Joe Buck and Troy Aikman love this division. Really, they LOVE it. They love the way the Cowboys come out like a house on fire and collapse in December. They love the way that Andy Reid jiggles when he gets mad on the sideline. They also love the way that Tom Coughlin looks like a demon in cold temperatures. And they love to watch Albert Haynesworth huff and puff his way...through lunch.
Yes, I would fully expect Joe Buck and Troy Aikman to come down from the broadcast booth, have Jerry Jones drop his pants and...well this is a family blog so I'll keep that one to myself.
Over the past couple of seasons, this has been one of the best divisions in football. The NFC East has gotten multiple wild card berths several times over the past decade and has a Super Bowl Champion in the 2006 Giants.
However, the division is in decline and several faces are in new places, mostly in Washington. The East needs to get some new playmakers, but there is only one team that could make a long run in the playoffs as of right now...
1. Dallas Cowboys (2009 Record: 11-5 1st NFC East; 2010 Prediction: 11-5)
The Cowboys are always the media darlings of the NFL. They're America's Team right? Well, this year America's Team is tooled for a long playoff run, but can they mask their chaos long enough to do just that?
Tony Romo returns as the Cowboys starter and that usually means turmoil. Like the rest of the team, Romo usually gets off to scalding hot starts at the beginning of the season, but towards the end of the season, he tends to freeze up.
However, this year might mean a reverse trend. The offense has struggled in the preseason, so maybe they'll get hot at the end of the year instead. That will depend on RB Felix Jones who, despite his injury history, will be the featured back ahead of Marion Barber (who played last year on a torn quadraceps muscle).
Another key to the offense will be WR Dez Bryant, who missed the preseason with a high ankle sprain. Roy Williams has been a dissapointment, and it will be interesting to see if Bryant can take the #2 receiver spot away behind Miles Austin.
Defensively, the Cowboys are solid with DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer manning a great pass rush. If the secondary can hold their own, the Cowboys should be a tough team to beat in 2010.
2. New York Giants (2009 Record: 8-8 3rd NFC North; 2010 Prediction: 10-6)
The Giants return with a lot of guys from last season, and they'll get a couple back. Nobody is bigger than DE Osi Umienorya who missed all of last season with a torn ACL. It usually takes a couple of seasons to return to form after such an injury, but he does, the Giants pass rush will be great. Especially with the insurance policy in the first round known as DE Jason Pierre-Paul.
The offense is a bit of a question mark. QB Eli Manning threw for over 4,000 yards last year, but it's because the running game was non-existent. The Giants will have to hope that either RB Brandon Jacobs or Ahmad Bradshaw step up to take the load off Manning.
I also think that Hakeem Nicks will have a big year after playing on a broken foot for the second half of last season. If the running game gets going, the Giants will be the toast of New York instead of the Jets.
Oh and did I mention they have a new stadium?
3. Philadelphia Eagles (2009 Record: 11-5 2nd NFC North; 2010 Prediction: 8-8)
It's always sunny in Philadelphia, unless you're a Philly sports fan. The Phillies have been a disappointment and the Eagles are headed that way.
A lot of people are expecting QB Kevin Kolb to be Aaron Rodgers 2.0. While he has the weapons, it remains seen which Kolb we will see this year. Will it be the Kolb who struggled filling in for McNabb on occasion or will we see the Kolb that lit up the Saints and the Chiefs last year? That remains to be seen.
The skill positions are legit though. RB LeSean McCoy is similar to Brian Westbrook and will fill in for Westbrook nicely after his departure to San Francisco. WR DeSean Jackson is one of the best deep threats in the league, and Jeremy Maclin should improve in year two.
The defense scares me. They're getting old and trying to rebuild that side of the ball, so they might lose several games through the air. Especially when they have to face Eli Manning, Tony Romo, and GASP! Donovan McNabb twice on top of Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers, and Matt Schaub.
4. Washington Redskins (2009 Record: 4-12 4th NFC East; 2010 Prediction: 3-13)
Yeah, I know they have McNabb and new coach Mike Shanahan, but there are way too many holes on this team for it to mean anything.
The running backs on this team are dinosaurs. RB Clinton Portis is one concussion away from hanging it up, while Larry Johnson and Willie Parker don't seem like they can contribute at a high level. However, don't count them out completely because of Shanahan's zone blocking scheme which cranked out 1,000 yard rushers in Denver year after year.
At wideout, the Redskins have the aging Santana Moss and two prospects who haven't lived up to their potential in Malcom Kelly and Devin Thomas. TE Chris Cooley helps a little bit, but other than that it's garbage.
Their offensive line continues to be in shambles. Kudos on the pickup of Trent Williams in the draft last year, but the rest of the line is aging quickly and will have trouble picking up McNabb.
As for their defense, it's OK. They have young guns to build around in LB Brian Orakpo, CB Carlos Rogers, and S LaRon Landry, but they have no pass rush. Owbert Haynesworth, aka Puddinhead, is supposed to be that answer, but Shanahan is already treating him in an unfavorable manner. The two should have a steel cage fight to the death by Week 4, mark that on your calendar.
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