ESPN NFC East Blog

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

Since the Beast is taking the Fourth of July off (without permission) from management, I'm posting the mailbag a day early. Many of you guys thought I was nuts to suggest Eli Manning could become the first $50 million (guaranteed) quarterback in the history of the league. I'll give you a chance to sound off in today's mailbag -- minus the expletives of course. So let's get the fireworks started:

Jeff in New York is concerned about my Thursday column on Eli: Mr. Mosley, yes I am a hardcore Steelers fan but I feel I am being unbiased here: I just read your piece on Eli Manning and you had mentioned you could argue that Eli is better than Ben Roethlisberger... can I ask how you can argue that? Unless you are basing your argument on one game (one unbelievable performance, I'll admit), it is not even close. Roethlisberger has two rings, more fourth-quarter comebacks, more regular-season wins, more playoff wins, more TDs career and less INTs career.

The one edge I can safely give Eli is his arm strength. He has a much better feel for the deep ball than Roethlisberger and while Ben tends to scramble and extend plays, Eli is much more comfortable standing in the pocket and delivering the ball. Eli is a very good quarterback and I am waiting to see when he has that explosive 30-TD year because I believe he will get there. I am just not ready to put him on Roethlisberger's level. Plus, I think he needs a weapon or two on the wide-receiver side this year because it is simply not fair to put all the pressure on him to perform at such a high level with mostly young, unproven receivers. Can he handle the load?

Mosley: First off, Jeff wins the award for longest question this week -- and he's obviously pretty knowledgable. But to suggest a Steelers fans can be "unbiased" in an Eli vs. Big Ben debate seems like a stretch. I don't think it's fair for people to suggest that Manning's career can only be measured by his performance in the Super Bowl, although he was outstanding that day. Both quarterbacks have been helped by strong running games and excellent receivers. It remains to be seen what Manning can do without Burress, but let's wait and give him a chance.

Jeff, you're sort of obsessed with numbers, but let me point out to you that Manning has succeeded over the past five seasons against superior competition. I know the Ravens were solid last season, but they haven't played like that throughout Big Ben's career. The Bengals are the Bengals (except for the one season) and the Browns had one decent season during the Roethlisberger era. Manning has spent his career in the best division in football (no bias) and that interception total is inflated because of getting thrown into the fire his rookie season. In Roethlisberger's first Super Bowl run, he wasn't asked to do nearly as much as Manning in his first Super Bowl run. And Roethlisberger played poorly in the Steelers' first Super Bowl appearance of the decade. Any arguments?

Manning and Roethlisberger have played almost the exact same amount of games since 2004 (73-72) and yes, Big Ben has thrown five fewer interceptions (69). But the number that bothers me about Roethlisberger is that he takes too many sacks. You can say that Manning's had the better offensive line (and you'd be right), but early on, Big Ben's line was better. He's taken 72 more sacks than Manning, which sort of adds up. Roethlisberger holds the ball longer, which helps account for his 192 sacks taken. Manning has 120 sacks, and he's much more willing to throw it away and not put his offense in a long-yardage situation. I understand that both fan bases are completely happy with their quarterbacks -- as they should be. But in the long run, I think Manning will prove to be the better player. Geez, we're already about 600 words in and we've "answered" one question.

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Jeff from Beaumont, Texas, has a Redskins question: Matt, I always knew that Jason Campbell had to learn a new offense every year in the NFL, but I just recently read that he's in his seventh new offense in the last eight years (the exception being this year with Jim Zorn). Do you think Jason Campbell steps up to Pro Bowl/playoff level play or do you see him holding on to the ball, still hesitant to make the big play?

Mosley: There is no bigger defender of Jason Campbell on the Internet today than the Beast, but the "new offense" angle is getting a little old. Yes, it's relevant. But at some point you have to play the hand you're dealt in order to succeed. The other three teams in the division don't have sympathy for Campbell because of all the changes, so he has to find a way to overcome everything. In some ways, it's a little overblown. If a guy's talented enough to quickly process information, go through his reads and deliver the ball in traffic, he should be able to do it in any system. I think Campbell's poised to have a solid season, but there are too many good quarterbacks in the Beast for him to jump into the Pro Bowl. To address your last question, I think he'll be far less hesitant in his second year under Zorn. But if Stephon Heyer and Co. can't give him any time, it might not matter.

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William B. from Beaverton, Ore. writes: I was wondering if you wanted to have a debate about the outlook of the NFC East in your comments section because, personally, I think you lost the debate on Eli Manning and Philip Rivers and I could win on any topic.

