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Player trades aren't as common in the NFL as they are in baseball or some other sports, but the Philadelphia Eagles do seem to be a rare exception. As Zach Berman pointed out in this New York Times story from a week and a half ago, since Howie Roseman became GM 27 months ago the Eagles have made more trades involving players (i.e., not just draft picks) than any other team in the league. (They were tied with Seattle at 15 at the time the story was published, and they traded Asante Samuel a few days later).

Now, on the topic of how the Eagles do with these trades, we turn to Sheil Kapadia, who has broken down the return the Eagles have received on two recent high-profile deals -- the ones that sent quarterbacks Donovan McNabb and Kevin Kolb out of town.

As Sheil shows, the picks the Eagles got back from McNabb have netted them safety Nate Allen and linebackers DeMeco Ryans and Casey Matthews. That's two projected 2012 defensive starters and a guy, in Matthews, who will get at least some playing time. Not a bad haul for a player it's now clear was basically done at the time of the deal. Yes, McNabb did beat the Eagles once while with the Redskins in 2010, but he hasn't made a significant contribution since he left Philadelphia.

The Kolb trade brought back cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, and the picks that produced defensive end Vinny Curry and cornerback Brandon Boykin. Rogers-Cromartie is projected to be a starting cornerback for the 2012 Eagles. Boykin could be the nickel corner and a factor in the return game. Curry is likely to factor into the pass-rush rotation. Not a bad return for a quarterback who would have been their backup in 2011 had they kept him.

When you watch the Eagles' defense in 2012, you should get some idea why it's so important to Andy Reid to be deep at the quarterback position. This is why he drafted Nick Foles this year -- in the hopes that he eventually gets something out of him, whether it's actual playing time for the Eagles or something of value in trade. It's about more than just having good backup options behind starter Michael Vick. It's about how much quarterbacks are worth in today's NFL. By trading two of them over the past three offseasons, the Eagles have helped build their 2012 defense.

It is Friday. These are links. That makes them the Friday links.

Dallas Cowboys

Calvin Watkins' mailbag at ESPNDallas.com deals with a number of questions, including whether the Cowboys would pursue free agent running back Cedric Benson to help them in short-yardage situations. Giants fans have also asked about Benson, who didn't like being in a platoon role last year in Cincinnati but seems to have resigned himself to the fact that that's the best he can hope for in 2012. The off-field issues Calvin mentions are going to be a problem for a lot of teams.

Looking for a mid-round possibility to help at center? Cowboys.com raises the possibility of Robert Griffin III's guy, Baylor's Phillip Blake, who'll actually turn 27 during the 2012 season.

New York Giants

GM Jerry Reese says contract extensions for Osi Umenyiora and Victor Cruz are "on his plate," but he said it in such a way as to indicate they're somewhere between the beets and the brussels sprouts while he's way over on the other side locked in on the roast beef and the mashed potatoes. Cruz says in the same story that he won't hold out. Umenyiora says nothing because he's not there. I wouldn't hold my breath if I were either one of those guys.

Michael Boley says he hasn't talked to the team about moving to middle linebacker, though he understands he could have to and he's open to the idea.

Philadelphia Eagles

Eagles GM Howie Roseman says the team is "all in" with Michael Vick at quarterback, which we already knew for this year and obviously (given that they can basically get out of his contract after this year) isn't a certainty beyond this year no matter what anyone says. I think the point here is what Roseman said about how it's hard to find a franchise quarterback after the first round of the draft. If the Eagles do draft a quarterback this year, it's going to be a developmental guy -- not someone they feel strongly will be Vick's eventual replacement.

That said, there are quite a number of quarterbacks in this year's draft, and it's certainly possible that the Eagles will take a mid-round shot on one they think has some potential. If nothing else, maybe you develop a Kevin Kolb-type guy and end up trading him for something useful.

Washington Redskins

Dave Sheinin caught up with Robert Griffin III at the Gatorade Sports Science Institute, where he was getting a crash course in nutrition in advance of the NFL draft and his pro career. If I know Sheinin, he disregarded it all and went out for a steak dinner after. But it was nice of him to file this report on Griffin for us before he did that.

If the Redskins want to use the draft to help add depth at cornerback, they will have options, and John Keim has some names.

After it was announced Monday which teams got compensatory draft picks, the NFL was able to establish its full official 2012 draft order. Here's a look at where the NFC East's teams are picking throughout the draft's seven rounds. Bookmark this baby, because we're going to refer to it a lot over the next month. Heck, print it out so you can bring it to your draft party, if you're into stuff like that. We're here to serve.

