NFC East: Tony Romo
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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.
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.
» AFC Scenarios: East | West | North | South » NFC: East | West | North | South
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 Cowboys in 2012.
Dream scenario (12-4): The issue in Dallas is the extent to which the defense improves. If the improvement remains incremental, they'll lose some games they should win and have to scrap to stay in the division race. But if the defense takes a dramatic step forward in its second year under defensive coordinator Rob Ryan and with Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne having been brought in to upgrade the secondary, the Cowboys become a Super Bowl contender quite quickly. In the Cowboys' dream scenario, Tony Romo has another big year at quarterback, Miles Austin and DeMarco Murray stay healthy and Dez Bryant takes a big developmental step forward of his own, using his considerable physical ability to dominate matchups in other teams' secondaries and the end zone. The new guys on the offensive line tighten things up in the interior, the move back to right tackle makes Doug Free more comfortable and Tyron Smith transitions seamlessly to left tackle. And in the dream scenario, the improvements in the secondary help the defensive front seven get more pressure on the quarterback, with outside linebacker Anthony Spencer playing the way he did in December 2009 and DeMarcus Ware playing like ... well, like he always does.
Nightmare scenario (6-10): The Cowboys' nightmare scenario, as is the case with anyone's, includes injuries. In this scenario, Austin and Bryant struggle to stay healthy, and the team actually does find itself missing the surprisingly effective replacement Laurent Robinson provided in 2011. Murray also gets banged-up, forcing them to rely again on Felix Jones and little else at running back. Claiborne struggles, as young corners often do, to adjust to the speed and intensity of the NFL game, and Spencer muddles along again, content to be a pretty good but not great player opposite Ware. In the nightmare scenario, Romo has a bad year riddled with turnovers and the kind of inconsistency that gives his critics actual evidence for their criticism, and he raises legitimate questions about how much longer the Cowboys will remain committed to him. The nightmare scenario includes a slow start against a very tough-looking early portion of the schedule and sees the Cowboys succumb to the tension and negativity that's always so quick to cling to them in times of trouble. And no, because you're asking, I don't think that even the nightmare scenario puts Jason Garrett on the hot seat. Jerry Jones loves that guy.
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 Cowboys in 2012.
Dream scenario (12-4): The issue in Dallas is the extent to which the defense improves. If the improvement remains incremental, they'll lose some games they should win and have to scrap to stay in the division race. But if the defense takes a dramatic step forward in its second year under defensive coordinator Rob Ryan and with Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne having been brought in to upgrade the secondary, the Cowboys become a Super Bowl contender quite quickly. In the Cowboys' dream scenario, Tony Romo has another big year at quarterback, Miles Austin and DeMarco Murray stay healthy and Dez Bryant takes a big developmental step forward of his own, using his considerable physical ability to dominate matchups in other teams' secondaries and the end zone. The new guys on the offensive line tighten things up in the interior, the move back to right tackle makes Doug Free more comfortable and Tyron Smith transitions seamlessly to left tackle. And in the dream scenario, the improvements in the secondary help the defensive front seven get more pressure on the quarterback, with outside linebacker Anthony Spencer playing the way he did in December 2009 and DeMarcus Ware playing like ... well, like he always does.
Nightmare scenario (6-10): The Cowboys' nightmare scenario, as is the case with anyone's, includes injuries. In this scenario, Austin and Bryant struggle to stay healthy, and the team actually does find itself missing the surprisingly effective replacement Laurent Robinson provided in 2011. Murray also gets banged-up, forcing them to rely again on Felix Jones and little else at running back. Claiborne struggles, as young corners often do, to adjust to the speed and intensity of the NFL game, and Spencer muddles along again, content to be a pretty good but not great player opposite Ware. In the nightmare scenario, Romo has a bad year riddled with turnovers and the kind of inconsistency that gives his critics actual evidence for their criticism, and he raises legitimate questions about how much longer the Cowboys will remain committed to him. The nightmare scenario includes a slow start against a very tough-looking early portion of the schedule and sees the Cowboys succumb to the tension and negativity that's always so quick to cling to them in times of trouble. And no, because you're asking, I don't think that even the nightmare scenario puts Jason Garrett on the hot seat. Jerry Jones loves that guy.
The winner of the how-to-order-the-Friday-links contest this week is Michael from Nashville, who suggested tying the order to fantasy sports. I went to the ESPN fantasy football page and looked up the points leaders from last year, and the links are hereby provided in order of each team's highest-scoring fantasy player from 2011.
New York Giants (Eli Manning, 273)
Tom Coughlin says "it's probably going to be close" when asked whether Hakeem Nicks will be ready for the regular-season opener. Nicks broke his foot in practice Thursday and is scheduled to have surgery today to insert a screw into it. The Giants' say the estimated recovery time is 12 weeks, which would be the middle of August, and Coughlin said Nicks is confident he can make that. We shall see.
As I wrote Thursday afternoon, if there's a positive to take out of the Nicks news it's that the Giants will be able to give more offseason and preseason reps to wide receivers Domenik Hixon, Jerrel Jernigan, Ramses Barden and Rueben Randle, and extended looks at those players will help them determine which, if any, is best suited to replace free-agent defector Mario Manningham as the No. 3 receiver behind Nicks and Victor Cruz. Hixon says he's feeling good and ready.
Philadelphia Eagles (LeSean McCoy, 270)
The concern with the Eagles is that Michael Vick's history says he's likely to miss at least a game or two due to injury this season. And if he does, there's very little in the way of experience among the backup options behind him. Jeff McLane breaks down the Eagles' backup quarterback situation, which should be Mike Kafka at this point.
As Sal Paolantonio reported the other day, second-year center Jason Kelce will be taking over the responsibility for making the protection calls at the line of scrimmage. The Eagles gave Vick that responsibility last year, and shifting it to Kelce will give Vick less about which to worry, and I think that's probably a good thing.
Dallas Cowboys (Tony Romo, 265)
Jean-Jacques Taylor writes that third-year wide receiver Dez Bryant has had a nice, blissfully quiet offseason and that he's on the verge of greatness. As we discussed many times last year, Bryant is a physical mismatch for almost anyone who tries to cover him, even at the NFL level. It's about committing to his own development and route-running, and once he does that he'll be as good as anyone.
