NFC East 2009 Pre-Season Preview: Still the Best in Football?

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He has the weapons around him. Roy Williams, Jason Witten, Patrick Crayton, and Miles Austin provide more than enough talent in the passing game.

Williams will be under a microscope after his abysmal performance following being traded to Dallas in Week 6. Witten is easily the best tight end in the game from any standpoint, and Crayton and Austin are playmakers with big upside.

The ground game should be heavily relied on in Dallas in 2009. They have a trio of backs who can do just about everything.

Marion Barber is the hammer that will absolutely wear down a defense. Felix Jones is a versatile back who can score from anywhere on the field with his explosiveness.

Then there's the slasher, Tashard Choice. Choice, a very toolsy back who does everything, and does it well.

He runs hard, catches the ball well, and is an above-average blocker. I see him as a smaller version of Derrick Ward, just waiting for a big deal in free agency one day.

The Cowboys offensive line is a big question mark. They either were impenetrable, or resembled the Detroit Lions.

They committed penalties like there's no tomorrow and they need a wake-up call. They are a very talented bunch; they just need some continuity and consistency.

On defense, 2009 will be a year to regain respect for Dallas.

The Dallas defense was embarrassed for the final two weeks of 2008, surrendering 47 points. They tackled poorly and committed dumb penalties. They were just plain awful.

Along their defensive line, Jay Ratliff is the only standout. Marcus Spears has yet to play up to his first round pick potential, and Chris Canty the other end, is playing in New York.

Free agent signee Igor Olshansky is expected to pick up the slack at right end in 2009.

Where Dallas really excels is with their linebackers. When Demarcus Ware and Bradie James are playing at a high level, there are few offensive lines who can stop Dallas.

Though Greg Ellis and Zach Thomas have left, Jerry Jones brought in former Falcon Keith Brooking to fill in.

The departure of Greg Ellis will give former first-round draft pick Anthony Spencer the chance to show Wade Phillips that Dallas made the right choice drafting up to get him in 2007.

Potential-wise, Dallas could have one of the best units in football. Stop laughing and stay with me here. Terrance Newman, when healthy is one of the top cornerbacks in all of football, but he is rarely ever healthy.

Then there's the 2008 first round pick Mike Jenkins, who made some very good plays in 2008 as well some very confusing plays, such as not giving an all-out effort.

At the nickel-back spot, there is Orlando Scandrick, who has tremendous speed and instincts. He has the potential to really shine as a nickel back and could push for a starting spot in a year or two.

That brings us to the safeties. Wade Phillips needs to have a sit-down conversation with Ken Hamlin. When I watched Dallas play, I watched Ken Hamlin run his mouth more than anything else on defense.

This guy can really play, but he needs to keep his head in the game and forget about all the crap and stop shooting his mouth off.

At strong safety, Gerald Sensabaugh should really provide an upgrade over the former starter Roy Williams.

Sensabaugh shined in 2008 whem Jacksonville gave him the chance to play. Sensabaugh's play making ability gives the Dallas secondary a little more bite and could discourage some teams from throwing.

Dallas' special teams lost two of its key components within two weeks in 2008 with both Matt McBriar and Felix Jones suffering season-ending injuries.

While Nick Folk was great kicking field goals, he had trouble with his accuracy on kickoffs, having two or three go out of bounds.

The return units really struggled for the 'Boys in 2008 with Pacman Jones bringing the ball up. Jones did not make the big plays he once made in Tennessee, and also struggled hanging onto the ball. We'll see how things pan out in 2009.

Washington Redskins: 2008 finish (8-8)

For the Redskins offense, it all begins with Jason Campbell. They offense goes as he goes. For the first half of 2008 Campbell was terrific, and he had the Skins' at 6-2 and the surprise team of the season.

But due to poor decision making and an offensive line that could not stay healthy, it all fell apart as the Washington finished 8-8 and out of the playoffs.

But Washington is poised to make another run if their offense can stay healthy and Campbell can grow as a player and play a full year with some consistency.

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