Dallas Cowboys (8 picks)


Round 1: Pick 14, overall pick 14

Round 2: Pick 13, overall pick 45

Round 3: Pick 19, overall pick 81

Round 4: Pick 18, overall pick 119

Round 4: Pick 40, overall pick 135 (compensatory -- cannot be traded)

Round 5: Pick 17, overall pick 152

Round 6: Pick 16, overall pick 186

Round 7: Pick 15, overall pick 222

New York Giants (8 picks)


Round 1: Pick 32, overall pick 32

Round 2: Pick 32, overall pick 63

Round 3: Pick 32, overall pick 94

Round 4: Pick 32, overall pick 127

Round 4: Pick 36, overall pick 131 (compensatory, cannot be traded)

Round 5: Pick 32, overall pick 167

Round 6: Pick 32, overall pick 201

Round 7: Pick 32, overall pick 239

Philadelphia Eagles (9 picks)


Round 1: Pick 15, overall pick 15

Round 2: Pick 14, overall pick 46

Round 2: Pick 19, overall pick 51 (from Arizona)

Round 3: Pick 26, overall pick 88 (from Houston)

Round 4: Pick 19, overall pick 114

Round 5: Pick 18, overall pick 153

Round 6: Pick 2, overall pick 172 (from Indianapolis)

Round 6: Pick 25, overall pick 194 (from Denver)

Round 6: Pick 31, overall pick 200 (from New England)

NOTES: The Eagles traded the 13th pick in the third round and the fourth pick in the fourth round to Houston in exchange for the 26th pick in the third round and linebacker DeMeco Ryans. The Eagles had acquired the fourth pick in the fourth round as part of a 2011 draft-day trade with Tampa Bay... The Eagles acquired the 19th pick in the second round from Arizona as part of last year's trade for Kevin Kolb... The Eagles acquired the second pick of the sixth round from the Colts in exchange for the 17th pick in the sixth round and tackle Winston Justice... The Eagles acquired the 25th pick of the sixth round and running back J.J. Arrington from the Broncos in exchange for linebacker Joe Mays in 2010... Also in 2010, the Eagles acquired the 31st pick in the sixth round from the Patriots in exchange for linebacker Tracy White and their 2012 seventh-round pick.

Washington Redskins (7 picks)


Round 1: Pick 2, overall pick 2 (from St. Louis)

Round 3: Pick 6, overall pick 69

Round 4: Pick 7, overall pick 102

Round 4: Pick 14, overall pick 109 (from Oakland)

Round 5: Pick 6, overall pick 141

Round 6: Pick 3, overall pick 173 (from Minnesota)

Round 7: Pick 6, overall pick 213

NOTES: The Redskins acquired the No. 2 pick in the first round from the Rams in exchange for the No. 6 pick in the first round, the No. 7 pick in the second round and first-round picks in 2013 and 2014... The Redskins acquired the 14th pick in the fourth round from the Raiders in exchange for quarterback Jason Campbell in 2010... The Redskins acquired the third pick in the sixth round from the Vikings in exchange for quarterback Donovan McNabb in 2011... The Redskins traded the seventh pick in the sixth round to Arizona in exchange for running back Tim Hightower in 2011.

All that's been on anyone's mind this week is free agency and college basketball. We'll skip the hoops questions in this week's mailbag and try and stick to that first thing. If you don't mind.

Barry from DC is concerned that he hasn't heard more about the Washington Redskins trying to sign offensive linemen.

Dan Graziano: Clearly, Barry, wide receiver was their first priority (after quarterback, of course, which is fixed through the draft). Then they got to work on the secondary. But I agree with you that right tackle and left guard remain areas of concern. Reports out of Washington say they had tackle Demetrius Bell in for a visit Friday, and everything I'm told indicates they're interested in tackle Eric Winston (though he spent a lot of time with the Chiefs this week). They weren't in the mix seriously for Carl Nicks or Ben Grubbs at guard. They may not land any big O-line names, but I know they're looking to add, and they're targeting guys they think can work well in their zone-blocking run game schemes.

Like a lot of people, Jason from Bryn Mawr, PA gives the Dallas Cowboys a lot of credit for the moves they've made so far in free agency. He wonders if the focused, targeted approach they're taking reflects coach Jason Garrett's influence on personnel decisions.

DG: I do, Jason. I think you saw that begin last year, when the Cowboys cut players like Roy Williams and Marion Barber in order to go with more sensible options. I think you saw it this year with the overhaul of the coaching staff that got rid of some long-timers and replaced them with fresh faces. I believe Jerry Jones really wants Garrett to succeed and is willing to let him run the team his way, and I believe that means Garrett has a great deal of say in the kinds of players the team is pursuing. Things are making more sense in Dallas than Jones' old reputation usually leads people to believe they are.

George from Lexington, VA is watching the New York Giants sign free agents "to modest contracts so that they can fill specific roles in their system" and asks whether their approach is at all similar to the Billy Beane Oakland A's model that inspired the book and movie "Moneyball."

