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Yes, the start of training camps is two months away, but it’s never too early to consider the coming season. A look at the best-case and worst-case scenarios for the Redskins in 2012.

Dream scenario (9-7): This would mean Washington's first winning season since 2007, Joe Gibbs' final year as head coach. What has to happen to make it a reality? Well, lots, frankly. Robert Griffin III will need to be very good right away at taking care of the ball and limiting the kinds of mistakes it's reasonable to expect from rookie quarterbacks. Most important, the Redskins' offense must play very well around him. They'll need health from Tim Hightower and continued development from promising fellow running backs Roy Helu and Evan Royster. They'll need Pierre Garcon to play like the potential No. 1 wideout his free-agent price tag says they believe he can be. They'll need the offensive line to stay healthy and play well, with left tackle Trent Williams as its anchor. The Redskins' dream scenario sees Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan cementing their place among the league's top pass-rushing duos, DeAngelo Hall harnessing his ability and playing like a top corner, and something emerging from the muddle they take to training camp at safety. The defense looked like a young defense on the rise last year, and if the Redskins are to threaten or possibly exceed .500, it will have to continue that rise.

Nightmare scenario (5-11): That would mean the same record as last year and one game worse than the year before, and it would drop Mike Shanahan's three-year record as the team's head coach to a rather uninspiring 16-32. That would be what's called, in official NFL terms, "not good." In the Redskins' nightmare scenario, Griffin struggles with the transition, the wide receiver group is as uninspiring as Washington's free-agency critics believe it is, and the offensive line falls apart thanks to injury for the second year in a row. In the nightmare scenario, the secondary remains a big-time weakness of the defense and costs the Redskins dearly in division games against the likes of Eli Manning, Tony Romo and Michael Vick. If all of this happens, the Redskins would enter the 2013 offseason with far more to fix than they currently believe they do, and with questions about Shanahan's future as coach. I don't think there's much that can happen to wreck the Griffin honeymoon between now and January, but if the rest of the team plays well around him and he commits too many turnovers, that particular nightmare scenario could make Redskins fans nervous about the new franchise quarterback going into next season.

Been getting a couple of complaints about this morning's post seeking input on the order for the Friday breakfast links. The sense among the complainers is that such a post is too frivolous and takes up time and space that could be devoted to more serious, on-field football issues.

To illustrate the way I feel about such complaints, I will now write a post about uniforms and Roman numerals.

If you've seen film from the Washington Redskins' offseason practices, you've no doubt noticed that rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III is wearing "GRIFFIN III" on the back of his jersey. You've likely not thought much about it, since that's what he wore on the back of his jersey in college. But Uni Watch tells us not only that Griffin will wear the name and numerals during the season, but that prior to this year, that would not have been permitted under NFL rules:

Near as Uni Watch can figure, this will mark the NFL's first instance of RNOB (that's short for "Roman numeral on back"; you can learn more about this and other uni-specific terms in the Uni Watch Glossary). In fact, as far as Uni Watch can tell, this will be the first case of RNOB in any of the Big Four professional leagues -- NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL. Yes, several college football and basketball players, including Griffin himself, have worn RNOB at the NCAA level, but never in the pros. So Griffin is breaking some serious new ground here.

Paul goes on to question whether Griffin's decision to wear the numerals has as much to do with the furthering of his personal brand as it does familial tribute, especially in light of his Adidas deal and the fact that their logo is three stripes. That's some serious Oliver Stone stuff right there, and kudos to Uni Watch for being willing to ask the tough uniform questions. I say could be, but one of the 17,000 Griffin stories to which I linked prior to the draft told of how Griffin started wearing the "III" on his jersey to honor his grandfather and that his father knew nothing about it until he saw him on the field with it on the back. So I'm not going to cast aspersions.

