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The Arizona Cardinals released three pretty good players Tuesday in running back Edgerrin James, cornerback Rod Hood and defensive end Travis LaBoy. The James release was pretty much guaranteed when the Cardinals selected Chris "Beanie" Wells in the first round of the draft Saturday.

I think the Redskins should target both James and LaBoy. Last year, the Redskins became so desperate at running back that they brought in washed-up Shaun Alexander to back up Clinton Portis. The Cowboys and Giants have tremendous depth at the running back position, but the Redskins are relying on Ladell Betts and Rock Cartwright to spell Portis. James would be a nice addition to the team. He and Portis are both former University of Miami guys, and I think he could flourish catching passes out of the backfield.

The Redskins would also be wise to pursue LaBoy. They have Brian Orakpo now, but you can't enough quality defensive ends. LaBoy played with defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth in Tennessee so they're already on the same page. LaBoy would immediately challenge for a starting job. That would also help limit the reps for aging defensive ends Phillip Daniels and Renaldo Wynn.

Redskins coach Jim Zorn admitted Thursday that running back Clinton Portis hasn't made any significant progress with his sprained knee. Portis' teammates are still holding out hope for Portis because they've seen him play well after missing an entire week of practice before.

Portis

"I was hoping today that there would be a little more optimism, and there's not," Zorn said. "He's still questionable. I would say there's no change today. I was looking for another jump, but there wasn't."

Now there's always the chance the Redskins are making this a little worse than it is, but that doesn't seem like Zorn's style. Right now, he's preparing a game plan that doesn't include Portis. The Redskins will still try to run the ball, but they may use Ladell Betts and Shaun Alexander in a different way. If Betts can play with a bum knee (and he looked good in practice today), he'll get the majority of the carries. Alexander's not a guy that can come in and be a third-down back because he doesn't catch the ball and he's not particularly good at picking up the blitz.

For Alexander to be effective at all, he needs to be in there on first and second down. Zorn said he's asked Alexander to do some different things than he did in Seattle, but he didn't elaborate on that point.

Another concern for the Redskins is Santana Moss' injured hamstring. He played with it against the Steelers, but he wasn't effective at all. The Redskins thought Moss' presence alone would take pressure off Jason Campbell, but that didn't work out.

The Cowboys are a team in desperate need of a win, and Portis' absence would give them a much better chance. I think the Redskins will come out immediately and test Terence Newman. It would nice if Washington could get a little help from one of its two rookie wide receivers, but that's unlikely. Devin Thomas was sick Thursday and Malcolm Kelly's nowhere close to playing.

It will once again be Moss, Antwaan Randle El and James Thrash trying to get the job done. The one player to watch is tight end Chris Cooley, who has had some great games against the Cowboys. Dallas knows what it's like to play without its best player. Now, it looks like the Redskins might find out.

So much more to come when I roll out Audibles on Friday afternoon.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

In his exclusive interview with the NFC Beast on Wednesday, Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell sounded off on several topics, including the status of injured running back Clinton Portis. I applaud you guys for sending in some excellent questions for Campbell, at least two of which were used on the radio.

Portis told "The Michael Irvin Show" on Wednesday that he wouldn't have been able to play Thursday -- even if it were the Super Bowl. But Campbell's learned not to count Portis out.

"Just knowing Clinton, knowing the toughness that he has, I don't ever cancel him out until like right before the game," said Campbell. "He's always a guy who even when he doesn't practice all week, he's going to show up ready to play on Sunday. That's just his nature and mentality. We always look at it, you're never going to be a 100 percent when you play in the NFL, Sunday to Sunday anyways, and Clinton always understands that.

"If he can go and play with pain, he'll do it. But if it's something that's to the extreme and something that can carry over or cause future harm, if he's threatening it by playing, then we have to sit him down and he won't play. He's such a tough guy, it's hard to even determine at this standpoint this early in the week."

Campbell had a chance to clear his head over the bye week by visiting Disney World with his girlfriend and the Chris Cooley family.

"We went to a couple theme parks and got on a couple rides. I wouldn't think that Cooley's big self would be scared of rides, but there were a couple of rollers coasters that had him hollering. I said, 'you get hit by linebackers in space, and you're hollering on a roller coaster?'"

But Campbell and Cooley were only following orders from their head coach. Jim Zorn encouraged players to spend time with each other -- and to reach out to family members that haven't heard from them in a while.