And yeah, two from ESPNDallas.com this morning, as the crew there debates whether the Cowboys can beat the Vegas over/under of 8.5 wins for 2012. I bring this up as a preview to the "Dream/nightmare scenario" posts that are coming from each of our division's teams this morning. So, you know. Look forward to that.
Washington Redskins (Rex Grossman, 141)
In a bit of irony, the Redskins (and the Cowboys) are among the defendants in the NFLPA's collusion case against the league for the spending practices during the uncapped 2010 season. It's ironic because the union says the only way it found out about what it alleges to be collusive behavior was because the league punished those teams for not adhering to the secret agreement regarding 2010 spending. What you should take from this, once and for all, is the fact that the union's collusion case is in no way whatsoever aimed at helping the Redskins and Cowboys getting any relief of those cap punishments. That part of this case is over, they will pay the penalties and that's really it. I promise. No matter how nicely you guys ask.
The Redskins put Robert Griffin III's locker between those of London Fletcher and Brian Orakpo, which LaVar Arrington says could be crucial to the rookie's development. One of the Redskins' strengths as a team is the veteran leadership they have in their locker room, and they'll surely want to put Griffin in the best possible position -- literally as well as figuratively -- to benefit from that.
New York Giants (Eli Manning, 273)
Tom Coughlin says "it's probably going to be close" when asked whether Hakeem Nicks will be ready for the regular-season opener. Nicks broke his foot in practice Thursday and is scheduled to have surgery today to insert a screw into it. The Giants' say the estimated recovery time is 12 weeks, which would be the middle of August, and Coughlin said Nicks is confident he can make that. We shall see.
As I wrote Thursday afternoon, if there's a positive to take out of the Nicks news it's that the Giants will be able to give more offseason and preseason reps to wide receivers Domenik Hixon, Jerrel Jernigan, Ramses Barden and Rueben Randle, and extended looks at those players will help them determine which, if any, is best suited to replace free-agent defector Mario Manningham as the No. 3 receiver behind Nicks and Victor Cruz. Hixon says he's feeling good and ready.
Philadelphia Eagles (LeSean McCoy, 270)
The concern with the Eagles is that Michael Vick's history says he's likely to miss at least a game or two due to injury this season. And if he does, there's very little in the way of experience among the backup options behind him. Jeff McLane breaks down the Eagles' backup quarterback situation, which should be Mike Kafka at this point.
As Sal Paolantonio reported the other day, second-year center Jason Kelce will be taking over the responsibility for making the protection calls at the line of scrimmage. The Eagles gave Vick that responsibility last year, and shifting it to Kelce will give Vick less about which to worry, and I think that's probably a good thing.
Dallas Cowboys (Tony Romo, 265)
Jean-Jacques Taylor writes that third-year wide receiver Dez Bryant has had a nice, blissfully quiet offseason and that he's on the verge of greatness. As we discussed many times last year, Bryant is a physical mismatch for almost anyone who tries to cover him, even at the NFL level. It's about committing to his own development and route-running, and once he does that he'll be as good as anyone.
And yeah, two from ESPNDallas.com this morning, as the crew there debates whether the Cowboys can beat the Vegas over/under of 8.5 wins for 2012. I bring this up as a preview to the "Dream/nightmare scenario" posts that are coming from each of our division's teams this morning. So, you know. Look forward to that.
Washington Redskins (Rex Grossman, 141)
In a bit of irony, the Redskins (and the Cowboys) are among the defendants in the NFLPA's collusion case against the league for the spending practices during the uncapped 2010 season. It's ironic because the union says the only way it found out about what it alleges to be collusive behavior was because the league punished those teams for not adhering to the secret agreement regarding 2010 spending. What you should take from this, once and for all, is the fact that the union's collusion case is in no way whatsoever aimed at helping the Redskins and Cowboys getting any relief of those cap punishments. That part of this case is over, they will pay the penalties and that's really it. I promise. No matter how nicely you guys ask.
The Redskins put Robert Griffin III's locker between those of London Fletcher and Brian Orakpo, which LaVar Arrington says could be crucial to the rookie's development. One of the Redskins' strengths as a team is the veteran leadership they have in their locker room, and they'll surely want to put Griffin in the best possible position -- literally as well as figuratively -- to benefit from that.
A good Thursday morning to you all. In honor of Wednesday's failed Vokle experiment, we're not going to try anything new at all today. Regular stuff. Blog posts. Thursday column. And of course, links.
Philadelphia Eagles
Casey Matthews' second year has to be better than his first, if only because he's not going to have to be the Eagles' starting middle linebacker by default and in spite of being unqualified for the job. Now, Matthews can learn, develop and work his way into NFL playing time the way he was always supposed to. He spoke with Les Bowen, who also took a very up-close photo.
Ashley Fox spoke with Michael Vick, who told her he knows this will be "a critical year" for himself and for coach Andy Reid.
Washington Redskins
Stephen Bowen is still recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery, but he plans on being ready to join his Redskins defensive linemates in time for training camp.
Santana Moss and Anthony Armstrong are well aware that the Redskins have added a lot of people at wide receiver, but that doesn't stop them from wanting (and working) to return to the larger roles they once occupied in the offense. Remains to be seen how the wide receiver situation shakes out, but either of those guys likely needs someone from the Pierre Garcon/Josh Morgan/Leonard Hankerson group to be injured or ineffective in order to get that opportunity.
Dallas Cowboys
So Jerry Jones answered a question about whether or not the Cowboys' Super Bowl window was closing in the vaguely affirmative, and because it's late May and it's the Cowboys this became a huge thing, and so people had to ask Tony Romo about it and he said not really and so you can expect a lot of people to be talking about this again today. Personally, I think it's all very silly, and that if the defense gets better the window will stay open and if it doesn't it will never open.
Bruce Carter and David Arkin were working with the starters at linebacker and guard, respectively, this week at OTAs. They're trying to get younger guys reps with the starters in the hope that it'll help their development. But while Carter is in a competition with free-agent signee Dan Connor at the inside linebacker spot opposite Sean Lee, it's likely that Connor and Mackenzy Bernadeau get those spots once the season starts.
New York Giants
The message for the Giants as they began their offseason workouts was that, as great as it was to win the Super Bowl in February and get their rings last week, it's time to move on and focus on 2012. As was the case when they reached the playoffs last year, the Giants are likely to benefit from the fact that their coaches and veteran players have been through this before.
