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Two weeks from now, the Washington Redskins will envidently select, with the second pick in the 2012 NFL draft, their quarterback of the future. In all likelihood, this will be Baylor's Heisman Trophy-winning Robert Griffin III, a player who has already captured the hearts and the imaginations of Redskins fans to a startling extent. There is, according to anyone who's been asked, no reason to dream anything but the biggest dreams about what Griffin can be, and the extent to which he can restore the franchise to its former glory. These are fun times to be a Redskins fan.

One of the big questions these days, then, is not whether Griffin can make the Redskins a winner, but rather how soon. The Redskins had a good young defense in 2011, and there's reason to think it could be better in 2012. Fans are happy with the past couple of drafts, and the sense that there is a plan for the future. But at the same time, no one wants another five- or six-win season in Washington. Mike Shanahan, entering his third season as head coach, needs to show some concrete, on-field improvement in 2012 to avoid spending the capital he's built up from the trade that will allow him to draft his franchise quarterback. So what is reasonable to expect from the 2012 Redskins?

The key thing to remember is that, as excited as everyone is about Griffin, he still will be a rookie quarterback in 2012. Teams with rookie quarterbacks do not often reach the playoffs, though the past four seasons have offered several examples. Atlanta's Matt Ryan and Baltimore's Joe Flacco both reached the playoffs as rookies in 2008. The Jets made it all the way to the AFC Championship Game at the end of Mark Sanchez's 2009 rookie season. And last season's Bengals were a playoff team behind rookie quarterback Andy Dalton.

But for the Redskins to emulate those teams' achievements, they will have to rely on much more than their rookie quarterback. In fact, the best way to get a rookie quarterback to the playoffs is to ask him to do as little as possible.

The 2008 Ravens ranked second in the NFL in total team defense and fourth in rushing offense. The 2009 Jets ranked first in total team defense (by a stunning 32 yards per game) and first in rush offense. The 2008 Falcons were not a good defensive team, ranking 24th in the league. But they were second in the league in rushing yards, which meant Ryan was not asked to carry the offense. Last season's Bengals ranked just 19th in the NFL in rushing yards, which put more of a burden on Dalton and his superstar rookie wide receiver, A.J. Green. But they did have that superstar rookie wide receiver. And they ranked seventh in the league in total defense.

Of our four examples, the 2011 Bengals asked the most of their rookie quarterback. They averaged 33.4 pass attempts per game, which ranked 20th in the league, and threw for 209.2 passing yards per game, which also ranked 20th. The other three examples on our list? They flat-out coddled their rookie quarterbacks by comparison:

2009 Jets: 24.6 att/gm (32nd), 162.3 pass yds/gm (31st)

2008 Ravens: 27.1 att/gm (T-29th), 185.7 pass yds/gm (28th)

2008 Falcons: 27.1 att/gm (T-29th), 215.0 pass yds/gm (17th)

Now, Shanahan is a better-regarded offensive coach than any of the men who coached those teams. Rex Ryan of the Jets, in particular, believed he could win it all with defense, and very nearly did. Shanahan will design an offense in which Griffin can flourish, utilizing his arm and accuracy as well as his athleticism, speed and mobility. He'll design an offense in which Griffin works in concert with the run game, and in which each needs the other to thrive. Shanahan is likely to ask more of his offense than Ryan did of his in 2009, or than John Harbaugh did of his in 2008.

But the Redskins might find themselves limited in how quickly they can make it all work. It's possible that Pierre Garcon, Josh Morgan, Leonard Hankerson and tight end Fred Davis will be a great young receiving corps. But it's likely that it will take some time before they can really be that. There are likely to be growing pains, especially as questions persist on the offensive line, in the running game and on the back end of the defense. The 2012 Redskins are not as finished a product as the teams into which Sanchez and Flacco and Ryan were dropped, and it's unreasonable to expect instant success.

