NFL Preview, Part 8: NFC East
As I can tell from the comments (or lack thereof) you are all pretty sick of these. But I need to flesh this all out for my own personal well being. This is the last diision to look at, and it's the wildly overrated NFC East. That whole "East Coast Bias" thing is in full effect, as Redskin fans will realize when they go 7-9 after being labeled a playoff team in some circles.
New York Giants - The Giants are flawed, just like all the other teams in the East, but they have more balance on either side of the ball. Tiki Barber is a scary back, but he is about due for a massive knee injury. Eli Manning is extremely talented, but he hasn't demonstrated that fully yet. And there are three receivers on the Giants whom I'm sure you've heard of (Amani Toomer, Plaxico Burres and rookie Sinorice Moss), but that might be because they play in New York. All three are vaguely mediocre. The Giants do have a couple of dominant defensive ends in Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora. The linebacker corps is anchored by Lavarr Arrington but the secondary is spotty. Also, I hate Terrell Owens AND Bill Parcells, so I have the Cowboys missing the playoffs.
Dallas Cowboys - Like I said, I hate Owens and I hate Parcells. I think they are both bad for the team, and it will bring down an otherwise unimpressive team. Drew Bledsoe only has a couple servicable years left, and the Cowboys defense isn't that talented. The biggest positive on the team is their backfield, assuming Marion Barber and Julius Jones can put up the same type of numbers they have been. It doesn't seem likely.
Washington Redskins - What's the knock against the Redskins been lately? That they don't have a quarterback, right? Well, what did they do this offseason? They went out and picked up a couple wide receivers for Mark Brunell to throw at (as long as they don't go further than 10 yards downfield). Of course, Antwaan Randle El can throw a little bit too, I guess. I'm really dismayed by their defense as well. On the plus side, Clinton Portis is primed for a career year.
Philadelphia Eagles - The Eagles patched part of a huge hole by picking up Donte Stallworth. Of course, the huge hole is their entire offense. They need another 5 players on O to be competetive.
So that's it. Those are the division breakdowns. I'll be back with a postseason prediction later today, maybe tomorrow.
New York Giants - The Giants are flawed, just like all the other teams in the East, but they have more balance on either side of the ball. Tiki Barber is a scary back, but he is about due for a massive knee injury. Eli Manning is extremely talented, but he hasn't demonstrated that fully yet. And there are three receivers on the Giants whom I'm sure you've heard of (Amani Toomer, Plaxico Burres and rookie Sinorice Moss), but that might be because they play in New York. All three are vaguely mediocre. The Giants do have a couple of dominant defensive ends in Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora. The linebacker corps is anchored by Lavarr Arrington but the secondary is spotty. Also, I hate Terrell Owens AND Bill Parcells, so I have the Cowboys missing the playoffs.
Dallas Cowboys - Like I said, I hate Owens and I hate Parcells. I think they are both bad for the team, and it will bring down an otherwise unimpressive team. Drew Bledsoe only has a couple servicable years left, and the Cowboys defense isn't that talented. The biggest positive on the team is their backfield, assuming Marion Barber and Julius Jones can put up the same type of numbers they have been. It doesn't seem likely.
Washington Redskins - What's the knock against the Redskins been lately? That they don't have a quarterback, right? Well, what did they do this offseason? They went out and picked up a couple wide receivers for Mark Brunell to throw at (as long as they don't go further than 10 yards downfield). Of course, Antwaan Randle El can throw a little bit too, I guess. I'm really dismayed by their defense as well. On the plus side, Clinton Portis is primed for a career year.
Philadelphia Eagles - The Eagles patched part of a huge hole by picking up Donte Stallworth. Of course, the huge hole is their entire offense. They need another 5 players on O to be competetive.
So that's it. Those are the division breakdowns. I'll be back with a postseason prediction later today, maybe tomorrow.
posted by Ryan | 2:11 PM
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