This is the fifth post of a two-week series I will be doing, discussing every team by division and how I see their 2008 NFL season playing out. Today, we are discussing the NFC East division, which is populated by the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants and Washington Redskins. Let’s get started!
Dallas Cowboys Tony Romo now has enormous pressure to win his first playoff game this year. Quite possibly, the biggest amount of pressure in the entire NFL right now. Romo has some incredible weapons that he’s had before, as well as a new one in the backfield. Marion Barber and Felix Jones will be a more dominant RB tandem than that of Julius/Marion of these past few seasons. Felix had the second most rushing yards in Razorback school history, behind of course, Darren McFadden. Felix will not be a downgrade from either Julius or McFadden at all. TO and Romo will more than likely be the second-best QB-WR duo in the league, next to Brady-Moss in New England, and I expect the two (Romo-TO) to have an extremely large amount of production in the offense, even more so than last year’s numbers. I can easily see Romo throwing 40 TDs and Terrell Owens catching 20 of them. Tony Romo had all that production minus Terry Glenn last year, why can’t he do even more in 2008? The defense will be one of the toughest in the league, and nobody, probably not even New England would be able to march all over them. The long-awaited re-instatement of Adam “Pac-Man” Jones finally happened, and within twenty seconds, that defense’s toughness and force went up big-time. The Cowboys should run straight back to the playoffs, winning the NFC East by a sizeable margin.
Regular Season Prediction: 13-3, 1st in NFC East, #1 seed in NFC playoffs
Philadelphia Eagles The main problem with Philadelphia right now is the injury to Pro Bowl DB, Brian Dawkins. Last season, he was the only guy on that defense that kept them going, and even with the addition of Asante Samuel, another Pro Bowl DB, they still won’t be able to fully make up this guy’s presence in the huddle. Sure, Samuel will do good, but with Dawkins back there as well, the Eagles would do that much better. If Dawkins is ready by the 7th, I’ll be extremely confident in this team making at least a push for the playoffs. However, another big injury concern, this one, perennial, however, is Donovan McNabb. He always goes for too much and tries to make plays where there isn’t one. I know he’s an extremely capable veteran, but he still needs to learn that he’s not the only playmaker on the offense. If McNabb stays in the pocket, and doesn’t try to make too many plays with his feet, the Eagles should be set. If he does get hurt, which is always a likeliness by about week 8 or 9, someone else has to step up big time or they are done.
Regular Season Prediction: 9-7, 2nd in NFC East, #6 seed in NFC playoffs
New York Giants The Giants from the outside look quite a mess. The defense lost 50% of it’s sacks from last season and some of it’s most talented players. Make no mistake, those group of guys that are either with another team, retired, or out with an injury, were the core of this defense. Without them, the Giants can’t even hope to make it back to the post-season. Eli Manning and the offense had a great run for 6 weeks last season, and that was it. They are not some greatest team of the century, they are just good and lucky. Lucky that they started getting hot at exactly the right time, and good because of the players they had. Now, they look unlucky and average at best. Plaxico Burress is still ####ed up, whether people believe it or not. The running backs were great last season, but they need to step up this year. If Manning can’t set his feet in the pocket, which was the case last year in certain games, the running backs need to be reliable targets out of the backfield on draws, play action and screens. They’re the key now with the whole defense out. I don’t think the Giants will do as good as last season, and they have a tough second-half schedule to be wary of. .500 is about all I can expect from the injury-depleted champs this year.
Regular Season Prediction: 8-8, 3rd in NFC East, no playoffs
Washington Redskins The Redskins went on that run last season with Todd Collins at the helm of the offense. Jason Campbell has still not proven me anything, and I really wouldn’t be surprised if he got benched to make room for Jim Zorn’s ideal Wes Coast QB, Colt Brennan. Zorn doesn’t seem like the guy to wait around, so if he does want Brennan to be the leader of the team, expect a move to come as early as Week 8 or 9. Santana Moss and Devin Thomas will be the keys to making the offense work. I know how well both of them can stretch the defense, and it’ll be exciting to see whether or not Jason Campbell can turn his career around and become a Pro-Bowl like player, which the Redskins have been waiting for. If he can’t, it may be Brennan’s job come August 2009, or they might go after a QB in the draft. Clinton Portis and LaDell Betts had a pretty good combined season last year. However, I really see the both of them dropping off the charts this year, as in their production decreases. I just don’t like the set-up of the offense right now, and with Campbell as the QB, I doubt they’ll ever be serious contenders. The defense was boring in the playoff game against Seattle, and they didn’t show me much competence. I know they have a strong core, but they can’t utilize it correctly in the tougher game situations. If they can do that this year, and Portis/Betts have solid seasons, they may make up for what the offense lacks in explosiveness.
