4TH AND GOAL: NFC Preview: The Beasts of the East!

The NFL season kicks off in a little under three weeks and in these next three weeks, 4th and GoaL will be taking a look at both the NFC and AFC, answering questions, making predictions, and giving a general overview of each division within the conference. Today we will be focusing on the NFC East.

NFC EAST OVERVIEW

The NFC East is arguably the toughest division in the league with the Super Bowl champion, New York Giants, the talented Dallas Cowboys, the resurgant Philadelphia Eagles, and the upcoming Washington Redskins. At least three of these teams will be playing in late January and there is a good  possibility that one of these teams will end up in Tampa Bay in February.

Dallas Cowboys: The Dallas Cowboys finished last season 13-3 and were the top seed in the NFC, however they fell off towards the end of the year losing three of their last four games (most of them against division opponents) and getting beat at home by the Giants in the playoffs. The Cowboys are perhaps the most talented team in the division, but the success of the team lies on the shoulders of Tony Romo. The Cowboys offense should remain explosive and the addition of first round pick, Felix Jones, should give Romo more weapons. There are certainly questions at the wide receiver position, with the waving of Terry Glenn and the injuries to Miles Austin, the Cowboys may have to eventually sign a veteran wide receiver. The defense should be more improved with the signing of former first round pick and Tennessee Titan Adam "Pacman" Jones. The addition of Jones along with the drafting of Mike Jenkins provide the Cowboys with depth at corner that they had lacked in previous seasons. One big question that the Cowboys defense face is if Roy Williams can be the safety that they need him to be. In probably his worse year as a Cowboys, the pressure has been put on Williams to perform. If he can not perform well, the Cowboys will not hesitate to trade him away. The pieces are in place for the Cowboys to make a run in the playoffs and end up in Tampa Bay.

Prediction: First in the NFC East

Philadelphia Eagles: The Philadelphia Eagles ended last season on a positive note winning 3 of their last 4 games, including a win against the division champion, Cowboys. The Eagles have a chance to pick up where they left off at the end of last year, however the success of this team will lie on the arm of their quarterback, Donovan McNabb. McNabb's inablity to stay healthy over the last few years has limited the success of this team. Injuries to key players have plagued this team since losing in the Super Bowl to the New England Patriots. The Philadelphia Eagles should have a potent offense this year with Brian Westbrook in the backfield. The off season acquisition of Lorenzo Booker, from the Miami Dolphins, should provide Westbrook with some relief and give him the ability to continue to make big plays for the Eagles. One limitation that the Eagles have is the lack of a true number one receiver and with the recent pre-season injury of Kevin Curtis, the Eagles may find themselves without their top reciever. If the Eagles start 1-4 look for last years draft pick, Kevin Kolb, to take over the reigns at quarterback. Despite some of the problems that they have on offense, the Philadelphia Eagles should be able to overcome these problems and put up some great numbers. One staple of the Philadelphia Eagles over the last 8 years has been their defense and this year will be no exception. The off season acquisition of Asante Samuel should provide the Eagles with a corner to help cover the big time receivers in the division (Owens and Burress). The Eagles secondary is the best in the division, if not the league and should have their share of interceptions. Although the linebackers are young, they are extremely talented and they all got valuable playing time last year. Look for the Eagles to finish strong this year in the division and make the playoffs

Prediction: 3rd in division; wild card

New York Giants: The Super Bowl champions look to pick up where they left off after the Cinderella story that was the NFL playoffs. The New York Giants were very successful on the road last year, having won all their playoff games away from NJ. This success was due in part to the maturation of Eli Manning over the course of the year. When the Giant's struggled at the beginning of the year, Eli was able to keep the ship afloat and lead the team to important victories against the Redskins and the Cowboys. The real question is can Eli continue this maturation and not regress to where he was a few years ago. The play of the offense was impressive in the Super Bowl as the Giants got big plays from players with not so big names. Tight end Kevin Boss and Wide Receiver David Tyree both played big parts in the Super Bowl and the playoff run. Througout the offseason the Giants have garnered no respect from both the media and the teams within the division, with claims that the Patriots loss, not the Giants won. This team should continue to be successful in the 2008-2009 season. The offense should remain competitive and put up points against its opponents even with the trade of Jeremy Shockey to the New Orleans Saints. Behind Manning's arms and Jacob's legs, the offense should put points on the board. Although the offense was impressive in last years Super Bowl run, the defense was equally impressive. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnolla showed that he has the potential to be a decent head coach. Even with the retirement of Micheal Strahan and the loss of Gabril Wilson to free agency, this defense will be dangerous. Osi Umenyiora should provide the Giants with both leadership and the ability to get to the quarterback. The Giants have the potential to go deep into January, but will probably fall short of Tampa Bay.

Prediction: 2nd in division; 1st wild card team

Redskins: The Washington Redskins come into the 2008 season with a new coach and a new style. After Joe Gibbs decided to retire after the season last year, there was speculation that they would hire former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. After a series of interviews with potential candidates they hired Jim Zorn as the new head coach. Jim Zorn brings knowledge of the game and crafty play calling to the Washington Redskins. Under Zorn, the Redskins should become more competitive and more explosive then they had under Gibbs. Jason Campbell started to emerge as a franchise quarterback last year and became a leader after the death of teammate, Sean Taylor. There is a new style of offense in Washington this year because Zorn likes to run the West Coast offense. There is a potential that this could inhibit the development of Campbell due to the fact that he is on his 3rd offensive coordinator in as many years. When Clinton Portis is healthy and active he takes tons of pressure off of Campbell forcing defenses to account for his running ability. This new offense is not going to put up big numbers in the beginning of the year, but should get better as the year goes on. This offense is still a playmaker or two away from making them real contenders in the division. After injuries began to plague the defensive line of the Redskin during training camp, they made a trade for former Miami Dolphin Jason Taylor. Jason Taylor brings veteran experience to a team that only had 33.5 sacks all of last year. The Redskin defense should keep them in some game but they may struggle against some of their division opponents. The Redskins are a few players short of making the playoffs but should continue to improve throughout the year.

Prediction: 4th in the Division

Stay tuned for the next addition of FOURTH AND GOAL where we will take a look at the Best of the West: NFC West