East Coast Bias' NFC East Preview
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by user Brendan.Canney
In what will be an 8 week segment, the boys at East Coast Bias will run down every division in the NFL starting this week with the NFC East. With the likes of Eli Manning, Terrell Owens, and Donovan McNabb, the NFC East is full of drama and intrigue. Last year the Eagles made an improbable run to the playoffs and captured another NFC East division crown without Donovan McNabb or Jevon Kearse. The Giants struggled down the stretch and the great Tiki Barber retired leaving Brandon Jacobs to carry the running game. Dallas was on fire in Tony Romo 's first 7 starts but the 'Boys ended the season losing 4 of their last 5, including a heart breaker to Seattle in the playoffs. Finally their was the lowly Washington Redskins who only won 1 and 5 in the NFC East and were without Clinton Portis for their final 7 games. However, teams have retooled, gotten healthy, and it's a brand new year so here is what I think will be the end result in the NFC East.
NFC East 2007/08 Season
1. Philadelpha Eagles - I swear I'm not being a homer here. The Eagles, if healthy, are the most dangerous team in the NFC East, possibly in all of the NFC. Donovan McNabb (18 TDs 6 INTs) was having an MVP last year, Brian Westbrook (5.1 ypc) showed everyone he could carry the rushing load, and Jevon Kearse (3.5 sacks in 2 games) was tearing it up on the defensive line before himself and McNabb went down with injuries. McNabb and Westbrook could both have great seasons this year, especially if Andy Reid and Marty Mornhinweg go to the balanced offense they began using when Jeff Garcia took over. I really believe Reggie Brown (816 yds receiving) is poised to become a legit #1 wide reciever but am extremely worried should something happen to him because I don't like the depth at WR the Eagles have right now. Tight end LJ Smith (611 yds receiving) also has to be huge this year and really open up the middle of the field. It will also be interesting to see how the defense plays this year with the arrival of Pro Bowl linebacker Takeo Spikes (70 tackles) who should help alleviate the pressure Jeremiah Trotter (113 tackles) felt being the only pure run stopping force the Eagles had. The Eagles also added defensive line depth with the signing of Ian Scott (6"2' 302 lbs.) who should help with their Eagles porous run defense. The emergence of Trent Cole (8.0 sacks), Sean Considine (86 tackles), and Omar Gaither (64 tackles) as consistent performers should also help the Eagles become much better on the defensive side of the ball. The Eagles also drafted linebacker Stewart Bradley who will immediately start at OLB. And one final thing, I would love to see Ryan Moats return punts and kickoffs. I had the sweats every time Reno Mahe was going to return on special teams. 2007 Record 11-5 (5-1 vs NFC East)
2. Dallas Cowboys - The 'Boys are really scary on offense with the likes of Terry Glenn (1,047 yds receiving), Terrell Owens (1,180 yds receiving), Julius Jones (1,084 yds rushing), Jason Witten (754 yds rushing), and Tony Romo (95.1 QB rating). They have the potential to light up the scoreboard every week with their balanced attack. Barring the Cowboys moving Julius Jones, who is coming off his first 1000+ yard season, they could have a two headed monster in the backfield with Jones and Marion Barber (654 yds rushing). Barber had a team leading 14 rushing touchdown last year leading many to believe that the Cowboys may indeed move Jones in order to make Barber the starting RB but that move has yet to take place. Both Terry Glenn and Terrell Owens had 1000+ receiving yards last year and Owens led all NFL receivers in touchdown last year with 13. Both Glenn and Owens are getting older however so it will be interesting to see if both lose a step this year. On defense the Cowboys are strong inside the box with the likes of DeMarcus Ware (11.5 sacks) and Bradie James (103 tackles), but many are questioning their secondary, seeing as how Cowboys corners picked off a total of 4 passes this past season. Star corner Terence Newman didn't live up to his "shutdown" corner label, picking off only 1 pass. There is hope on the horizon though as Pat Watkins (3 interceptions) emerged as a solid safety and looks to build off of that success in order to help Roy Williams do what he likes to do best, hit people. The 'Boys also added depth at DE by drafting Anthony Spencer in the 1st round. 2007 Record 10-6 (4-2 vs NFC East)
3. New Yorks Giants - With the retirement of Tiki Barber (1,662 yds rushing) this off-season, the Giants will not only be hurting on offense but in leadership. Eli Manning (3,244 yds passing) will have a lot more on his shoulders this year and it will be interesting to see how he handles the pressure of being the man now for the New York Football Giants. The man replacing Tiki is 25 year old Brandon Jacobs (9 rushing TDs). Jacobs has a nice combination of speed and size but lacks that 2nd motor when he gets to the second level. Eli still has targets in Jeremy Shockey (623 yds receiving) and Plaxico Burress (10 receiving TDs) to throw to, including the newly drafted WR Steve Smith. The question will be though, will Eli have enough time to throw to them with Tiki not there to provide critical blitz pickups? It will also be interesting to see if the Giants locker room will be unified or torn apart by all the egos. The defensive line is going to be frightening again with a now healthy Michael Strahan (3.0 sacks in 9 games) and Osi Umenyiora (6.0 sacks). Their linebacking corps is solid with Antonio Pierce (140 tackles) anchoring the middle while Mathias Kiwanuka (4.0 sacks) will move to the OLB role where he should be much more effective. The Giants big question mark is in the secondary. Andrew Walter and the Raiders could have taken advantage them, that's how bad it was. With the exception of Will Demps (7 passes defended) there isn't an above average DB on the team and that's why their first choice in this year's draft was DB Aaron Ross. 2007 Record 7-9 (2-4 vs NFC East)
4. Washington Redskins - The second era of Joe Gibbs hasn't exactly gone according to plan. With the exception of 2005, Gibbs coached the Redskins to records of 5-11 and 6-10. That trend of losing seasons won't stop this year unfortunately. Mark Brunell (86.5 QB rating) was replaced in week 11 by Jason Campbell (10 TDs 6 INTs) who looks to be a lock to start the 'Skins first game. The Redskins 25th overall pick, Jason Campbell, looks to take over the reigns of an offense that only averaged 19.2 points. Their is light at the end of the tunnel though because Ladell Betts (1,154 yds rushing) is bonafide. This was the first time Betts rushed for over 1,000 yards in his career and was the 3rd leading receiver on the team while Clinton Portis (7 rushing TDs) was injured. Talk about a two headed monster in the backfield, it will be very interesting to see what Gibbs does with these two highly skilled running backs this season. Tight end Chris Cooley (734 yds receiving) and WR Santana Moss (790 yds receiving) will both have to come up big this year to help Campbell adjust and to become more comfortable with the offense. With the drafting of safety LaRon Landry to roam with Sean Taylor (114 tackles), the Redskins have arguably the best safety tandem in the NFL. A healthy Shawn Springs (9 passes defended) should give the 'Skins a boost while the maturity of Carlos Rogers (80 tackles) will be huge for the secondary. The front seven is a bit of a concern however as the Redskins only had 19 sacks last season. Andre Carter led all Redskin players with 6 sacks. 'Skins management didn't address that during the draft or through free agency however so that secondary will be exposed with no pass rush. At least it will give Landry plenty of practice. 2007 Record 6-10 (1-5 vs NFC East)
You really think Stewart Bradley will start at SAM? Gaither is most likely a backup player along the lines of Ike Reece...but agreat fill in when needed
Considine isn't all that good and may be a weak point for the team...