Regular Season Prediction: 5-11, 4th in NFC East, no playoffs
Let me hear what you think! Check back in tomorrow for my NFC North Preview!
The NFC is a question mark as of right now, and as I see it, is completely up for grabs. So, I have decided to take the task of deciding the NFC’s team to beat this year. For the next week, I will be looking at each NFC team in alphabetical order to find out who really is the NFC favorite heading into the 2008 season.
I will rank each team’s chances on a 1-10 scale, 1 being the worst chance of winning the conference, 10 being the best chance of winning the conference. The team with the worst chance will get a 1, while the team with the best chance will get a 10.
Today I will be discussing the Philadelphia Eagles, Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers and the defending NFC and Super Bowl Champions, the New York Giants.
Eagles Donovan McNabb has to be the biggest question mark heading into the 2008 season. He has not played a full 16 game season in over 3 years, and he is very injury prone, so I would be wary of putting to much pressure on him. If he does his job, and doesn’t try to do extra, like running and avoiding defenders outside of the pocket, than the Eagles should be in fine shape.
Brian Westbrook is expected to incredible by all the experts, and I’m not saying I’m one of the experts, but I believe he will have a dynamic season as well. With plenty of weapons on the team, he’ll have plenty of chances to excel.
The defense has been “upped” incredibly after the addition of Asante Samuel. Mark my words, the Eagles pass defense will be much improved this year. They did good last year, but this year, you can expect them to only give up 210-230 yards per game through the air.
The Eagles play in a tough division, but out of the three major teams contending (New York, Philly, Dallas) they are the most weathered and experienced.
Scale: 6
Falcons Matt Ryan cannot be expected to do much with this team. He has been given some good players, but he hasn’t had much time to acquaint himself with them.
The running game weakened with the loss of Warrick Dunn, but the addition of Michael Turner should cancel that out and then some. This guy is going to have a dynamic season as long as he stays healthy, and that O-Line can block better than they did in 07.
Joe Horn is still a Falcon after some doubts about him returning due to contract issues. I’d be glad he is back if I am a Falcon fan, because he is a solid offensive contributor, and fits right in with the Falcons.
The defense is questionable, but they could get by if Ryan, Turner, Horn and the rest of the offense can keep the chains moving long enough. I wouldn’t like resting the fate of the game in Atlanta’s defense.
The Falcons are too weak to contend in that division.
Scale: 2
49ers The 49ers are incredibly questionable on offense. Alex Smith is still the starter after a 5-11 year last season. It’s disappointing to see a player that was expected to do as much as he was not compete.
Frank Gore has really slipped off the charts since becoming the NFC’s leading rusher in 2006. He had plenty of offensive production last year, rushing for 1,102 yards. I don’t know why people seem to think he isn’t as good as he was two years ago. He still has that heart and soul to play football inside, so don’t count him out of having another terrific season just yet.
The wideouts on that team are really bad. Isaac Bruce was good in his prime, but picking him up now, and expecting him to be the guy who does the best is not the best move that could have been made. If the 49ers were more active in the off-season pursuing UFA’s, then maybe they would be in the discussion, but I don’t think they are right now.
Vernon Davis is the best offensive receiving weapon on that team, and if they sink or swim in the passing game, it will be because he was thrown to or not thrown to.
Patrick Willis, Manny Lawson and Kentwan Balmer will make for a fearsome front 7 against offenses next year. If the offense performed as well as the defense, we’d be talking about double-digit wins here, not how badly they’ll finish in their division.
Scale: 4
Giants Let me get something out of the way here real quick. The Giants WILL NOT repeat as Super Bowl Champs. They have a chance of winning the NFC East, but that‘ll be extremely tough fighting in that division. Just wanted to make myself clear on that.