"One thing [Zorn] said was call the ones you love because during football season you don't have much time to communicate with a lot of people," Campbell said. "Call them and let them know you've just been busy. He also wanted us to do something with our teammates. Something fun but not anything out of the extra ordinary, and stay out of trouble. Stay out of trouble, and not surround yourself with the opportunity to get in trouble. And he wanted us to rest up, and he said some of our houses might be all messed up and need cleaning. I cleaned my house a little bit before I got ready to leave town."

That's right, folks. The Redskins did some housecleaning over the bye -- literally. Campbell has spent this week breaking down film of the Cowboys' defense. You might recall Campbell leading the Redskins to a win over Dallas at Texas Stadium back in October.

"[The Cowboys] look like two different teams from the earlier part of the year," said Campbell. "Lately when they played against Tampa Bay, I saw a defense that was flying around making plays and feeding off each other's energy."

Campbell felt like Santana Moss' hamstring injury was still nagging him against the Steelers, which basically eliminated the deep threat. And left tackle Chris Samuels wasn't himself after sitting out the Detroit game with a knee injury. If Portis is anywhere close to healthy, the Redskins will win the game Sunday. But I'm not sure a combination of a banged up Ladell Betts and a washed up Shaun Alexander can get the job done.

For now, Campbell is just hoping an opposing team's crowd doesn't take over FedEx Field again. The sight of about 15,000 Terrible Towels is still fresh in his mind.

"It was shocking to look around and see that many Pittsburgh Steelers fans in our own stadium," Campbell said. "That's the purpose of playing home field, you know, to have home-field advantage and use the crowd noise against the opponent. But I'm pretty sure Pittsburgh felt like it was right at home and wasn't threatened by it because they had so many fans in our own stadium. That's something we can't allow to happen."

In fact, Campbell said that players have been using the media to encourage season-ticket holders to refuse offers from Cowboys fans. But he knows it might be a losing battle in an area that's always had its fair share of Cowboys fans.

"We want everyone to come out and be in full force, be supportive," he said. "But you can't tell anyone what to do when they own something."

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

LANDOVER, Md. -- Here's what Jim Zorn said as he left the field at halftime:

"It is a battle. The last punt we got beat on the left side and it created a problem. Both teams are battling. We have had too many three-and-outs, but I also have to call the right play. We have to win the individual battles. Sometimes the coverage was there, but we have to win. We have to find a way to make the plays to put ourselves in a winning situation."

Well, the Redskins just had another three-and-out series. I think that makes them 0 for 9 on third downs. I watched Zorn make a beeline to where the Redskins offensive players were sitting. Clinton Portis doesn't look anywhere close to 100 percent to me. There's just no explosion and he had a drop during that series. But it's not like the Redskins have any options. Shaun Alexander is dreadful at this point in his career.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

LANDOVER, Md. -- The Redskins scored their six points off a failed onsides kick attempt and a Ben Roethlisberger interception. It certainly wasn't anything the offense accomplished. The Redskins are 0-for-8 on third downs. They've moved the ball with Clinton Portis at times, but they can't sustain anything. Jason Campbell hasn't been as efficient as usual. From my vantage point, he seems to be guiding the ball a little instead of cutting loose.

I think it's important for the Redskins to stick with the running game, but Portis' right knee appears to be banged up. Veteran Shaun Alexander is the backup, but he doesn't pose much of a threat against this Steelers defense. I'm not sure why the Redskins aren't running the ball to the left side. Maybe it's out of respect for linebacker James Harrison, who lines up on the right side.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

LANDOVER, Md. -- Losing to the Rams at home last week was supposed to be a wake-up call for the Redskins, but it took more than a half of Sunday's game for the alarm to go off. Redskins running back Clinton Portis turned in another dominating performance in leading the Redskins (5-2) to a 14-11 victory over the Browns at Fed Ex Field.

The Browns' defense was gashed in the running game, but they refused to let the Redskins in the end zone until midway through the third quarter. Jason Campbell, who kept his uncanny non-interception streak alive, found Santana Moss on a deep out for 35 yards with 10:27 left in the third quarter. Moss spun around twice, and left two Browns defenders in his wake.

The Redskins used a lot of stunts along the line to put pressure on Derek Anderson, who continued his habit of playing horribly on the road. Of course, it didn't help that wide receiver Braylon Edwards had four drops, three of which would've gone for first downs.

