holiday with friends and family.

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys were one of three teams to put in a claim on quarterback Kyle Orton, which seemed to confuse some people who hadn't read Todd Archer's item in Wednesday morning's links saying they should. Two reasons: First, it seems clear that backup quarterback Jon Kitna has a somewhat serious injury, meaning the Cowboys don't have the reliable veteran backup they like to have behind Tony Romo. And second, they knew the Bears were going to claim him, and the Cowboys could be competing with the Bears for a playoff spot. Doesn't matter. The Chiefs claimed him, too, and they had higher waiver priority than either Dallas or Chicago.

Rob Ryan says the Cowboys' defensive problems are all in the red zone.

New York Giants

I have written many times, here and elsewhere, that I dispute and fail to understand the reasons why fans boo their own favorite team for poor performance. Brandon Jacobs seems to agree with me, which makes me ... well, I don't know how it makes me feel. But the premise that fans would pay all of that money for tickets and parking and then boo a team or a player for not playing well still baffles me. I'd boo if I felt the player or team wasn't putting forth a full effort or really trying their best to win. But I don't think that's the case with Jacobs. In particular, I don't think you can get on a running back for failing to find holes that don't exist. The running game problems for the Giants are all offensive line-related, and there's nothing Jacobs can do about them. However, I was discussing this on Twitter on Wednesday with a follower of mine named Albert Guendi (@albertguendi), and he said the main thing that bothers Giants fans about Jacobs is the number of times over the past few years he has said or done something to indicate a lack of enthusiasm for playing football in general and for the Giants in particular. And so I can kind of understand that Jacobs has eroded his benefit of the doubt with fans. Still don't get why you'd sit there and not want to build up your favorite team or player rather than rip on them for losing. But I can get why Jacobs might not longer be a player about whom Giants fans feel much affection.

And no news to this point on Ahmad Bradshaw and Michael Boley, what with the Giants' practice schedule pushed back due to the fact that they're not playing until Monday night.

Philadelphia Eagles

Michael Vick has been able to throw the ball a little bit this week, according to Andy Reid, though it remains to be seen whether he'll play Sunday. He didn't practice Wednesday, and if he doesn't practice before the weekend I'd personally bet on a second consecutive start for Vince Young. Either way, they're getting a soft Patriots pass defense Sunday and should be able to take advantage, as long as the receivers are healthy. Problem is, they're not. DeSean Jackson missed practice with a foot injury and Jeremy Maclin has shoulder and hamstring problems. The Eagles literally can't afford to lose another game, and so they're going to have to hope they can out-physical opponents up front on the lines the way they did Sunday night against the Giants.

Cullen Jenkins seems to feel bad about the hit that gave Giants running back D.J. Ware a concussion. Says he's "not a mean person."

Washington Redskins

Running back Evan Royster says it was rough, waiting around all year on the practice squad for his shot at actual carries in an actual NFL game. But he's on the active roster now, and if you don't think he's going to get a shot to carry the ball, you haven't paid much attention to the way Mike Shanahan has been using his running backs this year or, really, ever. He obviously doesn't think Ryan Torain can handle every-down duties. He obviously doesn't think Roy Helu is or should be anything more than a change-of-pace guy just yet. So I'll bet you see Royster get a real and serious look at some point -- whether it's this week or sometime in the final five.

Remember Jarvis Jenkins, the Redskins' rookie offensive lineman who was one of the surprise stars of training camp and blew out his knee in preseason? Nathan Fenno checks in on him.

Busy day for injury news in the NFC East, with the most recent and surprising being the announcement by the New York Giants that starting left tackle Will Beatty will have surgery Thursday to repair a detached retina in his right eye. There's no timetable yet for Beatty's return from the surgery. Presumably, he'll need some time to get his vision all the way back, and doctors will have to assure him that he's not putting his eye in unusual danger before they clear him to play again.

What the Giants will do in Beatty's absence they have not yet said. They play Monday, so their normal practice schedule this week is pushed back a day and they didn't practice or speak with the media as they would on a normal Wednesday. Coach Tom Coughlin held conference calls with members of the New York and New Orleans media, but those took place before the Beatty news broke, so he didn't address it. They could either just replace Beatty with backup tackle Stacy Andrews or move left guard David Diehl back to left tackle and play Kevin Boothe at left guard. Neither is an appealing option for an offensive line that's already struggling.

