Cullen Jenkins emerging as a leader on defense

Here are some observations and ruminations about Sunday night's Eagles-Giants game:

 EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - As questions have swirled about the Eagles' leadership, many eyes have turned to Cullen Jenkins. The defensive tackle is new to the team, having just signed this summer, but he is an eight-year veteran, a Super Bowl champion with the Packers last year, and a thoughtful pro. He seems to be embracing the role.

When the Eagles rallied at midfield before the game, it was Jenkins in the middle of the huddle doing the talking. And once the game started, he had a half sack early and a crushing hit on running back D.J. Ware - 10 yards downfield.

Hustle, fight, leadership, all in one player. It's something the Eagles defense has lacked all year. Perhaps Jenkins can provide it from here on out.

If Vince Young's first throw - a swing pass to LeSean McCoy - was a club short, his bomb to DeSean Jackson later in the first quarter was the 5-wood when he needed to uncork the driver.

Jackson had at least two steps on Prince Amukamara, but Young's throw floated up in the air, and the rookie cornerback caught up to the receiver and pulled in his first career interception.

To be fair to Young, it looked as if he heaved the ball as far as he could, and Jackson did very little to come back to try and make sure Amukamara didn't have a free shot at a jump ball.

Still, would Michael Vick have completed that throw? Or considering his lack of pass attempts downfield, does he even throw it?

Who says the Eagles have no fight in them? After Jamar Chaney's first-quarter interception, defensive tackle Trevor Laws and linebacker Brian Rolle made a point of taking out Eli Manning, inciting the Giants and sparking a scrum that was rough enough to make Kurt Coleman lose his helmet.

Laws was called for unnecessary roughness, but it was offset by a Giants penalty. On the Giants' next drive, the two sides scuffled several times again. Now if only the Eagles had that kind of fire in the fourth quarter.

With two minutes left in the second quarter, Manning had a 0.0 passer rating. To put into perspective how bad that was, Young's rating at the time was 15.2. And Young had thrown three interceptions. Credit had to go to the Eagles defense, which put forth its best effort for one half this entire season.

Manning never looked comfortable in the pocket. He was sacked twice in the first 30 minutes and completed just 2 of 9 passes for 27 yards. He also tossed an interception right into Chaney's hands. Manning's passer rating going into the game was 97.0.