Could they contend for and even win a playoff spot? Sure. No one knows, because there are too many external factors to consider. Did the Giants get better? Did the Cowboys fix their defense? Can the Eagles make good on their mulligan? Heck, Sam Bradford's 2010 Rams weren't a very good team (12th in team defense, 24th in rush offense, by the way), but they went into the final game of that season with a chance to be an 8-8 division champion. You never know what kind of opportunity circumstances might offer.

If you're imagining big things for the 2012 Redskins, however, I think it's best to soft-pedal your expectations. In fact, those 2010 Rams might turn out to be the most apt comparison. But if the Redskins remain on the fringes of playoff contention deep into December and end up winning something like seven or eight games, as a Redskins fan you'd have to be happy with that, wouldn't you? Especially considering the direction in which things seem to be moving.

This is exciting, this idea of a new franchise quarterback. It's just important to remember how far down the Redskins have been for so long, and that fixing these things the right way can take some time.

SOMEWHERE OVER PENNSYLVANIA -- Didn't make it back in time for the New York Giants' open locker room today, clearly, but the Giants are kind enough to send email transcripts of quotes from their coaches and players, and so I'm going through those on the plane. Came across some stuff from Giants center David Baas, who spent the last six years with the 49ers before signing with the Giants last offseason. Baas was asked about the emergence of 49ers quarterback Alex Smith, who was the No. 1 pick in the 2005 draft but took until this season to start living up to it.

"With Alex, I've always believed he's had it in him," Baas told reporters at the Giants' practice facility. "He just needed a lot more guys to believe in him. I feel like he's gotten that, and I feel like their approach with him, just being one of the guys, one of the teammates, trying not to do too much, has really worked for him."

After taking out Tony Romo, Matt Ryan and Aaron Rodgers in elimination games the past three weeks, the Giants this week face Smith, who doesn't bring the same name recognition or remotely the same numbers. But Smith has led six fourth-quarter comeback game-winning drives this season, including one against the Giants in Week 10 and one Saturday night against the Saints. So while he's not the big name to which the Giants have grown accustomed, he is dangerous. The Giants, whose own quarterback has six game-winning drives this season, preached "finishing" last week. And after the way Smith and the Niners' offense came to life when they needed to against the Saints, the Giants would do well to pay attention to that this week too.

As for Baas, he's looking forward to seeing old friends, but that's about as far as he'll let the 49ers connection go.

"Congratulations to them," Baas said. "I know they're having really good success out there. But to be honest, I'm worried about the New York Giants and our team here."

The New York Giants you see before you — a team that has made it to the divisional round of the NFC playoffs — are not the same New York Giants we watched for most of this season. Their enthusiasm and effectiveness bear little, if any, resemblance to that of the team that lost 5-of-6 games from mid-November to mid-December. What's the difference? Well, there are many. And each day this week, leading up to the playoff game Sunday in Green Bay, we'll take a look at a player or players who have helped turn these Giants from a mid-pack pretender to a Final Eight contender.

Today: DE Osi Umenyiora

The sack came right at the end of Sunday's playoff victory, with the game in hand and the Giants' defense focused only on maintaining what from its standpoint was a shutout. But it came nonetheless, as they always seem to when Umenyiora plays. It was a high-energy, hyper-athletic sack that required him to practically jump over the man who was blocking him and grab Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan up high before dragging both passer and blocker to the ground. It was not the type of sack you see other pass rushers make, and it reminded you why Umenyiora is not like other pass rushers.

Yeah, it looked as though the Giants were going to be all right without ol' Osi in the mix. Umenyiora missed four games in December with an ankle injury, but with Justin Tuck on one side and the year Jason Pierre-Paul was having on the other, you figured they could generate the edge rush they needed while Umenyiora hobbled around the training complex. But when you actually watched the Giants play without him, you could tell something was missing.

