Reaction to Today's Hottest Issue for Every NFC East Team, Feb. 8 Edition

Should the New York Giants Give Osi Umenyiora a New Deal?

Osi has been a big part of the Giants defense at times, and has disappeared at others.

This has raised the question among Giants fans of whether he's worth bringing back on a new deal next year. In an ESPN.com poll called "Take 'em or trash 'em," Umenyiora has earned an 83 percent "take 'em" vote versus a 17 percent "trash 'em" vote.

In 23 of 69 career games (31.9 percent), Osi has been held without a single sack. This year was no different, as he was held without a sack in three of the nine games he played (33.3 percent).

The Giants have added enough talented pass rushers through the draft that they can safely cut ties with Osi.

Should the Cowboys Bring Back Laurent Robinson?

ESPN's NFC East blogger, Dan Graziano, posed the question on his blog, and it's worth asking; the Cowboys found a hidden gem in Robinson in 2011, but now that he's an unrestricted free agent, they face a tough decision.

"The Cowboys need to spend money to upgrade the line and the secondary, and they could stand to spend some on a pass rush. If [Miles] Austin and Dez Bryant can stay healthy, their concerns at wide receiver are small compared to those in other areas. So if Robinson wants more than No. 3 wide receiver money, or if he wants a long-term commitment, I'm with Bryan in that I wouldn't be surprised to see them let him go."

The Cowboys offense is built for wide receivers, and Romo has proven his ability to throw outside the numbers. Robinson became a prime red-zone target for Romo in 2011 and even took some looks away from tight end Jason Witten in that area.

An interesting note: Only two quarterbacks in NFL history have ever thrown for more yards without a single 1,000-yard receiver in NFL history—Philip Rivers (2010) and Drew Brees (2008). It's a testament not only to the system, but to Romo's ability to spread the ball around.

Graziano is right. If the Cowboys can get him for what he's worth to the team, it's a smart move. It's not worthwhile, though, to overspend on him, simply because of the needs at other positions. Overspending on him would mean underspending in other areas that are possibly of more dire need.

What to Make of Trent Cole's Comments?

In a recent interview with Philly.com, Eagles defensive end Trent Cole reflected on how the Eagles were "inches away from being great" and went as far as to proclaim that "some teams are going to be worried about playing us [in 2012.]"

Cole is one of the inspirational leaders of the Eagles locker room, so it's not so outrageous to see him give a healthy show of confidence for his team. The Eagles have a ton of talent on both sides of the ball and are certainly capable of a turnaround from that standpoint.

But if there's one thing we learn every season and forget every offseason, it's that a bunch of talented players do not make a team. The group has to come together in order to turn things around, and beyond that, teams have hardly begun the evaluation process of their rosters yet, much less filling them out, making cut downs and things of that nature.

How can anyone even be sure of who they're lining up across from, or next to, next season? 

And no matter how much Cole contributes on defense, if the offense gives up turnovers at any rate like they did in 2011, there won't be too many teams on their schedule that should be afraid of playing them.

What Does Fred Davis' Franchise Tag Mean for Trent Williams?

We explored earlier on the blog what the ramifications might be of the Redskins putting the franchise tag on tight end Fred Davis. Of course, the caveat is the four-game suspension he faces for a repeat violation of the league's substance abuse policy.

In that regard, offensive tackle Trent Williams is in the same boat.

According to Dan Graziano of ESPN's NFC East blog, there really is no issue after all—that is, if he's able to stay in line.

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But the Redskins are all-in on Williams, who was the No. 4 pick in the 2010 draft and is their franchise left tackle. So he's not going anywhere unless he screws up again and gets suspended for a full year.

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With so much invested in him, the Redskins obviously weren't going to cut ties at the first sign of trouble. 

But while putting the franchise tag on Davis is smart from a business standpoint, it sends a message to both he and Williams that they are on a short leash, and that one slip-up could be the difference between a pay day and a pink slip.

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