With the pre-season almost accounted for and training camp long over, now would be a better time to get an answer on what is in store for our beloved division this year, the NFC East. Now, I KNOW and you KNOW that I am an EAGLES fan, but I also had the privilege of writing up a preview for ALL 32 teams before training camp kicked off, so being impartial and fair are traits I have been given.
First, division rankings and projected records:
1. Philadelphia Eagles (11-5)
2. Dallas Cowboys (9-7)
3. Washington Redskins (7-9)
4. New York Giants (5-11)
-Having won five of the past six division titles, Philadelphia returns as NFC East champions after an unlikely run in 2006 which was added by the ageless wonder (okay so he was 36) Jeff Garcia as the team made it to the divisional playoffs and went with a blink of making it to the conference title. Key is the return of star quarterback Donovan McNabb as well as defensive end Jevon Kearse and the return to health over the off-season of guard Shawn Andrews and cornerback Lito Sheppard. The Eagles, however, need to answer a big question as far as their run defense goes especially since the team recently released 4-time Pro-Bowl linebacker Jeremiah Trotter: the Eagles need maturation of Broderick Bunkley and Mike Patterson to speed up so they can get better against the runOf course, not many teams in the league have a versatile running back like Brian Westbrook, who showed off his capabilities when McNabb got injured last year and set a career high with 1,217 yards rushing and is looking for 20-25 carries a game this year. For as great as the offensive line was (including a tackle turned guard) and with Marty Morenwhig calling the shots, he presented a more run balanced offense which could see those carries and then some to returning back Correll Buckhalter and 3rd round pick Tony Hunt.But don’t forget that the cupboard isn’t bare for McNabb who in addition to having Westbrook to pitch to also has receivers including Reggie Brown, Kevin Curtis, Hank Baskett and Jason Avant along with tight ends LJ Smith and Matt Schobel.
-A new coach isn’t a bad thing at all, but for Dallas it could be a question of attitude and perception. Wade Phillips is taking over for Bill Parcells: the guy departing had a menacing attitude and personality that made everyone work hard all the time, while the newcomer is more laid back and more of a player’s coach. However, Phillips knows defense, and he will uncork the bottle that contained the substantially hardened 3-4 defense: the names were there in 2006 but Parcells didn’t feel as though blitzing was a big deal and Phillips will maximize his talent.Tony Romo returns after roughly three quarters of the season starting for Dallas and making his first pro bowl trip, but down the stretch he didn’t surprise anyone and no one has let him (nor Boys fans) forget about the dropped field goal at Seattle. But Dallas has a deadly two-headed rushing attack in Marion Barber and Julius Jones and two deadly receivers in Terrell Owens and Terry Glenn: you also have to account for tight end Jason Witten, the most well rounded tight end in the division.One situation to watch though is one spot on offense and on defense: right guard and right cornerback respectively. Former Cardinals underachiever Leonard Davis will return to his home state to play right guard after a bad tenure at tackle for the Cardinals, while Anthony Henry is slowing down at corner.
-Down in the Nation’s Capital, Washington could possibly have a lot going for them on offense. It starts with exciting prospect Jason Campbell at quarterback and the emergence of Laddell Betts to challenge and make a deadly duo with Clinton Portis, but a receiver other then Santana Moss needs to step up and take the pressure off of himself and tight end Chris Cooley. The offensive line is four fifths of the way set, with the only lingering spot at left guard which Derrick Dockery vacated for a huge payday in Buffalo.Defensively for Washington it is a mixed bag: end Andre Carter failed to make an impact and the other ends really didn’t stand out. On the contrary, tackle Kedric Golston brought some run stability but no other tackle picked up the slack. Linebacker was upgraded with London Fletcher, a former Ram and Bill, being added to team with holdover Marcus Washington and 1st year starter Rocky McIntosh, a former 2nd round pick in 2005.Two interesting situations to watch out for will be cornerback and kicker: Fred Smoot returns after a short tenure in Minnesota but Carlos Rogers and Shawn Springs are already established here. At kicker, Shaun Susiham, who had countless runs for Dallas, will try to stop the kicker carousel which has ejected such kickers as John Hall and Nick Novak.
-There are more questions then answers facing New York and that don’t bode well for an already embattled coach. Tom Coughlin got a one year extension but has to contend with a number of issues facing the Giants: at the top of the list is replacing the production of former halfback Tiki Barber. You can’t replace what he did for this team when he wasn’t being destructive and critical of coaching, but leadership will be missed. Another problem recently has been the holdout of Michael Strahan for a fair deal, and since Mathias Kiwanuka already moved to linebacker, they are officially down two ends instead of one. A lot of the Giants fortunes will rest on the maturation of Eli Manning as an on the field presence and as a locker room leader: he has the tools with Plaxico Burress, returning Amani Toomer, 2nd round pick Steve Smith, and tight end Jeremy Shockey, but has failed to put it together. It also helps to his credit that four men are returning on the offensive line, but expecting guard David Diehl to make the jump from guard to tackle which he never played before could be a tough transition.Coach Steve Spagnuolo, former Eagles linebackers coach, takes over a unit that was solid up front but the linebackers and secondary have acquired new pieces and some more confidence that Tim Lewis didn’t instill in them. Two examples are cornerback Corey Webster and safety Gibril Wilson: these guys made few plays because they were in the doghouse: additions from last year, corners RW McQuarters and Sam Madison, proved to be nothing more then names.
Ripper Eagle