Aaron Rodgers picked them apart one week, Tony Romo the next, albeit in a Giants win. Rex Grossman didn't put up huge numbers, but he picked up every third-down conversion he needed in Week 15 as the Redskins dropped the Giants to 7-7 and into what looked like major trouble. A defense that lives off its pass rush was hurting for Umenyiora's absence. Dave Tollefson is a good, professional defensive lineman who can make a play and fits well in the Giants' scheme, but what he is not — and what Umenyiora is — is one of the best pass rushers in the world.

So when Umenyiora returned for the regular-season finale against Dallas, the whole thing looked different. The Giants were able to rotate all of their defensive ends, to play Tuck at an interior line position on third downs if they wanted to, to drop Pierre-Paul into coverage to confuse Romo, who by the way was sacked not once but twice by Umenyiora. Sunday brought more of the same, as a fully operational Giants pass rush made Ryan's day miserable and kept the Falcons' offense off the scoreboard.

"I think earlier in the year, when we were trying to find our identity and kind of struggling on defense, a lot of individual stuff was showing up," Tuck said after the game. "Now it's just all about team effort and playing together as a team."

Umenyiora's on the train. The contract dispute from last summer and the knee injury that cost him the first three games of the season have been shoved into a distant corner of his memory. Challenges await in the offseason, and there's no way to know whether the next game he plays will be his last as a Giant. Umenyiora said last week, though, that he doesn't care. He's enjoying this run. He's feeling healthy — or healthy enough, at least, to play playoff games — and most importantly for the Giants, he's making an impact. This is about more than just having all of their players back healthy. Few players make an impact the way Osi Umenyiora does.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- A few thoughts on the New York Giants' wild-card round playoff victory over the Atlanta Falcons at MetLife Stadium.

What it means: The Giants' formula worked. They believed they came into the playoffs playing defense and running the ball as well as they have been at any time this season, and they went out and played their best defensive game and best rushing game of the season. They knew that the key would be to pressure Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan with their front four, and they did that. And when they were having trouble in pass protection, they were able to switch to the run game to keep Atlanta's front four off Eli Manning.

Nicks' turn: The Giants' big-play receiver the past few weeks had been Victor Cruz, who had a 99-yard touchdown catch on Christmas Eve against the Jets and a 74-yard touchdown catch last week in the division clincher against the Cowboys. This time, it was Hakeem Nicks who delivered the backbreaker against the Falcons, catching a short Manning pass with less than three minutes left in the third quarter and taking it 72 yards to the end zone for the score that put the Giants up 17-2.

Smothering: New York's defense pitched a shutout, as the Falcons' only points came on a safety, and their offense never got near the end zone. The Giants got pressure up the middle with defensive tackles Chris Canty and Rocky Bernard. They stuffed the Falcons on two key fourth-and-short situations (the second of which almost immediately preceded the big Nicks play). And while they lost two key secondary pieces in Deon Grant and Aaron Ross to injuries, the defensive front made sure Ryan didn't have a chance to take advantage.

Ground game surfaces: The Giants ranked 32nd in the 32-team NFL in rushing yards this season, but this looked like a different team. They'd been better running the ball over the final five games of the season, but this was a dominating rushing performance. Brandon Jacobs ripped off a key 34-yard gain and converted a fourth-and-1 on the Giants' first scoring drive. He and Ahmad Bradshaw split carries, and both ran with power and determination behind an offensive line that has blocked for the run better and better each week.

Looking ahead: Those injuries to Ross and Grant -- which are a concussion and a groin injury, respectively -- could be a problem if they linger into next week. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is far more mobile than Ryan is, and he should be able to buy more time to find his receivers deep in the secondary even if the Giants can pressure him the way they hassled Ryan. But that's a worry for next week. Right now, the Giants are flying high and into the second round.

What's next: The Giants travel to Green Bay, Wis., where they will play the 15-1 defending Super Bowl champion Packers at 4:30 p.m. ET on Jan. 15. A victory would put the Giants in the NFC Championship Game against the Saints or 49ers.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Well, Saints-Lions this one ain't. The New York Giants lead the Atlanta Falcons 7-2 at halftime of their wild-card round playoff game here at MetLife Stadium, and they do so because they were able to crack the Falcons' defense once and the Falcons haven't been able to crack theirs at all.

