Lets break this one down. You have the Eagles, cowboys, giants and redskins. This ENTIRE division could split ! Its possible.
1. Eagles....yes I'm a homer. This D is stacked...if healthy the best and the deepest in the division. McNabb is still a top teir QB and is healthy. The RB's and WR are a question...but that is Andy Reid football....spread it around...interchangable parts
2. Cowboys...may finish with same record as the Eagles. Parcells and TO can NOT co exist !!!! Bledsoe is a statue...and they have no back up QB...none. Julious jones is a bust. A good D but not great....kicker is a drunk. Note to opposing defenses...triple team TO...if Glenn outshines him...Owens wont make it 6 games ...the guy is a psychopath
3a Giants..Eli fell apart in the second half of last season. Maybe it was because Peyton was getting "all the quality time" with kenny chesney...but who really fukn cares. Plaxico is an a-whole...as well as "I train in south beach Shockey". Then add Arrington....and his 6 mil dollar man love fuk up with the Poston Bros (your agent fuks you out of 6 mil...and you keep him?)...Add it up and you got a fukd up team chemestry...My bad... maybe you dont....I forgot about their alternative lifestyle leader......Strahan
3b Redskins....An aging QB...who all but 1 year...like 10 years ago suked. Makes the packers fans feeel a bit better. No backup QB....at all. A RB who dresses in drag. A 19 mil dollar WR trick play specialist....An owner who reminds me of a great quote from a great movie Author "Where were you when I was selling cars" ...and top it off with a nascar owner...slash coach.....""we got 16 second place finishes....did we win?".....disaster !
Are sure your an Eagles fan? Sounds like a very unbiased breakdown!! This is my opinion:
1. Giants- Now that Eli has an actual season under his belt, I think he will become more confident and will be even better. The Oline is good, nothing special, but good. Tiki Barber is still one of the best backs in the league. He is the most important part of the offense. If Eli struggles, they will always be able to fall back on Tiki. Plax is a good reciever, but as TacoBill said, he is an Ahole. I wasn't a big fan of Moss when I watched him at Miami. I don't think he will last long...injury waiting to happen. If Shockey is healthy, he is a very good TE...but is one of the biggest jerks in the league. The defense is solid. Umenyiora and Strahan are one of the best DE tandems in the league. The interior is not as good, but they aren't the worst. Arrington will provide a big boost to the whole defense. Emmons is good when healthy also. I like the DB core with Webster, Madison, WIlson, and Demps. The special teams unit is one of the best in the league. I see this team going far. NFC Championship possibly. They won the division last year, I see no reason why they won't again. 11-5.
2. Washington- Brunell is old, and will hurt the team. He thinks he is still the mobile QB he was, but isn't and gets sacked every time he tries. He is decent though. They could do worse. Portis a solid RB and can gain yards. He is nutty, but he is good at what he does. Just like NY, the Oline is good, but nothing special. Cooley showed he is an asset...I expect him to be solid again. Randal El is overrated, he probably won't be out Santana Moss or Brandon Lloyd and will be the #3 again. Even then, that is a pretty good WR core...especially if David Patten returns to 100%. Brunell can throw it up and these guys can go get it. The Dline is pretty good, but just like the Oline, is nothing really special. LBs will be the weakness of the defense. Thats the question mark. Carlos Rogers needs to have good season. Shawn Springs still pretty good. Archuleta is pretty good also. Taylor needs to get his sh1t together big time. 10-6 possibly again, but I think 9-7 is more likely.
3. Philly- McNabb is the key. If he is truly 100%, I expect them to be good. A collection of 2nds and 3rds at WR. They are good backups but decent starters. Oline could be better, but it's not bad. Westbrook is one of the best, and when he is 100%, he drives defenses crazy. I like him alot. L.J. Smith still a consistant starter. The Dline is good and will only get better. They need more consistancy from the LBs in my opinion. If they are consistant, they will be fine. Corners and safeties still among the best in the league. The defense is real good, but the offense needs health and consistancy for the team to succeed. I have alot of respect for Andy Reid. He's a good guy and a good coach. 9-7 is possible but my opinion is 8-8.
4. Dallas- Theres not much about this team I really like other than the stacked cheerleaders. I like Jason Witten alot. Bledsoe plays like he's wearing cement cleets...can't move. Average group of RBs with Jones and Barber. The WRs are good. I honestly don't think TO will return to the form he was in when he started in Philly, but he won't be bad though. He will still make defenses respect him. I like Terry Glenn. One of the dumbest things (there were many) Mike Sherman did for the Packers was trade Terry Glenn for peanuts. He's pretty consistant. Losing Meshawn won't be that bad, he was a first class jerk and provided very little in terms of big time play. The only thing that scares me about the oline is if I had to run behind them. Average at best. Marco Rivera is good, but he needs to stay healthy. On the Dline, I like Ferguson and Ellis. I don't think this Dline will keep Olinemen off the LBs like the 3-4 linemen should. I do like the LBs though. Carpenter is going to be a good one. Ware is solid. Ayodele is good, not great, but good. Singleton is pretty good also. As for the CBs, I like Aaron Glenn. I like Roy Williams too. Thats about it. Vanderjagoff is a jerk, but he can kick straight (when sober). All in all, I think this team is going to actually take a step backwards. 8-8 is possible, with 7-9 more likely.
I honestly think the Giants will win. Philly and Washington will fight for #2. I think they will go back and forth. Dallas is pretty overrated in my opinion. I really respect Parcells, but I think it's time for him to get out of Dallas. He isn't hurting Dallas, Dallas is hurting him.
the 4 teams in the east are very evenly matched. Each has a few weaknesses and each has strength.
It is entirely possible that the division records will all be 4 and 4, and the winner if the division will come from the other games. So strength of schedule will help. the Eagles will have a weaker schedule, because of their last place finish, and the skins boys and giants will play a similar set.
Each team has one guy, that could change a season. TO, Mcnabb, burnell or manning.
Correction to my previous post, sounds like Arrington won't be providing a boost to anything. If his knee is really bad, he won't be playing much of anything. I'm glad he chose the Giants over the Packers...I wasn't originally.
nice analyses by tacobill and grave digger...really!!! my picks are different, but this division is so close, it's not like i really disagree with much either of you have written
i've said these things about the NFC East in other threads, but i'll say them again here:
-none of these teams are "great".
-there is NO margin for error for the teams in this division. losing one core guy could mean the cellar for an otherwise decent team.
my guess:
eagles 'skins giants 'boys
it's gonna be tight. birds may be 9-7 w/ the cowboys 7-9, but dallas and the giants have the most obvious weaknesses.
dallas has a coach's nightmare combo on offense: a weak o-line and an immobile QB. the giants have a secondary that can be had for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
sure, i'm a birds fan, but i think they've got the best qb in the division, and the best trench play on both sides of the ball. THAT will win them a lot of games, and keep them in every game they play.
their o-line fell off due to injuries last year, but their current o-line may be one of the deepest reid has ever fielded. with the drafting of justice and max jean gilles, the future looks pretty rosy up front.
as for their d-line. it's a swarm. i think that will be hard for opponents to overcome.
Another thing, the Eagles will be screwed if Westbrook gets hurt. Mahe sucks as a runner. He is a much better reciever out of the backfield. I'm watching him trying to run on the BROWNS defense, and he is garbage. They better aquire some kind of RB if Westbrook is not ready to go.
McNabb looks good though. As does Baskett and LJ Smith..
moats looked really good last year... dont forget that he will be above mahe on the chart... i have a feeling he wont be gone for too long but i do wish we had a big power run type guy... someone steven jackson-esque as a change of pace rb
