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.

When Engagements Go Wrong

It is not just us regular slobs that have troubles with dating or our love lives. No, these issues can happen to athletes and other famous people as well. Just ask Roy Williams of the Dallas Cowboys.

Williams is suing his ex-girlfriend to recover an engagement ring he sent her worth approximately $76,000, which she claims she lost. This ring was part of a package that Williams mailed to her in February that included $5000 for a dental procedure, a baseball for her brother, and a videotaped marriage proposal.

Now, I realize that I am no expert on relationships, as most of mine have been as horrifying as Pauly Shore acting. However, I would think that sending a videotaped marriage proposal would not exactly work. I mean, why couldn't Williams go there in the first place? It was February, so it's not like the Cowboys were playing for the Super Bowl. Hell, they weren't even in the playoffs. With the impeding lockout, it was not as though he had any pressing 'voluntary' football training commitments. No, this was just being lazy. It is no wonder she turned him down.

So Roy Williams, take your rejection like a man and keep the legal system out of it. It's what the rest of us do, unless we are getting hit with restraining orders for stalking.

Dez Bryant - What Is Wrong With You?

It seems that, over the past month or so, there is a new legal issue surrounding Dez Bryant every week. He has been banned from a mall for not picking up his pants. He has debts of over $850,000 from unpaid loans, jewelry and sports tickets paid on credit, and unpaid rent. That does not even include the legal fees that he is incurring through all this.

To be fair, it is not just Bryant. It seems as though whenever a football player, more than any other sport, has free time, he finds a way to get himself into trouble. Is this because, even in the offseason, they are under a regimented schedule, so the concept of free time is beyond rational thought? Is it the people they spend their time around? This case could be made for Michael Vick and his dogfighting ring, or with Aqib Talib and the charges that he and his mother are up for.

Bryant needs help. He needs someone to grab him and make him understand that he needs to grow up. His previous mentor, Deion Sanders, has given up on him, calling his actions 'ignorant' and stating that 'he needs help'. Interestingly enough, Sanders claims that he has been telling the Cowboys for months that Bryant needs help, based off of issues stemming from his childhood. Then why have the Cowboys not done anything in regards to Bryant's behavior? Why hasn't the NFL, and their stick 'conduct policy', not done anything to reprimand Bryant? Yes, there is the lockout where teams cannot have contact with their players, but one would expect a statement in regards to the situations or something akin to that.

Overall, Bryant's actions are not nearly as bad as those of Leonard Little or Donte Stallworth. No one has died due to anything he has done. He has not harmed anyone directly. However, there is still a pattern of childish and irresponsible behavior that gives a reason to pause. Continued actions like these may cause Bryant to never reach his potential, and may cause long term ramifications for both himself and the Cowboys.

Hopefully, this is a wake up call for Bryant. Yet, it seems more likely that he will ignore the warnings, and continue to exist as the privileged individual he believes himself to be.

What is the worst that can happen if we put a Super Bowl in Dallas?

As part of the payoff for Jerry Jones building his grand monument to himself, his ego, and the Dallas Cowboys, a Super Bowl was promised to Dallas. Typically, the same few cities keep getting the Super Bowl, mainly due to weather and that they have proven to be able to handle the event. As such, this was Dallas's first foray into hosting the championship. What was the worst that could happen?

First, the weather all week did not cooperate. A major part of the Super Bowl is the week leading up to the game, where people wander about the city, enjoy different fan experiences, and have a good time. This year, most people were stuck indoors, and were not able to spend the type of money that typically comes into the community during these events. This helps to disguise the fact that there were severe lacks of various items available in Dallas, such as taxis and strippers.

Then, on Friday, ice and snow fell from the roof of Jerry's Monument, injuring six people. This caused the NFL to decide on Sunday to close down four of the entrances, due to concerns about falling snow. Coupled with ticket scanners not working, and a plethora of fans having no idea where they needed to go when their entrances were closed, this rapidly became a farce.

Then, 1250 fans were displaced due to the temporary seats that needed to be installed not being ready in time. Plus, as an added bonus, these seats were not able to code requirements on game day. Why open the stadium when all the seats were not installed? How could the seats not pass inspection on game day? This speaks to the short sightedness of the people running the operation.

And those fans that were affected? Well, 850 of them were moved to a club area behind the Pittsburgh bench to watch the game on television. In standing room only areas. This was not what those people purchased tickets for. And the other 400? Well, there wasn't enough room for them, so they had to leave the stadium. But, the NFL *did* offer three times the face value of the tickets to those affected. Too bad that doesn't factor in how much was spent on hotel rooms, travel to and from the Dallas area, and that these tickets were probably purchased for far more than the face value. But the NFL and Roger Goodell are concerned with what the fans want, right?

As a fitting final chapter, Roger Staubach said that the Super Bowl would be considered a success if the NFL brought the game back to Dallas. Based on what transpired leading up to game time, I wouldn't be holding my breath.