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So every Tuesday at noon ET we open up a SportsNation chat room and we do this thing where you guys ask me questions and I answer them. We call it the weekly NFC East chat, and it's oodles of fun. Those who don't come and join in... well, they're beyond hope at this point. So rather than fill them in with the highlights, I present these chat highlights for those of you were there, so you can relive all the fun we had together.

Wesley from Woodstock, Va. believes that, due to his lofty draft position and the attendant hype, Robert Griffin III will be targeted by defensive players in 2012 for "welcome to the NFL" hits. Considering this, Wesley wanted to know if I thought the Washington Redskins' current backup plan of Rex Grossman and Kirk Cousins was sufficient.

Dan Graziano: I don't know how much better a backup QB situation can get, actually. Grossman is the exact right guy to be backing up RG3 right away -- a QB who knows the offense and can help with the new guy's education (as long as the rookie ignores the parts about throwing it to the other team 20 times a year). And Cousins is a well-regarded young guy who'll be learning along with the starter. I think they've backed him up just fine.

St8prop from Atlanta saw a rumor that the Baltimore Ravens had offered the New York Giants a third-round draft pick for disgruntled defensive end Osi Umenyiora and wondered, if the Giants don't trade him, whether it would be because they believed they could do better in compensation picks for losing him to free agency next year.

DG: I think if they don't move him it's because they determined the value of keeping him on their roster outweighed what was offered. They don't NEED to move him. They're not worried about his discontent affecting what they do, and he showed last year that he can still make a major impact when he does play. And he's cheap.

(Ed. note: Please also remember that, if the Giants lose Umenyiora in free agency next year, their compensation pick wouldn't come until the 2014 draft, and it would depend on who else they lost in 2013 free agency and which players they signed as well.)

DAN FAN from Florida asked who would lead the division in touchdowns in 2012 and offered Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo as a guess.

DG: You mean passing TDs? I'd go with Eli Manning there, taking everything into consideration including his weapons and the relative states of the Giants' and Cowboys' running games.

So then Talon from Muncie, Ind. asked me to "elaborate on the state of NYG & DAL running games."

DG: Well, the Giants were last in the league, Ahmad Bradshaw has chronic foot injuries and Brandon Jacobs had 40 percent of their carries and is now gone. I think it's fair to say the state of the Giants' run game is questionable.

Mark from Los Angeles said he thought Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick "started getting a little lazy" after signing his big contract last offseason and wondered what his state of mind is going into this season.

DG: I don't agree with "lazy" as a characterization of Vick from what I saw last year. I felt all along that the Eagles needed to see some development and maturation from him as a leader, and while he showed some of it late in the year, I don't think he showed enough of it early. I do not ascribe that to laziness, though. I think he works very hard. I just didn't feel that he showed enough improvement in his specific areas of weakness. That could be because he doesn't identify those areas correctly, or because more work needs to be done in them than he or we are willing to admit, or any number of reasons.

And Gavin from Maryland asked how much of an upgrade new Dallas Cowboys fullback Lawrence Vickers would be over Tony Fiammetta, who got a lot of press last year for his role in the run game once DeMarco Murray got hot.

DG: The folks I talked to around the time of that signing all liked Vickers a lot better than they liked Fiammetta. I think by the end of the year, the consensus was that the midseason success of the Dallas' run game was much more Murray than it was Fiammetta, in spite of what some believed while it was happening.

Enjoyed it, as always. Though we didn't hear back from our old buddy Jack from Raleigh. I hope we didn't scare him off.

Dallas Cowboys

ESPNDallas.com wants to know whether you're happy with what the Cowboys have done to this point in free agency. They tell you what they think -- Calvin Watkins calls it a success, Tim MacMahon says it's just a start -- but what they really want to know is what you think. So go read, and make sure to vote.

Josh Ellis thinks that the signing of fullback Lawrence Vickers -- especially if the Cowboys don't sign a second tight end or a quality No. 3 wide receiver -- could lead to more I-formation sets on offense in 2012. They had success in 2011 running behind fullback Tony Fiammetta and might look to replicate that with Vickers now that they've lost Martellus Bennett and Laurent Robinson.

New York Giants

Ebenezer Samuel offers some insight into the unusual procedure Ahmad Bradshaw had done to help heal his injured foot. It was not, apparently, a stem-cell treatment. The goal is to stop the foot from continuing to be an issue for Bradshaw throughout the remainder of his career, because as tough as he is, having to endure the pain he endured in 2011 isn't likely to lend itself to a long career at a very physically demanding position.

David Carr, who was a starting quarterback when he arrived in the NFL with the Houston Texans a long time ago, likes being the Giants' backup quarterback. Says it's the best locker room he's ever been a part of.

Philadelphia Eagles

Former Eagles defensive lineman N.D. Kalu, who now hosts a sports talk radio show in Houston, tells Les Bowen that the loss of linebacker DeMeco Ryans to the Eagles is hurting Texans fans more than the loss earlier in the offseason of Mario Williams to the Bills.