It's been a defensive struggle both ways, as the Giants' defensive front has dominated the Falcons' offensive line the way it knows it needs to and the Falcons' defensive front has returned the favor against a shaky-looking Giants pass protection unit. The first points of the game were a Falcons safety when Giants quarterback Eli Manning was called for intentional grounding in the end zone while under pressure, and neither offense was able to score until Manning found Hakeem Nicks in the end zone for a 4-yard touchdown pass with 2:47 left before halftime.

The reason the Giants were able to get those points is that they found something in the run game. Manning escaped trouble and ran for 14 yards earlier in the drive (remarkable, considering he only ran for 15, total, in the regular season). And running back Brandon Jacobs' 34-yard run was the biggest play of the first half. Jacobs also converted a big fourth down just before the touchdown pass with a spin move after being stuffed behind the line.

The Giants ranked 32nd in the NFL this year with 89.2 rush yards per game. But they have 75 already in this game, and if they can keep having success on the ground, they have to like their chances.

The Falcons will get the ball back to start the second half, but as of now there's little proof that that will help them. Quarterback Matt Ryan has been pressured from the sides and especially up the middle, with Giants defensive tackles Chris Canty and Rocky Bernard having delivered big hits already. He hasn't had time to look downfield and find his big-time receivers for big plays, which means the Giants are executing their defensive game plan exactly the way they want to. The Giants have more work to do, but to this point things have gone about as well as they could have wanted them to go. They have weathered the early assault from the Atlanta front and found a way to overcome it.

Two injury situations to watch: Atlanta safety William Moore and Giants safety Deon Grant both have left the game. James Sanders has stepped in for Moore, and there seems to be little drop-off there. But if rookie Tyler Sash has to play the rest of the game in Grant's place, the Giants' secondary could be very vulnerable. If, that is, Ryan gets enough time to take advantage of it.

» Wild-Card Final Word: Bengals-Texans | Lions-Saints | Falcons-Giants | Steelers-Broncos

Three nuggets of knowledge about Sunday's Falcons-Giants wild-card round game:

There's no place like home ... or is there? From 1990 to 2003, the first 14 years after the NFL expanded the playoffs to include 12 teams, home teams were a combined 41-15 in this wild-card round. But over the past seven seasons, home teams have a record of just 13-15 in this round. Will the New York Giants have a home-field advantage over the Atlanta Falcons come Sunday? Well, it'll be cold, but not horribly so. Weather.com is currently showing a forecast high of 45 degrees and a zero-percent chance of precipitation for Sunday -- so about the best for which a dome team like Atlanta could hope traveling north this time of year. The Giants were just 4-4 at home this year (though they did win a "road" game in their home stadium on Christmas Eve against the Jets), and the Falcons were 4-4 on the road. So that doesn't really tell us much, does it?

Ryan versus the rush: Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan isn't likely to see a lot of blitzes Sunday, since the Giants' defense relies on its four down linemen to pressure the quarterback. That's likely fine with Ryan. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Ryan has thrown 12 touchdown passes and no interceptions when the opponent rushes four or fewer over the past seven games. In his first nine games of this season, Ryan had nine touchdowns and eight interceptions in such situations. That likely means the line is blocking better for him and he's not making as many bad decisions under pressure as a result. We shall see if Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora and Jason Pierre-Paul can buck the trend.

Big-play dudes: In Julio Jones and Victor Cruz, the Falcons and the Giants have two of the best receivers in the league at making things happen after they catch the ball. Jones, the Falcons' rookie from Alabama, ranked first in the NFL this year among qualified receivers with 7.6 yards per catch after the reception. Cruz, the Giants' second-year breakout star, was second in the league in yards after the catch with 601 and third in the league with 7.3 yards per catch after the reception. Cruz was second in the league with nine catches of 40 or more yards, second only to Detroit's Calvin Johnson. Jones was tied for fourth in that category with seven such catches. That all comes courtesy of the "Next Level" stats we get every week from ESPN Stats & Information.

