NFC East 2009 Pre-Season Preview: Still the Best in Football?

Prior to the start of the 2008 season, almost all of the hype centered around what was considered to be the best division in all of football: the NFC East. There was talk that the Cowboys were so stacked with talent, they were the easy Super Bowl favorites.

Dallas stumbled to a 9-7 finish in the regular season, and were unceremoniously stomped from playoff contention in the season's final game, a 44-6 drubbing at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Then there was the defending champions, the New York Giants. A team that was expected to struggle tremendously along the defensive line with the loss of retired defensive end, Michael Strahan, and the season-ending knee injury to Osi Umenyiora.

The G-Men flew out of the gates, soaring to an 11-1 start.

Enter Plaxico Burress. In the days leading up to the Giants 23-7 victory over the Washington Redskins, Burress accidentally shot himself in the thigh at a New York night club.

Without their biggest weapon, the Giants stumbled to a 1-3 record in December and were bounced from the playoffs by the Eagles at home in the divisional round.

Speaking of the Eagles, a team that Sports Illustrated columnist Paul Zimmerman had picked to with the division with a 12-4 record and lose the Super Bowl...again, to the Patriots, stumbled their way to a 9-6-1 record.

Thanks to a frantic and miraculous week 17, the Eagles squeaked into the playoffs, and wreaked havoc among the NFC. They upset the Vikings and Giants on the road, but saw their magical ride come to an abrupt halt in the NFC Championship game...again.

And then we have the Redskins. Oh, the Redskins. The team that almost routinely makes the most moves to try and buy the Super Bowl, again played below expectations and again missed the playoffs.

Quarterback Jason Campbell, under the tutelage of rookie coach Jim Zorn, led the Skins' to a 6-2 start, but struggled late in the year and finished out the season 2-6.

Okay, so you have four teams, all considered to be high quality, three stumble their way through the season and one gets off to a hot start, but chokes in the playoffs. Does that sound like the league's best division?

In 2009, this is again going to be considered one of the league's top divisions. But the question remains, can they live up to the hype?

We begin with the division champs, the Giants.

New York Giants: 2008 finish (12-4)

On offense, the Giants will remain a threat, regardless of the loss of Plaxico Burress. Like the Eagles of 2008, they may not have that stud at receiver, but they do have a good amount of complimentary receivers who can still hurt you.

Steve Smith and Domenik Hixon will be counted on to lead the receivers this year. But two players with upside are draft picks: Hakeem Nicks and Ramses Barden.

Nicks has been compared to Anquan Boldin with his toughness and great hands. Barden is an enormous target who presents a huge red-zone threat to go along with tight end Kevin Boss.

Eli Manning will again have the benefit of being protected by the league's best offensive line, as well as the cushion of Brandon Jacobs and Amhad Bradshaw on the ground as one of the league's most potent rushing attacks.

On defense, the Giants will be considerably better along the front seven with the additions of outside linebacker Michale Boley, tackle Rocky Bernard, and defensive end Chris Canty.

With Osi Umenyiora returning from injury, Big Blue presents a fierce pass rush that will combine with a dominant rush defense, and offenses should have fun trying to score on this defense in 2009.

Arguably the only weak point of the 2008 Giants defense was the linebackers. Antonio Pierce was the only starter who was consistently productive. But with the addition of Boley and the selection of Clint Sintim in the second round, there is some solidity there.

The secondary could feel the effects of losing strong safety James Butler to free agency, but there are affable replacements waiting in the wings.

2008 first-round draft pick Kenny Phillips will see an expanded role as the starter at free safety and has a lot of upside.

Terrell Thomas is a versatile player who can make the transition from cornerback to safety, and he could very well be the leader in the clubhouse to make the move to strong safety.

The cornerbacks, on the other hand have a considerable amount of talent and should again be among the league's best.

Cory Webster, who has finally lived up to expectations and 2007 first rounder Aaron Ross form one of the NFL's top tandems at corner.

Kevin Dockery has the ability to step in and start as well, he is a very good nickel back and a solid special teams player.

The Giants' special teams were among the leagues best in 2008. But this year, Jeff Feagles will be in his 23rd season, his production will be brought into question because of his age.

Lawrance Tynes will re-assume the kicking duties after an injury-plagued 2008 cost him his job to since retired John Carney.

Tynes, as you may remember, kicked the Giants to the Super Bowl with his game winning 47-yard field goal in the NFC Championship in 2007.

Kick returning may be an issue for the Giants. Amhad Bradshaw and Domenik Hixon both had their good returns, but each struggled with consistency.

Philadelphia Eagles: 2008 finish (9-6-1)

In 2009, the Eagles will again boast the NFL's biggest offensive line, thanks to the additions of right tackle Stacy Andrews and left tackle Jason Peters.

Those two additions should bolster an offensive line that lost bookend tackles Jon Runyan and Tra Thomas to free agency.

With Brian Westbrook sidelined at least until pre-season, LeSean McCoy and Lorenzo Booker will need to pick up the slack in the running game.