DG: I think it's an imperfect comparison, George. "Moneyball" is the story of a low-revenue team trying to find a way to compete in a game that has no salary cap and was at the time heavily tilted in favor of the high-revenue teams. The NFL's salary cap eliminates this problem by effectively eliminating the concept of low-revenue teams. All NFL teams are rolling in money, and those that don't spend as much as the others do so by choice. The Giants have been right up against the cap the last two years as a result of some big contracts that would make Billy Beane pass out, so part of the reason they haven't made big free-agent moves is because they're unable to. But I think the main reason the Giants are so comfortable with their simple moves is their belief in their coaching staff and the veteran-inspired environment in their locker room. They really believe they can find most of their solutions internally, because they believe their program develops prospects into good players. And they've been proven right a lot in recent years.

Now, when I do the mailbag, I like to make sure all four teams are represented. But man, was it hard to find a Philadelphia Eagles question this week. I scrolled back and scrolled back through Redskins question after Redskins question, and the first Eagles questions I found were from March 11! Thomas Hanson from D.C. asking if the Eagles would bring back Kevin Kolb as Michael Vick's backup if the Cardinals let Kolb go and gwh from Downingtown, PA asking if Donovan McNabb would be open to coming back as Vick's backup and if the Eagles would consider that.

DG: Obviously, since these questions came in, Arizona has decided to stick with Kolb, so that's out. And I guess, if there is an NFL team out there that would consider giving McNabb a job (and we have no proof that there is at this point), the Eagles would be a leading candidate. I thought the two best backup quarterback options were Jason Campbell and Kyle Orton, but they got snatched up right away by the Bears and Cowboys. The Eagles make that position a priority, as you know, and they're surely looking around for better options than Mike Kafka and Trent Edwards. But the list of the remaining candidates isn't awe-inspiring. David Garrard may be the best of a bunch that includes Rex Grossman, Shaun Hill, Jake Delhomme, Dennis Dixon and old friend Jeff Garcia.

Anyway, Eagles fans, come on! Where are the questions?

By now you know we have this thing we do every week called the 411 video. It's where I and my fellow ESPN.com NFL division bloggers, through the magic of Skype, go around the league and let you know what's on our minds about the goings-on in our divisions. This week's NFC edition is up now, and if you click on that video up there you can watch and listen to Kevin Seifert on the way the Vikings played the final minutes of their game Sunday, Mike Sando on the improvement Kevin Kolb showed last week, Pat Yasinskas on the need for the Falcons' run game to have a big day and yours truly on what DeMarcus Ware's teammates think is so special about him.

Enjoy it. A couple of weeks back when I ran this, somebody in the comments said, "They look like a bunch of nerds sitting around their houses talking football." To which I reply: "And?"

Friday links need no introduction.

New York Giants

Justin Tuck's a little bummed out about the way his season's going. The good news is that he's a great player who has time to turn it around. He does seem to finally be healthy now. My guess is that, one of these weeks, we'll see the dominating fellow we've seen in the past.

It sounds as though there's a real chance rookie cornerback Prince Amukamara will make his NFL debut Sunday. He practiced on Thursday for the first time since breaking his foot in training camp and says he doesn't imagine they'd waste practice reps on a guy who might not play. As for Ahmad Bradshaw, he's not playing Sunday but seems to think he might be able to return the following Monday in New Orleans. Though Bradshaw's quote, "I'm comfortable enough to say I'm gonna try to go next week," brought to mind the episode in which Marge Simpson asked Bart to try and behave and Bart said, "I can't promise I'll try, but I'll try to try."

Dallas Cowboys

That idea about Felix Jones returning kicks once he's healthy again looks like it's got some legs. Jones was returning kicks in practice Thursday.

Terence Newman is having a great year at cornerback for the Cowboys, finally healthy and showing the playmaking ability the Dallas coaching staff always believed he had. He just doesn't like to talk about it.

Philadelphia Eagles

Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg isn't buying Kevin Kolb's claims that he was calling out plays to the Arizona defense because he knew the tendencies of the Eagles' offense. Mornhinweg thinks it's just Kolb, who wasn't healthy enough to play against his former team, wanting to claim he was part of the victory. I'm inclined to believe Mornhinweg here.

John Smallwood searched the Eagles' locker room trying to find the player who's likely to step forward and demand that his teammates exhibit some professional pride and effort the rest of the way in a lost season. He doesn't seem to have been able to find one, and he thinks this is telling. I'm inclined to agree with Smallwood, too.