Though there is some tinkering left to do and a few additions that are likely to be made to the offseason roster -- a veteran running back, a veteran fullback, a veteran safety, maybe another linebacker or two -- the Eagles feel as though their roster is in fairly good shape right now, in the wake of addressing their biggest need.

Washington Redskins

There will be some competition at wide receiver this year in Redskins camp, Rich Tandler writes, and very little is guaranteed at this point in terms of anyone's role or status in the starting lineup. A lot could depend on health, too, for guys like Josh Morgan and Leonard Hankerson, whose 2011 seasons ended early due to injury.

Josh Johnson was an intriguing backup quarterback possibility, but he's a San Francisco 49er now. I wonder if, when he showed up for his visit on Wednesday in Ashburn, no one was there to open the door for him since they were all in Waco.

So I was sitting here on Twitter, trolling for news, answering your questions and getting a kick out of the fact that Justin Tuck was watching (and tweeting about) the same "Big Bang Theory" rerun as me when it occurred to me that it was almost time to turn in and get some sleep. Before I did that, I just wanted to ask one question.

How was your day ...

Philadelphia Eagles?

"Surprising." You guys know I didn't think the Eagles intended to sign DeSean Jackson to a long-term contract, so when the news broke Wednesday afternoon that they had, I was stunned. It's a good deal for the Eagles, as almost all of the $15 million in guaranteed money is concentrated in the first two years and it saves them $6.6 million against this year's salary cap. And Jackson's happy because he's making a ton more than he did last season. The issue now is whether his production will rise along with his happiness. (And how long he'll stay happy, considering what other receivers are getting on the open market.) They signed Trent Cole to a four-year contract extension, and in the wake of the Jackson news the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that they were working on a new deal for running back LeSean McCoy.

The Eagles seem determined to take care of their own roster before dipping into the free-agent pool, so they're making little moves, too. Antonio Dixon signed his restricted free-agent tender, and Winston Justice got traded to the Colts in a deal that saw the teams swap sixth-round draft picks. That last was a salary dump, but it was one they needed to make. Guard Evan Mathis remains unsigned and is drawing interest elsewhere, but the Eagles still believe they have a good chance to bring him back.

One weird thing did happen. Late in the afternoon, Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Gerald McCoy sent out a tweet in which he apologized to Bucs fans for being unable to lure free-agent linebacker Curtis Lofton to Tampa and said Lofton was going to sign with the Eagles. The Eagles quickly denied any contact with Lofton, and McCoy retracted his tweet. So it's tough to say what's going on there, but it bears watching. The Eagles need linebacker help, but the linebacker market is slow, so they can wait it out.

Dallas Cowboys?

"Outstanding." They got their top-choice cornerback, agreeing with Brandon Carr on a five-year, $50.1 million contract. They got their veteran, starter-quality backup quarterback, agreeing on a three-year deal with Kyle Orton. They added guard Mackenzy Bernadeau to their interior offensive line mix, where they needed (and still could use more) help. And they signed fullback Lawrence Vickers to replace Tony Fiammetta, who seems to want to go see what he can get on the market. According to ESPNDallas.com, they have visits scheduled in the coming days with free-agent safety Brodney Pool and free-agent guard Nate Livings, so they're still hard at work trying to fill needs. The names may not be the splashiest, but the Cowboys have been down those roads before, and this measured, focused, need-based approach looks like the right way for them to go. A lot of money for Carr, yes, but they desperately needed a top free-agent cornerback, and that's what they're going for this year.

Many Cowboys fans were upset to lose wide receiver Laurent Robinson, who came out of nowhere to catch 11 touchdown passes from Tony Romo in 2011. But the Cowboys were never going to pay him anything close to what the Jaguars ended up paying him ($32.5 million for five years), and they shouldn't have paid their No. 3 wide receiver that much. They were prepared to go without Robinson last year. He was a bonus, a lottery ticket that hit. They'll be fine with what they have at receiver, and they can fill in Robinson's spot the same way they did last year, when they sifted through a bunch of decent-looking candidates and came up with Robinson. Don't sweat that loss, Cowboys fans. The team has bigger worries and bigger needs.

New York Giants?

"A success." They flew former Cowboys tight end Martellus Bennett in late Tuesday night, and they signed him Wednesday to a one-year, $2.5 million contract. They obviously see something they like in Bennett and believe that the coaching staff and quarterback Eli Manning can bring the best out of him, and they targeted and got him. They also got him on a very low-risk deal that will allow them to go in a different direction if he disappoints and their injured tight ends are healthy enough to return at the end of the season. Cowboys fans seem sure he will disappoint, and he very well may. But he's only 25 and he's got a ton of physical ability, so the Giants think maybe they're getting a guy right before he really takes off. The Giants also retained backup quarterback David Carr, which they wanted to do. What they'll do next I do not know. They need offensive line help and could use a veteran running back to replace Brandon Jacobs, but they'll be patient and target specific guys they like, because that's the way they operate. It seems to work for them.

Washington Redskins?