Big disappointment for Giants cornerback Brian Witherspoon, who re-injured the ACL that cost him the 2011 season and, thus, would appear to be out for this season as well. Attrition injuries like this, in non-contact drills, are reminders of how fragile this all is for these players, and how close each one of them is to having it taken away.
Philadelphia Eagles
Casey Matthews' second year has to be better than his first, if only because he's not going to have to be the Eagles' starting middle linebacker by default and in spite of being unqualified for the job. Now, Matthews can learn, develop and work his way into NFL playing time the way he was always supposed to. He spoke with Les Bowen, who also took a very up-close photo.
Ashley Fox spoke with Michael Vick, who told her he knows this will be "a critical year" for himself and for coach Andy Reid.
Washington Redskins
Stephen Bowen is still recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery, but he plans on being ready to join his Redskins defensive linemates in time for training camp.
Santana Moss and Anthony Armstrong are well aware that the Redskins have added a lot of people at wide receiver, but that doesn't stop them from wanting (and working) to return to the larger roles they once occupied in the offense. Remains to be seen how the wide receiver situation shakes out, but either of those guys likely needs someone from the Pierre Garcon/Josh Morgan/Leonard Hankerson group to be injured or ineffective in order to get that opportunity.
Dallas Cowboys
So Jerry Jones answered a question about whether or not the Cowboys' Super Bowl window was closing in the vaguely affirmative, and because it's late May and it's the Cowboys this became a huge thing, and so people had to ask Tony Romo about it and he said not really and so you can expect a lot of people to be talking about this again today. Personally, I think it's all very silly, and that if the defense gets better the window will stay open and if it doesn't it will never open.
Bruce Carter and David Arkin were working with the starters at linebacker and guard, respectively, this week at OTAs. They're trying to get younger guys reps with the starters in the hope that it'll help their development. But while Carter is in a competition with free-agent signee Dan Connor at the inside linebacker spot opposite Sean Lee, it's likely that Connor and Mackenzy Bernadeau get those spots once the season starts.
New York Giants
The message for the Giants as they began their offseason workouts was that, as great as it was to win the Super Bowl in February and get their rings last week, it's time to move on and focus on 2012. As was the case when they reached the playoffs last year, the Giants are likely to benefit from the fact that their coaches and veteran players have been through this before.
Big disappointment for Giants cornerback Brian Witherspoon, who re-injured the ACL that cost him the 2011 season and, thus, would appear to be out for this season as well. Attrition injuries like this, in non-contact drills, are reminders of how fragile this all is for these players, and how close each one of them is to having it taken away.
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:
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!
Remember the video mailbag? Well, we're upgrading it a bit. Or trying to, anyway. At 2 p.m. ET today on this blog, we will be doing a live video mailbag through something called Vokle. The fantasy baseball guys have been using it for live video chats, and we're going to try it here on the NFC East blog and see how it works. Ideally, you'll be able to join the chat (right from the blog, and I think you can sign in through your Facebook or Twitter account so you don't have to go to Vokle.com and set up a Vokle account if you don't want to) and ask me questions. You can type in the questions as you normally would during our Tuesday chats, and I'll read them and answer them aloud. Or, if you have a webcam and a headset (please, only if you have a headset, as without it the echo is really bad) you can ask a live video question and I'll answer it. It'll be just like when I talk to my mom and dad while they're in Florida, only it won't be 25 degrees here this time.
Anyway, swing by around 2 p.m. ET to try this out with us. Assuming it works, it could help us take the blog to unprecedented heights of technological glory. Also, should be fun. Links.
New York Giants
The Giants start their OTAs today, and it's a chance for guys like Matt McCants, a tackle the Giants took in the sixth round last month, to get at least some sense of what it's like to try to block some of the best pass-rushers in the league.
Paul Schwartz writes that Rutgers product Joe Martinek is hoping to make a case for himself as a fullback on the Giants' roster, kind of the way Henry Hynoski did last year when he was an undrafted free agent in camp with the Giants. I guess you never know.
Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles continue to move Jamar Chaney all around their linebacker rotation. With Brian Rolle and rookie Mychal Kendricks apparently battling for the strongside linebacker spot, it appears Chaney is now the favorite to start at the weak side with DeMeco Ryans in the middle. Chaney, who played the middle in 2010 when Stewart Bradley got hurt and in 2011 when Casey Matthews proved ineffective, continues to roll with it.
And yeah, the offseason storyline has begun to focus on quarterback Michael Vick and what he needs to change about his game in order to help the Eagles achieve their very lofty goals for the 2012 season. As I've written before -- not about changing style of play but more about changing his sense of responsibility about how he plays the position. Decision-making, study habits, things like that. As he has for the past three years, Vick is saying all of the right things. So we'll see.
Washington Redskins
Redskins.com is breaking down some position battles as the Redskins engage in OTAs this week. I like the rundown of the wide receivers especially, but you know it's a team website when you read something like, "the Redskins have arguably the best tight end duo in the league." I mean, they played the Patriots last year, right? So they know about those guys?
Mike Shanahan was back at work a day after being run over on the sideline by two Redskins players. The players who saw it happen said it was a scary sight, but apparently Shanahan is showing no ill effects.
Dallas Cowboys
Jerry Jones says the window may be closing on the time the Cowboys have to win with their current veteran core, including Tony Romo, Jason Witten and DeMarcus Ware. Of course, lest anyone think this means trouble for the coaching staff, Jones is quick to assert that Jason Garrett feels the same way. Those two are BFFs, I'm telling ya.
Our man Herman Edwards says the Cowboys have "a Super Bowl offense," and I agree with him in terms of the talent at the skill positions. I think we still need to see Super Bowl-caliber performance out of positions like center and guard before we start talking that way, though. And of course, none of that matters if the defense doesn't improve. Which I'm pretty sure is part of Herm's point. You play. To win. The game.
Anyway, swing by around 2 p.m. ET to try this out with us. Assuming it works, it could help us take the blog to unprecedented heights of technological glory. Also, should be fun. Links.
New York Giants
The Giants start their OTAs today, and it's a chance for guys like Matt McCants, a tackle the Giants took in the sixth round last month, to get at least some sense of what it's like to try to block some of the best pass-rushers in the league.
Paul Schwartz writes that Rutgers product Joe Martinek is hoping to make a case for himself as a fullback on the Giants' roster, kind of the way Henry Hynoski did last year when he was an undrafted free agent in camp with the Giants. I guess you never know.
Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles continue to move Jamar Chaney all around their linebacker rotation. With Brian Rolle and rookie Mychal Kendricks apparently battling for the strongside linebacker spot, it appears Chaney is now the favorite to start at the weak side with DeMeco Ryans in the middle. Chaney, who played the middle in 2010 when Stewart Bradley got hurt and in 2011 when Casey Matthews proved ineffective, continues to roll with it.
And yeah, the offseason storyline has begun to focus on quarterback Michael Vick and what he needs to change about his game in order to help the Eagles achieve their very lofty goals for the 2012 season. As I've written before -- not about changing style of play but more about changing his sense of responsibility about how he plays the position. Decision-making, study habits, things like that. As he has for the past three years, Vick is saying all of the right things. So we'll see.
Washington Redskins
Redskins.com is breaking down some position battles as the Redskins engage in OTAs this week. I like the rundown of the wide receivers especially, but you know it's a team website when you read something like, "the Redskins have arguably the best tight end duo in the league." I mean, they played the Patriots last year, right? So they know about those guys?
Mike Shanahan was back at work a day after being run over on the sideline by two Redskins players. The players who saw it happen said it was a scary sight, but apparently Shanahan is showing no ill effects.
Dallas Cowboys
Jerry Jones says the window may be closing on the time the Cowboys have to win with their current veteran core, including Tony Romo, Jason Witten and DeMarcus Ware. Of course, lest anyone think this means trouble for the coaching staff, Jones is quick to assert that Jason Garrett feels the same way. Those two are BFFs, I'm telling ya.
Our man Herman Edwards says the Cowboys have "a Super Bowl offense," and I agree with him in terms of the talent at the skill positions. I think we still need to see Super Bowl-caliber performance out of positions like center and guard before we start talking that way, though. And of course, none of that matters if the defense doesn't improve. Which I'm pretty sure is part of Herm's point. You play. To win. The game.
Breakfast links: Mike Jenkins seeking trade
May, 22, 2012
May 22
8:00
AM ET
By
Dan Graziano | ESPN.com
And we're back. Another Tuesday on the NFC East blog, which means I need to stretch my chat muscles so I don't pull anything. Let's get right to the links.
Dallas Cowboys
I wrote Monday about Mike Jenkins staying away from OTAs and assumed he was doing that to make some sort of statement. I was right, as it came out later in the day that he wants to be traded. As Tim MacMahon says, good luck with that, Mike. This isn't like the Asante Samuel situation in Philadelphia, where the Eagles just wanted to dump Samuel's salary and took a seventh-round pick for him. The Cowboys can still use Jenkins, even if he is now the No. 3 corner behind Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne. And given his health issues of the past year and where we are on the 2012 calendar (i.e., after the end of the draft), it's impossible to imagine any team offering them enough to make it worth their while to trade him.
In the ongoing quest to say sillier and sillier things about Tony Romo, the latest apparently is that the Cowboys don't go to the Super Bowl because Romo is not enough like Michael Young, which I guess means he needs to get on base more.
New York Giants
On the topic of Giants players "under pressure" in 2012 -- a topic we discussed here on the blog last week -- Ed Valentine picks wide receiver Ramses Barden, for whom opportunity looms large. Barden will have to hold off Domenik Hixon, Jerrel Jernigan and second-round pick Rueben Randle if he wants that No. 3 wide receiver spot created by the free-agent departure of Mario Manningham. The Giants drafted him thinking he had the tools to do it. The question now is whether he can stay healthy enough and play well enough to take advantage of his chance.
Tom Coughlin is still big in Jacksonville, where he coached the Jaguars before coaching the Giants and where he still holds his annual charity golf tournament. While in town for that, he once again answered questions about his possible retirement by saying it's not even something he's remotely considering.
Philadelphia Eagles
You can blame Juan Castillo and the defense all you like, but the Eagles' coaching staff thinks the biggest problem last year was their 38 turnovers (second most in the league), and they're determined to work with Michael Vick to cut that number down in 2012. Reading this, it sounds as though part of the problem is getting Vick to understand that there is one.
Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg talked about the fine line between leaning on the franchise running back to whom the Eagles just gave a five-year contract and overworking him. LeSean McCoy will only be 28 years old at the end of his new deal, and the Eagles surely can get five good years out of him even if they don't worry about limiting his touches. It will be interesting to see which way they lean.
Washington Redskins
You have to pay attention when you stand on an NFL sideline during practice, and Redskins coach Mike Shanahan unfortunately was looking at the wrong set of drills Monday when a couple of his players slammed into him and knocked him to the ground. "A little woozy" seemed to be the diagnosis, as Shanahan's "toughness" after his knockdown impressed some of his players. Sheesh. It's only the first day of OTAs and already the coach is down. Take it a little slower down there, fellas.
In spite of all he's done as a Redskin, Chris Cooley knows he's in a position this offseason of having to show something. Specifically, he needs to show he's healthy enough to play effectively in a two-tight end formation with Fred Davis. The reports after the first day of OTA practices were encouraging on Cooley.
Dallas Cowboys
I wrote Monday about Mike Jenkins staying away from OTAs and assumed he was doing that to make some sort of statement. I was right, as it came out later in the day that he wants to be traded. As Tim MacMahon says, good luck with that, Mike. This isn't like the Asante Samuel situation in Philadelphia, where the Eagles just wanted to dump Samuel's salary and took a seventh-round pick for him. The Cowboys can still use Jenkins, even if he is now the No. 3 corner behind Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne. And given his health issues of the past year and where we are on the 2012 calendar (i.e., after the end of the draft), it's impossible to imagine any team offering them enough to make it worth their while to trade him.
In the ongoing quest to say sillier and sillier things about Tony Romo, the latest apparently is that the Cowboys don't go to the Super Bowl because Romo is not enough like Michael Young, which I guess means he needs to get on base more.
New York Giants
On the topic of Giants players "under pressure" in 2012 -- a topic we discussed here on the blog last week -- Ed Valentine picks wide receiver Ramses Barden, for whom opportunity looms large. Barden will have to hold off Domenik Hixon, Jerrel Jernigan and second-round pick Rueben Randle if he wants that No. 3 wide receiver spot created by the free-agent departure of Mario Manningham. The Giants drafted him thinking he had the tools to do it. The question now is whether he can stay healthy enough and play well enough to take advantage of his chance.