McCoy, the Eagles second choice in the draft this year, is looked upon as the team's back of the future and is expected to relieve some of the load that has been heaped upon Westbrook's shoulders.

The Eagles passing game should again rank near the top of the league in 2009. McNabb got the weapons he was asking for when the Eagles drafted Jeremy Maclin in the first round this year.

With sophomore sensation DeSean Jackson continuing to improve along with Kevin Curtis finally getting that clean bill of health, this attack will be a match up nightmare.

The red zone offense will again be under heavy scrutiny this year. The front office added a weapon down there with the fifth round selection of tight end Cornelius Ingram. Ingram, along with budding star Brent Celek, should vastly improve a red zone offense that has been atrocious over the past two seasons.

Defensively, the Eagles should again be ranked among the best. Sure, the loss of Brian Dawkins will be felt emotionally, but not physically.

The Eagles may have sufficed for Dawk's departure with the signing of Sean Jones, who has flown under the radar as one of the league's top safeties for a couple of years now.

The Eagles secondary is loaded with talent, headed by Asante Samuel and Quintin Mikell. Sheldon Brown, whose off-season has been clouded by a contract controversy, is still one of the league's premiere cover corners.

But the addition of Ellis Hobbs via trade at the draft may signal the end of Brown as a starter. Behind Brown and or Hobbs, there is Joselio Hanson, who got a huge deal in the off-season, speaking in terms of dime backs, with a five-year, $21 million deal...a deal that may have pushed Brown over the edge.

More is expected of Samuel in 2009 as he has another year of experience in Jim Johnson's defense. And Quintin Mikell, is expected to take the reins as the leader in the secondary following his great year in 2008.

The Eagles front seven rivals that of the Giants. They have a solid corps of linebackers with Bradley, Jordan and Gocong, as well as one of the deepest defensive lines in the NFL.

Mike Patterson and Brodrick Bunkley, both former first-round draft picks, are what I believe to be the most underrated tandem at defensive tackle in the NFL.

The only question mark on defense would be at left defensive end. Victor Abiamiri has the ability to step in as the full-time starter this year following an injury-plagued 2008. Juqua Parker and Bryan Smith are also candidates to compete for the starter's job.

The Eagles special teams, which was mediocre to above average in '08 will need more consistency in the coming season.

Every week it was something else. From Sav Rocca's struggles punting, to DeSean Jackson's backward returns, there was a different oddity all year.

The bright spots were David Akers finally hitting from 40-plus on his field goals and Quintin Demps consistently giving the Eagles good field position on kickoffs.

Dallas Cowboys: 2008 finish (9-7)

That brings us to the NFC East's traveling circus, a.k.a. the Dallas Cowboys.

Terrell Owens is gone, banished to the snow-covered landscape that is Buffalo. So now there is no excuse for Tony Romo to under-perform in December again.

He has the weapons around him. Roy Williams, Jason Witten, Patrick Crayton, and Miles Austin provide more than enough talent in the passing game.

Williams will be under a microscope after his abysmal performance following being traded to Dallas in Week 6. Witten is easily the best tight end in the game from any standpoint, and Crayton and Austin are playmakers with big upside.

The ground game should be heavily relied on in Dallas in 2009. They have a trio of backs who can do just about everything.

Marion Barber is the hammer that will absolutely wear down a defense. Felix Jones is a versatile back who can score from anywhere on the field with his explosiveness.

Then there's the slasher, Tashard Choice. Choice, a very toolsy back who does everything, and does it well.

He runs hard, catches the ball well, and is an above-average blocker. I see him as a smaller version of Derrick Ward, just waiting for a big deal in free agency one day.

The Cowboys offensive line is a big question mark. They either were impenetrable, or resembled the Detroit Lions.

They committed penalties like there's no tomorrow and they need a wake-up call. They are a very talented bunch; they just need some continuity and consistency.

On defense, 2009 will be a year to regain respect for Dallas.

The Dallas defense was embarrassed for the final two weeks of 2008, surrendering 47 points. They tackled poorly and committed dumb penalties. They were just plain awful.

Along their defensive line, Jay Ratliff is the only standout. Marcus Spears has yet to play up to his first round pick potential, and Chris Canty the other end, is playing in New York.

Free agent signee Igor Olshansky is expected to pick up the slack at right end in 2009.

Where Dallas really excels is with their linebackers. When Demarcus Ware and Bradie James are playing at a high level, there are few offensive lines who can stop Dallas.

Though Greg Ellis and Zach Thomas have left, Jerry Jones brought in former Falcon Keith Brooking to fill in.

The departure of Greg Ellis will give former first-round draft pick Anthony Spencer the chance to show Wade Phillips that Dallas made the right choice drafting up to get him in 2007.

Potential-wise, Dallas could have one of the best units in football. Stop laughing and stay with me here. Terrance Newman, when healthy is one of the top cornerbacks in all of football, but he is rarely ever healthy.

Then there's the 2008 first round pick Mike Jenkins, who made some very good plays in 2008 as well some very confusing plays, such as not giving an all-out effort.