"Quieter." After racing out of the free-agent gates and signing two wide receivers before the sun went down on Tuesday, the Redskins made very little news Wednesday. Their trade with the Rams for the No. 2 pick in the draft became official, and we learned that they will host former Giants cornerback Aaron Ross for a free-agent visit Thursday in the hopes of adding him to their cornerback mix. They still haven't locked up Eddie Royal, who seemed poised to become their third free-agent wide receiver signing last night, and he's on his way to talk to the Chargers. And they have a visit set up with safety Brandon Meriweather. But the most-asked question about the Redskins is where they stand with free-agent linebacker London Fletcher, who was called a "top priority" in December by Mike Shanahan but remains unsigned. It's possible that this is where the salary-cap sanctions hurt the Redskins. Having lost $18 million in cap room this year (and $18 million next year) for violating the other owners' sense of spending propriety during the uncapped 2010 season, the Redskins might find a Fletcher signing trickier than, say, a Pierre Garcon signing. Garcon is 25, and they can spread out his contract and the resulting cap hit over five years. Fletcher is 36, and any deal with him is much more likely to be front-loaded. That doesn't mean they can't bring him back, but it could make it a little more difficult. Just a theory I heard from someone I talked to today.

My day was excellent, and I enjoyed spending it here and on Twitter with you. Much more to come Thursday and beyond.

The first full day of the new NFL year dawns with the Redskins piling up receivers and the rest of our division still at work on the early part of free agency. Tuesday was a crazy, action-filled day, and the links offer us an opportunity to summarize, analyze or catch up on some things that maybe didn't get as much attention as they otherwise would have. Love the links.

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys did not tender any of their restricted free agents, including fullback Tony Fiammetta, who performed well last year as the lead blocker for breakout star running back DeMarco Murray. This of course makes it less likely that they'll be able to bring back Fiammetta, and as Todd Archer speculates, it's likely the result of the salary-cap penalty issued by the league Monday for the Cowboys having the audacity to spend whatever they wanted to spend during a season that had no salary cap. Fiammetta says they're still talking, but that the non-tender was a "game-changer."

There's a prevalent assumption that, since their in-person talks wore on deep into the night, the Cowboys will succeed in signing free-agent cornerback Brandon Carr. Even if they do, however, it wouldn't be a bad idea for them to look at a cornerback with their first-round pick in next month's draft. To that end, and as part of its draft preview series, ESPNDallas.com looks at North Alabama's Janoris Jenkins and what he offers as a first-round option.

New York Giants

Mike Garafolo has the full breakdown of the contract Terrell Thomas signed Tuesday. While Thomas announced it as a $28.4 million deal over four years, Mike points out that the base value of the deal is $17.4 million and that $28.4 million is the maximum value. But Mike also points out that the extra money is easily attainable if Thomas is recovered from his injury and able to rack up the playing time that a starting NFL cornerback would normally get. In other words, if Thomas hits all of the incentives that max out the contract, the Giants would have no problem compensating him for it. But if he doesn't, they're covered. Fine deal both ways.

Perhaps in part because of reports that Brandon Jacobs visited the Giants' team facility on Tuesday, Justin Tuck is holding out hope that Jacobs might still be able to return to the Giants. I do not think Tuck should hold out this hope. A Jacobs return at this point is a serious long shot that would require him to receive almost no interest from other teams and for the Giants to sign no replacement while he looks. These are two unlikely scenarios, and the combination of the two is nearly inconceivable. Jacobs will play elsewhere in 2012.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles didn't go out on the free-agent market the first day. They stayed in-house and took care of extensions for two of their own players -- tackle Todd Herremans and defensive end Trent Cole. Jeff McLane explains the thinking behind this. But don't worry, Eagles fans. It was only the first day. They didn't do anything on the first day last year either, if I recall correctly, but they eventually caught up.

If you're looking for linebacker-target names, there's a report that the Eagles are bringing in Ben Leber for a workout. Leber is a former Vikings and Chargers linebacker who was cut by the Rams last year. It's entirely possible that this is the depth of the free-agent pool in which the Eagles plan to play this year, and that the big-splash signing doesn't happen. Not certain, but possible.

Washington Redskins

It seemed, for a time Tuesday, that the Redskins had signed wide receiver Eddie Royal to go along with wide receivers Pierre Garcon and Josh Morgan. But we got a Lee Corso-style "not so fast, my friend" on that Tuesday night when we learned that the Royal deal was not done and that he was, in fact, still talking to other teams. I wonder if Royal got cold feet when he saw that he was one of three being signed on the first day and might be looking for better playing-time options. If the Redskins do succeed in signing him, he could upgrade their return game as well as their wide receiving corps.

Sally Jenkins thinks there's a personal element to what the NFL did to Dan Snyder (and, to a lesser extent, Jerry Jones) with the salary-cap sanctions -- that Snyder is paying the price for making enemies around the league and not toeing the establishment line. I have no problem with this theory. What the NFL did is wrong and ridiculous, and smacks of something petty. Yes, Snyder spent more than anyone else did in the uncapped year after the owners supposedly all got together and secretly agreed not to do that. But that doesn't make him the crook -- just the guy who wouldn't go along with all the rest of the crooks.