Eli Manning had 5 incredible straight games last year, and I’m sure it will be hard for him to keep that kind of production up for another 16+. He’ll have his work cut out for him this year with that division being as tough as it is.
Plaxico Burress is still not participating at Giants training camp. He claims it is because of his ankle bothering him, not his contract. At this point, we have no choice but to take his word for it. Plax has always been a responsible and honest guy. I think whether or not they agree on a new contract, he’ll be playing all 16 games barring injury in 2008. Plaxico Burress is going to have a terrific season, and opposing defenses have a lot to watch out for because that is a tough guy to cover.
The defense was obviously weakened with the loss of Michael Strahan, but they do still have Osi Umenyiora, who had a monster of a season last year. Expect more of the same. They also picked up Kenny Philips, the safety from Miami in the draft, and he should be a solid player and pass defender. He is quick on his feet and has plenty of great players around him, so he doesn’t have to feel like the pressure’s on him.
The Giants have a solid shot of winning the NFC East, but they will need to play at the level they did at the end of last year. Only this time, they need to do it all year to keep up with Dallas.
Scale: 7
That’s all I got, let me hear your thoughts. Please keep the swearing at me to a minimum if you can. Thank you!
The Giants have finally dealt away TE Jeremy Shockey. In what seemed to me an unexpected move, New York traded him to the New Orleans Saints today for 2 draft picks.
This is insane! What a dumb trade by the Giants! Shockey is worth a 1st round pick, and they settled for less because they were in a hurry. HA! That’s whatcha get I guess for being an ####.
The Saints have just pulled off the steal of the century by landing Shockey. The offense in Nawlins is absolutely frickin’ loaded! The Saints are undoubtedly, undeniably the favorite in the NFC South this season.
Here is their schedule:
1. TB 2. @ WSH 3. @ DEN 4. SF 5. MIN 6. OAK 7. @ CAR 8. SD (London) 9. BYE 10. @ ATL 11. @ KC 12. GB 13. @ TB 14. ATL 15. @ CHI 16. @ DET 17. CAR
If you ask me, that looks like an 11-5 or 12-4 record. You don’t have to ask me though, because that’s why I’m here, to tell you. The Saints are making the playoffs guaranteed. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the Saints are gonna be one of the Vegas favorites come September.
At the same time as this helps the Saints, we need to look at the Giants and see if this really does hurt them.
Here is their schedule for 2008:
1. WSH 2. @ STL 3. CIN 4. BYE 5. SEA 6. @ CLE 7. SF 8. @ PIT 9. DAL 10. @ PHI 11. BAL 12. @ ARZ 13. @ WSH 14. PHI 15. @ DAL 16. CAR 17. @ MIN
That looks like about a 9-7 season without a playoff berth. there is too much competition in the NFC Wild Card for them to make it, and I’m pretty sure that it’s common sense the Cowboys are gonna win the division. Minnesota, Green Bay, Arizona, Philly, and Tampa Bay all have better shots at the playoffs that the Giants do without Shockey.
They have pretty much based this trade on a foolish decision to go with the Tight End who made one big catch. Kevin Boss (I think it’s Kevin, right?) made a good play in the Super Bowl that got the Giants way downfield in order to win the game.
Okay, to give credit where credit is due, he was wide open, and the defender pretty much fell on his face like an ostrich, so it was less impressive than some people seem to think.
Giants fans, beware, I’m not saying Boss is a bad tight end, in fact I do think he’s pretty good, but don’t get your hopes up for him being a Player of the Year candidate like Jeremy Shockey would be.
That’s all I got for this topic, let me hear your thoughts.
I read a post by jaguarjoe72 that gave me the idea to throw out my picks for the 2008 NFL season. We are all bored, and most of us have to put up with our teams losing all summer in baseball (unless you're a D-Backs or Rays fan. Lucky dogs!), so here they are as of right now!
