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And we're back. Another Tuesday on the NFC East blog, which means I need to stretch my chat muscles so I don't pull anything. Let's get right to the links.

Dallas Cowboys

I wrote Monday about Mike Jenkins staying away from OTAs and assumed he was doing that to make some sort of statement. I was right, as it came out later in the day that he wants to be traded. As Tim MacMahon says, good luck with that, Mike. This isn't like the Asante Samuel situation in Philadelphia, where the Eagles just wanted to dump Samuel's salary and took a seventh-round pick for him. The Cowboys can still use Jenkins, even if he is now the No. 3 corner behind Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne. And given his health issues of the past year and where we are on the 2012 calendar (i.e., after the end of the draft), it's impossible to imagine any team offering them enough to make it worth their while to trade him.

In the ongoing quest to say sillier and sillier things about Tony Romo, the latest apparently is that the Cowboys don't go to the Super Bowl because Romo is not enough like Michael Young, which I guess means he needs to get on base more.

New York Giants

On the topic of Giants players "under pressure" in 2012 -- a topic we discussed here on the blog last week -- Ed Valentine picks wide receiver Ramses Barden, for whom opportunity looms large. Barden will have to hold off Domenik Hixon, Jerrel Jernigan and second-round pick Rueben Randle if he wants that No. 3 wide receiver spot created by the free-agent departure of Mario Manningham. The Giants drafted him thinking he had the tools to do it. The question now is whether he can stay healthy enough and play well enough to take advantage of his chance.

Tom Coughlin is still big in Jacksonville, where he coached the Jaguars before coaching the Giants and where he still holds his annual charity golf tournament. While in town for that, he once again answered questions about his possible retirement by saying it's not even something he's remotely considering.

Philadelphia Eagles

You can blame Juan Castillo and the defense all you like, but the Eagles' coaching staff thinks the biggest problem last year was their 38 turnovers (second most in the league), and they're determined to work with Michael Vick to cut that number down in 2012. Reading this, it sounds as though part of the problem is getting Vick to understand that there is one.

Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg talked about the fine line between leaning on the franchise running back to whom the Eagles just gave a five-year contract and overworking him. LeSean McCoy will only be 28 years old at the end of his new deal, and the Eagles surely can get five good years out of him even if they don't worry about limiting his touches. It will be interesting to see which way they lean.

Washington Redskins

You have to pay attention when you stand on an NFL sideline during practice, and Redskins coach Mike Shanahan unfortunately was looking at the wrong set of drills Monday when a couple of his players slammed into him and knocked him to the ground. "A little woozy" seemed to be the diagnosis, as Shanahan's "toughness" after his knockdown impressed some of his players. Sheesh. It's only the first day of OTAs and already the coach is down. Take it a little slower down there, fellas.

In spite of all he's done as a Redskin, Chris Cooley knows he's in a position this offseason of having to show something. Specifically, he needs to show he's healthy enough to play effectively in a two-tight end formation with Fred Davis. The reports after the first day of OTA practices were encouraging on Cooley.

No, relax, this does not mean Michael Vick is in trouble. The Philadelphia Eagles are committed to Vick as their quarterback for 2012, and their hope is that he and the team play well enough that they can comfortably remain committed to him for 2013 and beyond. But Vick is turning 32 in June. And he does have a habit of missing games with injuries. And his current backups are Mike Kafka and Trent Edwards.

Fundamentally, though, this is a pick about Eagles coach Andy Reid and the way he feels about the quarterback position. Reid does not believe there's such a thing as being too deep at that position. He also believes that he and offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg can develop quarterbacks and get the best out of them. So here comes Nick Foles, who may someday be Vick's replacement or may be a better 2012 backup than either of those other two guys or may someday be a guy they can trade for something of value because quarterback is so important a position in the NFL.

Foles is a 6-foot-5, 243-pound monster with the physical tools to develop into a very good NFL quarterback. He's also a polished thrower with a strong arm who has a reputation for handling pressure well. It's entirely possible that, after a full offseason program and training camp, Foles will be a more appealing backup quarterback option than Kafka, even though Kafka has been in the Eagles' program for a number of years now.

Again, it's a hedge on the future and the present, an infusion of depth at the most important position on the roster. The Eagles used their first three picks of this draft to improve their defense, and while quarterback wasn't a crying-need pick for them, they are run by a coach who believes you can never have enough at that position. So to no one's surprise, they used one of their Day 2 picks on a quarterback.