Dallas Cowboys

Charean Williams of the Star-Telegram writes that there's a prior connection between Stanford guard David DeCastro and new Cowboys offensive line coach Bill Callahan.

Not so fast, writes CBSSports.com's Pat Kirwan, who argued DeCastro is not worth such a premium pick.

Executive Stephen Jones admits the Cowboys don't have "good enough talent" on defense, the Star-Telegram's Clarence Hill Jr. wrote.

The Dallas Morning News is reporting that Tony Fiammetta is the only restricted free agent the Cowboys plan to tender.

Former Cowboys receiver Terrell Owens is reportedly facing foreclosure on two homes he owns in Dallas.

New York Giants

Brandon Jacobs will have to take a significant pay cut if he wants to return to play with the Giants, writes Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News.

Tight end is a position of need for New York, and Giants101.com lists the five best options on the free-agent market.

Philadelphia Eagles

Robert Griffin III is going to be an elite player in the NFL, but Dave King of InsidetheIggles.com says the Eagles "can’t draft him. They shouldn’t, and they probably won’t, for a number of reasons."

The best player available when the Eagles draft No. 15 overall, says Philadelphia Daily News' Les Bowen, will likely be a defensive tackle. Is Devon Still in the Eagles' crosshairs?

Washington Redskins

The Redskins have re-signed backup defensive end Darrion Scott, The Washington Post reports.

Donovan McNabb is no longer a Redskin, and he says he sure doesn't see Peyton Manning as one, either.

Adam Carriker tells Jake Russell of TheHogs.net that he feels he's finally coming into his own as a defensive end and he should be compensated fairly by the Redskins or some other team.

Part 2 of ESPNDallas.com's position-by-position series is on running backs. Bryan Broaddus assumes that DeMarco Murray comes back from his ankle injury and regains the starter's role in which he thrived, and that fullback Tony Fiammetta recovers from his own health issues and is re-signed for the fullback role in which he thrived. But Bryan raises this interesting question regarding Felix Jones, who opened the 2011 season as the starter but lost the job to injury and Murray:

Should the Cowboys consider trading Jones this offseason? It's hard to accomplish a trade with Jones entering the final year of his contract. The Cowboys should explore whether a fourth-or fifth-round pick is available for the former first-round pick. The team doesn't trust Jones to become a 20-down back in the NFL. He's a solid backup, which leads us to Phillip Tanner. He should compete with Jones for more playing time. If he makes the roster, he should get more game-day carries and special teams snaps.

Personally, I'm kind of with Broaddus in that I don't see how much value Jones is going to have. If you're saying he's not good enough to be an every-down starter, and that's the reason you're dealing him, you can't really expect another team to decide you're wrong and that he can. So you're basically offering a change-of-pace back and hoping to get a fourth- or fifth-round pick for him. If a team's in the market for a back like that, why wouldn't they just draft one with that fourth- or fifth-round pick and develop him themselves?

Jones is, at this point, a nice luxury for the Cowboys -- a starting-quality back who can sub in for a short time if Murray gets hurt but isn't likely to be able to hold up over long stretches. With one year left on Jones' deal, the Cowboys would do well to give Tanner more time next year and see what they have with him. That'd be easier with Jones out of the picture, but he's worth too much to just cut or give away for nothing. If the Cowboys can find a team willing to part with a mid-round pick for Jones, it'd be a wise deal to make. But if not, he's worth hanging onto in the role in which he finished the 2011 season.

I don't vote on the Pro Bowl rosters. I'm not a fan, a coach or a player, and those are the three groups that combine to make those decisions. So if you look at this week's edition of the NFC East All-Division Team, and some players who didn't make the Pro Bowl are listed where players who did make the Pro Bowl aren't, that's because this here team has one voter. And this voters disagrees with some of the decisions those voters made. Including the first one on this week's list.

But first, the disclaimer no one ever reads: This is an All-Division Team based on overall performance this year to date. It is not -- repeat, NOT -- simply a list of awards for this week's performance. That's why Evan Royster isn't on it.

Quarterback: Tony Romo, Cowboys (Last week: Romo)

Running back: LeSean McCoy, Eagles (McCoy)

Wide receiver: Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks, Giants (Cruz, Nicks)

Tight end: Jason Witten, Cowboys (Witten)

Fullback: Darrel Young, Redskins (Tony Fiammetta)

Left tackle: Jason Peters, Eagles (Peters)

Left guard: Evan Mathis, Eagles (Mathis)

Center: Will Montgomery, Redskins (Montgomery)

Right guard: Kyle Kosier, Cowboys (Kosier)

Right tackle: Tyron Smith, Cowboys (Smith)

Defensive end: Jason Pierre-Paul, Giants; Trent Cole, Eagles (Pierre-Paul, Cole)

Defensive tackle: Jay Ratliff, Cowboys; Cullen Jenkins, Eagles (Ratliff, Jenkins)

Outside linebacker: DeMarcus Ware, Cowboys; Brian Orakpo, Redskins (Ware, Orakpo)

Inside linebacker: London Fletcher, Redskins; Sean Lee, Cowboys (Fletcher, Lee)

