Last year proved just how tough the NFC East is, as three of the four teams (Dallas, NY, and Washington) made the playoffs, and the NY Giants surprised the world by beating the Patriots in the title game, 17-14.
This year should be another great year of NFC East football, as each team upgraded to make this year very competitive.
Dallas Cowboys
First we'll start with the defending NFC East champions—the Dallas Cowboys. Tony Romo is back as the starting quarterback. He had a very good season last year, throwing 36 scores to only 19 picks and 4,211 yards.
He started the season off with a fast start but again faded in the last three weeks, which raises a few concerns, as he did same thing in 2006. The Cowboys went 1-2 in final three weeks, and Romo threw one score with five interceptions, most of which came in a Week 15 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
He is another year wiser and another year better, and he is having a good preseason so far.
At running back, the Cowboys let Jones go to Seattle, which makes Barber the new starting running back. He was a force last year as a short-yardage back, picking up 975 yards and 10 scores while splitting time.
He averaged 4.8 yards a carry, which is amazing, and it should go up even more this year since he is now the starter. He played a great game in the playoffs against New York, picking up 129 yards and a score.
Dallas also drafted Felix Jones, a speedy back to complement Barber. He has shown flashes in the preseason of being a very good back. This should be a very good one-two combo for Dallas.
The receiver position is a bit of a question mark for Dallas, as they let Terry Glenn go. Now, the main receiver on the Cowboys' roster is Owens. Owens caught 81 balls last year while tying a career high 15 scores. With Glenn gone, he might get double covered again.
The next receiver for Romo is Patrick Crayton, who only caught 50 balls last year for seven scores. He will have to try to take some of the coverage away from Owens. The third-receiver spot is a toss-up right now. Miles Austin caught only five balls last year, but he has had a very good preseason, catching seven with one score.
The tight-ends position is a lock, with the very reliable Jason Witten holding the fort. He caught 96 balls with seven scores in 2007. He is always a very solid player.
On defense, the story of the year was the addition of Adam "Pacman" Jones. He has not played football since 2006, but so far in camp and preseason, he has looked very good, with eight tackles.
Zach Thomas came over from Miami to restart his career in Dallas in hope of a Super Bowl title. He has eight tackles in the preseason so far and has looked faster then he did in Miami.
Rounding out the defense is Ware and Williams. Both look to improve on 2007 seasons. The Cowboys should finish the season 11-5 and get into the playoffs.
New York Giants
No one expected the New York Giants to beat the 18-0 Patriots in the Super Bowl, but they did. To get to the Super Bowl, the Giants won 11-straight away games, including the NFC Championship thriller against the Packers.
Eli Manning, the Super Bowl MVP, comes back after a great postseason in which he threw six scores and only one pick. He has had a solid preseason, as he has run and thrown downfield.
Returning as the team's running backs are Jacobs, Bradshaw, and Ware. Bradshaw came to life in the playoffs, showing he has the speed and power to be a very nice complement to Jacobs.
Ware has had a very nice preseason, picking up 132 yards and averaging 6.6 yards a carry. He could become the No. 3 back. The receivers all come back from 2007, and the only real shake up is the release of Shockey. This promotes Boss to the full-time starter after a great season last year.
On defense, the Giants have a few issues. Osi Umenyiora was lost for the season with a knee injury, which makes a defensive line that was shallow even more so. Everyone knows that Strahan retired after the Championship, so that makes the defensive-end position a question mark.
The Giants want to move linebacker Kiwanuka back to his defensive end position, which he played in college. The other end spot vacated by Osi is up for grabs. The Giants lost several pieces of their secondary in the offseason, but the addition of Madison teamed with Webster will make them a solid unit.
While it is unlikely that the Giants will win the East, they should get back to the playoffs with a 9-7 record.
Philadelphia Eagles
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