As many of you know, the RoomofZen holds the NFC East in high esteem. Where else can you find the same level of ass-kickery, history, rivalries, and championships in the NFL? Absolutely nowhere. Don't even try to argue with me here. The AFC North comes close, but keep in mind half these teams have never won a Super Bowl nor have the Ravens been in the league that long. And don't give me any crap about the AFC East. The majority of teams in that division have been mediocre for years. The NFC East is probably the best division because it features so many interesting plot-lines that have not been, nor will be in the near-future, replicated throughout the NFL. Witness:
1. The best and oldest-running divisional rivalries in football (Skins-Cowboys; Philly-Dallas; Giants-Dallas)
2. Divisional teams capable of making and traveling far in the playoffs (can you name another division with this type of potential across the board? doubtful)
3. Teams with combustible and drama-filled rosters which could explode without notice (Owens on Dallas; Jones on Dallas; Philly fans and McNabb; Burress on the Giants; Synder on the Skins; all this makes for interesting drama throughout the regular season)
4. Two of the league's most dynamic and competitive owners (Jones and Synder), combined with two of the league's most conservative and traditional owners (Lurie and Mara), duking it out for NFC East pride. Jones and Synder, love them or hate them, are easily the most competitive owners in the league. Jones would sell his soul for another Super Bowl; so would Danny if Jones did it first.
Long story short: a lot of shit goes down in the NFC East. These teams hate each other and fight to the death. As such, both Nick and I will profile this division for our readers. We owe it to you so let's get started with predictions and team breakdowns.
Overview / Predictions
Predictions are always tough because they're usually wrong and oftentimes make you look stupid. But I'll try anyway since I think history and roster changes make this division somewhat predictable.
The Cowboys will win the Division, followed by the Giants, Redskins, and Eagles. The Cowboys will either get the one or two seeds in the NFC, while the Giants and Skins will most likely pick up Wild Card berths in a nail-biting end to the regular season. I'm not saying the Eagles can't finish higher than the Redskins. If Westbrook stays healthy and McNabb produces, the Eagles have a shot. Make no doubt about it.
The G-Men
The Giants are the reigning World Champs. But we know what happens to reigning world champs outside the Patriots: they usually suck the year after. People forget how close the Giants came to losing the NFC Championship Game to the Packers, a team which was not very good in my opinion. The Redskins almost beat them for god-sakes. I give the Giants all the credit in the world, but for them to repeat would require a near-miracle. People also forget that the Giants almost imploded under Couglin last year, and it's a double miracle that the team pulled itself together for the playoffs.
Players / Plot-lines to watch:
Burress and his new contract. Plaxico was a big reason why the Giants played so well last year. His receiving skills, filling in for the injured Jeremy Shockey, made Eli look like his brother. Burress also gave the Giants a unique offensive threat which was hard to cover. As such, Plaxico wants to restructure his long-term contract, yet the Giants are not budging. They will not pay their best player despite his performance last year. If Plaxico doesn't get his new contract, will he have the same motivation to play well this year? How will this affect his relationship with the team and ownership?
Team Unity and their coach. Coach Coughlin had a sinking ship last year with the Giants. Miracously he pulled the team together and led them to a Super Bowl. But you have to assume there is some underlying disfunctionality within the Giants organization if you followed what happened last year. Players were criticizing the coach and the Giants ownership almost fired the entire coaching staff. Will those same types of issues resurface this year if the Giants lose a few games? I know Nick will disagree here, but there is always doubt in my mind. What led to the Giants organization having those problems in the first place?
Can they replace Shockey with Boss or their secondary receivers? Like him or not, Shockey was a huge offensive threat for the Giants. I know they won without him, but his skills are still a huge hole to fill. Let's say the injury-prone Plaxico goes down this year. What will the Giants do for offense at receiver? Can Boss step it up?
Bradshaw's sentencing. I know this may be a minor issue, but he could face suspension from Goddell. It's still a distraction, like it or not.
Loss of Strahan and health of their defense. Will Strahan's role be filled by his counter-part, Mr. U? I think the Giants are ok here, but Strahan's loss is a big one both in terms of leadership and pass-rushing ability.
Repeat pressure. Like any Super Bowl victor, the Giants have pressure to repeat, or at least perform at a high level again. Can they repeat? I'm sure Nick will tell you yes, but I'm doubtful. Pressure eats away at teams and coaches and without Shockey, an unhappy Burress, a tough schedule, and high expectations, I expect the Giants will collapse miserably. Yes, I am a Skins fan and yes, misery loves company.
The 'Skins
The Deadskins continue to struggle under the reign of Napoleon Snyder. And until the owner sells the team, I will be skeptical of "our chances" or Super Bowl possibilities. This is sad but true.
Yes, I think the Redskins are good enough to make the playoffs. But the NFC, apart from our division, is pretty shabby although Arizona and Minnesota may be good this year. No, I don't think they'll ever get past the first round with our current roster of midgets and QBs learning their 10,000th offense in five years. A QB can only learn so much.