Cornerback: Asante Samuel, Eagles; Corey Webster, Giants (Samuel, Josh Wilson)

Safety: Kenny Phillips, Giants; O.J. Atogwe, Redskins (Phillips, Atogwe)

Kicker: Dan Bailey, Cowboys (Bailey)

Punter: Steve Weatherford, Giants (Weatherford)

Kick returner: Brandon Banks, Redskins (Banks)

Punt returner: Brandon Banks, Redskins (Banks)

• Yes, Romo over Eli Manning. The numbers are better. Same number of wins. One more game to settle it, if they both want to play their best. Manning may have made the Pro Bowl on yardage numbers and his five fourth-quarter comebacks, but Romo has played the position better this year. Slightly.
• Webster can have his cornerback spot back. He was fantastic Saturday, and in a weak field has been much more good than bad this season.
• And while I, like a lot of people, got caught up in the Fiammetta hype. But Young has been a mauler all season at fullback, and it says something that three different Redskins running backs have had 100-yard games this season. (And that doesn't count original starter Tim Hightower, whose season high was 96.)
• Cole over Jason Babin. We've been over this and over this. I'll take the better player. You can have the guy with the most sacks. Babin's year is sensational, but he's not the best defensive end on his own team. And as great as he is, he's not one of the two best in his division.
• One final thought, at wide receiver: The Redskins' Jabar Gaffney is making a run at this team. If Nicks keeps dropping balls or misses this week's game with the hamstring injury that popped up on this morning's injury report, Gaffney could make a run at his spot. The numbers are getting close.

Okay, so what'd I get wrong?

Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com is reporting that Dallas Cowboys guard Montrae Holland has a torn biceps and could be done for the season. If that's the case, the chances of the Cowboys' season lasting beyond Sunday night get a bit slimmer.

Holland isn't anything close to a big name or a superstar. He was actually one of the Cowboys' final roster cuts at the end of training camp and wasn't picked up by anyone else. But the Cowboys re-signed him in October after rookie Bill Nagy suffered a season-ending injury, and Holland's insertion into the lineup coincided with a revival of the Dallas running game. In the five games they played without him, the Cowboys averaged 84.8 rush yards per game. In the 10 games they've played with him as their starting left guard, the Cowboys are averaging 133.4 rush yards per game.

Of course there are a number of other factors there. Holland's first game was also rookie DeMarco Murray's first as the Cowboys' feature running game, and Dallas ran for 294 yards against the Rams in that game alone, skewing the numbers. That game also saw the emergence of Tony Fiammetta as a blocking force at fullback, and Dallas' rushing numbers did dip back down to 83 yards per game during the three-game stretch Fiammetta missed in Weeks 11-13.

But Holland was helpful in stabilizing the run game, and more importantly, he was clearly better than their other options. Derrick Dockery or Kevin Kowalski are likely to fill in Sunday in the game against the Giants that will decide the NFC East title. So while this is an injury the Cowboys likely can survive better than they could one to Tony Romo or DeMarcus Ware, it's one that has the potential to hurt them, because it strikes at something they've been able to do much better over the second half of this season -- run the ball and control the game.

You can't have as bad a game as Eli Manning had Sunday and keep your spot on the NFC East All-Division Team. Not when your closest competition is playing at such a high level. So we switch quarterbacks again this week, with Tony Romo ascendant. This has been a very close race all year, but statistically Romo is now pulling away. He's well ahead in passer rating and completion percentage. He has six fewer interceptions and one more win. All Manning has on him is yards and a head-to-head victory in which Romo played extremely well. So it's Romo with two weeks to go.

The disclaimer that no one will read: This is an All-Division Team based on overall performance this year to date. It is not -- repeat, NOT -- simply a list of the top performers from this past week. That's why Brent Celek isn't on it. Romo vs. Manning has been a running debate all year, and the main reason Romo has the QB spot this week isn't their relative Week 15 performances but rather the fact that Romo's season has been better than Manning's. Week 15 may have nudged him back ahead, but it's not the sole reason for the change.

I'll get to more explanations after the list.

Quarterback: Tony Romo, Cowboys (Last week: Eli Manning)

Running back: LeSean McCoy, Eagles (McCoy)

Wide receiver: Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz, Giants (Nicks, Cruz)

Tight end: Jason Witten, Cowboys (Witten)

Fullback: Tony Fiammetta, Cowboys (Fiammetta)

Left tackle: Jason Peters, Eagles (Peters)

Left guard: Evan Mathis, Eagles (Mathis)

Center: Will Montgomery, Redskins (Montgomery)

Right guard: Kyle Kosier, Cowboys (Kosier)

Right tackle: Tyron Smith, Cowboys (Smith)

Defensive end: Jason Pierre-Paul Giants; Trent Cole, Eagles (Pierre-Paul, Cole)

Defensive tackle: Cullen Jenkins, Eagles; Jay Ratliff, Cowboys (Jenkins, Ratliff)

Outside linebacker: DeMarcus Ware, Cowboys; Brian Orakpo, Redskins (Ware, Orakpo)

Inside linebacker: London Fletcher, Redskins; Sean Lee, Cowboys (Fletcher, Lee)

