2011 NFC East Preview

For the second of our eight part 2011 NFL preview, we take a look at the NFC East. The teams are listed in order of where we expect them to finish.

1. Dallas Cowboys: Yes, the Eagles are the trendy pick to win the division, but the Cowboys are deeper. Tony Romo, while overrated, is coming back to a very good offense with a much improved offensive line. The offense took off last year when Jason Garrett became the head coach, and the team started to run the ball more. Expect this to continue this season, as the triumvirate of running backs in Felix Jones, Tashard Choice, and DeMarco Murray are extremely good. While Roy Williams was released, this is addition by subtraction as he was nothing more than their fourth option on offense. Dez Bryant is expected to step up this year, while Miles Austin and Jason Witten provide their typical steady play.

On defense, the Cowboys will rebound from what was a statistically bad season for them. In their base defense, they allowed ten more touchdowns than they gave up prior to Wade Phillips getting fired. Afterwards, when they focused on fundamentals, they only gave up three more touchdowns than they scored. With Rob Ryan calling the plays and designing the schemes, the defense is bound to improve. While there may be an initial learning curve, expect DeMarcus Ware and the rest of that defense to wreak havoc upon the opposition.

You heard it here first – the Cowboys will be dramatically improved and win the NFC East.

2. Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles entire season hinges on Michael Vick. While they have an offense made up of explosive playmakers in DeSean Jackson, LeSean McCoy, and the Not-Something-Sean Jeremy Maclin; Vick is the key to the engine. Should he go down, Vince Young would be the quarterback stepping in, which leaves one to wonder how he’ll handle an offense that will not protect him with a running game. As it stands, Young will probably start around five games this season, as Vick has yet to play a full slate of games in the NFL. Also decreasing the odds that he stays healthy is the offensive line, which might resemble a turnstile at points in time this year. There are questions at center, right tackle and left guard, as well as a rookie at right guard. With the pass rushes that the Eagles will face, particularly in division, Vick may have a hard time staying upright.

The biggest moves of the offseason for the Eagles came on the defensive side of the ball. With the trade of Kevin Kolb to the Arizona Cardinals, the Eagles acquired Dominque Rodgers-Cromartie, aka the actually good cornerback named Cromartie. They also signed the top free agent in Nnamdi Asomugha, which, along with Asante Samuel, gives the Eagles a trio of cornerbacks unlike any in NFL history. They also brought in more depth on the defensive line with the signing of Cullen Jenkins, formerly of the Green Bay Packers. Yet, linebacker, which was a weakness for them last season, was ignored, aside from the drafting of Casey Mathews. Given the aggressiveness of the line and the blitz schemes typical of the Eagles defense, the linebackers will need to step up in a major way.

There are questions here, even if people regard the Eagles as a lock for the Super Bowl. If all the pieces fall into place, they will have a deep run. If not, it could be scary in Philly this year.

3. New York Giants: The Giants are, quite simply, a team that needs to rediscover their offensive identity. Over the past couple of seasons, they have gone away from running the ball and have let Eli Manning air it out more. This season, expect Tom Coughlin to remember that he does not have the good Manning brother, and get back to pounding the ball with Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs. This will be partially be design, but also out of necessity, as they lost key pieces to their offense in Steve Smith and Kevin Boss. Can Travis Beckum and whoever they plug in as the third receiver make enough plays? And will Eli have enough time to throw the ball, as the offensive line has a new left tackle in William Beatty, to go along with a new center in David Baas. This season should serve as a reminder to Eli that he really is not in the same class as Tom Brady or his brother.

On defense, the key is going to be whether or not they have enough players in the secondary. Already, the Giants have lost starter Terrel Thomas and two reserves go out for the year with injuries. Top pick Prince Amukamara is out until at least October. Will they be able to stop the pass? While the defensive line is the best part of the defense, they need the other positions to make plays as well. The linebacking corps, which was a complete disaster last season, should be improved with the addition of Greg Jones. However, this is a squad that could give up far more points that one is accustomed to from a Giants defense.

The Giants simply do not have enough pieces to compete with the Cowboys and the Eagles. Expect a losing record this year, and a new head coach next season.

4. Washington Redskins: So-called genius Mike Shanahan took an already bad situation and somehow made it worse. First, the debacle that will be the quarterback position is going to be manned by has-been Rex Grossman to start the season, until he is replaced by the never-was John Beck. The receiving corps is entirely Santana Moss and a lot of nothing. While third round pick Leonard Hankerson has the potential to develop into a playmaker, it will not be in time to matter for this season. Chris Cooley, their most consistent receiver, has been battling a knee issue all preseason, and may not be effective this year. As such, the Redskins will need to rely on a running game that features Tim Hightower, who has done nothing in his NFL career to show that he can be a starting running back. While Ryan Torain and Roy Helu are serviceable, there is a distinct lack of talent on this side of the ball.

On defense, expect more of the same. Last year, the Redskins were flat out awful against the pass, and aside from Brain Orakpo, could not get anyone near the quarterback on a consistent basis. While several moves during the offseason will help them going forward, this is still a major work in progress. Ryan Kerrigan and Jarvis Jenkins look like they will be playmakers someday, but will it be for Shanahan or the next head coach? This team will need to figure out a way to stop people on defense, and that looks like a major challenge.

The Redskins are looking at winning the Andrew Luck Lottery this year. Expecting three wins may be overstating their competence.