In "The Manchurian Candidate," everyone who served with Raymond Shaw has been brainwashed so that whenever they're asked about Shaw (who in truth is a pretty loathsome character) they all get a vacant look in their eyes and recite the same answer: "Raymond Shaw is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I've ever known in my life."

I mention this because, the other day, Eagles GM Howie Roseman was quoted as saying, "We're excited about the future of DeSean Jackson in Philadelphia." And then today, offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg was quoted as saying, "We're excited about the future going forward with DeSean Jackson as a Philadelphia Eagle."

That sure sounds like a couple of guys who got together and decided exactly what they'd say if people started asking them about DeSean Jackson's future in Philadelphia.

Now, it's possible that both of those guys are telling the truth. But since GMs and coaches very rarely tell the truth to the public at this time of the year, you can count me as skeptical. I'm much more intrigued by Adam Schefter's report that the Eagles are open to trade offers for Jackson after they used their franchise player designation on him. I think Adam's report paints a much more realistic picture of the situation than the clearly rehearsed public comments of Roseman and Mornhinweg. But I'm a skeptic, by nature and by trade, so bear that in mind as you digest my opinion on the matter.

There are several possible 2012 resolutions of the Jackson situation:

1. He plays for the Eagles on the one-year franchise tender, which would constitute about a $9 million raise over his 2011 salary. I believe Jackson would be happy and productive in this situation, even though he'd prefer a long-term deal.

2. The Eagles sign Jackson to a long-term deal. I believe this to be unlikely at this point, since Jackson wants to be among the league's highest-paid receivers, and based on the season he just had there's no incentive for the Eagles to make him that.

3. The Eagles trade Jackson after they franchise him, to a team that's in love with his talent and not as familiar as the Eagles are with the warts. I still consider this the most likely scenario, but given the way the free-agent market is likely to be saturated with receivers, I don't think you can rule out No. 1. They won't trade him for nothing.

Tuesday of the week before the week before the Super Bowl. The NFC champions are having an open media access period at their practice facility, which is 20 minutes from my house. So I believe I'll take a trip down Route 17 and go ask them some questions. But before I go, I gotta have my links. And I know you guys gotta have 'em too.

New York Giants

Ian O'Connor takes up the questions of where Eli Manning now ranks in Giants history (could he end up being the best offensive player the franchise has ever had?) and in his own family (would a second Super Bowl title move him past big brother Peyton?) Heady stuff, but it's that time of year and Eli has played his way into these conversations.

Not that you'd expect otherwise, but 65-year-old Giants coach Tom Coughlin is enjoying the heck out of the ride on which his team has taken him, and the flight back from San Francisco sounds like it was a good deal of fun.

Philadelphia Eagles

Andy Reid isn't making the trip to Mobile, Ala., for the Senior Bowl, but some of his coaches are there, including defensive coordinator Juan Castillo, who deflected questions about his job security by referring his questioners to Reid (who, again, is not there). It's possible that Castillo knows his fate but just isn't allowed to say before Reid does. But if he actually doesn't know whether he's going to keep his job for next year and is still waiting for Reid to tell him, then that's a bad job by Reid.

Meanwhile, the buzz is growing stronger that Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg could be the next coach of the Raiders. If that happens, you're going to hear Brad Childress' name a lot as a possible Mornhinweg replacement.

Dallas Cowboys

Cowboys GM Jerry Jones addressed reporters Monday in Mobile. (Yeah, you see what I did there?) And during the course of his comments, Jones said he felt that the thing that has made the biggest difference for the Giants during this stretch in which they beat the Cowboys to win the division and kept rolling all the way to the Super Bowl was the play of Eli Manning. Does that mean Jones has hopped on the Eli>Romo bandwagon? I don't really think so, but Manning is collecting superlatives from every corner right now.

Todd Archer ponders whether a switch to a base 4-3 defense would be a truly radical move for the Cowboys and kind of seems to think it wouldn't, since they show plenty of 4-3-type looks now anyway.

Washington Redskins

The Redskins have made another couple of changes to their coaching staff, hiring former Giants wide receiver Ike Hilliard as their new receivers coach and moving defensive backs coach Bob Slowik to linebackers coach. The Hilliard move is the more notable one since he's a recognizable name, but he's a well regarded coaching prospect. The question is what kind of receiver corps he'll have next year with which to work. Shanahan has said finding a No. 1 wideout is an offseason priority.

