ESPN Mosley: How I See It: NFC East Stock Watch...Dallas rising
Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley
Falling
Zorn
1. Jim Zorn, Redskins head coach: It almost goes without saying, but who else are you going to put in front of him? The Z-man has been stripped of everything except his job title -- and this has become an embarrassing situation. Just reading between the lines, it looks like owner Dan Snyder was hoping the play-calling decision would cause Zorn to resign. Well, that's not what he did. Now, you have 67-year-old Sherman Lewis calling plays into Zorn's headset, and then the head coach will relay them to quarterback Jason Campbell. I'm sure this will work really well.
2. The entire Giants secondary: I started to single out safety C.C. Brown, but that's not fair to the other non-performing members of the secondary. Cornerback Terrell Thomas has had a nice season, but he was really bad Sunday. And Corey Webster's pass interference penalty in the first half, though questionable, was pretty much the final straw in allowing the Saints to take complete control of the game. Just an awful day for what was one of the top-rated pass defenses in the game.
Reid
3. Andy Reid, Eagles head coach: Hey, he put it on himself so we'll do the same thing. How do you go into the Black Hole and put on that type of putrid performance. It's like Reid was so shocked that his plays weren't working that he refused to deviate from the game plan. He just kept launching the ball downfield -- despite Donovan McNabb playing behind left tackle King Dunlap. Reid's decision to abandon -- or never try -- the running game helped lead to Sunday's defeat. Is it a wakeup call or a sign of things to come? I'll let you be the judge.
Rising
Hixon
1. Domenik Hixon, Giants return man: It was an awful day for most of the Giants, but Hixon was brilliant on kickoff returns. He kept the Giants within shouting distance in the first half by constantly giving them good field position. Now he just needs to learn how to fake out a 6-4, 215-pound punter/kickoff specialist. But on a really bad day, Hixon was one of the few bright spots.
2. The Dallas Cowboys: I'm serious. Has any team had a better bye week than this team? They sat on their couches and watched as the other three NFC East teams lost. Now, they're tied with the Eagles at 3-2 and not far behind the 5-1 Giants. It was a great day to not be playing football. No one coaches the bye week like Wade Phillips.
Jackson
3. DeSean Jackson, Eagles WR: Some weeks it's hard to find any risers -- and this was one of those weeks. But Jackson bounced back from his 1-yard performance the previous week to nearly have 100 yards receiving. He's the team's most dangerous offensive weapon at this point -- and he's getting a lot of attention. On Sunday, he found a way to get open. Of course, when you wing it 46 times, someone has to get some opportunities. I think Jackson and Celek need to be the team's top two options.
Falling
Zorn
1. Jim Zorn, Redskins head coach: It almost goes without saying, but who else are you going to put in front of him? The Z-man has been stripped of everything except his job title -- and this has become an embarrassing situation. Just reading between the lines, it looks like owner Dan Snyder was hoping the play-calling decision would cause Zorn to resign. Well, that's not what he did. Now, you have 67-year-old Sherman Lewis calling plays into Zorn's headset, and then the head coach will relay them to quarterback Jason Campbell. I'm sure this will work really well.
2. The entire Giants secondary: I started to single out safety C.C. Brown, but that's not fair to the other non-performing members of the secondary. Cornerback Terrell Thomas has had a nice season, but he was really bad Sunday. And Corey Webster's pass interference penalty in the first half, though questionable, was pretty much the final straw in allowing the Saints to take complete control of the game. Just an awful day for what was one of the top-rated pass defenses in the game.
Reid
3. Andy Reid, Eagles head coach: Hey, he put it on himself so we'll do the same thing. How do you go into the Black Hole and put on that type of putrid performance. It's like Reid was so shocked that his plays weren't working that he refused to deviate from the game plan. He just kept launching the ball downfield -- despite Donovan McNabb playing behind left tackle King Dunlap. Reid's decision to abandon -- or never try -- the running game helped lead to Sunday's defeat. Is it a wakeup call or a sign of things to come? I'll let you be the judge.
Rising
Hixon
1. Domenik Hixon, Giants return man: It was an awful day for most of the Giants, but Hixon was brilliant on kickoff returns. He kept the Giants within shouting distance in the first half by constantly giving them good field position. Now he just needs to learn how to fake out a 6-4, 215-pound punter/kickoff specialist. But on a really bad day, Hixon was one of the few bright spots.
2. The Dallas Cowboys: I'm serious. Has any team had a better bye week than this team? They sat on their couches and watched as the other three NFC East teams lost. Now, they're tied with the Eagles at 3-2 and not far behind the 5-1 Giants. It was a great day to not be playing football. No one coaches the bye week like Wade Phillips.
Jackson
3. DeSean Jackson, Eagles WR: Some weeks it's hard to find any risers -- and this was one of those weeks. But Jackson bounced back from his 1-yard performance the previous week to nearly have 100 yards receiving. He's the team's most dangerous offensive weapon at this point -- and he's getting a lot of attention. On Sunday, he found a way to get open. Of course, when you wing it 46 times, someone has to get some opportunities. I think Jackson and Celek need to be the team's top two options.
posted by The Gryphon at 6:49 PM
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