Preview: Who Will Rule The NFC Beast?

The NFC East is the best division in football. Period. Over the past two years, the NFC East is tied with the AFC South with the most playoff teams, has more playoff victories than any other division, and has won a Super Bowl. The division is so loaded that I’m actually starting a petition to rename it the NFC Beast.

**Philadelphia Eagles**

Philadelphia is Dallas’s biggest rival, especially as of late. The teams seem to split the season series every year, and since both teams are usually fighting for a playoff spot, emotions run high during each heated contest. With Donovan McNabb at quarterback and Brian Westbrook at running back, will always be capable of putting up 30 plus points any week.

The addition of Jeremy Maclin in the draft gives McNabb another explosive playmaker to throw the ball to opposite of DeSean Jackson. What will get this offense in trouble will be head coach Andy Reid’s over-reliance on the passing game. Balance is the key to having a strong offensive attack. By having an unbalance attack, offenses get too predictable and become easy to stop.

Philadelphia’s defense has been stellar in recent years, but this year may be different for two reasons. The first reason is because they lost veteran defensive backs Lito Shepherd and Brian Dawkins. Both always seem to elevate their play against the Cowboys. The only proven veteran left in the secondary is Asante Samuel. He can’t carry the entire backfield by himself.

The second reason the Eagle’s defense may not be as strong as it has been in years past is because coordinator Jim Johnson is battling cancer and is unable to call plays. Jim Johnson is notoriously aggressive, especially in long yardage situations. Whoever fills in for him will need to continue to call plays with the aggressive style that made Johnson famous. I don’t know if Sean McDermott has that killer instinct that is characteristic of the Eagles.

The Eagles seem to have tendency to start the year poorly, but really end the year on a high note. They won their last three games in 2007 and four of their last five last year; this includes a win against the Cowboys in each of those two years. The back half of their schedule is difficult, so don’t look for the trend to continue. This year, the Eagles won’t be good enough to win the division, but they should contend for one of the two Wild Card spots.

**New York Giants**

The NFC’s best team, in terms of record last year, the Giants are always a tough division opponent. They are just two years removed from a Super Bowl victory and their personnel hasn’t changed much since that epic playoff run.

The Giants can run the ball. Period. Brandon Jacobs is a bruiser and Ahmad Bradshaw is a speedster capable of scoring on every touch. The combination of the two makes it nearly impossible for opposing defenses to come up with a game plan to stop them.

Eli Manning is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, but with the loss of tight end, Jeremy Shockey, last year, as well as wide receiver, Plaxico Burress, he doesn’t have many options to throw to. Hakeem Nicks was a great college wide receiver, but it is rare for a college receiver to come into the NFL and make an immediate impact. It will likely take a couple of years before he can be a reliable NFL receiver.

If the Giants know how to do one thing on defense, it’s get after the quarterback. Defensive end, Justin Tuck, made his first Pro Bowl last year. Osi Umenyiora was a Pro Bowler two years ago, but missed all of last season because of a knee injury. Now that he’s back, the pass rush will be up there with the Dallas pass rush among the best in the league.

The weakness of this defense is in the secondary, but it’s somewhat masked by the defense’s tenacious pass rush. The addition of former Cowboy, Chris Canty, at defensive tackle, gives Giants a player who is both effective against the run as well as the pass.

If the Giants can stay healthy, they are good enough to win the division. They will play a similar style of football to the Cowboys on both offense and defense. The teams are nearly mirror images of each other, which is why they are the two best teams in the division. This team is capable of winning 11 or even 12 games this year.

**Washington Redskins**

The Washington Redskins are the weak link in the NFC East. That doesn’t make them a bad team by any means, though. They are still a very dangerous team capable of beating any of the other three teams on any given Sunday.

This team will go as far as Jason Campbell takes it. He improved in each of his first three seasons, but he has gotten a reputation for playing poorly in big games, as well as late in the season. He’s got good receivers to throw to, and the Redskins have Pro Bowl talent at running back and tight end.

Head coach, Jim Zorn, and the front office may be losing confidence in Campbell. Rumors swirled about him possibly being traded in the offseason.

The key question will be how Jason Campbell will respond to all the issues surrounding him late last year and through the offseason. If he responds well, the offense will be great. If not, the unit will struggle.

The Washington defense is one of the league’s best. The unit gave up only 18.5 points per game last year, which ranked fifth in the NFL. This defense wasn’t great in any one particular aspect, but they were solid in many statistical categories.

The addition of defensive linemen, Albert Haynesworth and Brian Orakpo instantly solidifies the defensive line. Shawn Springs is one of the best cover cornerbacks in the NFL. He excels in one-on-one press coverage. But, when the Redskins let him go, it left a void in the defensive backfield. They still have Carlos Rogers and DeAngelo Hall, who are both solid NFL corner backs, but Springs was the unquestioned leader of the secondary.

The Redskins have a tendency to start strong and sort of fizzle out as the season goes on. Their schedule doesn’t look easy this year, so it may be a difficult stretch for them to make the playoffs.

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The NFC East is capable of getting two and possibly three teams into the playoffs for the second time in three years. On paper, the Giants, Cowboys and Eagles could all win the division. The Redskins could even push these three for the top spot. It’s really a crapshoot. In this game of chance though, my money, is on the Cowboys.