I also have a soft spot for these things. I've never used "Daniel Graziano III" as my byline even though that's my name, but I am proud of my numerals. They honor my father and help me remember my grandfather, and I think enough of the tradition that we named our first son Daniel IV. So I think it's cool that Griffin will wear them, and that the stodgy NFL will lighten up and allow him to.

In the same story, Paul reports that Redskins running back Roy Helu, Jr. will wear "HELU JR." on the back of his jersey this year, now that he's allowed to. I look forward to future updates on others taking advantage of this new rule.

Hey, so one of the video elements we tried today worked. It's the weekly Blogger Blitz video, and in it I address the issue of the supporting cast around Washington Redskins rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III. Griffin is getting and will continue to get most of the attention, because he's new and he's fun and he's a quarterback. But the Redskins' coaches will tell you they're just as concerned about the group that surrounds him on offense. So I talk about two of the members of that supporting group -- left tackle Trent Williams and tight end Fred Davis -- whose 2011 season ended rather poorly and who needs to step forward as leaders and productive players in the offense this year and beyond if Griffin is going to thrive.

Yeah, sorry about the Vokle chat. Sometimes our technology just doesn't do what we want it to do. There are plans in the works to try again. I hope you'll give us another shot if we try next week.

Anyway, back to the blog. As a twist on the usual Power Rankings, we had a panel of ESPN experts put together something called the NFL Future Power Rankings , basically projecting how the Power Rankings will look three years from now. It's Insider, so you have to pay to read it and I can't give it all away to you here. But if you are interested, the piece explaining how the panelists came to their conclusions is available to everyone and is here.

Here's how the NFC East teams fared, and partial explanations for why:

3. New York Giants

Trailing only the Packers and the Patriots, the Giants got a score of 81.13 out of a possible 100, with coaching, front office and quarterback their highest-scoring categories. Here's Trent Dilfer on the quarterback in particular:

He has the baby-brother look, but Eli Manning turns 32 this season, and since his 1-6 record as a rookie, has started all 16 games in seven straight seasons. He has had his INT issues, but is an elite passer when he gets comfortable with his targets. He has many good years ahead.

7. Philadelphia Eagles

Quarterback was the only place where the Eagles didn't score high, as uncertainty about Michael Vick's age (32) and future in Philly pushed them down to a 5.75 in that category. They had an overall score of 74 out of 100, buoyed but very high marks in front office, draft and coaching. Mel Kiper on their drafting:

A remarkably good draft in 2012 could shore up the defense and make the Eagles Super Bowl contenders. If Vick has any health issues, is Nick Foles the next guy in line? You never know what they'll do at that spot. But they have a system, draft very well and, at least based on my board, maintain a really strong sense of value and how to maneuver.

14. Dallas Cowboys

The highest score the Cowboys got was their 7 in quarterback, and their overall score was 62.06 out of 100. Their lowest marks were for draft and front office, and this is Gary Horton on their roster:

Age is a concern. And unless they do a good job in free agency and the draft, the talent level will drop off in the next couple of years. They should remain fairly young at WR and RB, and they seem to be rebuilding their offensive line. Defensively, they are not very young and their best playmaker of the future will be rookie CB Morris Claiborne, but a lot of replacements are needed.

20. Washington Redskins

An overall score of 56.38 out of 100, with the highest mark their 6.75 in coaching. The panel gave them a 6.25 for quarterback, which is generous since their current starter has never played an NFL game. But the assumption is that he'll fit in well and that he has the talent to be a franchise quarterback. Dragging the Redskins' score down the most is the 4.75 for the current roster. Here's Horton on that:

Obviously, this future will be built around rookie QB Robert Griffin III. The challenge will be to surround him with talent on both sides of the ball with limited high draft picks. Washington doesn't have a lot of young, talented guys at the offensive skill positions. The Redskins tried to upgrade the passing game in free agency and TE Fred Davis is a solid player. On defense, age is a real problem and with the exception of young edge rushers Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan, upgrades will be needed.

So like I said, Insider if you want to read it all. And remember, no one's saying this is definitely how it'll all turn out -- just the way it looks to those experts' eyes from here.