Washington Redskins

A zone-blocking run scheme needs cohesion to be effective. It needs the linemen and the running backs and anyone else (tight ends, receivers) who might be involved in blocking to be totally in sync. To communicate efficiently. To know and anticipate each other's movements. The Redskins had that earlier this year when a healthy Tim Hightower was running behind a healthy line and with healthy tight ends and receivers helping out. Due to the injuries and personnel shifts at almost all of those positions, as Rich Campbell writes, the Redskins' run game does not have that right now.

Rick Maese has a look at the decision to make Perry Riley a starting linebacker and the way Riley is handling the opportunity. If he's following London Fletcher everywhere he goes, he's a smart young man. Riley, I mean, not Maese. Maese is one of those things. Smart, I think.

Thursday's links reach beyond pro football into the college ranks and the story everyone, everywhere is talking about.

New York Giants

Penn State alumni around the league were peppered with questions Wednesday about the sorry situation at their alma mater. The Giants' Nittany Lion is Kareem McKenzie, who played for Joe Paterno and Jerry Sandusky and called the situation "sad and sorrowful" while stopping short of condemning Paterno for whatever role he had in it. Guys like McKenzie actually know the people involved, so they're coming at it from a different perspective, I understand. But as a father of two young sons, I can't comment on this story rationally. I just wanted everybody out.

Mike Garafolo writes the Giants' 6-2 start has vindicated Jerry Reese, who was blistered by criticism for his inaction in the offseason. I love Mike like an overly caffeinated kid brother, but I don't agree. I'm not sure we're supposed to laud a guy whose plan was "Don't do anything" just because it's worked out so far over half a season. Kind of feel like any one of us could have come up with that plan and executed it the exact same way.

Dallas Cowboys

Sean Lee is the Cowboys' Penn State rep, and he's expressing what a lot of Penn State alumni feel right now -- shame and sadness, because this is not what the school in which they all take so much pride is supposed to be about. Lee said he hopes justice is done, and I think we all agree with him there. The issue seems to be what, exactly, constitutes justice at this point. Again, for me, pretty cut and dried. Anyone involved just had to go.

A couple of people have asked whether the Cowboys should get an offensive coordinator to ease some of the burden on head coach Jason Garrett, who's still the offensive coordinator but new at the head-coach part of it. It's not a terrible idea, but it's apparently not the way Jerry Jones wants it, and Garrett says he's fine with that.

Philadelphia Eagles

As much as Kevin Kolb would love to play against the Eagles on Sunday, his foot injury is likely to keep him out of the game, and the Eagles are preparing for the Cardinals under the assumption that they'll see John Skelton at quarterback. Eagles cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who the Cardinals traded to the Eagles for Kolb in the offseason, says he always liked Skelton anyway and didn't think the Cardinals needed to make the deal for Kolb.

Jeff McLane looks at the ways in which defenses have been able to limit and contain DeSean Jackson this year -- and the ways in which that in turn may limit or contain his ability to get the contract he seeks.

Washington Redskins

Rich Campbell's film review of the Redskins' offense in Sunday's loss to San Francisco is in-depth and fascinating, but it's not for the faint of heart. The Redskins' offense is not in a good place right now. On John Beck in particular, Rich said watching the game back showed him that Beck has work to do in terms of decisiveness and speed of release. He definitely looked jittery on almost every play Sunday. Beck, I mean, not Rich. Rich is the picture of calm on game days.

Amy Shipley writes that Sunday's Dolphins-Redskins game is a matchup of two teams who know the pain of not having a franchise quarterback. But Dan, that's really a Dolphins story, so why'd you link to it? Well, Voice of the Reader, everybody keeps asking about who the Redskins will get to play quarterback next offseason, and I think it's worth noting the competition they'll have in that market. So there. Wow, really good answer, Dan. I didn't think of that. You're super-smart. Thanks for always keeping us so informed and entertained every day. You're welcome.

Each week my NFC blog colleagues and I engage in a little something we like to call the "NFC 411" -- a video project where we go around the conference and each pick one thing we're looking for in this weekend's games. I think they do it in the AFC, too, but who pays attention to that, right?

Anyway, this week's NFC 411 video is here, and if you click on it you can see and hear Kevin Seifert previewing Packers-Vikings, Mike Sando discussing Kevin Kolb's chances for a breakout against the Steelers and Pat Yasinskas talking about why coaches are calling Detroit "the Seattle of the Midwest." (Personally, I always thought Seattle had much better restaurants.)

Me? Oh you know what I talked about. I talked about John Beck. What else is there?