Mosley: More than 12,000 readers (possibly inflated) disagreed with you, William. But set up the debate and I'll join you in the comments section during training camp. I've been meaning to spend more time in the "comments" section. You'll recognize me by our exciting "nfceastadmin" tag.

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Steve W. from Anchorage has a beef with our Tiger-Romo coverage: Matt, would be nice if for a day you left Tony Romo out of your reports. Who cares if he went golfing with Tiger? I went golfing with a couple buddies the other day. NO ONE CARES. The Pope doesn't talk about Jesus as much as you talk about the Cowboys! It's the NFC East, not the Cowboys blog -- since the Cowboys can't win the division or a playoff game, move on and become a reporter, not a Dallas insider.

Mosley: Steve, it takes guts to compare a round with your buddies in Achorage with a round including Tony Romo and the most popular golfer on the planet. And let's leave religion out of this! :)

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Mike from Sedita, Ga., sent this message via fax: Matt, great piece on Eli's contract. My question is, after you write something like that, do you sit back and actually read the dribble of comments? I mean you're writing for every team generates almost the same response; here is the formula: insert any team in the article and the other three division foes for responses. Positive article about the Giants and then the Eagles, Cowboys and Redskins fans tank it while the Giants fans praise it -- as I did here.

Negative article about the Giants, and the Eagles, Cowboys and Redskins fans LOVE it and the Giants fans bash it. Then there is the random AFC West guy who did a search for Rivers who chimes in. I usually read about three, laugh and go to your next note. I personally like most of it either way. Great work!

Mosley: Mike, stop giving away my secrets. Honestly, that's what makes writing the blog so fun. I realize that I'm going to get accused of being biased toward all four teams at times. That comes with the territory. For some reason, though, one team seems to come up more than any other! But yes, I sit back and read all the comments -- even the negative ones. You guys have made the Beast a huge success, and that's why I embrace the haters -- and the handful of supporters.

Programming note: I'll try to add a few more answers throughout the weekend, so please hit "refresh" every five hours or so. And have a wonderful Fourth of July!

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

For those of you who play Madden (I still have Intellivision), the ratings for the NFC East were recently announced. Some of you will recall that Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall was highly upset about his rating last season. Let's go team by team in the division and talk about the "winners" and "losers" in terms of "Madden NFL 10" ratings.

And for those of you taking a holiday today, good for you. I'm sure it's well-deserved. Editors at ESPN.com begged the Beast to take the day off, but we refused.

Cowboys Madden Ratings

Winners: DeMarcus Ware had the highest overall rating with a 98 and Jason Witten checked in with a 97. I thought center Andre Gurode was surprisingly high with a 93. Of course, we need one of our Madden players to break down what all these numbers actually mean. I'll post the best explanation on the Big Board.

Losers: Nose tackle Jay Ratliff is a very underrated player and it appears the Madden people followed that theme by giving him an overall score of 87. Starting safety Gerald Sensabaugh has a 73, which is pretty low for a starter. And former Pro Bowler Ken Hamlin only had an 84. I LOVED the fact that Madden recognized the genius of Mat McBriar with a 95. Well-deserved.

Eagles Madden Ratings

Winners: Left tackle Jason Peters and cornerback Asante Samuel each have ratings of 95. Those were the highest scores on the team. And despite a down season in '08, Brian Westbrook has a pretty strong 94 score.

Losers: No matter what reasoning they used, a 90 is too low for one of the best quarterbacks in the league, Donovan McNabb. How does DeSean Jackson only have an 81? Doesn't make sense to me at all. Jeremy Maclin almost caught him (78) and he hasn't played a down. And give my man Jason Avant a little love. You cannot have him seven points lower than Reggie Brown at 65.

Giants Madden Ratings

Winners: Chris Snee scored huge with a 97, and he's earned that rating. Defensive end Justin Tuck checked in with a 95 and that could've been a little higher.

Losers: How does Eli Manning have a lower rating than Tony Romo and McNabb? I guess the thing doesn't take past Super Bowl wins into consideration. I also think David Diehl's too low at 87 and the same thing goes for Shaun O'Hara at 91. O'Hara is not two points below Gurode.

Redskins Madden Ratings

Winners: Wow, Albert Haynesworth's 99 is the highest score in the division. Are we convinced he's a better Madden player than Ware? You guys (who play Madden) tell me. Who would you rather have on defense: Ware or Haynesworth? Running back Clinton Portis and Chris Samuels may be living on past greatness with scores of 93.