Let's have a little debate, shall we? With nearly four months still to go before the games start, a good, old-fashioned quarterback debate may be just the thing to wake everybody up and get the blood going.

Now, for the purposes of this particular debate, I don't much care which quarterback you think is "better" than the other. Fact is we can't trust you guys to have an unbiased argument about that anyway. Which is fine. You're fans. You're not supposed to be unbiased. I just feel like we can turn this debate a couple of degrees and ask a different kind of question, namely:

Which quarterback is under more pressure to perform in 2012? Michael Vick or Tony Romo?

Yeah, the poll has all four listed, because that only seemed fair. But Eli Manning's a two-time Super Bowl MVP and Robert Griffin III is a rookie in charge of a rebuilding project, so I don't think either of those guys faces the same kind of pressure as Vick faces in title-starved Philadelphia or Romo faces in perpetually unsatisfied Dallas. Go ahead and vote for one of those guys if you really think he's the right answer, but in the context of 2012 only, with Manning coming off a Super Bowl win and Griffin learning the league, I think the answer to this question is between Vick and Romo.

And if you've been reading regularly, you know my pick is Vick. I don't think any quarterback in the NFL this year will be under more pressure than Vick will be. The Eagles are in a must-win situation after their high 2011 hopes flopped, and they can't afford to flop again. Not that the Cowboys can afford to flop, mind you, but I just think Vick is in a higher-pressure situation.

Vick was far more responsible for his team's 2011 flop than Romo was for his team's. Vick has not demonstrated the same kind of year-in, year-out production that Romo has, so he has less of a track record on which to stand. And fair or not, Vick is always going to be judged against his own brilliant 2010 season. A lot of the Eagles' plans last year were based on the idea that Vick could do many things no other quarterback could do, and that that gave them an edge against the other good teams in the league. He may not have to be as incredible as he was in 2010, but he's going to have to show some of that ability in order to make teams fear him and the Eagles.

Vick is in a fascinating situation. He obviously has to mature as a quarterback and a decision-maker in order for the Eagles to succeed. But he has to do so without sacrificing too much of what sets him apart, athletically, from the others who play his position. It may well be an impossible balance to strike. But Vick is being asked to do it anyway, and I think that puts him under a different kind of pressure than Romo or anyone else faces in 2012.

What do you guys think? Play nice!

Lots of stuff coming out of the first day of Washington Redskins OTAs, including the apparently scary, inadvertent sideline takedown of head coach Mike Shanahan by defensive back Brandyn Thompson. But as I was reading through the player quotes that the team's media relations staff sent out, I was particularly struck by this one from London Fletcher, when asked whether the trade-up to draft quarterback Robert Griffin III was part of what convinced him to re-sign with the Redskins:

"Obviously, them being able to get into that second pick was something huge for me. I'm a guy, I'm in my 15^th season, to go into another year with not having a quarterback was not very appealing to me, I'll tell you that. So, when they were able to make the trade, knowing we would be getting either Andrew Luck or him, that definitely made the situation a lot brighter as far as coming back here. So you know, I've had enough years of other stuff."

I guess he didn't add, "No offense, Rex Grossman, Donovan McNabb or Jason Campbell." But you have to love a guy who gives it to you straight, and the sense around the Redskins the past few years has indeed been one of, as Fletcher put it, "not having a quarterback." Now, they have Griffin, whom everyone loves and of whom great things are expected. Fletcher is impressed with the young man, per this quote:

"He's very humble, you know very respectful, you know not coming in feeling like he's entitled to anything. He's willing to work, he works hard, he's in here early, and he's in his playbook. There are some first-round draft picks, especially high guys, they come in and feel like things should be given to them. That's not the case with him. He has an aura about himself that people want to gravitate to him and just get to know him, talk to him, things like that. You can see why everybody spoke so highly about him."