Roster mistakes, thanks to Dan and Vinny, get to the heart of the matter: we have a new coach teaching a new offense to a guy who never mastered an offense in the first place. Remember our playoff run came from a 40 year old guy who never played a down of football as a starter. What does that say about Campbell who already had (has) more experience than Collins? Combine Campbell's learning curve with: tiny receivers; injury prone running backs not built for a ground and pound offensive line (which we have); throw in a rookie coach brought in to bid time for Bill Cowher and presto, you have the Washington Redskins. Bring on the pain, Danny-boy. (Side-note: I hope to be proven wrong here. If the Redskins are nasty, I will eat my shorts. But it's doubtful.)
Players / Plot-lines to watch
How well Zorn performs and the availibility of Coach Cowher next year. My sense is that Danny-Boy would, and probably will, fire Coach Zorn if Coach Cowher becomes available next year. Anything short of a second-round playoff run will liquidate Zorn if Cowher returns next year. Stay tuned. Zorn is already operating on borrowed time if you ask me.
Transition to a West Coast offense. As mentioned above, the Redskins have to go through another learning curve under another set of coaches and philosophies. Granted the Redskins are built to run a West Coast Offense in their receiving corps (speedy threats that can stretch the field, reliable tight ends for short routes and running backs who can catch the ball (Portis)), their offensive line is built for Riggins or Jerome Betis. And Clinton Portis is not John Riggins. Sorry. So can the O-line pass protect better than their run blocking skills in order to execute Zorn's offense? That's a huge liability in my mind which needs to be addressed since our pass rush defense was abysmal last year. Just ask Jason Campbell and his knee-cap.
Jason Taylor and the defense. I've already commented on Jason Taylor, but suffice to say I'm skeptical of this guy and I hope he proves me wrong. Dancing with the Stars was obviously a good career move for him, but he did leave his Miami teammates in the dust. That Parcells released him and refused to even speak to him speaks volumes in my mind. Parcells is probably one of the best coaches of all time, up there with Gibbs and Belichek. Nobody messes around with Parcells and gets away with it. But of course the Redskins will let you if you've made the Pro Bowl enough times.
Jason Campbell's knee-cap, his ability to learn the new offense, and frankly his ability to play at a high level in the NFL is still up in the air for me. Like Taylor, I am very skeptical about this guy, although he could turn out a decent year if the 0-line gives him protection. I like Campbell as a person, but he has yet to really impress me. Stay tuned here, folks.
Health of Landry, Portis, Randle-El & the Offensive line. This goes without explanation. Landry has a hamstring injury which could languish, Portis is always injury prone (as is Randle-El), and the O-Line is constantly having surgery. Let's just hope we have better luck than last year.
The 'Boys
This pains me to write, but the Cowboys are really f-ing good this year. Romo and Owens are always a threat; Barbor, if healthy, is one of the best backs in the league; Witten is nasty if he stays healthy; and with Jones / Newman / Williams, the Cowboys have one of the sickest secondaries in the league.
The thing about the Cowboys is that while you love to hate them, you can't deny how nasty they are with Owens happy. Of course Owens is always a risk to team morale (see my post on the Owens virus awhile back) and Pacman, if reinstated, can also be a huge distraction. But the Cowboys are always a threat with Owens, and I get the sense that the teams feels as though their season was short-changed last year. And I think this year they will take everything more seriously and maybe not go on vacaction before the playoffs.
Part Two: the remaining breakdown of the Boys & the hated Iggles preview and breakdown.
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12 comments:
One thing that I think makes this division great is that every single matchup is with a hated rival. I hate the Eagles more than any other team. But, there is total animosity and hatred for Dallas and Washington as well. I think the level of competition and the hostility that these four teams have for one another is unrivaled in the history of the league.
Think about how long these teams have been good. In our lifetime, it has virtually been a constant that the division has been the top in the NFC, and often times the entire league. Late 80s and early 90s, NFC East dominance. 21st century, mostly characterized by NFC East dominance.
Many NFC North fans try to make the comparison, but let's not take that too seriously. The Bears? One of the most overrated franchises in all of sports. Great fan base. Great history. Accomplishments....not many. You can't hang your hat on 1985 forever. Minnesota, perpetually mediocre since the 70s. Detroit sucks. Always has, always will. Green Bay is one of the most storied franshises in the league.
In fact, it would be much more appropriate if Green Bay and Philly swapped places. That way we could rid ourselves of that big green anchor weighing us all down.
Ted, I hope you're ready for a week one smackdown!
Also, some things on the Giants:
1) Burress' new deal is in the works. The team has been more receptive, and both sides seem more hopeful than they were a month ago. Plax has said that he's unhappy with the way it was handled by the front office, but that he is dedicated to helping his teammates and winning for them.
2) Boss can't replace Shockey. Having a guy that could block and be a receiving weapon like Shockey is a luxury that we no longer have. However, we have a good offensive line, and I really feel good about Steve Smith. He obviously finished the year well and he spent a lot of time with Eli getting timing down in the off-season (something that Burress did before last year, and they had great results).
3) Along with Smith, the G-Men have Sinorice Moss, David Tyree, and Mario Manningham. I expect one of these guys to make contributions in key times (contrary to what people say, David Tyree was essentially a non-factor in the Giants offense last year. He is a special teams guy, and has been ever since the Giants drafted him. That's WHY they drafted him, special teams).
