Laron Landry

The NFC East now might have a Westbrook brother on either side of the ball. The Washington Redskins yesterday signed Byron Westbrook, the brother of Eagles running back Brian Westbrook. Byron, an undrafted defensive back from Division III Salisbury, attracted the coaches' attention during a recent rookie camp. Westbrook, 5-10 and 194 pounds, had 18 career interceptions at Salisbury, was a three-time all-conference selection and also returned punts and kickoffs. "He's a bigger cornerback," Brian told the Daily News before the draft.

UPCOMING: Eagles: San Francisco, at Buffalo, at Washington. The natives are getting restless, so the Eagles need to right the ship - and quickly. Dallas: Washington (tonight), Detroit, Bye. Oddly big game tonight for the Cowboys this early, especially with an improved Detroit team before the bye and at New England after it. Giants: at Arizona, Seattle, Buffalo. Big Blue detours into the NFC West before getting a bye week. Given their injuries and struggles in Week 1, they have be pretty happy with 2-1. Washington: at Dallas (tonight)

Here are a dozen things to ponder, leading up to Sunday's Eagles-Redskins game: The Eagles have scored touchdowns on seven of their eight chances inside the red zone and lead the league in red-zone scoring, averaging 6.5 points per trip. Jeremy Maclin has three of those red-zone touchdowns. The Redskins are last in the league in total defense at 423.7 yards allowed per game and 31st in passing defense (325.7). Donovan McNabb isn't the only ex-Eagle coming back to Philadelphia.

The NFL said it will look into Eagles center Mike McGlynn's contention that Redskins safety LaRon Landry twice spit in his face during the Birds' 59-28 victory Monday night at FedEx Field, as it looks into all such allegations. Eagles wideout Jason Avant called Landry "a dirty player" after the game, and at least one of Avant's teammates endorsed that view yesterday, saying he had no respect for Landry because of his trash-talking and cheap-shotting. Landry, who denied the allegations after the game, took to Twitter to plead his case yesterday.

"Spitgate" is likely to live on for several more days. The NFL office said Tuesday that it will look into allegations made by the Eagles that Redskins safety LaRon Landry spit at center Mike McGlynn and that he, along with a few other Washington players, made disparaging remarks directed at Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson before the game. A league spokesman said that if any fines were to be issued, they would be handed out by Friday. McGlynn told reporters after the Eagles' Monday night 59-28 whipping of the Redskins that Landry spit at him during the game.

LANDOVER, Md. - A few weeks ago, Rex Grossman was predicting. Yesterday, he was deflecting. Grossman said before the season started that he would lead the Redskins to the NFC East title, and, after a 3-1 start, he seemed prescient. Yesterday, he seemed premature. Grossman matched his career high with four interceptions. He did it in three quarters. He was benched in the fourth quarter, replaced by training-camp favorite John Beck. Grossman does not know when he will throw another pass in a game.

LANDOVER, Md. - The Eagles trailed the Washington Redskins by 12-7 at the half yesterday. To that point, Donovan McNabb had missed a couple of open receivers and not made a noteworthy or memorable throw. That is not picking on him, but rather pointing out the reality. Warming up for the second half, McNabb said his arm just didn't feel right. He didn't know if it was because he had been slaughtered near the end of the second quarter by Redskins safety LaRon Landry on a blitz, or what.

Where the heck is Janky Spanky? Coach Spanky was one of several colorful characters who shared Clinton Portis' brain two years ago, when Portis rushed for more than 1,500 yards with the Washington Redskins. Every week, Portis would regale the locals with another persona - Sheriff Gonna Getcha, Southeast Jerome and Dolemite Jenkins - each with his own personality. Today, Spanky is nowhere to be found. There's just a sober, clean-cut Portis, well-removed from that Pro Bowl season.

Physically, the two rookies who have had a significant impact on the Eagles this season are in different places. Receiver DeSean Jackson said his body is killing him. "Shoulder hurts, groin hurts, hamstring hurts. My body is feeling it," he said yesterday. Jackson, of course, wants to get to the playoffs, a long-shot proposition that requires a win over Dallas tomorrow and losses by Tampa Bay, a heavy favorite over Oakland, and a loss by either Minnesota or Chicago. But if the Eagles' season does end tomorrow, Jackson's disappointment will be mitigated by the opportunity to heal.

As thousands of fans, many wearing optic-green beanies and breathing bitingly chilly air, applauded him raucously, Matt Hasselbeck thrust his right hand into the Seattle night and pumped his fist as he jogged off Qwest Field. After a regular season that had neither impressed nor revealed his Seahawks to be anything more than the best team in the NFL's worst division, Hasselbeck had delivered a signature win against a red-hot team. In an emotional game filled with rapid momentum swings and 36 fourth-quarter points, Seattle beat Washington, 35-14, last night, ending the Redskins' improbable run in the aftermath of safety Sean Taylor's slaying.

