SLB Brian Orakpo is tied for 10th in the NFL with 7 sacks, which leads all rookies. He’s had to make the transition from college DE to pro SLB and he’s done pretty well, though he does look a bit awkward in pass coverage. To me, Orakpo’s natural position is DE and I think he’d have 10 sacks this season if he’d played every down with his hand on the ground. Orakpo is so quick and explosive that I think any use of him that  doesn’t involve him playing forward, attacking the offense, is a mistake. Read it.

Speaking of Orakpo, although he grew up in Texas, he’s from the Houston area and doesn’t like Dallas or the Cowboys any more than the rest of us do. Orakpo grew up as an Oilers fan, though that team no longer exists. Read it.

TB Clinton Portis has been ruled out of the game on Sunday due to lingering effects from the concussion he suffered in Atlanta. DT Albert Haynesworth will be a weekend decision, but my semi-educated guess is that he will play. OL Mike Williams will not play. Read it.

Whether it is Sherman Lewis calling the plays or superior execution on the field or some combination thereof, the Redskins red zone offense has improved in recent weeks.

In the past three games, the Redskins have scored six touchdowns on eight trips inside the 20-yard line. They’ve also kicked one field goal and fumbled on a fourth-down snap.

In the first six games, Washington scored six touchdowns, and six field goals, on 15 red zone possessions. During that stretch, they ran the ball 16 times — nine to the left — and managed just one rushing touchdown (aside from a fake field goal). They’ve run 14 times in the past three games — eight to the left — and have rushed for two touchdowns. They’ve also thrown four touchdown passes.

“We’re mixing it up good,” quarterback Jason Campbell said.

Against Denver, they ran out of shotgun formation on first down, spreading the field with three receivers and forcing the Broncos to use less defenders in the middle. They also ran a fake reverse to Santana Moss from the 2-yard line. The middle linebacker flowed with Moss. That left the middle open for Yoder, who started in and then slid out. Denver was forced to cover three receivers on the right side with only two defenders.

DC Pro Sports Report has more on the impact of Sherman Lewis so read it now.

FB Mike Sellers takes some veiled shots at Portis, who asked coaches to bench Sellers for poor blocking during a win against Tampa Bay, in noting that the Redskins have run pretty well with Ladell Betts and Rock Cartwright carrying the ball. Only trouble is, a lot of those yards were gained without a fullback on the field. My view is that Sellers has had a down year, but so has Portis and the problems Portis has had cannot be blamed on Sellers. Read it.

Cowboys WR Miles Austin is getting a lot of attention lately. He had two monster receiving games earlier this season, but the fact is, his production has declined every week for about 3 weeks now and he did nothing against the Green Bay Packers last week. Is Austin really a big shot now or is he just a flash in the pan? We’ll find out more this Sunday, but if he’s going to start catching long TD passes again, the Redskins secondary is a pretty promising place to start. Read it.

Jerry Jones wants TB Felix Jones to get more carries. That means Felix Jones will get more carries. Read it.

The Cowboys will be without starting free safety Ken Hamlin, lost for the game to injury. In Hamlin’s place, Alan Ball makes his first NFL start. Read it.

Read more about this Cowboys team here.