The New York Giants have turned me into a pineapple. Can they beat the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, continue their late-season surge and make a run in the NFC playoffs? Click on the video to hear this week's predictions -- straight from the pineapple's mouth.

Last week: 2-0
Season to date: 28-25

You're going to hear lots of predictions over the coming days, but Accuscore runs 10,000 simulations of each game, and hard work like that needs to be recognized. According to this ESPN.com video, the Accuscore prediction for Sunday's wild-card playoff game between the New York Giants and the Atlanta Falcons favors the Giants, who won it in 59 percent of those simulations.

The numbers go deeper, as you'll see, but there are few surprises. If Michael Turner gets at least 75 yards on the ground, the Falcons' chances of winning go way up. If Giants pass-rushers Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora and Jason Pierre-Paul can force Matt Ryan into two interceptions and sack him four times, the Giants' chances of winning go over 90 percent. As I said, just one of many predictions you'll see this week that don't come from a pineapple.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — When people disappear for a few weeks, it can be easy to forget them. The New York Giants played long stretches of this season without defensive end Osi Umenyiora, but many Giants fans shrugged it off. Jason Pierre-Paul was playing so well on the side opposite Justin Tuck that it didn't much matter. Umenyiora had been effectively replaced.

But then Umenyiora shows up for the final game of the season, finally healthy enough to play in the same game as Pierre-Paul and Tuck, and we are reminded. He flashes his game-disrupting speed off the edge, sacks Tony Romo twice and reminds everybody about the way the Giants' defense was supposed to work all along. Is he better than Pierre-Paul? Debatable right now. But if Umenyiora is the third-best pass-rusher on his team, as Eagles running back LeSean McCoy famously tweeted last summer, then his team has one heck of a pass rush.

"To be able to put those combinations together and feature those guys and the outstanding pass rushers that they are, it's going to give us a real good shot in the arm," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. "You can't double everybody. To have the defense play well, it gives us a chance to play some Giants football."

I think that's a really good way to put it: Gives them a chance. There's this rush today all of a sudden to compare these Giants to the 2007 version that finished the year hot, put together a run and knocked off the Patriots in the Super Bowl. And I understand. Comparisons like that are what we do. Plus, same quarterback, same coach, some of the same players we all know won't be affected by playoff pressure... and a defensive front capable of getting pressure on the quarterback without blitzing. That's what wrecked Tom Brady's undefeated season, and the Giants the last couple of weeks have played defense well enough to remind people of the way they played it that year.

"The way those guys rush, it's just like blitzing," Giants linebacker Michael Boley said. "For them to get up there and rush the way they rush, that takes a lot of pressure off of us in the back end."

Which is the plan, of course, but let's not get too crazy here. The Super Bowl champion Giants of four years ago were a much more complete team than this one is. They had the fourth-best rushing offense in the NFL that year, for example, averaging 134.3 yards per game on the ground. This year's Giants were the worst rushing offense in the league, at 89.2. That year's team had Antonio Pierce playing middle linebacker — a spot currently manned by rookies when it's manned at all. And whatever you want to say about this year's great pass rushers, not one of them is — at least to this point in his career — Michael Strahan-great.

Four years ago, the play of the defensive line elevated the Giants from "good playoff team" to "world champion." This year's defensive line, if it can continue to play the way it played Sunday night, elevates the Giants from "mediocre, flawed team that got outscored by its opponents in the regular season" to "team that might be able to make some noise." The 2007-08 run was a once-in-a-lifetime treat. Even if the Giants do make another one this year, it will stand on its own in team history, built more on clutch performance by this year's stars than on a four-year-old formula for success. But they will need the defense to make it happen.

