NFC East Preview

NFC East

The NFC East holds this year’s defending Super Bowl champions. But no one would have thought that at the conclusion of the 2011 regular season. Last year the Giants earned the division crown with nine wins, the first time the division champion has ever had nine wins to claim the NFC East. The Eagles actually finished ahead of the Cowboys for the second spot, both ending at a disappointing 8-8. The Redskins ended with their third straight losing season at 5-11. The 2012 season introduces new hope that the NFC East can get back to being the “toughest division in football.”

Washington Redskins – Last Year (5-11)

This year I have the Washington Redskins improving by only one game and finishing the season at 6-10. However, that is not to be misconstrued. Robert Griffin III looks like a weapon to be reckoned with in years to come but it must be remembered that rookie quarterbacks never flourish in the NFC East, especially with the pass rush of the Giants, Eagles, and Cowboys. Their offensive scoring efficiency will improve, as it was only 25^th in the league last year, however a dominant NFC East will not allow this young team to have anything more than seven wins at the very most. Washington should be excited about their future because they finally have a legitimate franchise quarterback in RG3 and young RB Roy Helu has shown good signs in the off-season. This will give Mike Shanahan the opportunity to grow with a quarterback, which he was unable to do with Rex Grossman and John Beck. One thing the Redskins have to build on is the sweep of the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants, but as far as things to build on go that is about it. The Hogettes should not be expecting a Cam Newton-like year out of their new quarterback.  If they do they will be incredibly disappointed. The NFC East is a defense heavy division and the NFC South is run by the up-beat offenses of Atlanta and New Orleans. Last year was also a post-lockout year where all quarterbacking stats completely exploded because of the inability of defenses to tackle due to the loss of training camp. I expect the Redskins to be a competitive team that loses a handful of games by less than a touchdown while showing growth and poise to becoming a good team in the NFL. I am not someone who is jumping on the Redskin/RG3 bandwagon just yet, although, in a couple years I just might have to.

Prediction: (6-10)

               
 

Dallas Cowboys – Last Year (8-8)

                Last year was the year for the Dallas Cowboys to win the NFC East. They blew five fourth quarter leads, three of which were in the double digits, and their head coach, Jason Garrett, singlehandedly took a win away from them in Arizona. They even went 2-4 in the division, getting swept by the Eagles and Giants. Many could look at the Cowboys and say this all means they should have a hell of a year in 2012. Despite all the misfortune the Cowboys had, almost all of it self-inflicted, they still managed to have an 8-8 record. I am looking in the completely opposite direction. Part of their fourth quarter collapses was due to quarterback Tony Romo. Romo continues to put up great overall stats year after year but in the past has been labeled as being unclutch and folding under pressure. He has terrific weapons with Dez Bryant and Miles Austin on the outside and Demarco Murray showed promise running the ball until a season ending injury last December. They can have as many threats on offense as they want, but if Tony Romo continues to fold in fourth quarters, and the O-line is still unable to block, then the fans of Big D should not be giving themselves false hope that they dwell on every year.  Although the Cowboys did draft one of the best cornerbacks out of college in Morris Claiborne, they still have more problems on the defensive side of the ball. Last year the defense could not grasp the new system that Rob Ryan installed.  That can be partially blamed on the lack of time to prepare for the season because of the lockout; however, by December, when the Giants and Eagles defenses had found their game, the Cowboys still looked like a confused team. Jerry Jones is excited about the defense finally having a full offseason to work and improve under Rob Ryan but nothing has been proven yet. As always, the Cowboys show extreme amounts of potential, but I think 2012 is just another year of the Cowboys underachieving and Tony Romo being deprived of his second playoff win.

Prediction: (8-8)

 

Philadelphia Eagles – Last Year (8-8)

                The 2012 season features a second chance for the most disappointing football team in football a year ago. Many picked this team to easily make the playoffs in 2011 and even make it to the Super Bowl, unfortunately, a 4-8 start stunted them of becoming the team that everyone thought they would be. The Eagles can hang their hat on their finish to the season last year where they won their final four games by an average of 19.8 points. The Eagles were essentially playing for Andy Reid’s job throughout the last four weeks. The Eagles are again under superb amounts of pressure in 2012. If Philly can’t at least produce a playoff run then Andy Reid will be on his way out. If the Eagles come out the way they ended last year then they should definitely be poised to make a run deep into the playoffs. This team must prove they can tackle their opponents, hold on to the ball, and stay healthy. It all starts with Michael Vick who has played all sixteen games of an NFL season once in his nine year career. LeSean Mccoy needs to keep doing what he did in 2011, leading the NFL in yards from scrimmage. This team rides on the defenses ability to make plays, and Michael Vick’s attempt to stay healthy. Everyone knows that the defense is stacked, with Trent Cole, Jason Babin, Cullen Jenkins, and Nnamdi Asomugha playing key roles, but the real question is can they finally put it together? The defense got better through the draft, but that doesn’t mean much if the pieces don’t work like last year. I expect Dream Team 2.0 to be better than the nightmare of 2011. This team will go 11-5. They will still be able to run the ball efficiently and their offense will look unstoppable at times. However, Vick’s turnover issues will remain and he will probably be injured for two games of the season, limiting the Eagles chances of being an NFC powerhouse. And if the defense can put it all together, like many in Philadelphia desperately hope they do, there’s no reason why this team can’t make a run deep into the playoffs.

Prediction: (11-5)
 

New York Giants – Last Year (9-7)

                The reigning Super Bowl champions look to repeat this year after the most unprecedented championship run of all time. Never has a team ever won the Super Bowl after having the worst rushing attack in the league, third worst pass defense in the league, and being outscored in the regular season. The Giants were lucky to make it to the playoffs, no doubt, but once they reached the promise land they looked like an entirely different team. They ended the year on a six game winning streak, destroying the defending champion Packers, and beating Tom Brady and Bill Belichick for the second time in a Super Bowl. And yet the Giants are the most disrespected Super Bowl champion maybe of all time. This is a good sign coming into the 2012 season for the Giants. They still feel like they have something to prove. Yes, last year they did click at the right time which was eerily similar to their Super Bowl run five years ago. In 2008 the Giants came out red hot and jumped to an 11-1 record before Plaxico Buress shot himself in the leg, figuratively shooting down the entire team in the process. I expect the Giants to come out stomping this year. They didn’t pick up too many players in the off-season, but frankly they didn’t need to. The important thing was keeping their core intact. That doesn't mean the Giants don't have problems to address, though. They need a running game. So far in the pre-season they have shown none of it, and that really needs to change if they want to continue where they left off. Their biggest acquisition was the drafting of RB David Wilson, who will challenge DJ Ware for the second RB spot behind Ahmad Bradshaw. The Giants also ended last year with a plethora of injuries and managed to outlast them. They’ve still been hit by the injury bug in the off-season, with WR Hakeem Nicks going down in mini-camps and DT Shaun Rogers receiving treatment for a blood clot, but if they overcame the injuries last year then they can this year. This team’s identity is the defensive line and the ELIite play of Eli Manning who carried the offense the entire regular season. New York comes into the year with the toughest schedule in football, but this team must stay healthy and avoid shooting themselves in the foot off the field. If the Giants can do that then fans in the Big Apple should expect another exciting season and even another Super Bowl run from the New York Football Giants because of the poise of Eli Manning and perhaps the NFL’s best coaching staff. Give credit where credit is due.

Prediction: (11-5)
 

-Alex Hayes NFL Insider