(Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
His weapons are not the best, but they get the job done. Santana Moss and Antwan Randle El are sufficient receivers to go along with Chris Cooley in the passing game.
Plus, there's the three second round draft picks from 2008 who are expected to grow and produce this year. Receivers Devin Thomas, Malcolm Kelly, and tight end Fred Davis are all expected to have their roles expanded.
The offensive line was stellar for the first half of the season but fell apart with injuries and poor play late in the year. If they can stay healthy and not make the mental errors they made late in the season, things will be a lot easier on Campbell.
Clinton Portis' production took a big dip when he came to Washington, but he is still one of the league's top workhorses. Portis was the one constant on the Skins' offense in '08, and will again be heavily leaned on to carry this Redskin team.
If the offense is unable to get the job done, Washington should be able to count on their defense to keep them in games.
By adding Albert Haynesworth and Brian Orakpo in the off-season, defensive coordinator Greg Blache has been given two pass rushers who could put the Redskins defense over the top.
If there is one weakness on the Skins' defense, it would be the linebackers. And you can't really consider them a weakness.
Outside of London Fletcher, there is the unproven rookie, Brian Orakpo. He may be a solid pass rusher, but there are questions about how he will adjust to playing linebacker, opposed to playing defensive end in college.
The Redskins defensive line would not be considered a strength without the addition of Haynesworth. When he is on the field, Albert commands a double team at all times, having him at tackle opens up the possibilities for Blache to implement an array of exotic blitzes.
The strength of the Washington defense is easily the secondary. LaRon Landry, Deangelo Hall, Chris Horton and Carlos Rogers make up a secondary that was dominant in the second half of the year when the offense hit a wall.
With Horton developing into a stud at strong safety, and Landry prowling around at free safety, the Redskins may have the one of the league's top combos at safety.
Hall and Rogers came up big late in the season, and their play nearly kept the Eagles from making the playoffs. Hall had a resurrection after being unceremoniously cut by the Raiders, and Rogers was consistent all season, although he went pretty much unnoticed.
With the talent these four teams boast, there is no doubt that this is the toughest division in all of football right now and I'll go out on the limb and GUARANTEE that the NFC East produces THREE playoff teams.
PREDICTIONS:
1) New York Giants: 12-4
The Giants are stacked all over the place. Their ground attack should make up for their lack of experienced firepower at receiver.
Plus, that defense should be absolutely nasty with all of the additions and the return of Osi Umenyiora. If Hakeem Nicks can make an impact early, the offense could be even more dangerous.
2) Philadelphia Eagles: 11-5
The Eagles are almost an exact clone of the Giants, with a couple of exceptions: 1. they don't have the ground attack that can take over a game. 2. They have better receivers.
If Brian Westbrook can play anywhere near the level he played at in 2007, that win total could jump one or two.
3) Washington Redskins: 10-6
I may be taking a risk here, but there is something that intrigues me about this Redskins team.
They added some very key parts on defense to add more to the pass rush and the offense should rebound after the collapse in the second half of 2008.
They could easily make a run at the division title in my eyes.
4) Dallas Cowboys: 10-6
It was tough putting the Cowboys in the cellar, given the amount of talent and potential they have. But I just don't think they made the improvements that they needed to unlike the other three teams in the division.
But there is a possibility that they could actually be a better team without a certain player whose name we will not mention, cough, cough (T.O.).





We're going to send you the most entertaining Philadelphia Eagles articles, videos, and podcasts from around the web.










22 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete