-Conor Reilly, Sunday, August 30, 2009
For all those that are crying/angry/rioting/rabid over my extreme tardiness of the NFC East preview, I'm sorry. Deeply, deeply sorry. To show how genuine my apology is, I had my friends from Buckcherry write a song about it, you can find it here.
But the past is the past. You've waited long enough, I'll stop spewing my nonsense and give everyone what the came to see...the beasts of the East.
NFC East (Projected Order of Finish)
1. Philadelphia Eagles (9-6-1 Last Year)
And it pains me to say it. I hate the Eagles. I hate the Eagles, I hate the Phillies, I hate the Flyers. I wanted Smarty Jones to get mud in the eye so he(it?) wouldn't win the Triple Crown. I cheered for Apollo Creed, Mr. T, and communism against Rocky.
But at this very moment, I have a hunch the Eagles win the NFC East in 2009. And it gives me an ulcer. I have a gut (wrenching) feeling that everything just falls right for them in this regular season. McNabb goes crazy, turning young receiver/lunatic DeSean Jackson into a real superstar; as Michael Vick has an enormous smile on his face and is always the first one to give a congradulatory hug on the sideline after a touchdown. Brian Westbrook turns it on for one last ridiculous year statistically, both rushing and receiving. When he's healthy, theres no antidote to Brian Westbrook. And adding mastadon Jason Peters to the offensive line will help everyone tremendously.
And the defense, always sneaky-great, will get noticed more as they really shut teams down this year. This is more a hunch that a conclusion of extensive reasearch/study, but I really think it all falls right for Andy Reid's team (and we're just talking regular season here.) If the Phillies actually win another championship and the Eagles follow suit in the winter, we can all agree that an organized-yet-extensive quarantine must be put in effect for the city and their overbearing fans. All of this is making me quite uneasy.
2009 Projected Record: 12-4
2. New York Giants (12-4 Last Year)
Many of my readers are fans of Big Blue. I think now's the time for you to again visit the Buckcherry link provided earlier. And you can just call me an idiot, too. From what I've come across as far as previews, many of the pundits believe the Giants are the team to beat not just in the division, but in the conference. And why not? This team went a balmy 12-4 last year. They were without their best defensive player (Osi Umenyiora) the whole year. They have pretty much the same core as when they won the Super Bowl 2 years ago.
But that's the whole thing to me: pretty much. Everyone and their puppy knows the firearm-related demise of Plaxico Burress as a New York Giant. He caught the game winning pass in said-Super Bowl victory, and countless other passes when the Giants needed a go-to guy. On November 28th 2008, Plaxico Burress accidently put a bullet through his leg. Before it happened, 10 wins, 1 loss. Afterwards, 2 wins, 4 losses (including a playoff dismissal courtesy of Philadelphia.)
But we know all this. Eli struggled, the offense struggled, everyone struggled without the go-to guy. The running game was awesome last year, and it is great this year as well. The East is the last NFC division I have previewed, and the Giants would be ranked on top of any other NFC foursome. But not this one. The Eagles are good. The Cowboys are good. The Redskins can compete. And I don't want to give the aura I am seeing a down year for the Giants. Come my playoff predictions next week, (and they WILL be on time) I think you'll see quite the contrary. Though Derrick Ward is gone, Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw (and perhaps the best O-line in the NFL) will power this team to the postseason. If one of the supplementary receivers (S. Smith, D. Hixon, M. Manningham, S. Moss, H Nicks) becomes a go-to guy, look out Philly. But like I said, it's a gut reaction. But it's all about the playoffs, and have no fear Giants fans, you'll get there.
2009 Projected Record: 11-5
3. Dallas Cowboys (9-7 Last Year)
And these guys will get there too. I don't think it's rocket science with the 'Boys this year. I think they go the same 9-7 they did last year. They fell short of the playoffs in '08 due to the absurdy strong NFC South. I see those teams coming back to Earth and the Cowboys staying just the same. Terrell Owens is gone. For me, the talent they lose with him balances out evenly with the offensive chemistry/rhythm they gain. Roy Williams will be just dandy as their number 1 wideout, and Jason Witten may just stake his claim this year as the most productive tight end in football. Felix Jones and Marion Barber are on par with Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw of the Giants as far as backfield production.
Dallas has a few rotten turnips on defense, but a rock-solid linebacking group will keep offenses at bay. If Dallas takes care of business (perhaps splitting the 4 total games against Philly/Giants) the playoffs are theirs for the taking. Tony Romo seems to want it now, after dumping Daisy Duke in the offseason. Let's just say I'd be more than happy with him as my starting fantasy QB. He will lead the team to an above .500 record. And unlike last year, that'll be enough for postseason play.
2009 Projected Record: 9-7
4. Washington Redskins (8-8 Last Year)
I don't know what to think of this team. I'm fairly certain they are the worst team in this division, but I can't really explain why. Clinton Portis has somehow turned underrated now as an elite running back. Reilly Sports Blog favorite Santana Moss anchors and ok-reciveing corps, and Albert Haynesworth seems to legitimize this defense as top-10, perhaps top-5 in the league.
Then there is the quarterback. Jason Campbell was a first round fraft pick, expected to lead this franchise for years to come. He has had many obstacles and personnel changes throughout his career, but has still shown an ability to play at the NFL level. But this past offseason, he was treated like the South Park kids treat Butters. It was like he was McLovin, and the front office was Jonah Hill in Superbad. They wanted nothing to do with him, and it was made clear in the attempts to acquire Jay Cutler and Mark Sanchez in the offseason.
Now, the Redskins cannot be blamed if they thought these moves gave them the best chance to win. That's what it's all about. But it's a bit of an akward back-up plan to just say "Ok, we couldn't get those guys. We'll settle on you for now, Jason." We'll see what happens. But the Redskins would have to be firing on all cylinders to stay out of the division's gutter. Following Campbell's tumultuous offseason, that doesn't seem to be the case.
2009 Projected Record: 6-10
We did it! I knew we could. Yes, it's now officially Saturday in the east as I write this, but I can cheat on promises. I promised this column on Friday, and for all those from the Rockies on west, you're welcome. Everyone else, don't lose faith in me. Season starts Thursday, September 10th. By that time, you will have every division winner, every playoff team, and the one team that takes the whole thing home come February 7, 2010 in Miami. This I promise you.
A lot of phillys supposed upgrades on offense are rookies who will struggle to make an impact in their first year. McNabb and Westbrook have both shown a tendency to get injured. And Jim Johnson, who was the mind behind the Eagles defense, died in the offseason. They also still got the whale coaching on the sidelines.
ReplyDeleteWhile the Gmen did struggle without Burress, they had a matter of weeks to totally overhaul their passing game. Now they have had an entire to gameplan with a number of talented young recievers and Kevin Boss who should be a big target for Eli this year. The running game will still be their bread and butter on offense and should once again be one of the leagues best. On top of this they have added Canty, Bernard and Boley to an already stacked defense which should be one of the, if not the, best this year.
So fear not, Connor. The Eagles got nothing on Big Blue.
Great post as always.