Tom Coughlin is still big in Jacksonville, where he coached the Jaguars before coaching the Giants and where he still holds his annual charity golf tournament. While in town for that, he once again answered questions about his possible retirement by saying it's not even something he's remotely considering.
Philadelphia Eagles
You can blame Juan Castillo and the defense all you like, but the Eagles' coaching staff thinks the biggest problem last year was their 38 turnovers (second most in the league), and they're determined to work with Michael Vick to cut that number down in 2012. Reading this, it sounds as though part of the problem is getting Vick to understand that there is one.
Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg talked about the fine line between leaning on the franchise running back to whom the Eagles just gave a five-year contract and overworking him. LeSean McCoy will only be 28 years old at the end of his new deal, and the Eagles surely can get five good years out of him even if they don't worry about limiting his touches. It will be interesting to see which way they lean.
Washington Redskins
You have to pay attention when you stand on an NFL sideline during practice, and Redskins coach Mike Shanahan unfortunately was looking at the wrong set of drills Monday when a couple of his players slammed into him and knocked him to the ground. "A little woozy" seemed to be the diagnosis, as Shanahan's "toughness" after his knockdown impressed some of his players. Sheesh. It's only the first day of OTAs and already the coach is down. Take it a little slower down there, fellas.
In spite of all he's done as a Redskin, Chris Cooley knows he's in a position this offseason of having to show something. Specifically, he needs to show he's healthy enough to play effectively in a two-tight end formation with Fred Davis. The reports after the first day of OTA practices were encouraging on Cooley.
And a good Wednesday morning to all. (Wednesday, right? Yeah, Wednesday.) I'll be with you just as soon as I catch up on my NBA reading. Wait, it says here the Heat only lost one game last night. Man, based on the reaction I saw all over Twitter after the game, I could have sworn it was four. The NBA confuses me. The NFL, though ... that always makes sense. Links.
Dallas Cowboys
Calvin weighs in on the Tony Romo thing, saying that yes, stats are nice and the stats support Romo as a top quarterback, but that doesn't matter until and unless he starts winning playoff games. And yeah, a lot of that's out of his control. But Calvin is right that the outside perception of the guy will not change until the playoff record does. He could have a rotten year and put up lousy numbers in three playoff games, but as long as the team won those three playoff games his reputation would likely improve. Of course, this hypothesis ignores the likelihood that, if Romo had a rotten year, the Cowboys wouldn't have a chance to play in any playoff games.
Michael Irvin thinks the offense is fine and that the biggest problem the Cowboys have had is a defense that hasn't shown an ability to generate turnovers and therefore contribute to the scoring from its end. He believes that this offseason's additions at cornerback may have changed that.
New York Giants
In a private ceremony Wednesday night at Tiffany & Co., the Giants will receive their Super Bowl rings. Thanks to punter Steve Weatherford, there were some pictures of the ring swirling around the Internet on Tuesday. But Justin Tuck says the photo Weatherford put on Twitter wasn't the real ring. So I guess we'll see.
Tuck also says the Giants won't let the Osi Umenyiora contract situation become a distraction to them this offseason, mainly because they're used to it by now. This isn't just talk with the Giants, as we've discussed before. Their veteran locker room is well suited to handle and/or ignore an issue such as the Umenyiora contract dispute, even if it gets far uglier than it is right now.
Philadelphia Eagles
Speaking of contract disputes, DeSean Jackson is happy to no longer be in one this offseason, and the extension he signed with the Eagles has him feeling like a new man as he gets ready to begin offseason practices. Jackson admitted several times last year that the contract situation was bothering him and affecting the way he went about his business. So, you know. No more excuses on that front, right?
Owen Schmitt has signed with the Raiders, leaving Stanley Havili ostensibly as the Eagles' starting fullback. But as Bleeding Green Nation points out, the Eagles don't use the fullback very much, so it's not likely to be a high-impact change.
Washington Redskins
Richard Crawford, the SMU cornerback the Redskins drafted in the seventh round, grew four inches in college and believes that's what helped make him a draftable prospect. We'll see. Lots of opportunity in the Redskins' secondary this offseason.
Former Redskins great Art Monk has been named to the College Football Hall of Fame for the career he had at Syracuse before he became a star in the NFL. Somebody on the chat asked me to give this news a "shout-out," and there isn't much else going on, so there you go.
Dallas Cowboys
Calvin weighs in on the Tony Romo thing, saying that yes, stats are nice and the stats support Romo as a top quarterback, but that doesn't matter until and unless he starts winning playoff games. And yeah, a lot of that's out of his control. But Calvin is right that the outside perception of the guy will not change until the playoff record does. He could have a rotten year and put up lousy numbers in three playoff games, but as long as the team won those three playoff games his reputation would likely improve. Of course, this hypothesis ignores the likelihood that, if Romo had a rotten year, the Cowboys wouldn't have a chance to play in any playoff games.
Michael Irvin thinks the offense is fine and that the biggest problem the Cowboys have had is a defense that hasn't shown an ability to generate turnovers and therefore contribute to the scoring from its end. He believes that this offseason's additions at cornerback may have changed that.
New York Giants
In a private ceremony Wednesday night at Tiffany & Co., the Giants will receive their Super Bowl rings. Thanks to punter Steve Weatherford, there were some pictures of the ring swirling around the Internet on Tuesday. But Justin Tuck says the photo Weatherford put on Twitter wasn't the real ring. So I guess we'll see.
Tuck also says the Giants won't let the Osi Umenyiora contract situation become a distraction to them this offseason, mainly because they're used to it by now. This isn't just talk with the Giants, as we've discussed before. Their veteran locker room is well suited to handle and/or ignore an issue such as the Umenyiora contract dispute, even if it gets far uglier than it is right now.
Philadelphia Eagles
Speaking of contract disputes, DeSean Jackson is happy to no longer be in one this offseason, and the extension he signed with the Eagles has him feeling like a new man as he gets ready to begin offseason practices. Jackson admitted several times last year that the contract situation was bothering him and affecting the way he went about his business. So, you know. No more excuses on that front, right?
Owen Schmitt has signed with the Raiders, leaving Stanley Havili ostensibly as the Eagles' starting fullback. But as Bleeding Green Nation points out, the Eagles don't use the fullback very much, so it's not likely to be a high-impact change.