Losers: I think the Madden folks simply love listening to Hall whine. They gave him a 79. Is it too low? Certainly. Is it funny? Oh yeah. Give me a break that London Fletcher only has an 89. The guy's a Pro Bowl player who never gets invited to the Pro Bowl. I'm anxious for someone to explain why Fletcher's so low.

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Update: Here's a great explanation on the Haynesworth-Ware ranking from commenter obliterat: "Hey Matt, Haynesworth's 99 is in no way related or comparable to Ware's 98. 99 means Haynesworth is the best possible defensive tackle, that he does everything important to playing his position at an elite level. Ware's 98 means he's everything but perfect. Is he among the better coverage 'backers in the NFL? No? Then he's not a 99, not as long as coverage is part of playing his position. Does that mean Haynesworth is better then Ware? No, it just means he rates higher as a tackle than Ware does as a linebacker, and that's fair. If Ware were a defensive end, he'd be a 99."

Thanks, obliterat. That makes a lot of sense -- especially to those of us who (gasp!) don't play Madden. 

	William Perlman/US Presswire
	Giants quarterback Eli Manning has set himself up for a big payday.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

Giants general manager Jerry Reese has a simple solution for replacing the hole that Plaxico Burress left in the offense. He thinks it's time for quarterback Eli Manning to take on more responsibility and lead this organization to another Super Bowl.

In 2007, Manning caught lightning in a bottle for a little more than a month and helped lead the Giants to a world title. But with the loss of his combustible safety blanket, Burress, and a supporting cast comprised of talented but raw wide receivers, the Giants believe Manning can elevate his teammates to another level.

The only problem with that approach from a management standpoint is that you're increasing your quarterback's bargaining power. But I don't think the Giants are concerned about that side of the equation. And that's why Manning is poised to become the highest-paid player in league history in the next month or so.

Eli Manning #10 QB New York Giants 2008 STATS ATT CMP YDS TD INT RAT 479 289 3,064 21 10 86.4

Unless the Giants are thinking of putting the franchise tag on Manning after the '09 season -- they're not -- it's time for Reese to sit down with the agent to the star quarterbacks, Tom Condon, and get something done. So what's the going rate for a 28-year-old franchise quarterback who already has a Lombardi trophy? We know that at least one man thought defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, also 28, was worth $41 million in guaranteed money.

Haynesworth is, without argument, the best defensive tackle in the game. As a quarterback, Manning probably ranks behind Tom Brady, his older brother Peyton, Drew Brees and perhaps Ben Roethlisberger, although I could argue otherwise. And don't bring up Philip Rivers. He's put up huge numbers (but no world titles) against inferior competition in the AFC West.

With that in mind, and realizing that quarterback is the most valuable position on the field, I think Manning has a case for becoming our first $50 million (guaranteed) quarterback. The rest of the contract numbers won't matter that much. We're talking about CIF (cash in fist), and I think the $50 million figure is what Team Manning will be looking for.

A respected member of the Giants organization not named Jerry Reese told me Thursday morning, "There's no way this thing becomes contentious. Something will probably get done before the season, and everyone will move on."

	Rich Kane/US Presswire
	Eli Manning will be asked to take on more of a leadership role on the field this season.

If the Giants truly wanted to play hardball, they could point to the possibility of an uncapped season in 2010. If a collective bargaining agreement is not reached before the start of free agency next February, Manning wouldn't become an unrestricted free agent. But at this point, both sides appear to be operating as if a new CBA will be in place. The last thing the Giants want is to have Manning playing with the contract cloud hanging over his head. And that's why I think they'll make him the richest quarterback in the history of the game sometime next month.

The Cowboys let Tony Romo enter the last year of his contract in 2007, but that was a completely different situation. Romo hadn't played a full season in '06 -- and he didn't have any skins on the wall like Manning.

In 2004, Manning's big brother signed a seven-year, $98 million contract extension with the Colts that seemed off the charts at the time. But according to personnel types around the league, Eli's contract could end up somewhere in the seven-year, $120 million range, which would make him a league-high $17 million per year player. Manning likes to "Aw, shucks" his way through life, but his reps at Creative Artists Agency aren't into hometown discounts.

In talking to Giants officials, Manning's struggles last December and January did nothing to diminish his value with the franchise. With Brandon Jacobs banged up and Burress sidelined, the organization knows Manning was in a tough situation.