Cornerback: Josh Wilson, Redskins; Asante Samuel, Eagles (Wilson, Samuel)

Safety: Kenny Phillips, Giants, O.J. Atogwe, Redskins (Phillips, Gerald Sensabaugh)

Kicker: Dan Bailey, Cowboys (Bailey)

Punter: Steve Weatherford, Giants (Weatherford)

Kick returner: Brandon Banks, Redskins (Banks)

Punt returner: Brandon Banks, Redskins (Banks)

• I almost put Jason Babin in at defensive end. Everybody always complains about Babin not being on here, and with six sacks in two games he's now tied for the league lead in the category. He merits strong consideration, and he gets it every week. My question to those who don't like it is: Which guy do I bench for him? Cole's still the better all-around player on Babin's own team, still having the better all-around year, playing the run as well as the pass and drawing double-teams while Babin sells out for the sack on every play. And Pierre-Paul is basically the only thing the Giants have right now on defense, and he's been brilliant. So I put it to you, dear readers: Which of my starting DEs should be dropped for Babin? As of now, my answer is "neither." But he's getting real close. And it's no insult to the guy to rank him behind these two.
• It was a tough week for Nicks and Cruz, but they're not being challenged, really. The Eagles' receivers continue to muddle along, and the Cowboys are spreading it out too much. Nicks and Cruz are leading the division in catches and, by a healthy margin, receiving yards. Their 2011 seasons have been the best by any receivers in the division. I will offer honorable mentions to Dallas' Dez Bryant, who's been very consistent, and Washington's Jabar Gaffney, who ranks third among division wideouts in catches with 58 and yards with 842.
• You know how I feel about cornerback. Nobody in the division is playing it well. Thought about putting Corey Webster back in there, but whatever. He was covering Redskins receivers, and the Redskins picked up every third down. The Cowboys' secondary is a mess, too, which is why Atogwe got the safety spot this week over Sensabaugh. I almost put him in over Phillips, but I think Phillips' 2011 body of work is still better than Sensabaugh's. I've got my eye on that Giants' secondary, too, though. When you break down that much every week, everybody shares responsibility.

So what'd I get wrong?

A down year in the NFC East is reflected not just in the standings but in the Pro Bowl fan balloting as well. Fans' votes count for one-third of the final Pro Bowl decisions, which will be announced Dec. 27, so we won't know anything final until the player and coaches' votes are added in. But if it were up to the fans, as of now, our division would have just two Pro Bowl starters -- the Dallas Cowboys' DeMarcus Ware, who's the leading NFC vote-getter at outside linebacker, and the Philadelphia Eagles' Jason Babin, who's second in voting among NFC defensive ends.

Eagles running back LeSean McCoy is the division's leading vote-getter so far, and No. 8 in the entire league in fan votes. But he trails Minnesota's Adrian Peterson by nearly 60,000 votes among NFC running backs.

The league only released the leaders at each positions and the overall top 10 so far, but I have applied my considerable investigative reporting skill to obtain more detail. Either that or Pat Yasinskas has a document that shows the top five at each position so far and he let me look at it.

The New York Giants' Eli Manning is fifth in Pro Bowl voting among NFC quarterbacks, behind Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Cam Newton and Matthew Stafford. It's not even close, actually. Manning has 316,687 votes. Stafford, in fourth, has 451,469. Poor Eli just can't get any respect. I wouldn't expect much help either from the player vote, since it was the players who left Manning off their list of the NFL's Top 100 players when that list was a big deal last summer.

Manning's receivers don't get any love either, as neither Hakeem Nicks nor Victor Cruz cracks the top five. Of course, as many have pointed out to me recently, Cruz isn't even on the ballot, since he wasn't listed as a starter when the season began. Neither was Giants' defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, even though he started the opener with Osi Umenyiora hurt, so he's not among the top five in voting for defensive end. Umenyiora is, though. Seriously. He's fifth in the NFC in defensive end voting. Babin, as I said, is second, behind only Minnesota's Jared Allen.

The Cowboys' Tony Fiammetta ranks fifth in the fullback voting, well behind leader John Kuhn of Green Bay. Jason Witten is third among tight ends, behind the Saints' Jimmy Graham and the Falcons' Tony Gonzalez. And the Giants' David Baas is the only offensive lineman in the division in the top five at his position, ranking third among NFC centers.

The Eagles' Cullen Jenkins is the third-leading vote-getter among NFC defensive tackles, behind Detroit's Ndamukong Suh and San Francisco's Justin Smith. And the Washington Redskins' Brian Orakpo is the third-leading vote getter in the NFC at outside linebacker, behind Ware and Green Bay's Clay Matthews.

Philadelphia cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha is third in fan voting among NFC cornerbacks, behind Charles Woodson of the Packers and Carlos Rogers of the 49ers. The Eagles' Kurt Coleman ranks fifth in voting at the strong safety position. And the Giants' Antrel Rolle and the Cowboys Gerald Sensabaugh are third and fifth, respectively, among NFC free safeties.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- DeMarco Murray, the dazzling rookie running back whose emergence brought the Dallas Cowboys' running game back to life this season, could be done for the year with a severe ankle injury. Murray got hurt on an eight-yard run in the first quarter of Sunday night's game against the New York Giants and left the game with help from the training staff. During the third quarter, the team announced that Murray had a right ankle fracture and a high ankle sprain.