Mike Shanahan said that free agent safety LaRon Landry is still hoping not to have surgery on his Achilles' tendon, which I think throws his status into even greater doubt this free-agent season. At least, if he had surgery, he could make the case that something about his chronic health problems has changed or at least been addressed. Without the surgery, he's going to have a tough time answering questions about why he hasn't been able to stay on the field. I also don't get the sense he's in the Redskins' plans.

Three days until the conference championship games. Is it raining in San Francisco yet? Let's have some links while we check.

New York Giants

Johnette Howard writes that the Giants are the most complete team left in this playoff field. I can buy that. The 49ers have a better defense but not a lot of offense. The Patriots have a better offense but absolutely nothing on defense. The Ravens are fine at both, but certainly not as explosive on offense as the Giants are. So I'm with Johnette on this. Curious to see whether it helps overcome that Niner defense on the road, is all.

Tara Sullivan takes a look at how breakout star Victor Cruz's life and outlook have changed since becoming a father a week and a half ago. "Turns out I'm a natural," Cruz says. "My hands are big, so she just fits right in."

Philadelphia Eagles

This notebook tells us Eagles linebacker Jamar Chaney had surgery to repair a herniated disk in his neck, and that former Bills quarterback Trent Edwards recently worked out for the Eagles, who are exploring backup quarterback options in case they decide Vince Young wasn't the answer there.

Jonathan Tamari takes up the question of what Andy Reid would do for an offensive coordinator if Marty Mornhinweg were to get one of the head coaching jobs with which he's recently been connected. Mornhinweg and Reid do appear to have worked quite well together and to share a lot of the same beliefs and philosophies. And I still think the Eagles, after what they went through this past year, will be loath to impose major scheme and philosophy changes this offseason.

Dallas Cowboys

Todd Archer takes his turn today at "Fixing the Cowboys" as ESPNDallas.com continues that fine series. Todd believes Dallas' priorities should be the pass rush and the pass protection, as this is a passing league and the Cowboys already have a passer. Some have suggested cornerback as a priority, but Todd is of the opinion that cornerbacks can be found in many places and the important thing is to be smart about which one you get. He'd break the bank for a pass-rusher or two and some offensive line help.

Blogging the Boys feels similarly and goes as far as to say the Cowboys need to look to the NFC East team still playing as a model of how to build their team. Even if they feel dirty saying such a thing.

Washington Redskins

John Keim took a spin through the Pro Football Focus rankings of the Redskins' pending free agents and found out that Adam Carriker and Will Montgomery didn't grade out very well while London Fletcher, not surprisingly, did. We know they're working hard to keep Fletcher, but it'll be interesting to see what they do on the offensive and defensive lines, where they believe they can get better.

The Redskins have lost another assistant coach, as linebackers coach Lou Spanos is off to become Jim Mora's defensive coordinator at UCLA. Spanos deserves credit for his work with the linebackers, which were a strength of the Redskins' team this past year and look as though they'll continue to be a strength into the future.

Morning, all. Figure I'll head over to East Rutherford today to see what's going on. I imagine I won't be the only one with this idea. Will keep you posted. Meantime, links.

New York Giants

On the morning of Dec. 24, the Giants were 7-7 and coming off a tough loss to the Redskins. The Jets were 8-6 and hoping to win their final two games against what appeared to be a couple of weak opponents and get into the playoffs. Ohm Youngmisuk writes that what happened that day at MetLife Stadium changed the fortunes of both teams as dramatically as anyone could have imagined.

Filip Bondy points out that no team has ever won the Super Bowl after posting a regular-season record as poor as the Giants' 9-7 mark. And before anyone gets upset, Filip is merely pointing out a statistical oddity, not saying the Giants don't belong here. As he says, there was no 10-6 or 9-7 team in another division that missed the playoffs because the Giants won the East. They had one of the six best records in the conference and earned their way in. To me, his column simply points up the fact that this is a team currently playing like a Super Bowl champ after not playing like one for much of its regular season.