It's obviously not the ideal time to do a mega-contract, what with the economy in the tank and the Giants trying to finance a $1.6 billion (and rising) new stadium. There were reports in January the Giants might not have $40 million in guaranteed money available for Manning. But something tells me the Mara and Tisch families socked away a little cash for their franchise quarterback.

Becoming a $100 million quarterback doesn't mean much anymore. Even Michael Vick once broke that barrier. What matters, obviously, is the guaranteed portion of the contract. And I think Manning could sneak up on that $50 million barrier we discussed earlier.

"[Eli's] not a veteran anymore, he's a Pro Bowler -- we'll put some of this on his back," said Reese earlier this offseason. "We're going to put more of the onus on him."

And that's why Manning's about to become the wealthiest quarterback in the game.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

The Washington Post's newest Redskins Insider, Paul Tenorio, has a story this morning on the depth along the Redskins' offensive line. We obviously know that the starting right tackle spot is a concern (I have Stephon Heyer as the starter), but you should be even more concerned about some of the backup spots. If something happens to some of the interior linemen, the backup options are pretty green.

The good news is that longtime offensive line coach Joe Bugel has changed his tune on Chad Rinehart. He reportedly questioned the player's future after the '08 season, but now he sounds much more optimistic. Tenorio asked Bugel what the difference was in Rinehart from last season to now.

"Night and day," Bugel said. "Difference between yesterday and today. He's going to be a real good football player for us."

Other candidates for backup spots are Mike Williams, Jeremy Bridges, Devin Clark, Will Montgomery and Edwin Williams. So what do you guys think about the offensive line? Is it the weakest link for the Skins? We'd love to hear from you.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

It looks like ESPN.com's Matthew Berry is cranking up his fantasy football coverage in his latest column. In his current mock draft, Berry has Michael Turner going No. 1 overall and Adrian Peterson No. 2. I wouldn't endorse that particular order, but at least Berry's willing to go out on a limb.

On his love/hate list, he thinks Tony Romo would have excellent value in the fourth or fifth round of a draft -- depending on the size of your league. I guess that means Berry thinks either Roy Williams or Miles Austin will put up solid numbers -- or maybe both.

He also likes the Eagles' LeSean McCoy and the Giants' Domenik Hixon as late-round pickups. And that seems like pretty sound advice to me. The suggestion out of left field was Redskins wide receiver Malcolm Kelly. Berry thinks he'd be a good pickup in a "super-deep league."

So who does Berry "hate" in the NFC East? Giants quarterback Eli Manning and the Giants' defense. Really? I sort of get Manning because he doesn't put up ridiculous numbers like Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Romo are capable of. But I think the Giants' D will have a big season in terms of sacks and turnovers. Kenny Phillips is about to have a seven-interception season.

Read Berry's column and let me know what you think.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

Cowboys

• Here's another reminder that Mike Jenkins is the starting cornerback for the Cowboys. 

• Tony Romo did something more important than playing golf with Tiger Woods on Tuesday night.

• Anyone interested in the new stadium's logo? 

Eagles

• Donovan McNabb will be featured in an upcoming IHOP commercial. Seriously. 

• Ron Jaworski had some interesting thoughts on the McNabb contract Tuesday.

• Lots of logo talk today in the Beast. 
  

Giants

• The Giants are about to place even more trust in Eli Manning, according to Paul Schwartz of the Post. 

• Some of you were asking for the numbers on rookie Andre Brown. Here ya go. 
  

Redskins

• I enjoyed that Dan Steinberg post so much on Tony Romo and Tiger Wood -- here it is again. 

• In case you didn't get to make the road trip to Wyoming with the Cooleys, here you go. 

• Here's Steinberg's latest report from the Woods-Romo pairing. Some pretty funny stuff. This is what a blog should be.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

One of our favorite golf writers, ESPN.com's Jason Sobel, woke up at 5 ET this morning to follow a foursome that included Tiger Woods and Tony Romo -- oh and House Minority Leader John Boehner. Woods had invited Romo to play with him in Wednesday's Earl Woods Memorial Pro-Am, which precedes the AT&T National at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md. Here's Sobel's from-the-scene account of what took place this morning:

	AP Photo/Rob Carr
	Tiger Woods and Tony Romo played together in Wednesday's pro-am.

"A funny thing happened when Tony Romo showed up at the 10th tee at 6:30 a.m. Wednesday for a tee time with Tiger Woods in the pro-am for the AT&T National here in the heart of Redskins country," writes Sobel. "He was greeted with ... applause.