As you get ready for Sunday's game against the Cardinals in Arizona, here's one reason for New York Giants fans to feel good and one reason for concern:

Feeling good: Osi was on the plane

Injured defensive ends Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck both made the trip to Arizona on Saturday with the team, which is a strong sign that the Giants are at least optimistic that they'll play. We're a few hours away from knowing for sure, but if both are active, it can only strengthen a Giants pass rush that has been a critical part of the team's 2-1 start. Umenyiora has yet to play this season following knee surgery he had in August, and Tuck has been limited with a neck injury. But second-year man Jason Pierre-Paul has five sacks already, and a rotation that includes all three of them would serve to keep everyone fresh and make that pass rush even more fearsome against an Arizona offensive line that doesn't offer quarterback Kevin Kolb much in the way of protection.

Cause for concern: Larry Fitzgerald

The Cardinals' star wideout is a mismatch for anyone the Giants try to use to cover him in their secondary. As well as cornerbacks Corey Webster and Aaron Ross have played, they haven't faced anything close to the threat Fitzgerald poses with his size, strength, speed and instincts. They know Kolb will look Fitzgerald's way often, and they're certain to use lots of safety help in coverage against him. But assuming the Cardinals can generate enough in the run game to keep the Giants from pressuring Kolb on every single play, it's a sure thing he'll find Fitzgerald at some point for the kind of big play the Giants didn't give up last week against the Eagles. The key will be trying to limit those big plays and the damage they cause -- no easy task.

Larry Fitzgerald and Antrel Rolle were teammates for years with the Arizona Cardinals, so Fitzgerald is looking forward to seeing Rolle on Sunday when Rolle and the New York Giants head to Arizona for their Week 4 game. Whether the Giants are looking forward to seeing Fitzgerald is another story. As one of the elite wide receivers in the league and the clear No. 1 target for Arizona quarterback Kevin Kolb, Fitzgerald looms as perhaps the most important person on the field for the Giants to stop if they want to come out of this game 3-1.

Stopping him is easier said than done, but with Rolle, Kenny Phillips and veteran Deon Grant at safety, the Giants have enough depth there to give them a puncher's chance. As Mike Garafolo points out in that link up there, the only way teams seem to have a chance against Fitzgerald is to use bracket coverage against him, doubling him with a cornerback and a safety on pretty much every play.

Fitzgerald is 6-foot-3, which gives him a three-inch height advantage on each of the Giants' starting cornerbacks, Corey Webster and Aaron Ross. The Giants would be wise to assign Webster to him for a couple of reasons. First, Webster has the leaping ability to at least compete with Fitzgerald and give him a chance to help make up for the height differential. And second, Ross is still finding his way as a starter in place of the injured Terrell Thomas. Ross had a rough game in Week 2 against the Rams but played well in Week 3 against the Eagles, and it would probably make more sense to keep him on other Cardinals receivers and help him continue to build confidence.

But even if they assign Webster to Fitzgerald, he's going to need help, and that's where one of the Giants' defensive strengths comes in. Their depth at the safety position, and their ability and willingness to put three safeties on the field when they go down to two linebackers on passing downs, should enable defensive coordinator Perry Fewell to constantly have a safety help out Webster over the top against Fitzgerald. There's no guarantee it will work, of course. Fitzgerald wouldn't have fashioned the career he has so far if he weren't able to beat double-teams. But unlike a lot of teams, the Giants have a lot of options and flexibility when it comes to making those double-teams as strong as possible. Phillips, Rolle and Grant are as solid a group of safeties as there is in the league.

LANDOVER, Md. -- The play that could have broken the spirit of the Washington Redskins' defense happened with 11:09 left in Sunday's game. Linebacker London Fletcher was just a quarter of a second too late in getting to Cardinals quarterback Kevin Kolb, who found Larry Fitzgerald deep down the right side of the field for a 73-yard touchdown that stretched Arizona's lead to eight points. After a day of missed opportunities, a game in which they'd dominated time of possession and should have had things well in hand, the Redskins were staring at the strong possibility that they'd let one get away.

"There was no panic on our sidelines," Fletcher said after a 22-21 victory that pushed the Redskins two games over .500 for the first time since 2008. "We were disappointed to give up the touchdown, of course, but I was really stressing to the guys that there was a lot of football left to be played."

The Redskins still had a lot going for them. They knew they'd been stopping the Cardinals pretty much all day. Their offense was marching down the field behind Rex Grossman and Roy Helu for a touchdown drive. And perhaps just as important as either of those two things, they had Fletcher, their inspirational leader, urging them on, as he always does.

"He's obviously still got a lot left in his tank," Redskins nose tackle Barry Cofield said. "If a guy who's played as long as he has can still be that fired up and that hungry, it makes you feel bad if you can't be that same way yourself."