The Cowboys made no announcement on Murray's long-term status, only that he would not return to Sunday night's game. But an ankle fracture in Week 14 doesn't sound like the sort of injury that would allow Murray to return before the end of this season -- even if Dallas got into the playoffs and made a deep run.

In the short term, the Cowboys would seem to be fine. Former starter Felix Jones stepped right in and rushed for 81 first-half yards on eight carries after Murray left the game. But Jones is not the same kind of back as Murray, which is why he lost the starter's job to him in the first place. Jones is injury-prone, and not likely to hold up under a 20-carry-per-game workload the rest of the way. He also had a sloppy fumble toward the end of the first half that reminded everybody that he's not the most reliable guy in that area either. Even if they manage to grind out a win tonight against the Giants, the Cowboys likely will need to adjust their offense for the final three games of the regular season and probably ask Tony Romo to throw more. With Philip Tanner on injured reserve and Tashard Choice having been released weeks ago, Jones is now the only healthy tailback on the active roster.

The running game did seem to get the expected boost from the return of fullback Tony Fiammetta, a blocking machine who'd missed the previous three games with an illness. Fiammetta even got a couple of carries and a catch after the Murray injury. But the Cowboys are now dangerously thin at running back and will have to find a way to overcome it the rest of the way.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- If it's to be a shootout here tonight between the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants, each team will have its full complement of receiver options. Giants wide receiver Mario Manningham, who has missed the last two games with a knee injury, is active for tonight's game. So is Cowboys wide receiver Miles Austin, who has missed the last four games with a hamstring injury, and Cowboys fullback Tony Fiammetta, who has missed the last three games due to illness.

The return of Fiammetta should help a Cowboys run game that's averaging 2.3 more yards per carry with Fiammetta in the lineup than without him. And the return of Austin to go with Dez Bryant, tight end Jason Witten and 2011 surprise standout Laurent Robinson, should help Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo pick apart a Giants secondary that's playing without its best player, safety Kenny Phillips.

But the Cowboys' secondary hasn't exactly been stopping anybody lately, and Giants quarterback Eli Manning will have Manningham back to help him attack it with Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz, who have been two of the best receivers in the entire league this season. Manning needs 295 yards for his third straight 4,000-yard passing season, and since the Giants are rushing for only 83.2 yards per game, it's possible he'll have to get that many tonight to keep the Giants in the game.

I'll be here all night with your updates, and we'll be live-chatting the game, so hang out here for all of your Giants-Cowboys needs as we chronicle this critical NFC East showdown.

As you get ready for the big Sunday night game in Dallas, here's one reason for New York Giants fans to feel good and one reason for Dallas Cowboys fans to feel good:

Giants feeling good: The Giants' offensive line, playing without left tackle Will Beatty for the last two weeks and without center David Baas last week, is actually coming off two of its better games of the year. The run-blocking in last week's loss to Green Bay was the best it's been all season, and with starting running back Ahmad Bradshaw healthy again, the Giants have a chance to get their worst-in-the-league run game on track. They definitely have enough in the passing game to score with the Cowboys and to come back in the fourth quarter if need be. But if they can run the ball effectively too, their offense could be downright dangerous.

Cowboys feeling good: It runs counter to everything today's star-obsessed sports landscape is about, but the return of the Cowboys' fullback, Tony Fiammetta, from the illness that kept him from playing the last three games, could re-ignite the Cowboys' offense. The Cowboys are 5-1 this year with Fiammetta in the lineup, and they rush for 5.6 yards per carry when it's in there as opposed to 3.3 when he's not. If rookie tailback DeMarco Murray has a huge game, you might be able to point to Fiammetta's return as a big reason why.

Three days left until the big showdown between the Cowboys and the Giants in the NFC East, and yeah, they're chirping. We'll get you all caught up with the links.

Dallas Cowboys

Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware thinks the reason Giants defensive end Justin Tuck doesn't like Cowboys Stadium is because Tuck is jealous and secretly wants to play for the Cowboys. I'm pretty sure this is untrue, since I've always thought Tuck hated the Cowboys, but I don't know maybe Ware has his reasons for believing what he believes. He also says some stuff in Calvin Watkins' post about how the Cowboys need to get their manhood back, but that it's not just the Giants they need to get it back from or something like that, I didn't really understand. And Mike Jenkins calls Brandon Jacobs "a bully" in reference to his on-field trash talk, which we've heard before. So I don't know. I guess they don't like each other, Cowboys and Giants, is the upshot.

Manhood or not, the Cowboys do appear as though they'll get fullback Tony Fiammetta back for the game. The Cowboys are averaging 5.6 yards per carry this year when Fiammetta plays and 3.2 when he doesn't. His may be a more important return from injury than Miles Austin's.