Washington Redskins
Richard Crawford, the SMU cornerback the Redskins drafted in the seventh round, grew four inches in college and believes that's what helped make him a draftable prospect. We'll see. Lots of opportunity in the Redskins' secondary this offseason.
Former Redskins great Art Monk has been named to the College Football Hall of Fame for the career he had at Syracuse before he became a star in the NFL. Somebody on the chat asked me to give this news a "shout-out," and there isn't much else going on, so there you go.
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.
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.
One thing I have learned in my nearly one full year of running this blog is that everyone is in complete lock-step agreement on how good a quarterback Tony Romo is and on his value to the Dallas Cowboys. Every time I write about Romo, all of the comments are exactly the same, and there is never any dispute about Romo's ability, his worth or his future prospects. We have our share of controversial topics here on the NFC East blog, but when the topic is Romo, no one ever argues or gets upset.
Yeah, right.
Now, if you're still reading, and you haven't already rushed to the comments section of this post to fight with each other about this, or to K.C.'s Insider post to argue directly with him, I'll give you a little synopsis of the man's points. (And I guess I might as well remind you that K.C. was about the only analyst last summer who was predicting the Giants to win this division, so it's not as though his often-controversial opinions have never been right.)
K.C. tells us that Romo's ranking is based on the following, mainly statistics-based reasons:
-Superior route-depth metrics (tied for fifth last year in yards per pass attempt)
-Low bad-decision rate, or "BDR" (fifth-lowest last year among quarterbacks with at least 175 pass attempts)
-High Total QBR (finished fourth in the NFL in 2011)
-A long history of top-level statistical performance (tied for fifth in NFL history in career yards per pass attempt)
-Ability to raise the level of play of those around him (Romo averaged double-digit yards per attempt to his third and fourth wide receivers in 2011)
-Changing of the elite guard at the quarterback position (i.e. disappointing 2011 seasons from Philip Rivers and Ben Roethlisberger, and injury concerns about Michael Vick and Peyton Manning)
-No signs of letting up (still in his prime and surrounded by big-time offensive weapons)
I think what's interesting is that a lot of these areas in which the numbers show that Romo excels are areas of his game that often fall victim to easy criticism from his detractors. "BDR," for example. K.C. acknowledges that games like the Detroit loss last season contribute to a perception that Romo is a reckless gunslinger, but he says the numbers don't back it up:
BDR is a metric that gauges how often a quarterback makes a mental error that leads either to a turnover or a near turnover, like a dropped interception or fumble that is recovered by the offense.
The nine-year track record of this metric shows that a 2 percent or lower BDR is an above-average mark for a dink-and-dunk passer, while gunslinger quarterbacks can take pride in a BDR under 3 percent.
...
As poor as that [Detroit] performance was, Romo still posted a 1.8 percent BDR for the season. That total ranked fifth-best among qualifying quarterbacks (minimum 175 attempts) and is doubly notable because it's quite rare for a risk-taking quarterback to post a BDR under 2 percent.
In the end, though, the issue with Romo remains unchanged. Those who are inclined to dislike him will find plenty of reasons to do so, and will hang their hats on the fact that he's only won one playoff game ever. They'll go back to the botched snap, and the playoff loss to the Giants four years ago, and they'll bellow that he doesn't have what it takes to be great because he hasn't come up big in a big game. And until and unless he does that, no statistical analysis will convince those who don't want to be convinced.
The fact is that Romo is an excellent quarterback who hasn't won yet. And while in this day and age, all that matters to anyone about a quarterback is whether he's ever held the Vince Lombardi trophy up over his head while confetti fluttered down around him, it is in fact possible to be exactly that. Doesn't mean it's fun to be that, but it also doesn't mean Romo's worthless. Two-thirds of the teams in the NFL would trade their current quarterback situation straight-up for the Cowboys' quarterback situation, whether the guy's won or not.
Breakfast links: Bad news for Jason Peters
May, 15, 2012
May 15
8:00
AM ET
By
Dan Graziano | ESPN.com
We roll on through mid-May, the veritable dog days of the NFL offseason. But as your hunger for NFL news and notes cannot be satiated, I continue each day to come bearing links.
Dallas Cowboys
Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray called into "SportsCenter" to talk about a few things. He says his ankle is fully healed and ready to go, that it's fair to label the 2011 Cowboys underachievers, and that Tony Romo is a "great leader" and responsible for the success Murray had in his brief time last year as the Cowboys' starting running back.
Phil Costa knows he needs to play better as the Cowboys' starting center in 2012 than he did in 2011, and as part of his effort to do that he's been studying tape of Jets center Nick Mangold, regarded by many as the best in the league. New Cowboys offensive line coach Bill Callahan was Mangold's offensive line coach in New York prior to taking his current position with Dallas.
New York Giants
Terrell Thomas has a lot going on as he continues to work his way back from the knee injury that cost him the entire 2011 season. He says he'll enjoy getting his Super Bowl ring Wednesday, but that he still won't consider it "his own," and he's intent on winning what he sees as a competition with 2011 first-round pick Prince Amukamara for a starting cornerback spot. The progress of Thomas, who looked to be a star in the making this time last year, will be one of the intriguing stories of the Giants' offseason. Though I'm sure st8prop can come up with a reason why that's technically inaccurate.
Giants coach Tom Coughlin, who works actively with U.S. service personnel and takes every opportunity to honor and thank them in public, is receiving the U.S. Army's Outstanding Civilian Service Award in a ceremony next week in Arlington, Va.
Philadelphia Eagles
You may have seen the report Monday evening that Eagles left tackle Jason Peters re-injured his surgically repaired Achilles tendon when the device he was using to help him move around post-surgery fell apart, and he had to have a second surgery. Really rough break for Peters, and if there was any slim chance of his playing in 2012 you'd have to think that's gone now. At this point, you have to wonder about Peters beyond this year. Two surgeries on the same vital tendon for a guy his size who does what he does for a living ... that sounds like a lot from which to come back.
The hot name out of Eagles rookie camp was that of second-round draft pick Mychal Kendricks. And while this is obviously getting ahead of things, the idea that one or both of their new linebackers might be good enough that they could do different things on defense because of them (rather than just bringing in guys to plug gaping holes and do no harm) is an interesting concept for Eagles fans and certainly their defensive coaches.