4) Plax was hurt last season and I expect him to be even better if he can stay healthy.
5) Big questions on defense, here's how I answer them:
A) Strahan, Umenyiora, and Tuck rotations (like Shockey's skill set) is a luxury that we can't replicate. But, Tuck and Umenyiora are very good. Interior D-Line is very good. Love Robbins and Coefield like they were my uncles. It was nice to have Tuck at the 3 technique and essentially having three good passrushers on third down plays. Those days are gone, but I still like the d-line.
B) I love the secondary this year. People still think it's a weak point. Aaron Ross is going to be nasty. Corey Webster will have a good year. Big Blue is stacked at safety (Sammy Knight, Michael Johnson, James Butler, and Kenny Phillips who led the team in tackles in pre-season game #1 and is going to be nasty).
C) Linebacker is the weak point on defense. Kiwanuka MUST stay healthy. Antonio Pierce is the key. He is nasty and he always has a chip on his shoulder because somehow he always goes unnoticed (he had the play of the game against Green Bay in the NFC championship game. I don't know if people remember, but he broke up a screen pass all on his own for a huge stop).
I know Nick will disagree with this, but I think the G-Men miss the playoffs this year. They are going to have a tough schedule and are going to play poorly in the division. Losing Strahan is huge because it affects that rotation and makes everyone more tired, which is a big factor in pass rushing. That pass rush covered up a suspect secondary in 2007 and it will have a tougher time this year. Add in a declining recieving corps and an overrated QB and I think they go 8-8.
The team to watch in this division is the Eagles. I don't care about McNabb and Westbrook, this team will get it done with D. They were one of the top defenses in the NFL in the second half of last season and they will continue the momentum. Omar Gaither was one of the most unsung LB's in the NFL and I would take him over any Linebacker when it comes to pass coverage. He is a mini Adalius Thomas with his versatility. Adding Samuel gives them a nasty secondary and Jim Johnson is one of the best scheme guys in the NFL. Mark them down for 10 wins and a wild card birth.
d. you're a gimp
Casten,
I'm going to try really hard to be objective here. It's not my strength, as you know.
The truth about the Giants is that I wouldn't be shocked if you're right and I wouldn't be shocked if they are one of the top teams in the NFC. This team is impossible to read.
i think that suspect secondary is going to be much better this season. in fact, i think that it got a lot better last season. granted the pass rush was tremendous, but they still played well as a unit and I think that kenny phillips is going to be able to contribute very soon (as aaron ross did at corner).
The Eagles defense is very good. It always has been. They are one of those teams that is tough on d regardless of the personell (sp?). Asante is a great addition because Philly always pressures the quarterback and he will reap the benefits in the form of many INTs.
But, you can't ignore the fact that McNabb has to be healthy for them to be good. If he's healthy then they will be very tough. He wasn't ever really healthy last year, and that obviously was a problem.
I realize that they've been successful with him out before, but I don't really see them doing much unless he can make it through the season.
Brian Westbrook is sick. Most underrated guy out there. The only player that I have ever liked from the Eagles, ever. (note, i liked randall cunningham after he retired and reggie white after he died).
Clarification:
When I said that the secondary got better and played well as a unit, I meant at the end of the year.
They have depth in the secondary as well, which is nice. I think part of it was that they made two great draft choices in Aaron Ross and Michael Johnson.
AND right now Eli is fucking ripping up the Browns.
Nick,
You are right about McNabb's health. It's always suspect and he needs to be healthy for the Eagles to win, unless Kolb is the real deal (I give that about a 25% chance). Even though I hated the pick at the time, I think DeSean Jackson is going to add a great gear to their offense. He is simply a playmaker and will make it tougher to game plan the birds. Watch Andy Reid to throw 5 bubble screens a game to this guy.
Either way, as much as I hate to admit it, this is the most intruiging division in football and I am excited to see how it plays out.
As for Eli, let's not forget that he sucks. Even on his most famous drive, he almost threw 2 INT's (KILL ME) and the big play of the drive was out of his ass. That ball gets picked in the NFL 50% of the time (Again, kill me). Big Ben and Rivers always were and always will be better players from that 2005 draft class.
Did you watch Big Ben play in that Super Bowl?
It's still a toss up at this point who is the best.
McNabb's shoulder is a concern, and I will address this concern in my eagles preview, but you have to remember a few things about the eagles offense:
1. with the exception of westbrook, the eagles dont have a dynamic offensive threat that can stretch the field and take advantage of mcnabbs arm strength; in fact, their best bet is LJ Smith who is very hot and cold and frankly not a premier receiver
2. mcnabb is getting old...let's face it; how many more top seasons does he have left? and can he stay healthy this year with a bum knee AND shoulder? without him, they're toast
3. westbrook is definately not under-rated -- he is unbelievably good and well respected, actually. but he's also injury prone and with one bad collision or fall, the eagles offense becomes even more one dimmesional
You're an NFC East fan. I think you'd be surprised how little respect Westbrook gets from the rest of the league. He's one of the best all around backs in the league.
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