In other Giants injury news, Coughlin told Saints reporters that running back Ahmad Bradshaw's broken foot was feeling better. Coughlin said that he didn't know if Bradshaw would practice Thursday but that he expected the Giants to be "in pretty good shape" at running back. No idea what that means about Bradshaw for this week. And there's no update on the status of the hamstring injury that kept linebacker Michael Boley out of Sunday's game.

Washington Redskins

Good news, finally, on the injury front for the Redskins. Top wide receiver Santana Moss, who broke his hand in Week 7's loss to Carolina and has missed four games, is expected to play Sunday. The Redskins missed Moss not just as a receiver but also as a blocker as their offense struggled badly for about a month before Sunday's game against Dallas. Quarterback Rex Grossman will be happy to have him back. It also sounds as though safety LaRon Landry expects to play Sunday and left tackle Trent Williams, who injured his knee Sunday, was announced as a "limited" participant in Wednesday's practice.

Dallas Cowboys

Nothing really new or particularly happy to report on the Cowboys' injury front. Receiver Miles Austin, fullback Tony Fiammetta, cornerback Mike Jenkins and backup quarterback Jon Kitna have all been ruled out of Thursday's game against the Dolphins. (The Kitna injury is one reason, certainly, that the Cowboys put in a waiver claim on quarterback Kyle Orton on Wednesday when he was claimed by the Chiefs. The other reason was likely to keep him away from the Bears -- a team with which the Cowboys may end up competing for a playoff spot.) Safety Gerald Sensabaugh and running back Felix Jones are questionable due to their injuries. The Dallas secondary struggled without Jenkins last week, and losing Sensabaugh would make life difficult against Dolphins receiver Brandon Marshall.

Philadelphia Eagles

No practice for quarterback Michael Vick, as Vince Young took all of the first-team reps again and looks likely to make his second straight start Sunday against the Patriots. Andy Reid said in his news conference that Vick had done a little bit of throwing and wouldn't yet rule him out, but that he still feels pain in the area of his broken ribs. Wide receiver DeSean Jackson missed practice with a foot injury, and his status for Sunday is unknown. And wide receiver Jeremy Maclin was a limited practice participant. He's apparently got a Grade 2 shoulder separation and says whether he can play Sunday will come down to how much pain he's in. Not sure on shoulder separations, but I'm betting the pain that comes with them is pretty significant. Maclin also has a hamstring injury that continues to cause him problems. So whoever starts at quarterback for the Eagles on Sunday could be throwing a lot of passes to Riley Cooper and Jason Avant.

» NFC Final Word: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 4:

Dallas must stop the deep ball: According to ESPN's Stats & Information Group, without which Final Word would not be possible, Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford has yet to throw an interception this year on a ball thrown 11 or more yards downfield. He threw 14 of them over the past two seasons. SIG also reports that Stafford overthrew top receiver Calvin Johnson 18 times over the past two years on balls that went 11 or more yards downfield and has only done so once this year in 10 attempts. What's it mean? That Stafford is getting better at throwing deep, especially to Johnson, and that the Cowboys must find a way to defend him deep. Whether that means DeMarcus Ware and the pass rush need to get to Stafford quickly enough to take away deep throws or whether Terence Newman and Mike Jenkins have to make plays in the secondary or both, the Cowboys versus the Lions' deep passing game is a key matchup to watch Sunday.

Who should run the ball for the Redskins?: Tim Hightower is clearly the starter and has done some good things. They particularly like him in the passing game, as a receiver and a blocker. But as a runner, he's been underwhelming so far this season, averaging just 3.5 yards per rushing attempt. Part of the issue is that the Redskins are determined to run the ball 30 times a game even if it's not always working, and so whoever's running it is going to find the going tough at times. But rookie Roy Helu, as Hightower's backup, is averaging 5.7 yards per carry on his 16 carries so far. If he gets into games and shows more burst and speed than Hightower, you'd have to think he's a real threat to start stealing carries, no?