There were some who predicted that the Redskins would play this whole season and not win any more games than the two they've already won. Those who did so ignored the improvements Washington made on defense, the benefits the returning players would draw from the season they spent in Jim Haslett's 3-4 defense in 2010, and the veteran leadership the Redskins have on that side of the ball. Fletcher was all over the field Sunday, making five tackles, hitting Kolb twice and collecting an interception. He blitzed out of the Redskins' shifting, confusing defensive fronts as if he'd been playing in them his whole career. The Redskins' linebackers were the stars of the defensive show as the banged-up secondary kept losing players to injury, and Fletcher led them.

"He's the captain of our ship," said reserve cornerback Byron Westbrook, who forced the Chansi Stuckey fumble that sealed the game for Washington in the final minute. "He's vocal. He has a lot of passion. He's always positive and upbeat. Guys want to follow a leader like that."

It was Fletcher who organized those Redskins player workouts during the lockout, scribbling down plays he remembered Haslett running (or trying to run) last season and keeping them on a piece of paper tucked into his back pocket so he could make sure those workouts were directed and productive. It was Fletcher who set the attacking tone the Redskins wanted to set against Kolb and the Cardinals Sunday -- a plan that resulted in three sacks. It was Fletcher who made sure, once the Cardinals started to have success running the ball and then hit that monster pass play, that no one got discouraged.

"When he sees guys in the huddle with their heads down, he's always bringing them back up," linebacker Brian Orakpo said. "That's what I really respect about him. He's always the same."

The great leaders are, and Fletcher-as-leader is a bit of a secret weapon for the Redskins, who aren't as surprised as you are that they're 2-0, by the way.

"We really don't get caught up in what's said about us outside our locker room," Fletcher said, affably, not angrily. "What matters is the way we feel about ourselves."

And in case you're wondering how they feel about themselves ...

"There's just a belief on this team that we're going to win," defensive end Adam Carriker said. "We honestly believe we have one of the best defenses. We believe we're going to win. We believe we're good. And when teams have that belief, they're not going to fold."

And so it was that the Redskins, after Grossman went down the field and cut the lead to two points with a touchdown to Santana Moss, went out and got the three-and-out that put the ball back in their offense's hands. And Westbrook, pressed into service thanks to an injury to starting cornerback Josh Wilson, jumped up from the back end of the depth chart to make the game-clinching play.

"Our young guys, they have resolve," Fletcher said. "And they study."

They probably do so because of the example Fletcher and the other defensive veterans on the Redskins set. And while that may not be the kind of thing that shows up in statistical projections, the belief and confidence it inspires can be hugely valuable to a team, like this one, that's growing and figuring out what it's going to be.

"We know we have a long way to go," Fletcher said. "But the thing we can be happy about is the character of the football team."

He probably won't, but Fletcher should take a bow for that.

By now, you've undoubtedly heard/seen/noticed that ESPN The Magazine did its NFL season preview with a Michael Vick theme. One of the better stories associated with that is a first-person account by Andy Reid of the decision to sign Vick upon his release from prison. Reid describes it as a strongly personal decision that had its roots in his own experience of visiting his sons in prison. He said he spoke to one of his sons before making the decision and got some good advice on what he needed to hear from Vick before deciding to sign him.

I talked to Michael, and I tried to be as specific as I could. Going to visit my sons in prison, I learned that those guys go through three phases when they're incarcerated. They think, "It's everybody else's fault." Then they admit, "It's my fault." The most important phase, if they get there, is, "It's my fault, and I will do absolutely everything I possibly can not to come back here." I came out of the conversation with Michael feeling that he had reached that level.

There's plenty more, of course, including good stuff on the relationships Vick developed with Donovan McNabb and Kevin Kolb while serving in a backup quarterback role with the Eagles in 2009 and 2010. It paints the picture of Vick as a guy who understood very early that he needed to take very specific steps to make his way back into NFL society and was willing to take them very effectively and at a very patient pace.

In this very good GQ story on Michael Vick by Will Leitch, one paragraph in particular is raising NFL eyebrows this morning, and it is this one:

"I think I can say this now, because it's not going to hurt anybody's feelings, and it's the truth," Vick tells me a few weeks after the commencement ceremony. "I didn't want to come to Philadelphia. Being the third-team quarterback is nothing to smile about. Cincinnati and Buffalo were better options." Those two teams wanted him and would've allowed him to start, but after meeting with commissioner Roger Goodell and other reps from the NFL, Vick was convinced -- and granted league approval -- to sign with Philly. "And I commend and thank them, because they put me in the right situation."

The immediate question is whether Goodell had any business influencing where Vick signed once he got out of prison, and some have raised the issue of whether the Bengals or Bills will or should be upset about this. I see the point but have some issues with that interpretation.

First, I don't buy that the Bengals would have started Vick ahead of Carson Palmer in 2009, fresh out of prison. I may buy that the Bills would have done it, since they were going with Trent Edwards and eventually Ryan Fitzpatrick, but to say he was a starting option even for a team as quarterback-desperate as Buffalo is revisionist history.

