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There are several burning questions concerning, arguably, the most competitive division in football over the past few seasons. The NFC East is known for its great rivalries and smash-mouth style of games when any of these teams square off...

2008 NFC East Preview

by gregory caldarella (Analyst)

0

422 reads

Preview/Prediction

August 06, 2008


There are several burning questions concerning, arguably, the most competitive division in football over the past few seasons. The NFC East is known for its great rivalries and smash-mouth style of games when any of these teams square off.

You have the defending Super Bowl champs in the Giants, and you wonder just how well they will respond to such a playoff run. Will Eli build off his excellent postseason performance and have a solid season? Can the Giants' defense perform at the same high level, despite some departures?

Aside from the Giants, all eyes are on Dallas again. Dallas made some interesting pick-ups this offseason by acquiring the troubled Pacman Jones and injury-prone veteran MLB, Zach Thomas.

Dallas fans are growing impatient with the team's lack of postseason success, and Wade Phillips can feel the heat from the front office as well.

The Eagles had a poor season, by their standards and are really hungry to return to grace in the City of Brotherly Love. Can a healthy McNabb orchestrate another playoff-bound season or is his time in Philly coming to a close?

The Redskins have officially moved on from the Joe Gibbs era and look forward to getting started with a clean slate. Can new HC Jim Zorn revive an offense that has been lackluster the last couple of years? Will Jason Taylor bring a spark to an aging defense?

Here's how they will finish when all is said and done.

 

1) Dallas Cowboys

Dallas looked like the team to beat in the NFC for the majority of the 2007 season. They didn't even get a chance to get the ball rolling in the playoffs, as the Giants came into town and pulled off the upset.

Jerry Jones was livid that they were bounced by their division rival, as they had handled the Giants both times during the regular season. He promised changes would come.

He controversially brought in Adam "Pacman" Jones in an attempt to give a boost to a secondary that was exposed at times. We all know Jerry Jones doesn't really care about the person he signs, just about the player.

Tony Romo really took big strides under the wing of OC Jason Garrett, and he looks to build off his sensational year. T.O. is still not slowing down, despite getting up there in age, and Jason Witten is one of the best TEs in the league.

Marion Barber is the primary back finally, and he will be joined by first-round pick, Felix Jones.

The defense was inconsistent last year, but overall they are above average. DeMarcus Ware keeps improving every year, and Greg Ellis won't stop sacking QBs. Roy Williams is becoming a liability in the pass game, and some even speculated he would be moved to LB or possibly even a cap casualty.

Big D will have another solid regular season, but what remains to be seen is if they can get it done in the postseason. There is a lot of pressure on this team to make some postseason noise, and Wade Phillips' job is most certainly on the line with Jason Garrett waiting in the wings.

I see them finishing above the division, but they will not live up to expectations again in the playoffs; Romo hasn't proved he can get a big W when it counts.

 

2) New York Giants

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