Breaking 'Em Down: NFC East
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by Troysparks
July 16, 2007.
[Throughout July and possibly August, I will be going division by division ranking teams of their respective divisions and writing a short [paragraphed] summary of them and then some.]
This time around, kicking off my Breaking ‘em Down segment, I’ll be looking at the NFC East. A division that was vicariously hyped up last year and was sought out to be possibly the best division in football. Players were injured, Quarterbacks were replaced, a Runningback retired, and two bitter rivals battled for division supremacy. Despite the plummeted fall that I thought that was, 3 of the teams made the playoffs. Will they do it again?
1.) Philadelphia Eagles You know when you’re listening to a pretty good song on the radio the first time, you enjoy it? Well compare the Eagles to the time that song is one of the songs that are so overplayed you feel like you could bash your head against a wall so many times that you could develop, rather quickly, a skull fracture. That’s how, I’m sure, their fellow counterparts of the NFC East feel. And rightfully so. The Eagles have averaged 10.7 wins over the previous seven (7) seasons. Donovan McNabb has also anchored his team to once upon a time, four consecutive NFC title games. Last year when they fell without McNabb, they fell hard. Many speculated that they would fall off the map and drop devastatingly as they did in 2005. Instead of that, the West Coast Offense’s favorite, Jeff Garcia, lined up behind center and lead the Eagles to six (6) consecutive wins and a ticket to the playoffs, and a playoff win over the Giants. If McNabb is actually healthy and so is the rest of their essential players, you can’t tel me one reason why they won’t win this division.
The Eagles’ strongest forte: Andy Reid’s mental toughness The Eagles’ biggest weakness: Health Troy questions the Eagles: Can Donovan McNabb stay healthy?
2.) Dallas Cowboys Probably the most talented team in the division, it’s argued. With defensive guru Wade Phillips beginning his reign as head coach, new shapes are beginning to form. The tandem of Julius Jones and Marion Barber isn’t a joke. Terrell Owens may be, uh, Terrell Owens, but don’t deny his talent and skill for one second — he did lead the NFL in touchdown receptions last season. Adding Leonard Davis helps wrap a security blanket around QB Tony Romo, who was extremely inconsistent, and endues the Cowboys to be a legitimate scoring threat every offensive drive.
The Cowboys’ biggest forte: An explosive offense consisting of Terrell Owens, Terry Glenn, Julius Jones, and Marion Barber. The Cowboys’ biggest weakness: Tony Romo’s inconsistency Troy questions the Cowboys: Can the Cowboys defensive backs play as one cohesive unit consistently in 2007?
3.) New York Giants How do you start off a season 6-2 but barely enter the playoffs? Ask Tom Coughlin. The 2006 season started off as a dream for the Giants. They were winning, and they were doing it consistently. The problems? Eli Manning. Having to live up to so much (his brother Peyton), the pressure mounted Eli. He passed for 500 less yards than he did in 2005, scored the same amount of touchdowns (24), but passed to the adversaries 18 times. If you think he had it bad last season, this season will be like writing an essay on on curling being without too-young-to-retire-Tiki Barber, with unproven 3-year back Brandon Jacobs. Don’t let Jacobs’ stats fool you; his touchdowns came in the redzone. But can Eli Manning get the Giants’ offense there?
The Giants’ biggest forte: a gritty defensive line and tough wide receiving corps The Giants’ biggest weakness: Eli Manning’s paltry play Troy questions the Giants: Is this Eli’s real breakout season where he will lead the Giants not only to the playoffs, but to a playoff win?
4.) Washington Redskins Where can you begin trashing the Washington Redskins? Last season, after Portis went down, anything that was good all went spoiling bad in a downward spiral. The defense was inconsistent and injured, not to mention overpaid. Jason Campbell was forced to play a big role as the QB in the offense and it took a while for him to get everything rolling on all cylinders. Adding Laron Landry completes their safety tandem, as he will stand opposite of Sean Taylor. But the rest of the Redskins defense is pretty dismal to watch play. The problems have mounted up along with the large contracts and injuries, and for any chance that they could return to be playing as they did in 2005, a hefty effort will have to be put in, and the young Jason Campbell will have to continue to improve.
The Redskins’ biggest forte: having Sean Taylor and LaRon Landry as the two safeties. The Redskins’ biggest weakness: Health Troy questions the Redskins: Can their defense evade big-time injuries?