McCoy's toughest test so far: The San Francisco 49ers have excelled so far this year in stopping the run with their defensive front. According to ESPN Stats & Info, the Niners have held opponents to 2.97 yards per carry when using seven or fewer defenders in the box. Now, Eagles running back LeSean McCoy has the second-most rush yards in the league against seven-or-fewer-man fronts, and is averaging 6.39 yards per carry when teams keep seven or fewer in the box. So, something's got to give there.

Eli owns October: Giants quarterback Eli Manning has a career record of 20-4 in the month of October. Among quarterbacks with at least 15 October starts since 1950, only Otto Graham (22-4) has a better record in the month. The key for Manning is always to limit turnovers, and last week's victory in Philadelphia broke a streak of seven straight games in which he'd thrown at least one interception. Over the past three seasons, the Giants are 8-1 in games in which Manning did not turn the ball over via interception or fumble. The last time they lost such a game was Nov. 8, 2009 -- a 21-20 loss to the Chargers in which Manning was sacked five times. When Manning plays a clean game, the Giants win.

Cowboys play 'em close: Each of the Cowboys' past nine games has been decided by three points or less. Dallas is 5-4 in those nine games, including a 2-1 record so far this season. The last game they played that was decided by more than three points? Their Week 11 victory on Nov. 21 of last year, at home against this week's opponent, the Detroit Lions. Shaun Hill and Jon Kitna were the starting quarterbacks in that game, which the Cowboys won 35-19 in spite of being outgained 338-265. If you remember that game, you probably remember it for Bryan McCann's 97-yard punt return touchdown.

It occurs to me that (a) there are about a billion things going on with the Dallas Cowboys today and (b) I haven't posted on them yet. So here you go, with a whole links post dedicated to Cowboys news of the day:

Todd Archer is reporting that Tony Romo had a CT scan to check on how well his punctured lung is healing. Romo did not practice Thursday, but remember, the Cowboys don't play until Monday night, so he gets an extra day to heal and figure all of this stuff out. But the indicators aren't as positive for Romo's Sunday status as they are for, say, the Eagles' Michael Vick. And if there are still questions about the speed with which the puncture in Romo's lung is healing tomorrow and Saturday, it might start to make sense to sit him out a week and roll with Jon Kitna.

For his part, Kitna doesn't expect that to happen.

Whoever plays quarterback will have a hard time finding experienced wideouts to whom to throw the ball. Miles Austin and Dez Bryant also sat out Thursday's practice with injuries. It sounds as if Austin's hamstring will keep him out of the next two games, and while Bryant's thigh injury hasn't worsened since it happened in the Week 1 game against the Jets, it's not getting better either, and Bryant hasn't practiced since that game. It's possible that Kevin Ogletree and Jesse Holley could be the starting wide receivers for the Cowboys on Monday night.

The Cowboys are getting healthier on defense, as starting cornerback Terence Newman looks set for his first game action of the year. That should only help a Rob Ryan defense that has looked a lot better so far than I and many others expected it to look in the early part of the season.

Oh, and the Cowboys don't seem to have too much of an issue with what Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall said about going after Romo's ribs, though Virginia alum Ogletree used it as an opportunity to get in a dig at Hall's school, Virginia Tech.

So there you go. Your Cowboys update for this evening. I hope that gets you up to date

Morning, all. It's Wednesday, which means practices and injury updates and maybe... maybe some news on the banged-up big-name quarterbacks in our fair division. Everybody wants to know who's out and who's playing and who has a chance to beat whom on Sunday and Monday, but the fact is we still don't have all the information we need to make those predictions, and we're just hoping things will start to become clearer today.

What we do have is links.

Dallas Cowboys

Jerry Jones says the key to whether Tony Romo can come back from his cracked rib and punctured lung or not is how much pain he can tolerate. I think that's probably true, as long as the lung thing is fully healed and not at risk of worsening. And as long as the broken ribs aren't a risk to puncture the lung again. So you know. We'll see. At least the Cowboys know they have Jon Kitna as a capable backup. I'm really amazed more teams don't prioritize that.