The latest in a long line of glowing Griffin testimonials. The excited, enthusiastic Griffin honeymoon is in full swing in Washington, and right now Griffin can do no wrong. We're still four months away from games that count, and likely many more months away from Griffin doing anything that opens him up to grumbly criticism and concern.

The Redskins' 2012 quarterback may be a rookie, but it's clear he's got folks around the team feeling as though things are finally going to be okay at the most important position on the field, after a long time during which they've not been.

John Clayton has a preview of some of the hot issues teams face as organized team activities (or OTAs) begin this week. The only NFC East mentions in his piece are about the Philadelphia Eagles, and they are this one:

The Eagles signed Demetress Bell to replace left tackle Jason Peters, who is out for the season after tearing his Achilles twice. Bell was previously Peters' replacement in Buffalo but didn't stand out.

and this one:

Dream Team, take two: The Eagles were the winners of the 2011 offseason but losers when they underachieved last season and didn't make the playoffs. The key to OTAs is seeing whether they are going in the right direction on defense. Last year, they brought in man-to-man specialists Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and played them in zone. Andy Reid brought in secondary coach Todd Bowles to help defensive coordinator Juan Castillo sort out the plan in the secondary and see whether the Eagles can match up better with the talent on hand.

And yeah, as was the case when the 2011 season started, I think it's fair to say the Eagles will be the most compelling national story out of our division. Much is expected, and given the way they flopped last year, they'll be under even more scrutiny this year.

But we deal with all four teams equally here, so playing off of John's column, I figured it'd be a good idea to pick something to watch for each of our other three teams this week. Remember that these offseason workouts are voluntary, so not all of the players we're looking at will necessarily be on the field. The Redskins' OTAs begin today, the Eagles and Cowboys start theirs Tuesday and the Giants get on the field Wednesday.

Dallas Cowboys

Lining up the line: The injury that will keep free-agent guard Mackenzy Bernadeau out for the spring and summer deprives the Cowboys of a chance they were expecting to see Bernadeau at center. It also removes him temporarily from the offseason competition for one of the guard spots, and will give players such as David Arkin, Bill Nagy, Nate Livings and Kevin Kowalski a head-start on him as they get an early chance to show the coaches what they can do.

New York Giants

The replacements: The Giants have to figure some things out on the line as well, and they'll take a look this offseason at whether Will Beatty is making progress as the starting left tackle and whether veteran David Diehl is the solution at right tackle with Kareem McKenzie gone. But they also want to see whether first-round pick David Wilson can replace running back Brandon Jacobs, whether second-round pick Rueben Randle can emerge from the crowd hoping to replace wide receiver Mario Manningham, and whether Terrell Thomas and/or Prince Amukamara is healthy enough to replace cornerback Aaron Ross.

Washington Redskins

Here, catch! We know rookie Robert Griffin III is the guy who'll be throwing the ball for the Redskins -- now and, ideally, for the long-term future. But Washington still needs to sort out who's going to catch it. Free-agent signees Pierre Garcon and Josh Morgan are obviously going to get the first shot at prominent roles in the receiving corps, and the coaching staff remains excited about 2011 rookie Leonard Hankerson. But veteran Santana Moss will also push for a role, and there are several holdovers at the wide receiver spot who will look to catch the coaches' attention this offseason so as not to get lost in the shuffle. And that doesn't even take into account tight end Fred Davis, who was the Redskins' best receiver last year.

Welcome to the weekend, and to the weekend mailbag, where I try to round up some of your more interesting questions from the week and answer them the best I can. We shall get right to it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Enjoy the rest of your weekend, folks.

» NFC pressure points: West | North | South | East
» AFC pressure points: West | North | South | East

Examining who faces the most challenging season for the Washington Redskins and why.

