NFL Pro Football 2008 NFC EAST Preview

NFL Pro Football 2008 NFC East Preview

DTMagazine Home

Sports Home

PREVIEWS:

NFC East
NFC North
NFC South
NFC West
AFC East
AFC North
AFC South
AFC West

Untitled

Sports handicapping:
Get NFL picks from Top Ten Cappers, the best football picks on the web.
toptencappers.com

Looking for great football picks?
Get free NFL picks and college football picks from Wunderdog Sports Picks.
www.freeunderdog.com

Fearless Rick's NFL Preview - NFC EAST

Rick Gagliano | August 1, 2008

NFC EAST - Predicted order of finish and (predicted record)

NY Giants (13-3) - The ultimate road warriors, the Giants capped off the 2007 season with the epitome of road wins, topping the previously-undefeated Patriots in the Super Bowl.

Better yet, the Giants got into the playoffs and won all their games away from Giants' stadium without tight end Jeremy Shockey, whose season ended early with a midseason broken leg. Whether it was Shockey's leg or his unruly attitude, the Giants unloaded him to New Orleans prior to training camp.

The move made sense, since the Giants were well enough off at his position to win the Super Bowl, so Kevin Boss, who took over starting duties in week 11 last season, looks to be the starter at a key position in the New York passing game.

During the off-season, defensive end Michael Strahan retired, but the d-line still figures to be one of the league's best.

New York had a productive draft, taking Miami free safety Kenny Phillips with their opening pick to bolster a solid secondary. They took cornerback Terrell Thomas from USC with their second pick as added insurance. Other keys are Mario Manningham, the fleet wide receiver from Michigan, in the third round, and linebackers Bryan Kell (BYU) and Jonathan Goff (Vanderbilt). Either could be real sleepers and see spot duty.

The offense added Kentucky QB Andre Woodson with their 6th pick and released Jared Lorenzen, who was Eli Manning's backup in '07. They also have David Carr and Anthony Wright, though obviously, Manning will be expected to take the bulk of the snaps.

The running back situation will remain much the same, with Madison Hedgecock, Reuben Droughns, Brandon Jacobs working out of primarily one-back sets.

The schedule seems fairly light for a Super Bowl champion. They get the AFC North (Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Cleveland), and away games outside the division at St. Louis, Arizona and Philadelphia.

New York looks like the class of not only the NFC East, but the entire conference. A return trip to the Super Bowl is a distinct possibility.

Dallas Cowboys (11-5) - The Cowboys ran up an impressive 13-3 record in 2007, but once again failed to get to the promised land, losing to the Giants in their first playoff game, 21-17, as the offense sputtered and the defense couldn't hold up.

The offense has the same weapons as last season, starting with Terrell Owens, quarterback Tony Romo, tight end Jason Witten and running back Marion Barber. The trouble is that they have nobody to line up across from Owens, though there are any number of possibilities, from undrafted Danny Amendola to veterans Patrick Crayton and Sam Hurd.

The draft was an interesting one, with running backs Felix Jones from Arkansas and Tashard Choice of Georgia Tech vying for featured back status. Both could add to the attack. Jones is speedy and shifty, while Choice is a bruising back along the lines of Barber.

The Cowboys had the most productive offense in the NFC in 2007, scoring 28.4 points per outing, but the defense allowed 20.3, and that's not good enough, ranking about in the middle of the league. Defensive lapses and inconsistent play on offense caused the Dallas playoff collapse last year, and with all they preseason hype about a Super Bowl appearance this season, it's a real stretch of the imagination.

The Giants are a better squad now, with more confidence, and Washington is going to be improved in 2008. If the Cowboys even make the playoffs, the NFC Championship will be the best they'll do.

The schedule is full of potential potholes, to say nothing of the opening four weeks of terror: at Cleveland, Philadelphia, at Green Bay and then Washington in Week 4. It gets easier until a 4:15 game at the Giants on 11/2, just before a bye week. The Cowboys will close out with Seattle, at Pittsburgh, the Giants, Baltimore and at Philadelphia.

This could be an unexpectedly rough season in Dallas.

--- Story continues below ---

Washington Redskins (9-7) - With the 5th-ranked defense in 2007 (19.4 ppg), the Redskins used the first three picks of the draft to bolster their offense, taking Devin Thomas (WR, Michigan St.), Fred Davis (TE, USC) and Malcolm Kelly (WR, Oklahoma), 1-2-3. Those players should be a plus and each should see plenty of action this season, as Santana Moss and Antwaan Randle El are not sufficient to stretch defenses.

The defense was bolstered when the Skins acquired Jason Taylor from Miami. Taylor is one of the best pass-rushers in the business and will provide pressure on opposing QBs. That can only help the talented secondary pick off more passes in 2008.

The problem for the Redskin offense may be at QB, where Jason Campbell, who led the team to a 5-7 record before his season ended in injury, will be the starter once again. Campbell hit on 60% of his passes in 2007, but his 12 TDs to 11 INTs ratio must improve, and quickly. Otherwise, the offense can lean on reliable Clinton Portis, who gained 1262 yards rushing in '07.

The Redskins may win 6 or 7 games this season with defense alone, and if Campbell improves, they could challenge for the division title.

If the offense can improve on the 20.9 ppg to maybe the mid-20s, Washington will be very competitive. The schedule is tough early, beginning at the Giants on Thursday, Sept. 4, and at Dallas on the 28th. Sandwiched between those games are home dates with New Orleans and Arizona. If the Redskins can get through those games 2-2 or better, and reach week 14 with 7 or 8 wins, they'll be in good shape, closing out the regular season at Cincinnati, Philadelphia and at San Francisco.

Playoffs? Maybe. Much more than that, probably not.

Philadelphia Eagles (8-8) - The team that is a supposed perennial playoff contender Eagles missed taking part in the post-season for the second time in the past three years. Quarterback Donovan McNabb, hasn't played a full season since 2004, when the Eagles reached their zenith, losing to New England, 24-21, in the Super Bowl.

With a healthy McNabb and running back Brain Westbrook, who led the league in all-purpose yards in 2007, the Eagles can be competitive, but they are playing in the toughest division in football. Even with McNabb as the starter, the Eagles are just 17-16 over the last three seasons, so maybe they are just good enough to be above .500, which is about where they figure to end up in 2008.

The defense may still be one of the best in the league, with a wealth of talent in the secondary, but the offense is still in search of a go-to receiver. That man could be second round draft pick DeSean Jackson from Cal, but rookie receivers usually need a year or more of maturing time in the NFL before making significant impact.

The Eagles were just 2-4 in the division last season, and the NFC East looks even better this year. Is it time to throw in the towel on the annually-injured McNabb? If the OL can't keep him from harm, it could be more like 6-10 than 8-8.

Copyright 2008, 2009, Rick Gagliano, Downtown Magazine. All rights reserved. Downtown Magazine is located in the Uinted States of America and is not affiliated with the National Football League or the NCAA. For more information, contact us here. Use of this site is for entertainment purposes only.

Untitled

Sports Handicappers Lounge
Check out the web's best sports handicapping forum - get free service plays from Capper's Lounge.
www.capperslounge.com