New York Giants

As Ohm Youngmisuk points out, the Giants have won five of the last seven meetings between these teams and Eli Manning has had some of the best games of his career against Dallas. That, plus the fact that Manning is playing at as high a level as he ever has entering this final stretch, gives him and the Giants confidence as they gear up for Sunday's game.

When left tackle Will Beatty had to have surgery to repair a detached retina, veteran David Diehl had to move back from left guard to his old left tackle spot. His transition has been smooth and has helped the line play well in Beatty's absence, which comes as no surprise to his teammates, as Mike Garafolo writes.

Philadelphia Eagles

Marcus Hayes heard what Andy Reid said about the Eagles being the youngest team in the league, and he understands that most people heard it as an excuse. But Marcus points out that, excuse or not, it might be true, and the fact that the Eagles are as young as they are at linebacker and safety has contributed to the struggles of the defense. Now, you can make the argument that it's Reid's fault they were so young at those spots and they could have found a veteran or two to help out. But as for whether youth and inexperience at those spots contributed to the problem, sure.

Trent Cole defended the play that ended the season of Seattle tackle Russell Okung. Cole was fined $7,500 for that play but said it wasn't dirty, that he plans to appeal the fine and sheesh, whatever you do, he'd really like you not to compare him to Ndamukong Suh. That's apparently one of the worst things you can say about somebody right now.

Washington Redskins

I feel like we've clobbered the Trent Williams and Fred Davis suspensions pretty hard here, so we'll move on from commenting on those. (Though I reserve the right to point out the ways in which their absence affects the offense once people start asking, "What's wrong with our offense?") One piece of the fallout, Mike Jones says, might be more work for veteran fullback Mike Sellers, who has played more recently due to Darrel Young's concussion and says he's ready for more work if need be.

That offense could find some passing yards this weekend against a soft Patriots defense. But Rex Grossman says the key will be to sustain drives and find a way to finish things off in the fourth quarter -- something they couldn't do last week against the Jets.

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FALLING

1. Jason Garrett, Cowboys coach. Garrett is under fire this week after basically blowing the game against the Cardinals with poor clock management in the final minute. He should have called a timeout but didn't. Then he shouldn't have but did. And in the end, his rookie kicker, who thought he'd made the game-winning kick, missed it and no one could stop LaRod Stephens-Howling in overtime and now everybody thinks Garrett's a clown who's in over his head. Fact is, Garrett's a young coach who's still finding his way and has done a very good job so far. But his Week 13 gaffe cost the Cowboys a chance to take a commanding two-game division lead into the final four weeks. He can of course make up for it by beating the Giants on Sunday.

2. Trent Williams and Fred Davis: Williams, the Washington Redskins' starting left tackle, and Davis, their breakout tight end, have seen their seasons go up in smoke, as they will miss the final four games while serving suspensions for repeated violations of the league's substance abuse policy. It's a tough blow for a Redskins offense that wasn't exactly lighting up the scoreboard to begin with. These two guys ignored repeated warnings about their behavior, and have left their team in a tough situation.

3. Juan Castillo, Eagles defensive coordinator: After the latest egg laid by the Philadelphia Eagles' defense, it's becoming increasingly clear that their first-year defensive coordinator can't return in the same role in 2012. Some have speculated that Andy Reid would need to fire or at least demote Castillo in order to save his own job. And that's surely possible. But even if it weren't the case, it's hard to imagine bringing back Castillo as defensive coordinator and asking the players on the defense to buy in when they clearly haven't done so this year.

RISING

1. New York Giants' passing game. The Saints, Patriots and Packers are the only teams in the NFL this year with more passing yards than the Giants, whose air attack remains one of the more underrated units in the league because of persistent (and largely unjustified) negative perceptions of quarterback Eli Manning. Victor Cruz has emerged as a top wide receiver, and Hakeem Nicks showed several times Sunday why he's one of the elite wideouts in the league, dominating his matchups in the second half as the Giants hung in with the unbeaten Packers. Manning, Cruz and Nicks are good enough to keep the Giants in any game as long as the defense doesn't completely melt down the way it did against New Orleans in Week 12.

2. Michael Vick, Eagles quarterback. Well, it appears as though he'll be back this week, and not a moment too soon for the Eagles, who are surely sick of watching Vince Young throw the ball to the other team. As long as he stays healthy, Vick will be the Eagles' starting quarterback for the rest of the season. And whether they have a realistic chance or not, the way Vick plays over the final four games will have an effect on the way he's perceived by fans, teammates, coaches and the organization going into what looks like a critical 2012 season.

3. Cowboys offense. Fullback Tony Fiammetta appears set to return from his mystery illness and play Sunday against the Giants. This is great news for the Cowboys. Rookie tailback DeMarco Murray has held up fine in Fiammetta's absence, but the Dallas run game has lacked the explosiveness it had when Fiammetta was in there blocking for him. With Miles Austin also likely to return from his second hamstring injury of the year, the Cowboys should be at full strength on offense for Sunday's divisional showdown, and that could be trouble for a Giants team that had a hard time handling the wide array of weapons the Saints and Packers threw at it the past two weeks.