Vick had just gone two full seasons without playing football. No one knew what kind of shape he was in, physically or mentally. If a team -- even the Bills -- was going to sign him, it's impossible to believe they were going to anoint him their starting quarterback right out of the gate. It's easy to look back over the way Vick played last year and say sure, of course he'd have been worlds better than those other options. But in August 2009, nobody knew he'd come back and be what he's become. Not the Bengals, not the Bills, not the Eagles, not Vick and not Goodell.

Goodell's mission at that time was not to return Vick to on-field football glory but simply to return him to NFL society and allow him to resume his career in the situation that would best enable him to be a productive member of that society on and off the field. Goodell had a lot of help in this effort, from agent Joel Segal to NFLPA chief DeMaurice Smith to former Colts coach Tony Dungy, who served as a mentor to Vick during and after Vick's prison stay.

Now, to Goodell and all of those other people, the Eagles looked like the best spot for a number of reasons. They all believed coach Andy Reid, in part because of his own personal experience with his sons and their legal trouble, would be a compassionate mentor. They believed that Reid and his coaches could nurture and coach Vick while Vick served as backup to Donovan McNabb. They believed McNabb would be a good mentor for Vick.

Goodell said more than once, at that time, that he was looking for "a success story." And he didn't mean success in terms of yards or touchdown passes. And he certainly didn't mean success for any one particular NFL team. He meant success for Michael Vick -- and that meant putting Vick in the most beneficial situation for Michael Vick. The idea that the commissioner might have been playing favorites, or that other teams should be upset that he may have steered this remarkable athletic talent to a training camp other than theirs, is fueled by nothing other than hindsight. At the time, no one knew if Vick had it in him to ever complete another NFL pass. Even the Eagles didn't know. They just took a chance -- a chance for which they were ridiculed and criticized by many at the time -- and coached him into a better quarterback than he'd ever been before without ever thinking he'd start for them. Remember, a year ago, Vick was Kevin Kolb's backup.

To think that Vick would have become what he's become while riding the bench behind Palmer or even while starting games for Buffalo is to underestimate the work the Eagles did with him once they got their hands on him. If this is going to be a controversy, people had better come at it with all of the facts. Sure, it's possible Goodell wanted Vick in Philadelphia. But if he did, it had nothing to do with wanting to help the Eagles. They did that on their own.

Every day is different, for everybody and every team. And so, at the end of a crazy day tracking, dissecting and analyzing all the moves being made and not being made in the NFC East, we like to pause and ask each team a simple question: How was your day ...

Dallas Cowboys?

"Fiscally responsible." Yeah, that's not a real exciting answer. And as pretty much every one of their fans will tell you, the Cowboys haven't had a real exciting week. But while Jerry Jones surely would love to be slugging it out for Nnamdi Asomugha and the other top free agents, the fact is the Cowboys had to start this offseason slowly. On Thursday, they added Marc Colombo to the list of cuts that will trim more than $19 million in payroll and help get them under the cap. They agreed to terms with left guard Kyle Kosier one day after bringing back left tackle Doug Free. They signed first-round pick and projected starting right tackle Tyron Smith and then immediately let linebacker DeMarcus Ware go to work on him in his first training-camp practice. But they did nothing to address their holes on defense, and in fact they lost one of their free-agent defensive ends, Stephen Bowen, to the Redskins. But that loss could be a gain. Bowen got a surprisingly huge deal (five years, $27.5 million, $12.5 million guaranteed), and the Cowboys don't believe he was worth that much. That deal actually could help them get the defensive end they want, the Packers' Cullen Jenkins, who had been talking to the Redskins but no longer is. The Cowboys still need two safeties, two defensive ends and maybe another offensive lineman. But they'll get them. Fans just need to be patient. This might not be the most exciting Cowboys offseason ever, but it will surely be more productive than it's been so far. They are crawling before they walk.

New York Giants?

"Newsy." The Giants are still working and waiting on the resolution of their negotiations with Ahmad Bradshaw, Kevin Boss and Steve Smith, but they did knock out a new deal for Mathias Kiwanuka on Thursday. And Bradshaw lost a lot of his leverage when the Dolphins, with whom he and his agent had been playing kissy-face, acquired Reggie Bush, so the Giants should be able to get him at something closer to their price. But this day for the Giants was more about people talking -- John Mara talking about Plaxico Burress and Osi Umenyiora, the team talking to David Diehl about moving from tackle to guard and to Will Beatty about starting at left tackle, Rich Seubert and Shaun O'Hara talking about being cut ... lots of talking. There was even a report that the Giants were talking to Brad Maynard about coming in to replace shaky punter Matt Dodge. The talking -- at least to the free agents -- will soon lead to results one way or the other. But there was no shortage of interesting storylines coming out of Giantsland on Thursday.