At the nickel-back spot, there is Orlando Scandrick, who has tremendous speed and instincts. He has the potential to really shine as a nickel back and could push for a starting spot in a year or two.

That brings us to the safeties. Wade Phillips needs to have a sit-down conversation with Ken Hamlin. When I watched Dallas play, I watched Ken Hamlin run his mouth more than anything else on defense.

This guy can really play, but he needs to keep his head in the game and forget about all the crap and stop shooting his mouth off.

At strong safety, Gerald Sensabaugh should really provide an upgrade over the former starter Roy Williams.

Sensabaugh shined in 2008 whem Jacksonville gave him the chance to play. Sensabaugh's play making ability gives the Dallas secondary a little more bite and could discourage some teams from throwing.

Dallas' special teams lost two of its key components within two weeks in 2008 with both Matt McBriar and Felix Jones suffering season-ending injuries.

While Nick Folk was great kicking field goals, he had trouble with his accuracy on kickoffs, having two or three go out of bounds.

The return units really struggled for the 'Boys in 2008 with Pacman Jones bringing the ball up. Jones did not make the big plays he once made in Tennessee, and also struggled hanging onto the ball. We'll see how things pan out in 2009.

Washington Redskins: 2008 finish (8-8)

For the Redskins offense, it all begins with Jason Campbell. They offense goes as he goes. For the first half of 2008 Campbell was terrific, and he had the Skins' at 6-2 and the surprise team of the season.

But due to poor decision making and an offensive line that could not stay healthy, it all fell apart as the Washington finished 8-8 and out of the playoffs.

But Washington is poised to make another run if their offense can stay healthy and Campbell can grow as a player and play a full year with some consistency.

His weapons are not the best, but they get the job done. Santana Moss and Antwan Randle El are sufficient receivers to go along with Chris Cooley in the passing game.

Plus, there's the three second round draft picks from 2008 who are expected to grow and produce this year. Receivers Devin Thomas, Malcolm Kelly, and tight end Fred Davis are all expected to have their roles expanded.

The offensive line was stellar for the first half of the season but fell apart with injuries and poor play late in the year. If they can stay healthy and not make the mental errors they made late in the season, things will be a lot easier on Campbell.

Clinton Portis' production took a big dip when he came to Washington, but he is still one of the league's top workhorses. Portis was the one constant on the Skins' offense in '08, and will again be heavily leaned on to carry this Redskin team.

If the offense is unable to get the job done, Washington should be able to count on their defense to keep them in games.

By adding Albert Haynesworth and Brian Orakpo in the off-season, defensive coordinator Greg Blache has been given two pass rushers who could put the Redskins defense over the top.

If there is one weakness on the Skins' defense, it would be the linebackers. And you can't really consider them a weakness.

Outside of London Fletcher, there is the unproven rookie, Brian Orakpo. He may be a solid pass rusher, but there are questions about how he will adjust to playing linebacker, opposed to playing defensive end in college.

The Redskins defensive line would not be considered a strength without the addition of Haynesworth. When he is on the field, Albert commands a double team at all times, having him at tackle opens up the possibilities for Blache to implement an array of exotic blitzes.

The strength of the Washington defense is easily the secondary. LaRon Landry, Deangelo Hall, Chris Horton and Carlos Rogers make up a secondary that was dominant in the second half of the year when the offense hit a wall.

With Horton developing into a stud at strong safety, and Landry prowling around at free safety, the Redskins may have the one of the league's top combos at safety.

Hall and Rogers came up big late in the season, and their play nearly kept the Eagles from making the playoffs. Hall had a resurrection after being unceremoniously cut by the Raiders, and Rogers was consistent all season, although he went pretty much unnoticed.

With the talent these four teams boast, there is no doubt that this is the toughest division in all of football right now and I'll go out on the limb and GUARANTEE that the NFC East produces THREE playoff teams.

PREDICTIONS:

1) New York Giants: 12-4

The Giants are stacked all over the place. Their ground attack should make up for their lack of experienced firepower at receiver.

Plus, that defense should be absolutely nasty with all of the additions and the return of Osi Umenyiora. If Hakeem Nicks can make an impact early, the offense could be even more dangerous.

2) Philadelphia Eagles: 11-5

The Eagles are almost an exact clone of the Giants, with a couple of exceptions: 1. they don't have the ground attack that can take over a game. 2. They have better receivers.

If Brian Westbrook can play anywhere near the level he played at in 2007, that win total could jump one or two.

3) Washington Redskins: 10-6

I may be taking a risk here, but there is something that intrigues me about this Redskins team.

They added some very key parts on defense to add more to the pass rush and the offense should rebound after the collapse in the second half of 2008.

They could easily make a run at the division title in my eyes.

4) Dallas Cowboys: 10-6

It was tough putting the Cowboys in the cellar, given the amount of talent and potential they have. But I just don't think they made the improvements that they needed to unlike the other three teams in the division.

But there is a possibility that they could actually be a better team without a certain player whose name we will not mention, cough, cough (T.O.).