Trent Williams was the No. 4 pick in the 2010 NFL draft -- Mike Shanahan's first draft pick after he became the Redskins' coach. There were pre-draft questions about Williams' work ethic and focus, but the Redskins took him super-high because they saw a rare talent -- a franchise left tackle with enough athleticism, skill and technique to dominate at the position for years to come. Over the course of the 2010 season, they would see occasional flashes of brilliance, but Williams did not sustain those, and too often he struggled against the tough pass-rushers of the NFC East. In the early part of the 2011 season, he seemed to be developing greater consistency, and the Redskins began to think he would soon justify his draft position and their hopes for him.

Alas, there were injuries. And then that four-game drug suspension at the end of the year. And now Williams enters his third NFL season with a lot of those same old questions yapping at his heels. Can he stay focused? Heck, can he stay clean? Can he take another leap forward toward or even into that elite level of which his team believes him capable? Can he project himself as a responsible leader on a young team that needs him to be among its best players? The Redskins spent four very high draft picks on Robert Griffin III as their quarterback of the future, and the protection of that investment against injury falls to Williams as much as it falls to anyone in the organization. Does Williams understand the magnitude of his responsibility?

If he gets busted for drugs again, the problems are probably not fixable. He'd be banned for a year without pay, forfeiting a tremendous amount of the money he got on a rookie deal in the final year before the implementation of the rookie wage scale. But assuming he's not going to make that same dumb mistake again, the Redskins still need more from Williams in 2012. It's not about potential anymore. It's time for him to play like one of the best in the league at his position. We've seen him do it for a game or two here and there. The Redskins need to see it for 16.

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

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

Links.

Dallas Cowboys

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

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

New York Giants

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

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

Philadelphia Eagles

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

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

Washington Redskins

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

Robert Griffin III appeared Thursday night on "The Tonight Show," and he talked about wanting to play basketball with the president. He also showed off some socks. (Have you heard he's into socks?) Here are some clips, in case you were already in bed like I was.

Oh, man, do we have links. They're mid-May links, so they may not be the tastiest or juiciest links we have all year. But they are links nonetheless, and they're piping hot and ready for you on what looks to be a glorious Thursday morning. Enjoy.

Dallas Cowboys

Calvin says the Mackenzy Bernadeau hip injury, while obviously not a good thing for the player or the Cowboys, opens the door to opportunity for several of the young guard/center types the Cowboys will bring to training camp. Yeah, Bernadeau has a contract, but that doesn't guarantee him a starting spot, and if Bill Nagy or David Arkin looks stronger this year and takes some big steps, either could force his way into the starting picture.

Jonathan Bales ran the numbers to determine how important it was for the Cowboys to address the interior of their offensive line this offseason and the likelihood that a healthy Bernadeau and fellow free agent Nate Livings will help shore things up in there. Jonathan has cool graphs in his post as well, with cylindrical illustrations in team colors. If that's your kind of thing.

New York Giants

It was apparently important to the players that this Giants Super Bowl ring have some blue in it, and it does, and it's quite stunning. The Giants received their rings Wednesday night in a ceremony at Tiffany & Co. Justin Tuck said the goal now is to "make it a dynasty," which is bold talk from a team that went 9-7 and lost to the Redskins twice. But hey, it was their night, you know?

John Mara says the contract extension for Giants coach Tom Coughlin will be done "sooner rather than later." As I've said before, I'm guessing it's a three-year extension whose announcement, which will come sometime between now and the start of the regular season, will rank among the least surprising announcements in NFL history. Coughlin's going to decide when he's not the Giants' coach anymore, and he's earned that right.

Philadelphia Eagles

Sheil Kapadia looks at the bounty of talent through which defensive line coach Jim Washburn gets to sort this year. The Eagles tied for the league lead in sacks last year with a defense that relies on pressure from its front four, much the way the Super Bowl Champion Giants do, and they will try to do even better this season than the 50 sacks they racked up last season in an effort to catch those Giants and beat them at their own defensive game.