With Terence Newman finally set to return but Miles Austin hurt and Dez Bryant having just missed Sunday's game with an injury, the Cowboys need receivers more than they need cornerbacks. So it's out with Bryan McCann and in with Laurent Robinson as they continue to work to juggle things the best they can.

New York Giants

Everybody on the Giants saw what happened when Tom Coughlin decided to bench Aaron Ross for a series Monday night, and Ross' veteran teammates now know their job is to help Ross come back stronger from the incident, Antrel Rolle says. The Giants don't have an option after Ross right now, so the key is to make sure he's in the right frame of mind to help and improve.

It sounds as though Osi Umenyiora might begin practicing this week as he works to return from knee surgery, but it does not sound as though he'll be ready to play Sunday in Philadelphia. More likely Week 4, from what The Star-Ledger is reporting.

Philadelphia Eagles

If Michael Vick can't recover from his concussion in time to make the start Sunday against the Giants and Mike Kafka has to replace him, we can expect more short and intermediate throws, based on what Kafka showed Sunday night. Of course, on Monday, Andy Reid said he'd been too conservative with calling plays for Kafka, so Sunday night might not be the best indicator of what we could see from Kafka if he's the guy.

Jarrett Bell writes that the drama surrounding Michael Vick and his health status this week is all part of the trouble with being the kind of quarterback Vick is. The style of play that makes him brilliant is the style that puts him at risk, as we all know. And so even if he is cleared to come back this week, there's no guarantee the same thing won't happen again Sunday.

Washington Redskins

What's that, you say? You're fed up with reading nothing put positive, glowing things about the Redskins and their 2-0 start? Well, here you go. The Washington Times offers some reviews of the Skins' offense's disappointing performance so far in the red zone. Just in case you thought everything was roses.

Jason Reid takes a look at demoted veteran fullback Mike Sellers, whose handling of his diminished playing time is an example of the selfless veteran leadership this Redskins roster has in bunches.

All right. Off to work on this week's All-Division Team, because I know you guys won't accept anything less than perfection on that. Should be up this afternoon.

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FALLING

1. Quarterbacks, like flies. Serious injuries to the Dallas Cowboys' Tony Romo and the Philadelphia Eagles' Michael Vick have called into question the status of each star quarterback for this week's games, potentially leaving those teams in the hands of Jon Kitna and Mike Kafka for key divisional matchups. The ability of the offensive lines in Dallas and Philadelphia to protect their quarterbacks was a question mark going into the season, and whenever they can get back on the field it's going to be important for them to be better protected from hits than they have been so far.

2. Giants' secondary. Sure, they won the game on "Monday Night Football" against the Rams, but the Giants certainly didn't inspire any confidence along the way. Tom Coughlin must be hoping his brief benching of Aaron Ross inspires Ross to play better, because they need more from him. He may be overexposed as a starter, but the Giants don't have a better option, at least until Prince Amukamara is back. And even once that happens, Amukamara will be a rookie who hasn't practiced and has a screw in his foot. Ross has to play like an NFL starter or the Giants will continue to give up yards downfield.

3. Tony Romo bashing. Does any player inspire more extreme opinions than the Cowboys' quarterback? A week ago, everybody was wondering if they'd ever win another game with goofy, clumsy Tony at quarterback. This week, he leads a comeback with broken ribs and he's a super tough guy everybody loves. Surely, this will swing back and forth between these two extremes for the rest of the season and perhaps Romo's career. But step back and look at the overall numbers, and it's easy to calm down and realize the Cowboys have a special talent playing quarterback for them. Sunday only helped prove that again.

RISING

1. Jeremy Maclin. Yeah, sure, he dropped the pass that would have extended the game late and given the Eagles a chance to win. But it also would have been his 14th catch of the game, and he had 171 receiving yards. After a quiet Week 1 that followed all of the health concerns he had in the offseason, people wondered if Maclin could be the impact guy the Eagles needed him to be in the passing game. But he clearly answered those questions with a dazzling Sunday night performance.

