The 2009 NFC East: Brawling With the Heavyweights

My apologies to the fans, players, and staffs of the teams from the NFC and AFC South. Those are two really good divisions.  Unfortunately, there is one better—the NFC East.

Not only is it the most balanced division in football (in just the last two seasons each team has made the postseason at least once) it is arguably the nastiest and meanest. Some divisions have a couple of rivalries here and there—when any of these four teams meet, it's a rivalry, and it's getting ugly.

So how do the Giants stack up against their division foes?  They're two years removed from a Super Bowl win, and last year won the division.  Still, they lost their only playoff game at home to the hated Eagles, and have had quite a few changes in the offseason (namely, losing the top two receivers in Toomer and Burress, and heralded Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo to the St. Louis Rams).

Although I think each team is balanced, strong, and a playoff threat, I do not see the Cowboys or Redskins as challengers for the division crown.  The Cowboys are a circus—they took one step forward by releasing Terrell Owens (although his production will be sorely missed) and then took two steps backwards by retaining the coaching staff. You don't need me to tell you that Wade Philips has no control over his team, and supposed prodigy Jason Garrett has yet to wow us as an offensive coordinator.   

For them to win the division, they would need to go on a run where the team comes together and falls in step with the staff and vets—unfortunately, there are still too many personalities and not enough leadership for that to happen.The return of Felix Jones should help (if they actually use him enough), but I see them as a borderline wild card team.

The Redskins are like the Cowboys, talented but dysfunctional.  As an outsider, I have always thought highly of Jason Campbell—his offensive coordinators go in and out so fast the guy probably knows half the leagues playbook right now—but Dan Snyder is always looking for greener grass, and his public pursuits of Jay Cutler and then Mark Sanchez were at best sketchy, at worst disgraceful.  

The rest of the 'Skins offseason was just as up and down.  Big plus for drafting Brian Orakpo, evens on signing Haynesworth to that massive contract when he has a lazy reputation, and a what-the-hell were you thinking to giving DeAngelo Hall 54 million dollars.

I see the Redskins as I see the Cowboys, talented enough to be a contender, but not enough cohesiveness to make that run. 

There is a reason the last few years have been ruled by the likes of Pittsburgh, New England, and New York.  It starts with classy, behind the scenes ownership, a savvy front office, a no nonsense coaching staff, and a mixture of veteran leadership with young talent.  If that is what we are trending towards, it will be awhile before the Redskins or Cowboys are hoisting up that Lombardi trophy.

Then there are the Philadelphia Eagles.  They are the definition of a dynasty without a title, as they have five conference championship appearances and one Super Bowl appearance in the past eight years.  They manhandled the Giants in East Rutherford last January, and have since only gotten better, so they have a legitimate argument as the top team in the NFC East.

They have created some of the best line depth that you can possibly get, with the Andrews brothers, Jason Peters, Jon Runyan, and Winston Justice among others, although they will need it, as the NFC East boasts some imposing defensive linemen (Osi, Demarcus Ware, Hayneworth and Orakpo, Tuck, the list goes on).

What has really excited those oh-so-cheery Philly fans are the additions of two skill players in the recent draft, Jeremy Maclin of Colorado and LeSean McCoy of Pitt.  Maclin was an interesting pick, as he is a carbon copy, albeit slightly better, version of Philly standout second year player DeSean Jackson.  But going as far to say that selecting Maclin was bad or unnecessary is flat out wrong, as they now have two incredibly dangerous receivers that are a threat to score every time they touch the ball. 

McCoy, or Shady, as they call him, could be even more of a boon to the Eagles than Maclin. Now it seems they actually have another back to spell Brian Westbrook and spot start when he is injured.  Might Andy Reid actually run the ball more than 15 times a game?  If he does, watch out, because this team has the makings of a serious contender.

On the other side of the ball is the defense, and instead of poking holes in it, I want to give my best to Jim Johnson—by all accounts he seems to be a great person, and he is one of the best defensive coordinators I have seen in my 23 years on this planet.  Let's all hope he recovers and can get back to doing what he does best, namely giving the next team up (and me personally) match up and blitz nightmares all over the field.

That leaves us with the Giants.  2008 divisional champs, number one seed in the playoffs.  2007 Super Bowl champions (still feels really good to say that out loud). Four consecutive playoff appearances.  Suffice to say, the New York Giants played as well as possible the past few years, and it doesn't seem likely to slow down anytime soon (knock on wood).

I fully expect the Giants to make the postseason this year, as do most—if they don't, it will be a huge disappointment.  Some question the extreme youth and inexperience at wide receiver, but this is a team built in the trenches and in the backfield, and all of those areas are not only strong up front, but have considerable depth.

While I expect a division crown, I would not be surprised if the Eagles are able to win it. I think that the Giants will go 4-2 within the division (splitting with Philly and sweeping either Washington or Dallas, its a toss up between the two).  

This is a very strong division.  At least two teams should not only make the postseason in 2009, but make considerable waves within it (like they have done within the past few years).  I also feel that although Dallas and Washington will be average to above average (in terms of record), I don't think either will make the postseason, as Atlanta, Carolina, and New Orleans all look to field strong teams this upcoming season in the South.

All that said, this is still the heavyweight division of the NFL, and when the big boys come to play, nothing should come as a surprise.