A big part of the Eagles' problem on defense last year was that they ignored the linebacker position and handed the starting middle linebacker job to unprepared Casey Matthews. They have addressed that issue this offseason by acquiring middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans from Houston. And rather than lament his chance to atone and get the job back, Matthews describes Ryan as "the leader we didn't have" on defense in 2011.

Washington Redskins

Kirk Cousins didn't want the Redskins to be the team that drafted him -- not after they drafted Robert Griffin III with the No. 2 pick in the draft. But they were, and now that the shock has waned a bit, Cousins says he's come to an understanding about the terms of his opportunity and what he needs to do to make good on it.

Griffin's opportunity, at least in the near term, includes a rush of endorsement opportunities, and he's grabbing them. He's also hawking "Go Catch Your Dream" socks like the ones he wore at the draft. If Griffin turns out to be as good as the Redskins are betting he will, he's going to be a Madison Ave. monster before it's all said and done.

Our weekly Blogger Blitz video stays on the rookie theme we started (to the consternation of many) last week. In the video you see above, I explain why I think New York Giants rookie receiver Rueben Randle is in an excellent spot from which to succeed early in his career. Success as a rookie in the NFL can often be tied to opportunity. And while there are a number of NFC East rookies, including Robert Griffin III, Morris Claiborne, Fletcher Cox and Mychal Kendricks, who will or could be starters right away, Randle is in a unique position to make a big leap from his so-so college stats to bigger things in the NFL.

Randle played at LSU, where they attempted to win the national title this year without the use of a quarterback (and nearly pulled it off). Now, he'll be working with Eli Manning, who has developed a reputation for helping receivers learn, develop and flourish. Add that to the meeting-room company of such low-ego stars as Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz, and the Giants' second-round pick will have plenty of help adjusting to the pro game. If he has the ability to be a star NFL receiver, as the Giants think he does, he'll certainly have the opportunity to cash it in.

We had our chat. It was a fine way to pass part of a rainy afternoon. These are some of the highlights, in case you missed it, or you could just click here and read the whole thing over. Your call. I don't judge, and I don't hold a grudge. Hey, that rhymed. Sweet.

Ian from Atl, Ga., who apparently only reads every third word of my posts, asked me why I give the Washington Redskins "a pass" for what they spent to make the Robert Griffin III deal and yet "the Dallas Cowboys get crucified" for trading up to pick Morris Claiborne. He also strongly disagreed with my statement last week that Claiborne faced more pressure than Griffin, and postulated that Griffin would in fact be a "dead man" if he didn't turn out to be a stud. This was a very excited, dramatic question with lots of exclamation points, and it left me to believe that Ian should maybe think about trying some of the newer caffeine-free soda options at lunchtime. But I did answer.

Dan Graziano: Who gave them a pass? The price they paid for Griffin was gargantuan. My argument is that they had more of a need to make that move than the Cowboys did to make the Claiborne one -- especially after signing Carr in free agency. And as for the more-pressure thing, I was extremely clear than I was talking about 2012 pressure only, and I stand by it. If Griffin takes a while to acclimate to the NFL this year, he'll get more of a leash from his team's fans than Claiborne will if he's getting torched every week in Dallas. How is that incorrect? The Cowboys expect to contend, the Redskins are rebuilding.

Matt from DC asked whether I thought 2011 draft pick Marvin Austin could have any impact at defensive tackle this year for the New York Giants after missing the past two years of football due to injuries.

DG: "Yeah, I think if he's healthy he's a major impact guy. You learn a lot being in the Giants' defensive line room, and he's got the talent to be incredible. Just needs the health, and I think he'd come quickly."

Tyrion Lannister from King's Landing took a break from scheming with and against his sister to ask whether Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie would fire coach Andy Reid during the season if the Eagles got off to a bad start.

DG: I don't think the Eagles fire Reid midseason, no matter what. I think it's important to step back and accurately appraise what Reid has been to that organization and the contribution he's made to its history. When it's over, I do not think the owner will want the parting to be ugly. Nor should he.

