NFC East Preview
Hello everyone,
Rich here from www.sportsbettingprofessor.com
Well there certainly isn’t a shortage of things to talk about it the NFC East. The cream of the crop in the NFC in recent history, this division is simply riddled with depth. Things have shaken up quite a bit in the offseason and should make for a very interesting year. While most other divisions have clear cut favorites and a team or two that nobody has any faith in, we should be looking at 4 competitive teams in the NFC East.
Philadelphia Eagles (18/1 to win Super Bowl)
It was an interesting offseason so far to say the least about the Eagles. Franchise quarterback and 11 year veteran Donovan McNabb was shipped out to their division foe Washington Redskins. Taking the reins will be virtually untested Kevin Kolb. Although Kolb hasn’t had much playing time, he did show promise this past season, racking up over 700 yards in 2 games. Knowing the football smarts that head coach Andy Reid possesses, it’s tough to imagine that he would get rid of a talent like McNabb without a backup plan. Already stacked with some young talents, if Kolb can hold his own then Philly has potential to be a contender for years to come.
DeSean Jackson leads the young receiver core and could be considered a premier deep threat in the game. Although there isn’t much versatility to him and won’t give you the inside grit that many would like in a receiver, his deep ball potential trumps any doubts about the rest of his game. Next on the receiving depth chart is 2nd year man Jeremy Maclin out of Missouri. A nice compliment to the receivers is tight end Brent Celek, who has blossomed into a solid receiving TE. Leading the ground game is LeSean McCoy out of Pittsburgh who is also entering his second season. McCoy will be relied upon heavily as they’ve dropped their running back of the last 8 years in Brian Westbrook.
With the offense pretty much ready to go, the eagles main focus in the draft was to fix up their fairly average defense. 2 of their first 3 picks were defensive ends including Michigan’s Brandon Graham 13th overall. With the 2nd pick Philadelphia selected USF free safety Nathaniel Allen who is expected to start right away.
With the absence of McNabb and Westbrook, this time has undergone a pretty big makeover. If the young guns can rise up and play significant roles than you can expect a competitive squad. Obviously “if” doesn’t mean much in this business, but I have a feeling that Kolb will make things happen and will make sure that it won’t be a cake walk for anybody when they roll into Philadelphia.
Dallas Cowboys (12/1 to win Super Bowl)
It was a pretty typical season for the Boys of Dallas. They were solid during the regular season going 11-5 and gained some momentum going into the playoffs, only to disappoint in the end. It seemed as though they’d gotten the monkey off their back when they won their first playoff game since 1996 but the victory was only a build up to another let down. Tony Romo broke a number of records last season so it’s hard to place the blame on him, but the 3 points that he led the Cowboys to in the divisional round certainly weren’t going to be enough to beat the Vikings at home.
It seems as though Jerry Jones and co. are finally willing to admit that Roy Williams wasn’t the player that they thought he was. Williams has accumulated only 57 catches for 8 touchdowns in 25 games for Dallas which is a huge underachievement. The Cowboys moved up in the 2010 NFL Draft to select Oklahoma State WR Dez Bryant. Bryant is highly touted and probably the most intriguing player to come out of the draft. He was suspended this past season at Ok. St. due to recruiting issues so it will be interesting to see how he performs at the highest level having not played in 2 years. Bryant will be alongside Dallas’ top receiver, Miles Austin. Austin wasn’t much a factor early on in the season but came on strong to record 81 receptions for 1,320 yards and 11 TDs. TE Jason Witten was once again Romo’s go to guy and put up 94 receptions for 1,030 yards but only 2 TDs. Look for Romo to find Witten more in the red zone in the upcoming season.
The running back by committee concept is popping up more and more in the NFL these days. The Cowboys seem to have a pretty decent system going with Marion Barber being the hammer to pound into the defense, Felix Jones having the breakaway speed to take it to the house at any given time and Tashard Choice having solid abilities of catching out of the backfield and being a solid 3rd down man.
There aren’t many adjustments on the defensive side of the ball. Free Safety Ken Hamlin is no longer with the team which seems to be the only hole. The Boys defense ranked 2nd in points in the NFL last season so as long as all of the other pieces stay in place then there seems to be no reason why they can’t be a top tier defense again.
