Big Moves All Around For Redskins, Cowboys

The NFC East is all shook up this week as the Redskins and Cowboys both made big moves today to shore up their foundations for the long haul.

The Redskins picked up Shaun Alexander to replace the injured Ladell Betts while placing safety and special teams standout Reed Doughty on injured reserve. The Skins then proceeded to pick up former Seattle safety Mike Green to replace Doughty.

In addition, punter Durant Brooks was cut after sustaining a leg injury. Brooks, a rookie out of Georigia Tech, was ranked dead last in average and net average. If he clears waivers, then he will be placed on the Skins injured reserve list.

Meanwhile the Cowboys acquired WR Roy Williams and a 2009 seventh round draft pick from the Lions at the trade deadline, giving up first, third, and sixth round draft picks in 2009.

Also Pac-Man Jones learned today that he will be suspended for four games further depleting the Cowboys secondary, already reeling from the loss of Terrence Newman. This news comes right after Dallas learned it will be losing Tony Romo for the next month with a broken finger.

The Redskins signing of Alexander puzzles me because they have Rock Cartwright who can play very well at running back. Alexander looked completely washed up last year and I wonder if this move was simply because Zorn is familiar with Alexander.

Betts should be back by season's end and I expect to see little of Alexander anyway because Clinton Portis is leading the NFL in rushing. So the move to me was rather unneccesary, but we'll see once Alexander takes the field.

Doughty is a great special teamer and brought experience into the secondary, but he is replaceable. Green played sparingly in Seattle and Kareem Moore will probably be the one who plays more in Doughty's absence.

Brooks' season mercifully came to a premature end. His replacement is Ryan Plackemeier who played for Buffalo earlier this season.

Plackemeier has a career 42.3 yard average and a 35.5 net yard average. He will also serve as a holder, but what is really expected is a strong leg that will give the Redskins a chance to win the field position battle that they couldn't win with Brooks.

Dallas is in trouble without Jones and Newman. This leaves them with the struggling Anthony Henry and rookie Mike Jenkins at the starting cornerback positions. Their pickup of Williams was huge, but its really the defense that needs help. The secondary is very suspect and this will leave the front seven more vulnerable to attack.

Williams gives the Cowboys a devastating one-two punch along with TO. It should open up the middle more for Jason Witten and will give Brad Johnson an extra target to throw to.

Johnson possesses eroding skills at best so the signing was especially key at this point in the season. Once Romo comes back, the offense has the potential to wreak some serious havoc.

This extra weapon will also free up Marion Barber earlier in games, allowing the Cowboys time to establish a two dimensional offense which they have struggled to do the past few weeks.

The big question for them is will it be too late once Romo returns. If they can't win with Johnson, things might be out of hand before #9 returns.

The Cowboys are also dealing with injuries to Felix Jones (2 weeks, hamstring), safety Roy Williams (day-to-day, Broken arm), Matt McBriar (IR), and Anthony Spencer (1 week, hamstring).

In other NFC East news, Eli Manning will most likely play this week against the Niners despite suffering a bruised chest in last night's loss to the Browns. The Giants loss keeps the Redskins right in the running in the East, but they can't lose the next two games because after those showdowns with the Browns and Lions, comes the Steelers and Cowboys.

The Skins can't afford another letdown like last week s look for them to get aggressive through the air and try to put the next two games away early. Good teams win week in and week out no matter who they play. If the Skins want to be good, they can't stoop down to the Browns' level.

Today caps a crazy week in the East in which all four teams are still in a tight race. Who's gonna slip up first?