2. Rex Grossman and the Redskins' offense. One week can be a fluke. Two weeks gets your attention. And yeah, it was against a weak Arizona defense, but what jumps out at me is the efficiency with which the Redskins' offense runs. Grossman is spreading it around to six, seven, eight different receivers. They have depth at running back to support Tim Hightower if he wears down, as he did after a heavy first-half workload Sunday. And everybody seems invested in making the thing work with no egos. The schedule remains pretty soft for the Redskins for much of the year, and if Grossman can stay away from mistakes (or keep his head and recover from them as well as he did Sunday), this offense could be one of the surprises of the league.

3. Dan Bailey. The Cowboys' rookie kicker had a rough start to the game, missing a 21-yard field goal attempt. But he hit the big one at the end of regulation to tie it and the chip shot to win it in overtime. Anything that helps the Cowboys' confidence in their kicking game is a good thing for Dallas, especially as it looks as if they could be playing these heart-stopping affairs all year -- or at least until they're fully healthy, whenever that may be.

It's getting to the point where I'm worried I'm going to injure my knee just by writing about these teams. Every day, a new knee injury in this division. Wednesday brought two, both in Dallas. Fact, I'm going to go put a brace on before I finish writing today's links, just in case...

Dallas Cowboys

Cornerback Mike Jenkins and rookie right tackle Tyron Smith both suffered hyperextended knees in practice Wednesday, calling the status of both players into question for Sunday night's season opener against the Jets in New Jersey. Reports earlier in the day indicated that Smith could be out 2-to-4 weeks, but Calvin Watkins is saying now it's possible the injury wasn't as serious as originally thought and that Jenkins and Smith could practice Thursday. That'd be good news for the Cowboys, but it's also the kind of thing a team wouldn't mind having out there publicly if it were very thin at cornerback and offensive line and was trying to bring in some players to help offset fresh injuries to those positions. Just saying.

Mac Engel has a radical idea, and he says he's serious: Bench Tony Romo for Week 1 because the Jets' defense is so fearsome and the Cowboys are too banged up in too many spots to protect Romo from serious harm. Basically, Mac's saying sacrifice the first game of the season (and maybe Jon Kitna's health) to save the final 15. I can see his point. I just don't think things are that dire. And what kind of precedent would it set? (Hint: Bad one.)

New York Giants

Rookie Greg Jones was the most popular guy in the Giants' locker room when it opened for media access Wednesday. Jones appears to be in line to start at middle linebacker in the wake of the injury to Jonathan Goff. He says he's ready, his teammates express confidence in him and the Giants insist that, while the knee injuries that have wracked their defense this preseason have shaken them up, they believe they have enough depth on the roster to handle them. We'll see. My thought is that Greg Jones may be very talented and a very good middle linebacker someday, but that taking a rookie who had no offseason program and making him your starting middle linebacker four days before the season starts is a recipe for trouble.

Devin Thomas said he's looking forward to playing against the Redskins and Mike Shanahan on Sunday, but that he harbors no ill will toward Shanahan for cutting him last year. Shanahan and Thomas spoke highly of each other Wednesday, with Shanahan saying he believed Thomas had the talent to be a star and Thomas saying the speech Shanahan gave him while cutting him helped inspire him to work harder.

Philadelphia Eagles

High hopes are one thing, and maybe even justified. But John Smallwood writes that the Eagles aren't even the favorites to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl yet. John ranks them behind the two teams playing tonight.

Worried the team may not have enough quarters left in the piggy bank for a DeSean Jackson contract? Don't. Word is, the Eagles are still about $8 million under the salary cap, even after all of their offseason moves. I don't think that counts the new contract Joselio Hanson signed Wednesday, but there's no way he's eating up very much of it. Remarkable work Joe Banner does there in Philly with that cap.

Washington Redskins

Rich Campbell wonders whether this flare-up LaRon Landry had with the team's training staff over the hamstring setback that will keep him out of Sunday's opener represents a trend with the Redskins. Rich cites a list of ill-timed muscle pulls over the past year and says it's something to keep in mind.

Rick Maese checks in to see how John Beck is coping with losing out to Rex Grossman for the Redskins' starting quarterback job. Not surprisingly, Beck is upbeat, positive, optimistic and eager to talk about it. He's also surely smart enough to know that he's likely to get his chance at some point this year if he shows any kind of improvement week-to-week in practice.