Washington Redskins (25/1 to win Super Bowl)
Where do you even start when talking about the Washington Redskins? The team that has been making the most noise in the NFL this offseason, I feel that the Skins have dramatically improved their team. Washington was more or less a laughing stock for the majority of the 09-10 season.
Mike Shanahan and Jim Zorn, in a single word, are incomparable. If you remember Zorn’s fake FG attempt against the giants last year (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ew76rhNocL0) then there’s not much room for argument with that statement. Many of the Skins’ players last season anonymously noted that not many people in the locker room respected Zorn as a head coach and that he was basically known as a pushover. With Shanahan’s stern style of coaching, it should be a nice change up for this Washington squad.
While Jason Campbell may or may not be a capable starting QB, one thing for sure is that Donovan McNabb is. And while Campbell was hardly protected last year, the Skins have upgraded the offensive line and McNabb shouldn’t expect to take the beatings that Campbell took on a weekly basis. Tackle Jammal Brown from New Orleans should be a solid fit to protect the blind side and Artis Hicks is also a nice improvement. They also selected tackle Trent Williams from Oklahoma with the 4th overall pick in the draft.
The missing puzzle pieces seem to be at the offensive skilled positions. With 3 running backs out of their prime it may be tough to hold a consistent ground attack. Larry Johnson, Willie Parker and Clinton Portis were all at one time highly coveted running backs but as we all know that doesn’t last very long when you’re a running back in the NFL. The Redskins still have Santana Moss but lost Antwaan Randle El which creates a rather large whole at the number 2 receiver slot. Chris Cooley will be fresh off a leg injury but will be heavily relied upon. Fred Davis also emerged as a capable receiving TE so even though the options will be limited, they won’t be nonexistent.
Big Albert Haynesworth seems to be the thorn in the side of this team. I guess $100 million isn’t enough these days. Haynesworth doesn’t like the 3-4 defense that Washington is trying to use so instead of showing up and doing what he’s paid to do, he instead took a $21 million bonus and decided to not show up. What a pro.
An upgrade in coaching, quarterback and offensive line should ensure that Washington fans won’t have to continue to wear bags over their heads in the upcoming season.
New York Giants (25/1 to win Super Bowl)
The Giants are yet another interesting team in this division to me. After starting out 5-0 last season, they went on the road to lose to the eventual super bowl champion Saints. They then lost 7 of their remaining 10 games to finish the season at 8-8. A big reason for this was simply an injury plagued season. Brandon Jacobs suffered a knee injury which contributed to his touch down totals dropping from 15 the previous season to 5 this past season. Ahmad Bradshaw, the speedier of the 2 running backs also battled injuries for most of the year.
A lot of people didn’t give the Giants passing game a lot of credit without Plaxico Burress but some young receivers took advantage of their opportunities and showed that they can play at the NFL level. Mario Manningham and Hakeem Nicks, both stand out receivers are their respective Universities but unproven in the NFL world, stood out and had an impact. Add in Eli’s favorite target in Steve Smith and there’s no reason why we shouldn’t expect another solid air attack from the G Men this upcoming season.
The Giants’ defense lost their leader to retirement this offseason in Antonio Pierce. Pierce’s play was dramatically downgraded this season and the 9 year veteran was eventually benched, but he still remained the heart of the defense. There is no lack of depth at the DE position. Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora and Mathias Kiwankuka are all exceptional talents.
The problem for the defense of the Giants is the secondary. Opposing teams seemed to be able to throw th ball at will this past season. They brought in Antrel Rolle from the Cardinals who is a hit or miss defensive back which I’m not certain is what they need because of all of the long touchdowns that they gave up last season. He is a big name guy but more of a risk taker than an actual shut down corner.
It’s not often that you’ll hear me talk about a punter in an article about an upcoming football season, but the G Men lost Jeff Feagles in the offseason to retirement. With 22 years experience, it seemed that everytime he punted the ball it would be downed inside the 15 yard line. With field position being a top priority in the NFL, the Giants will definitely be missing his boot.
Have a good one,
Rich