"We have a very good offense, an outstanding quarterback, and as long as we're able on defense to help keep the team in the game, we have a chance to do something special," Umenyiora said.

A chance, yes. Eli Manning and his receivers can put points on the board with anyone -- yes, even the Packers and the Saints. The question is whether the defense can keep the other team from scoring more. The Cowboys' receivers were consistently beating the Giants' defensive backs Sunday night, but the Giants' pass rush didn't give Romo enough time to find them. That's the formula. If they can't get to Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan consistently and violently on Sunday afternoon, Ryan and his receivers will torch them. If they do that and can't get to Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers the following week in Green Bay, Rodgers and his receivers will torch them.

Right now, though, it looks as though the Giants can get to the quarterback -- maybe as effectively as they have all season. And if they can do that, then yes, they will have a chance.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- A few thoughts from the New York Giants' division-clinching victory over the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium on Sunday night.

What it means: The Giants finish the season at 9-7 and win the NFC East. The Cowboys finish the season at 8-8, technically in third place in the division behind the Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles. The Giants started the season 6-2, weathered a brutal second-half schedule and claimed the division title with two victories over the Cowboys in the final four weeks of the season.

Winning the energy battle: The Giants came out of the gate far more fired-up than did their visitors in this winner-take-all game. Thanks to high-energy plays by everyone from Mathias Kiwanuka to Victor Cruz to Bear Pascoe -- and thanks to a laundry list of Cowboys mistakes, especially in coverage -- the Giants were able to build a 21-0 halftime lead and hold on even after the Cowboys came out of the locker room re-energized and much more focused and effective in the second half.

Cru-u-u-u-u-u-zzzz: The player of the game for the Giants -- and maybe the player of their season, at least on offense -- was wide receiver Cruz. Eight days after turning the Jets game on its head with a 99-yard touchdown catch, Cruz caught the ball running across the field in the first quarter and got Sunday night's scoring started with a 74-yard touchdown catch from Eli Manning. And in the fourth quarter, after the Cowboys had cut the lead to 21-14 and were building momentum, Cruz hauled in a 44-yard reception on 3rd-and-7 and a 20-yard catch on 2nd-and-10 to keep alive a field-goal drive. When Manning needs to make a big play, right now, Cruz appears to be his favorite target.

Pressure points: The Giants were able to get a ton of pressure on Dallas quarterback Tony Romo, at least in the first half while they built their big lead. The Cowboys were unable to get any pressure on Manning until the second half, and even then it was inconsistent and they weren't able to finish off sacks. It made the difference in the game, as it seemed clear that the Cowboys' receivers were able to beat the Giants' defensive backs if given time, but they weren't. Manning had all the time in the world to pick apart a leaky Dallas secondary, targeting an overmatched Terence Newman in the first half and Orlando Scandrick, who's likely to replace Newman as a starter in 2012, in the second.

Off-season focus: It seems extremely clear that the two areas on which the Cowboys need to win this offseason are the offensive line and the defensive secondary. No amount of talent at quarterback wide receiver, running back or linebacker will make up for their deficiencies in those two crucial building-block areas, which is where they lost their games and the division down the stretch.

Full-strength strength: The Giants' defense works only when it's able to get that pressure on the quarterback with their defensive linemen. With Osi Umenyiora back and healthy after missing four games with an ankle injury, the Giants were able to mix looks and pressures with him, Justin Tuck and 2011 breakout star Jason Pierre-Paul. If they can keep all three of their great pass-rushing ends healthy (not to mention Kiwanuka, who plays linebacker now but retains his pass-rusher's soul), they will lean hard on that for however deep they go in the playoffs. They get another high-powered passing offense next week with Matt Ryan and the Falcons coming to town, and they'll need to keep after the quarterback to make sure Atlanta's great receivers don't do damage down the field.

