NFL Divisonal Preview: NFC East
The NFC East is what I like to call the “ESPN division.” The mothership has hyped this division for years due to its huge markets: New York, Washington D.C., Dallas, and Philadelphia. All the hype hasn’t translated into Super Bowl wins though. The NFC East has been represented in the Super Bowl three times in the last 10 years, but has only had one winner with the Giants in 2008. Much of this can be blamed that the division has beat itself up over the years. All the teams have made some big moves but will any of them translate to a Super Bowl championship?
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Philadelphia Eagles – The Eagles now begin the post-Donovan McNabb and post-Brian Westbrook era in Philly. The Eagles finished with an 11-5 record last year which was good for a wildcard spot in the playoffs where they lost to division rival Dallas Cowboys. I don’t see the Eagles finishing with a great record this year, but they should be competitive. They have just lost the two faces of the franchise in McNabb and Westbrook (Dawkins the season before). A lot of pressure will be put on Kevin Kolb, and not having Westbrook in his backfield will make it even tougher. Many Eagles fans feel that Kolb will be able to pick up the reins without a problem and will fit into Marty Mornhinweg’s West Coast offense. I think Kolb will have a hard time when the road gets rough at some point in the season playing for a rowdy Philadelphia crowd. The fans had quite a love-hate relationship with McNabb in his 10-year tenure and were always quick to criticize on every bad play. I’m interested to see how Kolb deals with that kind of pressure. RB LeSean McCoy has a great deal of pressure as well. Some fans are wishing for a breakout sophomore season similar to that of Ray Rice. I like Philadelphia’s receiving core led by stud DeSean Jackson. Other receivers like Jason Avant, Hank Baskett, and Jeremy Maclin can make the transition for Kolb much easier. TE Brent Celek had a breakout year last year and has developed well for the Eagles and can be a huge weapon this upcoming season. The Eagles will also rely on their stellar defense this year highlighted by Asante Samuel, Ellis Hobbs, Quintin Demps amongst others. They are a top 3 defense and will be relied on highly this year. The Eagles have a challenging schedule, ranked 9th by ESPN in strength of schedule, but I believe the they will raise a lot of eyebrows this year and can make another wild card appearance.
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New York Giants – The New York Football Giants had a disappointing season last year to say the least, with an 8-8 finish which was good for 3rd in the NFC East. They started hot with a 5-0 record but finished the season with a 3-8 record. The biggest move for the Giants this offseason was releasing captain Antonio Pierce. Even without Pierce, the Giants defense is still strong. The key will be health; they have been hurt by big time injuries to Osi Umenyiora and Mathias Kiwanuka in the last couple of years. The Giants didn’t make any major pickups and will roll with their roster to see if they are able to have a better result than last season. Expectations are always high in New York, and especially after their 2008 Super Bowl win. With the Cowboys and Redskins getting better, and the Eagles still remaining very competitive, I feel that it will be extremely hard for the Giants to make it back to the playoffs. Eli Manning will need to have a big season and the Giants really need Manninghanm, Moss, or Smith to become an elite receiver. The running game is mediocre with Jacobs and Bradshaw. Brandon Jacobs who was known as a goal line beast with 15 TDs in 2008, only finished with 5 in 2009 and dropped about 200 yards off his season total. Some of that was picked up by Bradshaw last season, but it’s important for Jacobs to have a big year and not be hampered by injuries if they G-men want to have a good season. I feel that Tom Coughlin is on the hot seat this year in a pressure cooker like New York. If the Giants finish with another .500 record and don’t finish in the top two of the division, Coughlin will be given the boot. The Giants have a lot to prove this season if they want to be considered a threat in the NFL once again.
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Washington Redskins – The Redskins have a lot to look forward to this season. They are coming off an ugly 4-12 season last year and have had an extreme makeover with a new head coach, new general manager, new starting quarterback, and a new system on both sides of the ball. Redskins fans have the right to be excited, but setting high expectations may not be the right thing to do. Mike Shanahan is known as a disciplinarian coach (Albert Haynesworth comes to mind) and is looking to change the landscape out in D.C. Donovan McNabb comes from a talented group of recievers in Philadelphia to a rough situation with fewer options in D.C. Santana Moss is the leader of the receiving crew, but had a tough season last year not being able to cross the 1000 yard mark and only finishing with 3 receiving TDs. Moss will have a better season this year with McNabb throwing to him, I’m anxious to see if it gets anywhere close to his 2005 career numbers. McNabb has the ability to make mediocre receivers into good players. There is an opportunity that veteran Joey Galloway can resurrect his career, but he has a lot of mileage. Age also can be seen in the rushing game. The Redskins have a 3-man backfield with Willie Parker, Larry Johnson, and Clinton Portis. All are on the decline of their careers, and I wouldn’t expect much production from them. McNabb has the ability to improve Malcolm Kelly, Bobby Wade, and Devin Thomas, but I don’t think it will happen in one season. The defense is weak but it is headlined by Albert Haynesworth. He signed his record $100 million contract last year and has a lot of pressure to perform well. His conflict with Mike Shanahan and not showing up to OTAs has been well documented. He struggled to complete Shanahan’s conditioning test, and currently has a sore knee. Shanahan will have to mend his relationship with Haynesworth if he expects him to play hard for him this season. The Redskins have a tough schedule, and I see some big struggles for this team. Even with all the saber-rattling this offseason, the Skins are going to have a tough time to come out of the NFC East hole.
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Dallas Cowboys – The Cowboys have high expectations this season…again. Last year the Cowboys finished with an 11-5 record to win the NFC East, and won their first playoff game since 1996. They could not keep it rolling though and were destroyed by the Vikings in an embarrassing 34-3 loss in second round. The boys have a Super Bowl or bust attitude this season, especially with the Super Bowl site being at the new Cowboys billion dollar stadium. Larger-than-life owner Jerry Jones has been building up for a few years now and this year is set up to reach the summit. Romo had an excellent season with career numbers in yardage, and was one of the best QBs in the league last year. I think he can get his touchdown numbers close to his career high 36 in 2007 this season. Romo has a big time target in Miles Austin who had a 1000+ yard season and 11 TDs in only 9 starts last season. I look for Austin to bump both numbers up and be one of the elite receivers in the league. Romo also has one of the best tight ends in the league in Jason Witten who also had a 1000+ yard season. Dallas has an excellent backfield with Marion Barber, Felix Jones, and Tashard Choice who averaged 131 yards/game which ranked 7th in the league. I also like rookie Dez Bryant who has high potential and can really be a great receiver for Romo. His dispute with Roy Williams over the traditional rookie hazing of carrying pads showed me that Bryant was not here to mess around or be pushed around. I like his attitude and commitment to winning, and it’s a good sign for the Cowboys. The Cowboys also come into the season with one of the best defenses in the league and only three teams allowed fewer rushing yards last year. The Cowboys are easily the favorites to win the NFC East again this season, but the goal is much higher. The weakness for the Cowboys has been the playoffs, but I think this is the year that it finally changes. Last season was the year that had people yelling “Who Dat?!” This year might very well be the year ending with people saying “How ‘bout them Cowboys?”
Predicted Standings
1. Dallas Cowboys (12-4)
2. Philadelphia Eagles (9-7)
3. Washington Redskins (7-9)
4. New York Giants (6-10)
This is just an opinion…so please Pardon My Bias
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