AFC East New England---------13-3 Buffalo------------------6-10 New York Jets--------5-11 Miami-------------------4-12
AFC North Pittsburgh--------------11-5 Cleveland---------------7-9 Baltimore---------------5-11 Cincinnati--------------4-12
AFC South Jacksonville-----------12-4 Indianapolis-----------11-5 Tennessee------------10-6 Houston----------------6-10
AFC West San Diego-------------13-3 Oakland----------------10-6 Denver------------------7-9 Kansas City-----------3-13
NFC East Dallas------------------12-4 New York Giants----11-5 Philadelphia----------10-6 Washington-----------7-9
NFC North Minnesota------------11-5 Green Bay------------9-7 Chicago---------------7-9 Detroit-----------------6-10
NFC South New Orleans--------10-6 Atlanta-----------------9-7 Tampa Bay-----------9-7 Carolina---------------8-8
NFC West Seattle-----------------12-4 San Francisco--------10-6 Arizona------------------9-7 St. Louis---------------2-14
So here are the standings after the regular season in playoff contention:
AFC 1. San Diego 2. New England 3. Jacksonville 4. Pittsburgh 5. Indianapolis 6. Oakland
NFC 1. Dallas 2. Seattle 3. Minnesota 4. New Orleans 5. New York Giants 6. San Francisco
Super Bowl XLIII Dallas Cowboys vs. San Diego Chargers
First off, congratulations to the New England Patriots on being the AFC Champions, and moving on to the Super Bowl from Arizona!
Now, the most important question is: Can anyone from the NFC defeat the 18-0 Machine?
The answer is yes, otherwise the opponent would not be there. Remeber 3 weeks ago when the Patriots defeated the Giants 38-35. That's a 3 point victory, for the math-challenged (Like myself. YeeMum, you know what I mean)
Who's to say that something like that couldn't happen again, even in reverse, with the G-Men winning? Who knows for sure? No one does.
Do the Giants have what they need to beat the Patriots?
I believe so. If not, the Patriots would not have only beaten them by 3 in Week 17.
If any Patriots fan thinks that they automatically have this game locked up, because the NFC is weak, or because Manning's too inconsistent, or because Favre's too old, then I would say that they are a fool. If you are foolish enough to believe that any team has the Super Bowl locked up due to better record or more personnel or any of that, than take a trip back with me...
2005 season. Steelers stood at 7-2, well on their way to an AFC North title, when the worst happened. They dropped 3 straight games, setting them at 7-5, and putting a shadow over their post-season chances. They won out, to reach an 11-5 mark, but had to settle for a #6 seed, meaning they would have to play the #1 seed if they wished to reach the Super Bowl.
They came in big underdogs to the Cincinnati Bengals. They won that game and advanced to the divisioinal round.
They came in HUGE underdogs to the Indianapolis Colts. The Steelers played tough, and won with some controversial calls, such as the INT by Polamalu, reviewed and ruled a fumble. Later, the league admitted that the call in the game was wrong.
In the AFC Title Game, they played at Denver, one of the toughest places to play. Guess what, they came in underdogs. And guess what, they still won.
Super Bowl 40. Seattle vs. Pittsburgh. Seahawks vs. Steelers.
The Steelers came in underdogs and still won the game.
What am I saying with all this? In case you haven't been keeping up with the oddsmakers, the Giants have been underdogs every time.
@ Tampa Bay
A new-found rivalry that will be entertaining next season. None of the experts believed in them. BTW, I did.
@ Dallas
A rivalry for the ages. Played in a dome. None of the experts believed in them. BTW, I did.
@ Green Bay
A very tough climate to play in. None of the experts believed in them. BTW, I do.
Noticing a trend here?
I say the Giants defeat the Packers, 27-23
Thanks for reading this! Have a great rest of your weekend!
free counter
I am Mike Greenspire and I am a sports blogger for FOX Sports and I love the NFL, NHL, MLB, NBA, and NASCAR! I was born and raised in the city of Pittsburgh, PA, so naturally I am a die-hard fan of the Pens, Buccos, and Steelers. Since Pittsburgh basketball is long gone, my favorite team in the NBA is the Orlando Magic. Please leave a comment on my blog, I love feedback. My blog is fun, and I enjoy writing it, and I hope that you will enjoy reading it! Thanks!
MySpace Sports Logos MySpace Sports Logos MySpace Sports Logos MySpace Sports Logos
http://www.bu ttongenerator .com/index.ph p