Philadelphia Eagles?

"Cathartic." Yeah, they finally got that Kevin Kolb deal done. Felt like it took forever, right? Well, that's only because of that little lockout thing we no longer like to talk about. The end result is that the Eagles have their starting right cornerback in Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and a second-round pick next year and will need to go find a veteran backup for Michael Vick, which won't be too hard. They also agreed to terms on a five-year contract with defensive end Jason Babin, who was much better last season with the Titans than he was in his first stint as an Eagle. But he should be OK since he'll be working with former Titans defensive line coach Jim Washburn, who's now in Philly. They still need to address linebacker and backup running back and maybe offensive line, but the actual moves they got to do Thursday will help, and at least they provided some distraction from this very icky DeSean Jackson holdout situation.

Washington Redskins?

"Productive." I'm sorry. I don't think they'll contend in 2011, but I really like what the Redskins are doing. Sure, they overpaid for Bowen. But as someone pointed out to me on my extremely active Twitter day, the Redskins (A) have the money and (B) sort of have to overpay right now to get guys to go there, right? Like cornerback Josh Wilson, Bowen is a guy who is young and still emerging, and the Redskins are making a bet that he'll be better in the short-term future than he is now. They are a future-focused team and should be, and their moves have reflected that. Another example: They cut veteran center Casey Rabach and reportedly agreed to terms with Chris Chester, who can replace Rabach at center or play guard if Will Montgomery or Kory Lichtensteiger does. Still need a right tackle, but the defense starts to look pretty doggone respectable with the additions of Wilson, Bowen and Barry Cofield. Oh, and I almost forget. They dumped Albert Haynesworth on an AFC team before the sun came up. That alone would have made it a decent day for Mike Shanahan no matter what else happened.

Me? Man. My day was kind of nuts. Did some more TV and a whole lot of Twitter conversating with y'all. Enjoyed every single bit of it and can't wait for tomorrow.

How was your day?

This is an idea I feel like I've been writing about for months. And now that the Eagles have traded Kevin Kolb and the Titans have cut Vince Young, there's no reason for it not to happen. The Eagles should sign Young to be Michael Vick's backup quarterback. It makes all kinds of sense both ways.

Adam Schefter's on board, and reports that Young has been eyeing the Eagles as a potential destination. He'd be smart to jump if they're interested, and they'd be smart to grab him if he's interested in them.

There's no starting quarterback job out there for Young right now that I can see. Maybe the Dolphins, if the Kyle Orton deal really does fall all the way apart. But that's a big "if" and a long shot, and unless it happens I think everybody else has their starter. Young could wait around to see if a training-camp injury opens up a starting job, but in a league whose coaches and executives think very highly of Jeff Fisher and don't enjoy courting potential headaches, Young might not even be the first choice of a team who loses its quarterback in camp and needs a starter.

And even if he were, the Eagles and their backup role might be closer to what Young needs at this point in his career than the spotlight and pressures that go along with a starting quarterback's job. Young is clearly a talented player and leader. His college national championship and his 30-18 career record as an NFL starter attest to that. But the falling-out he had with Fisher in Tennessee last year showed that there are still maturity lessons he needs to learn before he can make the transformation into reliable, long-term NFL star quarterback. Those lessons are learnable, and Young is not too dense to learn them. But he needs to be in a place where learning his remaining lessons is more important than having to go out and win a game every Sunday.

The Eagles have shown the ability to coach a quarterback to greatness from a backup role. In Philadelphia, Young is likely to find coaches who know how to get through to him -- to identify what remains to be fixed about his game or his attitude or whatever it is that isn't all the way there yet, and to put him in a better position to succeed. The recent example of Vick shows that the Eagles' coaches don't even care whether that success comes in Philadelphia or not. Yes, with Vick, it has. But while they were coaching Vick in the backup role in 2009, the Eagles' coaching staff weren't doing it with the belief that he'd soon be their starter. They were trying to help a guy who needed help get better, and they did it. They could do the same for Young, and he'd be wise to realize that.

The move would be a good one for the Eagles, too. With Kolb gone, they no longer have a backup quarterback they know can step in, if Vick goes down, and win them a game. They like Mike Kafka, but he's not there yet. Young has won a lot of NFL games, and with the skill-position talent the Eagles have, he could surely step in and give them a better-than-average chance if they lost Vick for a quarter or a half or a game or two.

If it happens, and all goes well, the Eagles a year from now could find themselves in a position similar to the one they were in this week -- able to trade a backup quarterback for a starting quarterback price because they don't need him and another team desperately does.

Young to the Eagles is a move that makes sense for both sides, and I don't see any reason it shouldn't happen.