What's next: The Giants will host the Atlanta Falcons in a wild-card playoff game at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, right back here at MetLife Stadium. The Cowboys can begin to make plans for what to do with the 14th pick in the NFL draft.

Three things to know about next Sunday’s Atlanta Falcons-New York Giants wild-card game:

1. Another aerial assault. The Giants’ secondary has struggled throughout the second half of this season, and things don’t get any easier with the Falcons coming to town. Entering play Sunday, Atlanta ranked seventh in the league in pass yards per game and just 20^th in rush yards per game. They like to throw the ball, and quarterback Matt Ryan has a variety of downfield options in wide receivers Roddy White and Julio Jones along with ageless tight end Tony Gonzalez. They run enough with Michael Turner to keep a defense honest, and they’re 22-3 over the past four seasons when Turner rushes for at least 100 yards. But the main problem for the Giants will be making sure to get everybody covered in the passing game.

2. King of the road. Used to be, Ryan was at his best at home in the Georgia Dome. But this year, Ryan’s been a more effective passer on the road -- at least when throwing deep. Entering Sunday’s home finale, in which he threw two touchdowns on 6-for-9 passing before coming out of the blowout game, Ryan’s completion percentage on deep throws was 42.9 on the road compared to 36.5 at home. And his Total QBR on deep throws on the road was 94.8 versus 54.0 at home. ESPN Stats & Information informs us that that’s the largest disparity in the league in that category. Expect Ryan and the Falcons to take some shots downfield and not to be intimidated by MetLife Stadium.

3. Head-to-head history. The Giants are 10-10 all-time against the Falcons and have won three in a row against them, but they haven’t seen them since Nov. 22, 2009, when the two teams hooked up in a wild game at the old Giants Stadium. New York coughed up a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter but ended up winning in overtime. Eli Manning had 384 yards and three touchdowns in that game. Atlanta has overhauled its past defense over the past couple of years, but they’ve been banged-up in the secondary and can be thrown on, as the Saints proved last Monday Night.

John Clayton's got a column up about the league-wide youth movement at the quarterback position. John says there could be as many as 13 starting quarterbacks age 26 or younger in the league this year. He says the average age of starting QBs in 2009 and 2010 was 28.3, down from 29.1 in 2008, and that the additions of Christian Ponder, Andy Dalton, Jake Locker and Tim Tebow to the pool could drop it into the low 27s.

So this got me thinking, which is good, because as you know it's important to think for at least 45 minutes every day. The NFC East ... doesn't have any quarterbacks like that.

Tony Romo is 31. Eli Manning is 30. Michael Vick will be 31 when the season starts. And the Redskins right now are going with either John Beck (30 by the time the season starts) or Rex Grossman (31). So the average age of starting QBs in our division is either 30.5 if Beck starts in Washington or 30.75 if it's Grossman.

"What's it all mean, Dan?????"

Well, I don't know. Could mean there's some level of stability at quarterback in the NFC East. The Cowboys and Giants have obviously felt for some time as if they had their answer. The Eagles had enough depth at the spot that they were able to trade Donovan McNabb a year ago and still find two quality starters in Vick in Kevin Kolb. And the Redskins, while they clearly don't have their QB question answered for the short or long term, haven't yet found their Matt Ryan or Sam Bradford yet.

When you're 30 or 31 and a quarterback in today's NFL, you're basically a grizzled veteran, whether you've already won a Super Bowl like Manning or are still waiting to break through like Beck. So there may be a youth movement at QB in the NFL, but it hasn't made its way over to the NFC East yet.

Breakdown: For a team that won the NFC East last season, the Philadelphia Eagles definitely received a nice break from the schedule-makers. Yes, Philadelphia does open the season with two road games (against the St. Louis Rams and Atlanta Falcons) before meeting the New York Giants at home. But they also get three straight contests against teams that didn’t make the playoffs before facing the Dallas Cowboys at home after the bye week. Don’t think that Eagles head coach Andy Reid isn’t grateful for that bit of good fortune.