Philadelphia Eagles

Everybody in the league seems to believe the Raiders will hire a Packers assistant -- likely Winston Moss -- to be their new head coach. But Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg is going for an interview. Mornhinweg has also come up as a possible candidate to coach the Colts, who fired head coach Jim Caldwell on Tuesday. So while fans are wondering if and when Steve Spagnuolo would be hired as defensive coordinator (a job that's not currently open in Philadelphia), it's possible they'll need to replace their offensive coordinator first.

Amid all of this, as Martin Frank writes, Eagles head coach Andy Reid has remained silent for the past two weeks, and no one knows when he'll show his face to answer any questions about the season just past or his plans for the next one.

Dallas Cowboys

Todd Archer writes that, if Laurent Robinson is serious about Dallas being the right "fit" for him, the Cowboys have a good chance to re-sign their breakout wide receiver. If Robinson just wants to cash in on the success he had in Dallas via free agency (which is, of course, his perfect right), then Todd is less optimistic about the team's chances to bring him back.

And speaking of Cowboys wide receivers, the latest Dez Bryant off-field incident -- and the fact that it's happened so soon into an offseason in which Bryant knows his every step is going to be watched and scrutinized -- has Calvin Watkins wondering if the guy is ever going to learn.

Washington Redskins

John Keim takes a look at what the Redskins need to do this offseason at defensive back. He says they need to decide what to do about LaRon Landry, need to sign a third cornerback (he throws out the name of the Giants' Terrell Thomas as a possibility) and need to add speed at free safety. The idea of using that No. 6 overall pick on a defensive player, such as LSU Morris Claiborne, hasn't really been raised much around these parts, since we all seem to agree that this year's Redskins offseason needs to be about offense. But a lot's going to depend on what they decide to do in free agency, and what needs are left when the draft rolls around. Cornerback may just be one of them.

Jason Reid is looking at the quarterbacks remaining in the playoffs and what lessons the Redskins might learn from them. The two guys left in the NFC were both picked No. 1 overall in the draft, of course, and Jason believes it's time for the Redskins to do what they can to move up to one of the top two spots and get a franchise QB this time around.

The Indianapolis Colts have hired Ryan Grigson, who had been the Philadelphia Eagles' director of player personnel, as their new general manager. The Colts announced Wednesday morning that Grigson would replace Bill Polian, who was fired last week.

Not fired last week was Colts head coach Jim Caldwell, though it's entirely possible that (a) Colts ownership wanted the new GM to decide on a head coach and (b) Grigson will want to bring in his own coach. Albert Breer of the NFL Network speculated on Twitter that the Grigson hire could open up an opportunity for Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg to get another shot at head coaching, and that makes a lot of sense.

In spite of his flop as Lions head coach, Mornhinweg is extremely well respected in NFL circles. Many people believe he wasn't ready for the Detroit opportunity, and that Lions management didn't provide him with a chance to succeed in the role. As a result, he's on a lot of short lists of head-coaching candidates around the league.

Furthermore, Mornhinweg is well known for his ability to develop quarterbacks. And with the Colts apparently set to take Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck with the No. 1 pick in April's draft, they're likely looking for a coach with such a reputation.

No idea, of course, what Grigson is planning. And as mentioned, the head coach job in Indy is not, currently, open. But this is one possible consequence of the Colts snatching away an Eagles personnel guy to run their front office, and it's worth keeping an eye on.

» NFC Wrap-ups: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Arrow indicates direction team is trending.

Final Power Ranking: 15
Preseason Power Ranking: 4

Biggest surprise: Michael Vick's step backward. There is a lot of blame to go around for what went wrong with the Philadelphia Eagles this year, and we'll get to it all. But coming off a season in which he ran second in the MVP voting to Tom Brady, and continuing under the tutelage of Andy Reid and Marty Mornhinweg, Vick was expected by many people to continue to build on and develop the brilliance of 2010. Instead, he was shaky and unreliable, turning the ball over way too much during an early-season swoon that knocked the Eagles out of playoff contention almost before they even started. Injuries to Jeremy Maclin and the weird year DeSean Jackson had pouting about his contract situation didn't help, but this isn't on the wide receivers. Vick must come back next season determined to be more responsible with the ball and continue the growth and maturation as a quarterback that he was showing in 2010.