Chris L from EPTX asked what was the biggest remaining question for the Cowboys that no one's talking about.

DG: I'd say defensive line. They need to be more physically dominant up front. There's a school of thought that the improvements in the secondary might help with that, but we'll see. They didn't get any 2012 help for the line at all.

And Bill from DC asked what I thought DeJon Gomes' chances were to start at safety for the Redskins this year.

DG: The Redskins view him as a starting safety, but they are unsure whether he can be that this year. I believe he'll get an opportunity to show whether he can, and if not they'll fill in until they think he's ready.

There was also a bunch of stuff about the old Tony Romo/Jessica Simpson/Cabo trip controversy, and an auxiliary discussion about Britney Spears vs. Jessica Simpson at that specific time in history, but it's a lot to get into. You have to read the whole chat transcript if you want that stuff. Meantime, I'm out. Hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did.

Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com, a closet baseball fan who covers the Dallas Cowboys, was looking over his 2012 Cowboys' schedule the other day. Calvin was probably planning travel, and deciding which restaurants to patronize in the various road cities to which the Cowboys will be traveling, but while he was doing this he had an idea to list five opposing players who stand out as potential problems for the Cowboys in 2012. These are individual players Calvin thinks will cause matchup problems for the Cowboys, mind you, not necessarily games he's predicting them to lose.

Anyway, the guys over at ESPNDallas.com are real good about plugging my stuff, so in the spirit of symbiosis, I like to give you a look at theirs when it seems appropriate. And on a slow, rainy offseason day such as this, it did. Calvin's list includes Carolina quarterback Cam Newton, Cincinnati quarterback Andy Dalton, Baltimore rookie linebacker Courtney Upshaw and two players from the NFC East -- Washington Redskins tight end Fred Davis and New York Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul. Here's Calvin's take on Davis:

The Redskins tight end had seven catches in two games against the Cowboys last season. He's a threat to the linebackers and safeties who might cover him. Does Brodney Pool cover Davis? Gerald Sensabaugh? Anthony Spencer? Davis is athletic enough to provide matchup problems and with Robert Griffin III moving around the pocket, Davis becomes a target to find on the run.

And here's his take on Pierre-Paul:

The New York Giants defensive end is the new Cowboys killer. In two games last year, Pierre-Paul had 13 tackles, three sacks and a blocked field goal. The Cowboys couldn't contain this man. Last year, Doug Free had trouble with Pierre-Paul. Now, Tyron Smith gets his turn at one of the better young defensive players in the game.

I think Smith is fantastic, will have no trouble transitioning to left tackle and can be one of the best in the league at the position in short order. But I agree with the sentiment that Pierre-Paul seems like the kind of player who raises his game when the lights are brightest, and it wouldn't surprise me to see him terrorize the Cowboys again this year, even if they are better at left tackle. His talent is such that he always finds himself in the middle of the big play, and he's the kind of player around whom the Cowboys and the rest of the division are going to have to game-plan for years to come.

And yeah, on Davis -- his size and athleticism at the tight end position are an under-discussed advantage for Griffin in his rookie season. Davis was the Redskins' best receiving threat in 2011, and it's no slight against the upgrades they've made at wide receiver to predict that he could be again in 2012. People may have forgotten about Davis after his four-game drug suspension at the end of last season. But assuming he can stay clean, there's little reason to think he won't be a difficult force with which to contend for opposing defenses.

We have rookies on the brain this time of year, what with all of these rookie minicamps all over the place, so I was thinking about which rookie in our division was likely to be under the most pressure to perform right away in 2012. And as you can see in this week's edition of the Blogger Blitz video, I'm picking Dallas Cowboys cornerback Morris Claiborne over Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III for that dubious honor. Watch the video for my explanation. I really don't care whether you agree, curse at my yammering face or throw popcorn at the screen. It sets me up nice with the bosses if you watch the video all the way through to the end, so you know. Just sayin. If you want to do me a solid, is all. Thanks.