Even the Eagles’ toughest games will come on their home turf. That’s where they’ll see the Chicago Bears, New England Patriots and New York Jets. Again, will somebody please explain that turn of events to me?

Complaint department: November is going to be the hardest month for Philadelphia. It opens with the Bears and Arizona Cardinals before traveling to face the Giants in New York. The Eagles return to host New England on Nov. 27. If the Eagles have any gripes about their schedule, they can air them then.

Welcome back: It won’t take much to hype the Eagles’ Sunday night game against the Falcons. We all know that Michael Vick's return to Atlanta will generate plenty of buzz from both supporters and haters alike. Even though that franchise has found another Pro Bowl quarterback in Matt Ryan -- while also making the playoffs in two of the three seasons since Vick’s involvement in a dog fighting scandal led to the team dumping him -- this game will be all about one thing: closure.

Eagles Regular-Season Schedule (All times Eastern)
Week 1: Sunday, Sep. 11, at St. Louis, 1:00 PM
Week 2: Sunday, Sep. 18, at Atlanta, 8:20 PM
Week 3: Sunday, Sep. 25, NY Giants, 1:00 PM
Week 4: Sunday, Oct. 2, San Francisco, 1:00 PM
Week 5: Sunday, Oct. 9, at Buffalo, 1:00 PM
Week 6: Sunday, Oct. 16, at Washington, 1:00 PM
Week 7: BYE
Week 8: Sunday, Oct. 30, Dallas, 8:20 PM
Week 9: Monday, Nov. 7, Chicago, 8:30 PM
Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 13, Arizona, 1:00 PM
Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 20, at NY Giants, 8:20 PM
Week 12: Sunday, Nov. 27, New England, 4:15 PM
Week 13: Thursday, Dec. 1, at Seattle, 8:20 PM
Week 14: Sunday, Dec. 11, at Miami, 1:00 PM
Week 15: Sunday, Dec. 18, NY Jets, 4:15 PM
Week 16: Saturday, Dec. 24, at Dallas, 4:15 PM
Week 17: Sunday, Jan. 1, Washington, 1:00 PM

Peyton Hillis is one step away from becoming the first Cleveland Browns player to grace the cover of the popular "Madden" video game series.

ESPN.com's SportsNation announced Monday that Hillis, a No. 10 seed, pulled another upset in the "Madden NFL 12" cover tournament. He garnered 61 percent of the vote to defeat Green Bay Packers quarterback and No. 1 seed Aaron Rodgers. Hillis will face Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick in the finals.

This is the fourth consecutive week Hillis advanced against a higher seed. He also defeated No. 7 seed Ray Rice of the Baltimore Ravens, No. 2 seed Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons and No. 6 seed Jamaal Charles of the Kansas City Chiefs.

In many ways, Cleveland fans have treated this tournament like their Super Bowl.

The rebuilding Browns are just 64-128 since returning to the NFL in 1999 and are coming off back-to-back 5-11 seasons. But the Dawgpound has come out in droves to support Hillis, who is coming off a breakout 2010 season where he rushed for 1,177 yards and scored 13 total touchdowns.

ESPN.com's John "The Professor" Clayton went to the trouble of ranking the starting quarterbacks in the league this week. After Michael Vick's breakout performance this season, I expected him to easily be in the top five. But Clayton has him at No. 8 on the list behind Philip Rivers and Matt Ryan. It's also interesting that Tony Romo of the Dallas Cowboys is No. 9 overall.

Clayton believes that Romo and the Giants' Eli Manning both belong in the "elite" category. What's his definition of elite?

"These quarterbacks complete better than 60 percent of their passes, have 4,000-yard passing potential and demonstrate fourth-quarter comeback ability. These players can carry a team to the playoffs," writes Clayton.

Clayton included 12 quarterbacks in his "Elite Division." How many elite quarterbacks do you think are in the league right now?

I would probably say seven. Anxious to hear your thoughts.