Biggest disappointment: The team's inability to finish games early in the season cost it dearly. Blown fourth-quarter leads in losses to the Falcons, 49ers, Giants, Bears and Cardinals left the Eagles 3-6 after nine games and put them in too deep a hole from which to climb out. The defense took way too long to jell, with all of its new players, new coaches and new schemes. Cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, the prize free agent of the 2011 offseason, showed up on other teams' highlight reels a lot more than he did on Philadelphia's. And the Eagles head into the offseason wondering if the strong finish their defense had under first-year coordinator Juan Castillo and new defensive line coach Jim Washburn was a mirage or a sign of what might have been and what could be to come.

Biggest need: The Eagles need linebackers in the worst way. Washburn's "Wide 9" defensive scheme was very effective at pressuring quarterbacks, and the Eagles led the league with 50 sacks. But they ignored linebacker when they were doing all of their signings last summer, and it showed up. The corps of rookies and young players they used at linebacker was unable to support the defensive line and left the team vulnerable not just to big passing plays but also to the run.

Team MVP: Running back LeSean McCoy. He didn't play in the final week of the season, and he got knocked out early the week before against the Cowboys. But he still ended up fourth in the league with 1,309 rushing yards and had 20 touchdowns, including a league-leading 17 on the ground. McCoy was the Eagles' best, most consistent and most dynamic player on either side of the ball. If anything, they leaned too hard on the pass and didn't use him enough late in games to help salt away those leads.

Front line legit: Two of the biggest free-agent signings were defensive end Jason Babin and defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins, each of whom had outstanding years. Jenkins was a force inside and was even able to move outside and play some end when needed. And Babin, who followed Washburn to Philadelphia from Tennessee, continued to flourish under Washburn's direction. He finished the season ranked third in the league with 18 sacks and now has 30.5 the past two years with Washburn as his position coach.

The Philadelphia Eagles are 4-7, all but out of the playoff hunt in a year that carried the highest of hopes and expectations. It is the worst record the team has had after 11 games since they started 3-8 in Andy Reid's first season as their coach. They are, for the third week in a row, without their starting quarterback and top wide receiver. It has been just four days since they were completely dismantled at home by the New England Patriots. And on Thursday night, they will attempt to beat the Seahawks in Seattle to keep alive their chances of at least having a winning season. Let's look at what they need to do to make that happen.

Run the ball with LeSean McCoy. In McCoy, the Eagles have the league's leading rusher. And yet, to the frustration of their fans, they seem determined to gear each week's game plan around the pass. That hasn't stopped since Vince Young took over at quarterback for the injured Michael Vick, and in Sunday's loss to the Patriots the Eagles ran the ball just 17 times. ESPN Stats & Information informs us that the Eagles are 0-6-1 in the last seven games in which they did not have at least 20 rushing attempts. Now, you'll chicken-and-egg me on this, pointing out that teams that are behind don't run the ball as much and generally lose. But I would put it to you that the Washington Redskins, just four days ago in this same building against these same Seahawks, stuck with the run even though they were behind and managed to come back and win once their determination to stick with the run paid off. If Roy Helu can do it, then so can McCoy.

Wrap up Marshawn Lynch. The Seahawks' running back is on a roll, having rushed for more than 100 yards in three of his past four games and scored a touchdown in each of his last seven. During those past four games, Stats & Info says, Lynch has amassed a league-leading 212 rush yards after contact. He is big and forceful and tough to bring down, but the Eagles must make a commitment to doing that, or else he's capable of busting a big one. Philadelphia should be able to commit all of its energy to stopping Lynch, since Seattle quarterback Tarvaris Jackson is (a) banged up, (b) Tarvaris Jackson and (c) without his best receiver, Sidney Rice, who's out for the year because of a concussion.

Get DeSean Jackson's mind right. Here's a recap of Jackson's past three games: Week 10, listed as inactive and told to stay home from the Arizona game after missing a team meeting the day before; Week 11, played well but mixed in an inexcusable post-catch taunting penalty that cost him a 50-yard reception; Week 12, dropped two touchdown passes, including a short one on which he appeared to pull up short because he was afraid of getting hit, and was benched in the fourth quarter for poor performance. We all know Jackson's unhappy about and distracted by his contract situation. He's admitted it. But he and the Eagles need to find a way to get his head in the game. Without the injured Jeremy Maclin, Jackson is absolutely vital to the downfield passing game. And as important as it is for them to use McCoy, they are going to get some shots downfield against that Seattle secondary. Jackson needs to cash them in.