"Throughout his round with tournament host Woods, Congress Minority Leader John Boehner and Dallas-based automobile broker Tom Dundon, the Cowboys quarterback was treated as if this was a home game by the gallery members, a few dozen of whom were adorned in navy, silver and white No. 9 jerseys.

"Oh sure, there were a few who stayed loyal to the local team, including one 10-year-old who audibly admonished Jessica Simpson -- not present at the time -- for "settling" on beau Romo, who was "getting chubby." Another spectator wore a T-shirt that read, "Romo wuz NOT built in a day," which may have been more factual than adversarial. When the scratch handicapper flubbed a fairway wood approach shot on No. 9, there were a few lighthearted catcalls, but nothing of real disdain. And during the tournament's opening ceremony, Romo received a smattering of boos, as Redskins stars Jason Campbell and Antwaan Randle El were met with boisterous cheers.

"As for the golf, Romo actually stepped it back and played the final 17 holes from the tournament tees alongside Woods, even outdriving his partner on a few occasions. Though his putting stroke left something to be desired, the quarterback acquitted himself well, helping the team to an overall score of 9-under-par.

"It may not have been the kind of performance that would equate to a game-winning drive at FedEx Field, but it was hardly an ill-timed interception, either."

Join me in thanking the official golf analyst of the Beast, Jason Sobel. His live blogs during the majors the last couple years have been brilliant. And in case you missed the news, Woods has asked Romo's girlfriend, Jessica Simpson, to sing the national anthem before Thursday's first round. I didn't realize anyone sang the national anthem before golf tournaments, but it sounds like a nice touch. We'll continue to bring you Woods-Romo updates throughout the day. That's what you guys have demanded.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

With the re-signing of free-agent cornerback DeAngelo Hall, the Redskins took a major step toward solidifying their secondary. Paul Tenorio of The Washington Post takes a look at the Skins' situation at cornerback as part of his position battles series. It still looks like veteran Fred Smoot will need to fill an important role on the team -- and that would worry me.

"Fred Smoot remains one of the most entertaining players on the team, and if you are near a field when the Redskins are practicing, you're sure to hear him talking," writes Tenorio. "Loudly. But as much as Smoot is one of the favorites for his talking ability, there's no question the eight-year veteran's play has dropped off from the cornerback pre-Minnesota.

"Though he started nine games and recorded 57 tackles and one interception, Smoot struggled late in 2008 and was dropped to the No. 4 corner spot by the end of the season, behind [Shawn] Springs, [Carlos] Rogers and Hall. Still, he enters this season as one of the few options to match up in the slot."

The Redskins need either Kevin Barnes or Justin Tryon to emerge at the cornerback spot. It's a position that can kill you if you don't have enough depth, and I'm not sure either Barnes or Tryon are ready for prime time. I'll look into this situation when I'm in Ashburn, Va., for training camp next month.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

Tony Romo and Tiger Woods should be wrapping up their round in the Earl Woods Memorial Pro-Am at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md. soon and hopefully we'll have some updates for you. I know you'll be waiting on the edge of your laptops.

One humorous note from this morning: According to the Washington Post's Barry Svrluga's Twitter feed, someone wrote "Go Redskins!" in Romo's yardage book. I'm sure he appreciated the encouraging note. By the way, Skins quarterback Jason Campbell is playing in the group behind Romo with wide receiver Antwaan Randle El.

We'll be filing updates throughout the day. Don't go anywhere. I'm serious!

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

At 6:30 a.m. ET today, Tiger Woods and Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo were set to tee off together at Congressional Country Club in the Earl Woods Memorial Pro-Am. The pairing has caused some (mild) controversy because Woods chose Romo over Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell, who just happens to be playing in the 6:40 a.m. group.

According to Dan Steinberg of the DC Sports Bog, at least one member of the prestigious Congressional CC has vowed to boo Romo.

Romo

Campbell's reportedly a decent golfer, but Romo's close to scratch (that's good) and has attempted to qualify for the U.S. Open on several occasions. Romo's also had the pleasure of teeing it up with Pro Bowl punter Mat McBriar and me at Pebble Beach, but we'll save that story for another day.

Campbell will play in a group with Redskins wide receiver Antwaan Randle El and former Masters champion Mike Weir. If Romo's taking too much time on the greens, there's always the chance that Campbell hits into him, although I wouldn't bet on it. Steinberg asked PGA Tour pro Paul Goydos what he thought about the prospect of people booing Romo.