Redskins linebacker London Fletcher made two huge plays during a goal-line stand in the fourth quarter, but a fumble by Portis gave the Browns another opportunity. This time, Derek Anderson found Josh Cribbs for a 1-yard touchdown pass on third down.

The Browns held the Redskins to a three-and-out on the final drive, and put Phil Dawson in position to attempt a 54-yard field goal. Dawson had the distance, but he pushed it right.

Portis finished the game with 27 carries for 175 yards and a touchdown. With Ladell Betts injured and a rusty Shaun Alexander backing him up, Portis had to put the Redskins on his back for most of the game. Mike Sellers had some devastating blocks on the outside and Portis showed excellent vision to find gaps in the Browns' defense.

The Redskins now head to Detroit with a chance to improve to 6-2 at the midway point. The win also allowed the Redskins to take a one-game lead over the fading Cowboys. Much more to come.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

LANDOVER, Md. -- A collective groan went through the press box when Fox elected to cut away from the Rams-Cowboys game. We're now focused on Giants-49ers, which appeared to be a runaway until the Giants had a field goal attempt blocked and returned for a touchdown.

Here at FedEx, it's 58 degrees and there's not a cloud in the sky -- from my vantage point. It will warm up to about 61 and then cool off as we get into the evening. By the time my column's posted, it will be in the high 40s. We're dealing with a 7-mph wind 45 minutes before kickoff. Redskins kicker Shaun Suisham has been hooking the ball a little bit, but he seems to be aiming out to the right and bringing the ball back in this afternoon.

Redskins rookie Devin Thomas is warming up right in front of me. Former Oklahoma receiver Malcolm Kelly (one catch) isn't even active. Backup running back Shaun Alexander is posing for pictures. We'll see what you think, but he looks a little heavy to me.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

We interrupt the Cowboys news cycle to inform you that the Redskins had a busy "day off" Tuesday. Struggling rookie punter Durant Brooks was replaced by veteran Ryan Plackemeier and reserve safety Reed Doughty (back) was placed on injured reserve. Former Bears safety Mike Green was signed to provide depth behind starter Chris Horton.

Oh, and former Seahawks All-Pro Shaun Alexander was signed to fill in for the injured Ladell Betts. Alexander had 27 touchdowns in 2005, but his career has been in steady decline since. Head coach Jim Zorn and running backs coach Stump Mitchell worked with Alexander in Seattle, so they felt comfortable bringing him in. Clinton Portis is averaging a league-leading 22 carries per game, and the presence of Alexander won't change that. As NFC West blogger Mike Sando explained to me during a recent conversation, Alexander's not particularly effective as a third-down back because he rarely catches the ball and he's not fond of picking up the blitz.

In some ways, this feels like a favor that Zorn's doing for Alexander. He's no more than a relatively inexpensive insurance policy. Regarding Plackemeier, there are people in Seattle who thought he could have eventually become like Cowboys Pro Bowl punter Mat McBriar. He has a powerful leg, and he did a nice job in 2006-07. He only got six punts in the 2008 preseason in Seattle because he was banged up, and then he had a 30-yard net average on 11 punts in miserable conditions in a season-opening loss to Buffalo. I thought it was the wrong move by the Seahawks at the time.

Not to be the eternal optimist, but I actually think Plackemeier will be a huge upgrade over Brooks. The Redskins held on to him about two weeks too long because they were winning. His lousy effort against the Rams contributed to the loss Sunday.

For more punting analysis, stay tuned to the NFC Beast. I'll give McBriar a call and see what he thinks of Plackemeier. Australian punters are a tight-knit group, led by the godfather of Aussie punting, the retired Darren Bennett.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

Former Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander will visit Redskins Park on Tuesday and will probably sign with Washington, according to ESPN.com's John Clayton and Mike Sando. The Redskins need an extra running because Ladell Betts suffered a knee injury against the Rams.

Alexander worked with Redskins head coach Jim Zorn and running backs coach Stump Mitchell when they were in Seattle. He had an excellent career in Seattle, but he was largely ineffective last season and was released by Mike Holmgren.

The main reason Alexander hasn't been able to find a job is because he's not a complementary-type back. He's not a third-down back because he rarely catches passes, and he's not considered a good blocker. If the Redskins sign him, he'll mainly be an insurance policy. Clinton Portis has been brilliant this season, but he might occasionally need a series off. Rock Cartwright is capable of eating up some carries, but he's also a valuable special teams player.

I wouldn't expect Alexander to have more than five carries in a game. He'll just be there in case Portis gets hurt.