Rattle the Hawks. The Eagles were super-feisty two weeks ago, getting in the faces of Giants players, trash-talking before and after plays and baiting some of the Giants into foolish retaliation penalties. They like to do that against the Giants, since they believe they've been able to get into the Giants' heads over the past couple of years and beat them as a result. They might want to take a page out of that playbook against the Seahawks, who lead the league with 129 penalties and can be baited as well. Of course, the Eagles will have to watch their own penalties, particularly false starts in one of the loudest outdoor stadiums in the league.

Get along! Assistant coaches Marty Mornhinweg and Jim Washburn got into a visible spat on the sideline Sunday against the Patriots. Everybody says it's all copacetic at this point, but the Eagles need to stick together if they're going to figure out a way to win games down the stretch. Save it for the locker room, fellas!

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.

You're all going to accuse me of a shameless attempt to get page views, but it is what it is. The latest on Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick is that he didn't practice Thursday and certainly doesn't look likely to play on Sunday.

But since Vick's one of these players whom every word and move is analyzed, it will be played up in some places that Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said he was "optimistic" that Vick would play Sunday. Per Jonathan Tamari:

"He's a tough guy and he wants to play. He's tough mentally and physically and he's doing everything he can, so we'll see," Mornhinweg said.

Of course, Eagles coaches can be vague and deceptive with their injury reports even when role players are involved, let alone their starting quarterback. So Mornhinweg's optimism should be considered in that context.

If Vick plays, he'll have to play at a "high level" regardless of injury, Mornhinweg said. He said he knew Vick was hurt Sunday, but did not realize the extent of it.

"I knew he was hurting a little bit. I certaintly didn't know that he actually fractured a couple ribs," Mornhinweg said.

Yeah, I don't buy the "optimistic" thing as far as I could throw it left-handed with two broken ribs. And I'd be shocked if anybody but Vince Young were under center for the Eagles' first offensive play from scrimmage Sunday night. Philadelphia's chances to beat the Giants are going to rely on LeSean McCoy and the run game, and Young is the kind of quarterback who can help with the run game. (Vick is, too, of course, but he doesn't appear to be healthy enough to play.) Using Mike Kafka would basically give the Giants' pass rushers a stationary target. And with wide receiver Jeremy Maclin missing practice due to shoulder and hamstring injuries, the Giants likely aren't going to have to worry too much about pass coverage.

If the Eagles are smart, they're telling Vick to sit this one out and trying to win it by dominating the time of possession. If I were Philadelphia's offensive coordinator, the only thing that would make me "optimistic" right now is a game plan that called for at least 40 designed run plays.

It is Thursday, and all I can promise is that I will not be limited in practice today. All those other guys, well, we'll just have to wait a few hours and see. Meantime, links.

New York Giants

Antrel Rolle had some stuff to say Wednesday, which was pretty entertaining. Some of the highlights included "I don't worry about our schedule. I think our schedule needs to worry about us," and, of Patriots receiver Wes Welker, "I don't know, you've got to ask those guys he's giving trouble to. I don't plan on having to answer those questions." The Giants don't scare, that's for sure.

Victor Cruz was lonely at practice Wednesday with fellow receivers Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham absent, Mike Vorkunov writes. Mike's report also includes some information regarding Nicks' injury -- namely that it's (a) not new, (b) severe enough to have kept him out of a game of lesser importance and (c) not certain to keep him out of Sunday's game in New England.

Philadelphia Eagles

Paul Domowitch writes that defensive coordinator Juan Castillo is more in sync now with his defense and with defensive line coach Jim Washburn than he was at the start of the season. This is the new narrative around the Eagles -- that it only made sense that it would take a while for all of the new pieces to jell. And there's real validity to it. The question is whether that 1-4 start was too much to overcome.

Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg wasn't overly impressed with what he saw from Rob Ryan's Cowboys defense Sunday night, and that included the four-sack effort from DeMarcus Ware.

Dallas Cowboys

Adam Schefter reported Wednesday that there was a chance Sean Lee's dislocated wrist could result in surgery that would end his season. And while Lee didn't deny that was a possibility, the linebacker is saying he'll do everything he can do get back on the field as soon as possible, and he's not ruling out Sunday.

Tim MacMahon wonders how many more chances Martellus Bennett will get before the Cowboys ditch him. Jason Garrett's answer is apparently that it doesn't really matter since they don't use Bennett much anyway. I'm still stuck on the number of cuts they could have made last week that weren't Tashard Choice when they decided to activate Bruce Carter and only use him on special teams. I go back to Sunday night, when I was walking out of Lincoln Financial Field thinking that carrying a kickoff specialist feels especially silly on a night when you only kick off twice.