Washington Redskins
Mike Jones takes a stab at projecting the starters for the 2012 Redskins, and predicts position battles at left guard, right tackle, running back, wide receiver and of course both safety positions. You can see on Jones' chart the spots at which the Redskins are hoping to attack a deficiency with improved depth.
Tim Hightower looked around and would have liked to find something better than the one-year deal he got to return to the Redskins. But since he's coming off a serious knee injury and running backs didn't exactly break the bank this offseason, he understands. He tells Rich Campbell he's grateful for the chance to prove himself, and maybe he can get that nicer deal a year from now.
Dallas Cowboys
Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray called into "SportsCenter" to talk about a few things. He says his ankle is fully healed and ready to go, that it's fair to label the 2011 Cowboys underachievers, and that Tony Romo is a "great leader" and responsible for the success Murray had in his brief time last year as the Cowboys' starting running back.
Phil Costa knows he needs to play better as the Cowboys' starting center in 2012 than he did in 2011, and as part of his effort to do that he's been studying tape of Jets center Nick Mangold, regarded by many as the best in the league. New Cowboys offensive line coach Bill Callahan was Mangold's offensive line coach in New York prior to taking his current position with Dallas.
New York Giants
Terrell Thomas has a lot going on as he continues to work his way back from the knee injury that cost him the entire 2011 season. He says he'll enjoy getting his Super Bowl ring Wednesday, but that he still won't consider it "his own," and he's intent on winning what he sees as a competition with 2011 first-round pick Prince Amukamara for a starting cornerback spot. The progress of Thomas, who looked to be a star in the making this time last year, will be one of the intriguing stories of the Giants' offseason. Though I'm sure st8prop can come up with a reason why that's technically inaccurate.
Giants coach Tom Coughlin, who works actively with U.S. service personnel and takes every opportunity to honor and thank them in public, is receiving the U.S. Army's Outstanding Civilian Service Award in a ceremony next week in Arlington, Va.
Philadelphia Eagles
You may have seen the report Monday evening that Eagles left tackle Jason Peters re-injured his surgically repaired Achilles tendon when the device he was using to help him move around post-surgery fell apart, and he had to have a second surgery. Really rough break for Peters, and if there was any slim chance of his playing in 2012 you'd have to think that's gone now. At this point, you have to wonder about Peters beyond this year. Two surgeries on the same vital tendon for a guy his size who does what he does for a living ... that sounds like a lot from which to come back.
The hot name out of Eagles rookie camp was that of second-round draft pick Mychal Kendricks. And while this is obviously getting ahead of things, the idea that one or both of their new linebackers might be good enough that they could do different things on defense because of them (rather than just bringing in guys to plug gaping holes and do no harm) is an interesting concept for Eagles fans and certainly their defensive coaches.
Washington Redskins
Mike Jones takes a stab at projecting the starters for the 2012 Redskins, and predicts position battles at left guard, right tackle, running back, wide receiver and of course both safety positions. You can see on Jones' chart the spots at which the Redskins are hoping to attack a deficiency with improved depth.
Tim Hightower looked around and would have liked to find something better than the one-year deal he got to return to the Redskins. But since he's coming off a serious knee injury and running backs didn't exactly break the bank this offseason, he understands. He tells Rich Campbell he's grateful for the chance to prove himself, and maybe he can get that nicer deal a year from now.
This is an exciting week for me, personally, here on the NFC East blog. Friday will mark the one-year anniversary of the date on which I took over the blog. And since we're in a bit of a slow time of the year, I thought I'd take a part of each day this week to use that occasion to celebrate, to look back and hopefully to look ahead.
This is my job, as I think most of you know, but the blog is, in intent and hopefully in execution, a community and a collaboration between myself and its readers. I try as much as I can to spend time in the comments section, to respond to mailbag queries and, at @ESPN_NFCEast, to handle as many Twitter questions as I can. It is my hope you have found me accommodating and accessible, and I will endeavor to continue to be those things as we roll into Year Two.
So, I'm interested in hearing your thoughts on my first year here and your suggestions for my second. What have you liked? What have you not liked? Could be a column, a trend, a way I have of doing things that has excited or irked you. What are your favorite memories from the past year we've spent together? The pineapple thing? The Mike Shanahan interviews? The first time I waded into an Eli Manning-Tony Romo debate without a full understanding of the firestorm that would result?
Most importantly, I'd like to know how to help this blog evolve. What should we be doing more? What should we be doing less? What should we be doing differently? As I continue the regular work on the blog this week, I'll check back in the comments section of this post and in the mailbag to try and get a sense of your thoughts. I appreciate them all, and I very much enjoy our ongoing discussion on this blog. I mean it in the most non-cliched way possible when I say it would not be possible without you.
This is my job, as I think most of you know, but the blog is, in intent and hopefully in execution, a community and a collaboration between myself and its readers. I try as much as I can to spend time in the comments section, to respond to mailbag queries and, at @ESPN_NFCEast, to handle as many Twitter questions as I can. It is my hope you have found me accommodating and accessible, and I will endeavor to continue to be those things as we roll into Year Two.
So, I'm interested in hearing your thoughts on my first year here and your suggestions for my second. What have you liked? What have you not liked? Could be a column, a trend, a way I have of doing things that has excited or irked you. What are your favorite memories from the past year we've spent together? The pineapple thing? The Mike Shanahan interviews? The first time I waded into an Eli Manning-Tony Romo debate without a full understanding of the firestorm that would result?
Most importantly, I'd like to know how to help this blog evolve. What should we be doing more? What should we be doing less? What should we be doing differently? As I continue the regular work on the blog this week, I'll check back in the comments section of this post and in the mailbag to try and get a sense of your thoughts. I appreciate them all, and I very much enjoy our ongoing discussion on this blog. I mean it in the most non-cliched way possible when I say it would not be possible without you.
Our NFL columnist, Ashley Fox, has a neat little graphic element up on the site about 10 NFL quarterbacks who are "on the spot" in 2012. I didn't know Ashley was so graphics-savvy, but take a look. One of those slideshow deals where you scroll through and there's a photo and a blurb on each guy.
Anyway, No. 1 on the list is Michael Vick of the Philadelphia Eagles, and No. 4 on the list is Tony Romo of the Dallas Cowboys. Pretty good representation of our little division, no?