"Do I think they should interfere with the round of golf? No," said Goydos, a Rams fan. "Do I think they should give him some [stuff] if they get the opportunity? That's part of life. He gets paid very well. I don't know that you should be hassling Tiger because he's got Romo out there. But a Cowboy coming into Redskin or Eagle or Giant territory has to expect that a little bit. For me to tell them it's inappropriate is not fair. Those people are nuts."

I'm told that ESPN.com golf writer Jason Sobel, who did a superb job at the U.S. Open, will be following the Woods-Romo pairing this morning. We'll try to update you on the round. My prediction: Woods shoots 66, Romo posts a 77. And honestly, 6:30 a.m. is way too early for booing. I'd be surprised if anyone actually wakes up early enough to heckle Romo.

Here's what Romo told The Dallas Morning News on Tuesday about the opportunity to play with Woods:

"I love talking to individuals who have success in their field," Romo said. "Obviously he's done that so it'll be a very enjoyable experience for me to figure out the way he thinks and some of the things he focuses on to improve as a player and continue to grow and get better.

"I've always felt golf for me allows me to work on the mental side, being in a competitive situation. People are kidding themselves if they don't think you can improve in football if you play other sports. You put yourself in a competitive environment where you're not sure you'll have success or fail, the more times you do that it's a benefit. The more times you trust your instincts or trust your preparation it can only help."

Tony Romo revisits the offseason, the upcoming season in Dallas and T.O. I'm told that Romo was whisked away by his handlers as our man Ed Werder attempted to continue the interview. But in the short interview, he made it obvious that he plans to take the high road in regards to the T.O. question. Romo hasn't had much to say about the wide receiver, but he was very complimentary during this interview.

His answer on the leadership question was quite vague. He seemed to be squirming during the interview. Maybe he wanted to get over and say hello to Derek Jeter. I'm not sure. 

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

At 6:30 a.m. ET Wednesday, Tiger Woods and Tony Romo will be teeing it up in the Earl Woods Memorial Pro-Am at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md. We'll talk more about it as the day unfolds, but Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell and wide receiver Antwaan Randle El will be playing with former Masters champ Mike Weir in the group behind Woods-Romo.

Should make for an interesting round. Romo's told me for years that his dream is to play with Jack Nicklaus. But for now, Woods will have to do. My prediction: Woods shoots a 66, Romo fires a 77. On Thursday, Woods will begin his pursuit of the AT&T National.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

Cowboys second-year cornerback Mike Jenkins, a former first-round pick, is apparently already feeling the heat from former fifth-round pick Orlando Scandrick. Jenkins felt the need to clarify that the starting cornerback position is his to lose. Here are a couple of excerpts from Jenkins' official Web site:

"Heading into training camp I'm the starter at right cornerback, and my job is to maintain that position," writes Jenkins. "I'm back in Florida training at IMG to get my body right, get my head right, be mentally ready heading into the season.

"It's my job to lose, but there's a guy behind me with nothing to lose. If he makes a mistake, it's not going to cause him to lose his job. If I make a mistake, the coaches are going to take a long, hard look at me in that position.

That's the nature of being a starter in the NFL. You have to keep proving you're good enough, that you deserve it. Some guys, like Terence Newman, Nnamdi Asomugha, Asante Samuel, they're solidified. But until you get to that level you have to come out and prove yourself every day."

Very interesting. What do you guys make of that statement?

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

Cowboys

• A couple of Cowboys players went out of their way to help a local fan whose memorabilia had been stolen. 

• Here's another story on the Cowboys' heavy-metal band Free Reign. 

• Tiger Woods and Tony Romo are teeing it up together Wednesday in a Pro-Am. 

Eagles

• Here's more on the LeSean McCoy signing that we discussed this morning. 

• Former Playboy playmate Kendra Wilkinson makes Eagles wide receiver Hank Baskett an honest man.

• It looks like Brian Mitchell could land on his feet -- in Eagles country. 
  

Giants

• The Giants signed third-round pick Travis Beckum on Monday. 

• David Tyree appears to be having a fun summer.

• Paul Schwartz of the Post talks about the Plaxico Burress situation.

• You can take your Giants Stadium seats home with you -- after the season. 
  

Redskins

• Dan Steinberg has more on the Brian Mitchell story. 

• Renaldo Wynn prepares for life after football.

• Tiger Woods talked about Tony Romo during his news conference at Congressional Country Club.