Washington Redskins

One of the big criticisms of cornerback Carlos Rogers during his time in Washington was that he couldn't hold onto the ball for interceptions. (Which is so silly, because if cornerbacks could catch they'd have been receivers, right?) But Rogers, who comes back to Washington on Sunday with the 49ers, seems to have corrected that little problem so far this year. He's got three interceptions already.

John Beck and Mike Shanahan watched film together of the 10 sacks Beck took Sunday and went over the ways in which Beck can improve the situation. The Redskins are sticking with Beck for now, so the idea is to find a way to make it go better with him back there.

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

Dallas Cowboys

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

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

New York Giants

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

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

Philadelphia Eagles

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

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

Washington Redskins

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Big Saturday morning crowd here at Lehigh, and they were treated to quite a show as the Philadelphia Eagles offered one of the more spirited training camp practices I've seen.

One of the highlights came late in the practice when defensive end Darryl Tapp jumped, deflected a Mike Kafka pass into the air, caught it and ran it back about 70 yards for a touchdown. The play was good enough on its own to be a highlight, but what really made it memorable was the sight of a red-shirted Michael Vick racing off the sideline and chasing Tapp to the end zone.

"I saw him out of the corner of my eye and thought, 'I'd better run'," Tapp said. "He's ... a little bit faster than I am."

It was that kind of high-energy day for the Eagles. The sun hid behind clouds and kept the heat at bay, so the practice ran long and no one seemed to tire out. There were three fights (all quickly broken up, one by hyperenthusiastic defensive coordinator Juan Castillo), several circus catches, plenty of patented Asante Samuel trash-talking and an especially bouncy performance by newly signed defensive tackle Anthony Hargrove, who practiced as if he'd had four extra cups of coffee before taking the field.

"I don't know what happened out there today," Vick said. "Just something in the air, I think. Just one of those days where, on both sides of the ball, we were like, 'We're going to win every down,' and guys played that way."

A couple of thoughts:

• Vick was goofing off when he ran after Tapp, obviously, but when he was at quarterback he looked absolutely stellar, threading throws into tight spots, picking up blitzes and staying confidently in the pocket and behind the line of scrimmage rather than taking off for runs. Considering the receivers to whom he's throwing (i.e., not DeSean Jackson or Jeremy Maclin) and who's covering them (i.e. Samuel, Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie), Vick's practice performance Saturday was extremely impressive.
• Asomugha missed the latter part of practice with a calf injury that both he and the team said wasn't serious. Other injury absences included Nate Allen, who missed the practice with a knee injury, Trevor Laws, who has a hip injury, and Marlin Jackson, whose groin is hurt.
• There were a couple of offensive sets on which the tight end was assigned to block a defensive end one-on-one. Donald Lee held his own against Jason Babin when called upon to do that. Brent Celek did not fare as well in his attempts to handle Babin, who is another of the high-energy fellows.
• Howard Mudd seems still to be tinkering with the starting lineup on the offensive line. Ryan Harris played right tackle with the first team Saturday, while rookie Jason Kelce more or less split first-team reps with Jamaal Jackson at center. No reason yet to think Kelce is a threat to Jackson's job, but it bears watching. Rookie Danny Watkins is taking reps with the first and second teams at right guard because he's sure to be the starter there and they want to get him up to speed after a spring and summer that featured no OTAs or minicamps.
• Vince Young is learning, and it appears he has a ways to go before he knows the offense. But Marty Mornhinweg coached Vick to excellence from a backup role, and the Eagles and Young feel it's worth the shot to see if the same can happen for him.
• Jason Avant, whose one-handed touchdown catch with Asomugha draped all over him was one of the practice's highlights, said he's not worried about the time that Jackson (holdout) and Maclin (undisclosed illness) are missing. "Those guys know the playbook like the back of their hand," Avant said. "As soon as they're back, they'll jump right in without any problem."

I'll have more on the Eagles in the coming days, as my notebook and recorder are loaded. Much of it will appear in the Eagles edition of "Camp Confidental," which is currently scheduled for Monday. It looks as though my next stop will be Giants camp either Sunday or Monday. I'll keep you posted.