The Gauntlet that is the NFC East

Already the toughest division to play in the NFL and possibly one of the hardest divisions when it comes to any sport, the NFC East has just reloaded and became even tougher for foes. The only thing that somewhat helps other teams that play against NFC East teams is that the teams in the division beat themselves up against each other when they play. Let’s take a look at the three teams that the Cowboys will have to take on to try and take the NFC East title back.

The Washington Redskins biggest acquisition this offseason was the signing of the $100 Million dollar man, Albert Haynesworth. This signing alone is a big determent to the Cowboys if Albert keeps up his 2008 season performance. Still the question lies, will he be able to, since his two most productive years, 07 and 08, were both contract years. The Cowboys could become very dependent on their run game if the receivers don’t come through and since Haynesworth takes up a lot of space in the middle and most likely will command double teams, thus freeing up other defenders to attack the runner and the quarterback. Joining Haynesworth on the defensive line is rookie DE Brian Orakpo who, along with Andre Carter, will benefit from offenses’ focusing on Haynesworth, forming a formidable defensive front. DeAngelo Hall signed a new lucrative contract after a solid 2008 season and will help maintain a secondary for the Redskins, who gave up just shy of 200 yards per game through the air. On offense, the Redskins will look pretty much the same, with all key players coming back to their respective positions. Jason Campbell needs to take the next step in his progression in order to take the pressure off the defense and run game.

The New York Giants have followed the Cowboys lead and dumped their troubled wide receiver Plaxico Burress and will try and replace him with rookies Hakeem Nicks and Ramses Barde. This is a lot to ask of these rookies, as the Giants were middle of the pack when it came to passing offense last year and were all but dependent on their rushing attack when Plexico went down. They will still rely on a solid run game lead by Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw to control the game and limit mistakes made by Eli Manning. The Giants return a very good offensive line, which will help try and keep the Giants on top of the NFL in rushing. On defense the Giants signed former Cowboy Chris Canty in the offseason and Rocky Bernard to team up with Justin Tuck and Osi Umeyiora, who is returning from a knee injury that kept him out of the 2008 season. Combined with Fred Robbins and Barry Cofield who were plugging up the middle of the line last year, the Giants once again boast one of the best defensive lines in the league and just like the Redskins, the Cowboys are going to have to establish a passing game to keep these guys off of Barber and Jones. Another big spot that the Giants filled was at LB with the additions of Michael Boley and Clint Sintim.

The Philadelphia Eagles are the team that could have the Cowboys number both times they play them. The Eagles have added even more speed to their offense and speed is what beat the Cowboys secondary last year. Brian Westbrook now seems to have a capable backup in LeSean McCoy, who he can allow to come in and help keep himself fresh and injury free. The Eagles drafted Jermey Maclin to complement DeSean Jackson and create mismatches for most teams with their speed. Now on the offensive line, the Eagles lost Jon Runyan and Tra Thomas but added All-Pro Jason Peters and Shawn Andrews. Donovan McNabb now has probably the best weapons he has had since he came to Philly. This offense will need to put up points because the defense, as of now, doesn’t seem to cut it with regards to the high powered offenses within the division. All three areas, d-line, lb’s, and the secondary all have weaknesses and can be exploited. So many of the Eagles games could be shootouts, and with their speed on offense and ability to make the homerun play, this makes them dangerous against the Cowboys somewhat suspect secondary.

As you can see, having to play these three teams twice a year will prove to be very difficult and makes the non divisional games even more important for the Cowboys. Winning their non divisional games will set them up nicely for another postseason appearance.