LANDOVER, Md. - A few weeks ago, Rex Grossman was predicting. Yesterday, he was deflecting. Grossman said before the season started that he would lead the Redskins to the NFC East title, and, after a 3-1 start, he seemed prescient. Yesterday, he seemed premature. Grossman matched his career high with four interceptions. He did it in three quarters. He was benched in the fourth quarter, replaced by training-camp favorite John Beck. Grossman does not know when he will throw another pass in a game.

LANDOVER, Md. - This day, and this week, the Eagles wore turmoil well. That this began with the quarterback is fairly obvious, and not only because everything in the NFL begins with the quarterback. The fates of Andy Reid and Michael Vick are married now; it is one of the oft-discussed themes of the Eagles' 2011 season. With the heat on the head coach after the Eagles' 1-4 start, with the heat on him in a way that Vick has never experienced, watching and listening to Vick in the last few days has been instructive.

UPCOMING: Eagles: San Francisco, at Buffalo, at Washington. The natives are getting restless, so the Eagles need to right the ship - and quickly. Dallas: Washington (tonight), Detroit, Bye. Oddly big game tonight for the Cowboys this early, especially with an improved Detroit team before the bye and at New England after it. Giants: at Arizona, Seattle, Buffalo. Big Blue detours into the NFC West before getting a bye week. Given their injuries and struggles in Week 1, they have be pretty happy with 2-1. Washington: at Dallas (tonight)

The NFL said it will look into Eagles center Mike McGlynn's contention that Redskins safety LaRon Landry twice spit in his face during the Birds' 59-28 victory Monday night at FedEx Field, as it looks into all such allegations. Eagles wideout Jason Avant called Landry "a dirty player" after the game, and at least one of Avant's teammates endorsed that view yesterday, saying he had no respect for Landry because of his trash-talking and cheap-shotting. Landry, who denied the allegations after the game, took to Twitter to plead his case yesterday.

"Spitgate" is likely to live on for several more days. The NFL office said Tuesday that it will look into allegations made by the Eagles that Redskins safety LaRon Landry spit at center Mike McGlynn and that he, along with a few other Washington players, made disparaging remarks directed at Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson before the game. A league spokesman said that if any fines were to be issued, they would be handed out by Friday. McGlynn told reporters after the Eagles' Monday night 59-28 whipping of the Redskins that Landry spit at him during the game.

LANDOVER, Md. - This was a Mike Tyson-in-his-prime kind of knockout. After jawing by both teams raised the intensity before the game, the Eagles opened the real action with a head-snapping, message-sending uppercut. It took 18 seconds. Led by a dominant Michael Vick, the Eagles then poured it on the Redskins in a record-setting offensive display, using the bright lights of Monday Night Football to serve notice that they are a dangerous team that must be counted among the NFC's elite as the season's second half begins.

LANDOVER, Md. - Motivation comes in many forms for a professional football player. According to Eagles center Mike McGlynn, after his team's 59-28 dismantling of the Washington Redskins, the main motivation wore two burgundy-colored uniforms last night: No. 30 and No. 5. No. 30 is safety LaRon Landry. McGlynn said it was Landry's attempt to intimidate Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson that prompted a pregame skirmish between the teams. He also says that Landry spit in his face during the game, twice.

Here are a dozen things to ponder, leading up to Sunday's Eagles-Redskins game: The Eagles have scored touchdowns on seven of their eight chances inside the red zone and lead the league in red-zone scoring, averaging 6.5 points per trip. Jeremy Maclin has three of those red-zone touchdowns. The Redskins are last in the league in total defense at 423.7 yards allowed per game and 31st in passing defense (325.7). Donovan McNabb isn't the only ex-Eagle coming back to Philadelphia.

THE LITTLE GUY has an ego. He's smart enough not to go the Ochocinco, T.O. route, turning himself into a distracting sideshow. But DeSean Jackson wants to be a marquee, magazine-cover player, works hard toward that goal, and has made impressive inroads since arriving as a second-round pick from Cal before last season. So far, there have been two humbling, horrific setbacks. The first one, Jackson reckons he'll be answering questions about long after he retires - Game 2 last season in Dallas, when No. 10 accidentally jettisoned the ball just before crossing the goal line for what would have been his first NFL touchdown.

Physically, the two rookies who have had a significant impact on the Eagles this season are in different places. Receiver DeSean Jackson said his body is killing him. "Shoulder hurts, groin hurts, hamstring hurts. My body is feeling it," he said yesterday. Jackson, of course, wants to get to the playoffs, a long-shot proposition that requires a win over Dallas tomorrow and losses by Tampa Bay, a heavy favorite over Oakland, and a loss by either Minnesota or Chicago. But if the Eagles' season does end tomorrow, Jackson's disappointment will be mitigated by the opportunity to heal.