Vick Here's Ashley's take on Vick:
As we have written many times here, Vick and his turnovers were a bigger part of the problem in Philadelphia last season than was mentioned much at the time or has been discussed much since. As the season draws nearer, I expect the focus on Vick and the pressure he's under to intensify. I agree with Ashley that no quarterback in the league enters 2012 under more pressure than does Vick.
RomoHere's Ashley's take on Romo:
I tend to think Jones might actually be patient with Romo forever, if that's what it takes. Romo and Jones are close, and the Cowboys' owner takes great pride in the fact that the undrafted quarterback to whom he gave this opportunity has blossomed into one of the best quarterbacks in the league. I don't believe that Jones feels remotely as critical toward Romo and his oft-cited poor playoff record as Dallas fans and the conventional NFL wisdom do, and I really do think that Romo's play would have to drop off considerably in order for the Cowboys to consider replacing him. I do not think it's possible for that to happen within the course of the coming season.
That said, I do agree that Romo belongs on any list of NFL quarterbacks "on the spot," because few get more attention, and the longer he goes without delivering some playoff success (be it his fault or not), the more he squanders the opportunity to take control of the narrative about his own career. He might not care what people say about him now, but someday he will, and if these shadows remain unchanged (hat tip, Mr. Charles Dickens), the story of Romo's career will be that of promise unfulfilled, not that of an undrafted guy who exceeded expectations.
Anyway, No. 1 on the list is Michael Vick of the Philadelphia Eagles, and No. 4 on the list is Tony Romo of the Dallas Cowboys. Pretty good representation of our little division, no?
The Eagles are built to win this year, but Vick will have to stay healthy and limit his turnovers. He missed three games in 2011 and had 24 turnovers -- and Philadelphia went 8-8 and missed the playoffs.
As we have written many times here, Vick and his turnovers were a bigger part of the problem in Philadelphia last season than was mentioned much at the time or has been discussed much since. As the season draws nearer, I expect the focus on Vick and the pressure he's under to intensify. I agree with Ashley that no quarterback in the league enters 2012 under more pressure than does Vick.
Last season, Romo threw for 4,184 yards with 31 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions. But in six years as the Cowboys' starter, he has won just one playoff game. Romo is 32 years old. Jerry Jones won't be patient forever.
I tend to think Jones might actually be patient with Romo forever, if that's what it takes. Romo and Jones are close, and the Cowboys' owner takes great pride in the fact that the undrafted quarterback to whom he gave this opportunity has blossomed into one of the best quarterbacks in the league. I don't believe that Jones feels remotely as critical toward Romo and his oft-cited poor playoff record as Dallas fans and the conventional NFL wisdom do, and I really do think that Romo's play would have to drop off considerably in order for the Cowboys to consider replacing him. I do not think it's possible for that to happen within the course of the coming season.
That said, I do agree that Romo belongs on any list of NFL quarterbacks "on the spot," because few get more attention, and the longer he goes without delivering some playoff success (be it his fault or not), the more he squanders the opportunity to take control of the narrative about his own career. He might not care what people say about him now, but someday he will, and if these shadows remain unchanged (hat tip, Mr. Charles Dickens), the story of Romo's career will be that of promise unfulfilled, not that of an undrafted guy who exceeded expectations.
I have been writing for some time that there's no need to panic about the Dallas Cowboys' No. 3 wide receiver position just because Laurent Robinson caught 11 touchdowns last year and signed with Jacksonville. But ever since the first night of the draft, I have detected a burgeoning opinion among Cowboys fans that I am a moron who has no idea what he's talking about. You guys are subtle about it, but I can detect these things, in large part because I have not (to answer to several of your very polite mailbag questions) had a lobotomy.
So if you won’t take my word for it, I present the word of Mr. Todd Archer, the esteemed Cowboys writer for ESPNDallas.com, who made the case in a detailed piece Wednesday morning that the Cowboys can replace Robinson without having to find a guy to replace Robinson:
This is a fine summary of the way the Cowboys were thinking about their No. 3 wideout situation last summer, after they cut Williams and before they found Robinson on the free-agent scrap heap. And it is because of the way things worked out last year that the Cowboys remain convinced they can approach the situation the same way this year. Had Robinson not come along and did what he did in 2011, the Cowboys' offense would have found a way to replicate his production. His most significant contribution, as Todd points out, was his stint as a reliable fill-in during the times Austin had to miss due to hamstring injuries. If they can keep Austin's hamstrings healthier this year, then they won't have a need for someone to do what Robinson did last year. And if they can't, they feel decent enough about their ability to fill in, even if they need more than one player to do it this time.
So if you won’t take my word for it, I present the word of Mr. Todd Archer, the esteemed Cowboys writer for ESPNDallas.com, who made the case in a detailed piece Wednesday morning that the Cowboys can replace Robinson without having to find a guy to replace Robinson:
The No. 3 wide receiver on the Cowboys is really Tony Romo's fifth option offensively behind Jason Witten, Miles Austin, Dez Bryant and either DeMarco Murray or Felix Jones.
The Cowboys did not dial up a ton of plays specifically for Robinson last year.
His biggest plays came when coverage filtered to the other wideouts or to Witten (hello, 70-yard touchdown versus Philadelphia) or plays broke down. This isn't meant as a knock on Robinson, because he was terrific last year. He and Romo were simpatico when plays went haywire, and that takes skill, not time.
Just ask Roy Williams that.
The Cowboys don't need to replace Robinson's numbers with one guy.
This is a fine summary of the way the Cowboys were thinking about their No. 3 wideout situation last summer, after they cut Williams and before they found Robinson on the free-agent scrap heap. And it is because of the way things worked out last year that the Cowboys remain convinced they can approach the situation the same way this year. Had Robinson not come along and did what he did in 2011, the Cowboys' offense would have found a way to replicate his production. His most significant contribution, as Todd points out, was his stint as a reliable fill-in during the times Austin had to miss due to hamstring injuries. If they can keep Austin's hamstrings healthier this year, then they won't have a need for someone to do what Robinson did last year. And if they can't, they feel decent enough about their ability to fill in, even if they need more than one player to do it this time.
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.
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.
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Dan Graziano
Graziano joined ESPN.com in 2011 after two years as a Senior NFL Writer for AOL FanHouse. He covered Major League Baseball, the Olympics and various other sports during his time at the Star-Ledger and the Palm Beach Post. A New Jersey native and author of two published novels, he now lives in Ridgewood, N.J., with his wife and two sons.
