NFL: NFC East Breakdown

In part two of the MikesPickz NFL Breakdown, we will take a look at the NFC East.

2009 Standings:
Dallas Cowboys – 11-5 *Playoffs
Philadelphia Eagles – 11-5 *Playoffs
New York Giants – 8-8
Washington Redskins – 4-12

2010 Preseason: NFC East
Dallas Cowboys – 3-2
New York Giants – 2-2
Philadelphia Eagles – 2-2
Washington Redskins – 2-2

2010 Regular Season Predictions:
Dallas Cowboys – 11-5
Philadelphia Eagles – 9-7
New York Giants – 8-8
Washington Redskins – 8-8

Team Breakdowns:

Dallas Cowboys:
The Dallas Cowboys seem to always be the team that appears to have what it takes to make it to the Superbowl, but fail to deliver. I feel a similar storyline occurring this season. The Cowboys will once again have a good offense. Despite what many people think, Romo is actually a very good and consistent QB. Each season he has had a 90 plus QB Rating and he has enough weapons to do that once again. I am in favor of moving Marion Barber back to the secondary RB, with him getting the red-zone carries. The defense was solid last year, and I don’t expect it to be much better or worse.

Philadelphia Eagles:
The Eagles will be a very different looking team this year. With Donovan McNabb down in Washington and with Brian Westbrook across the country in San Francsico, the once familiar offense is now the unfamiliar. LeSean McCoy is a very solid RB and will fill in nicely as the primary back. The Wide Receiver core is solid with DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin, but they still lack a tough short yardage WR. Unlike many analysts, I am not sold on Kevin Kolb and I would not be surprised if Michael Vick gets a start before the season ends. The defense will keep them in games and they should finish above .500 without McNabb.

New York Giants:
The New York Giants are an interesting team. Just two years removed from winning the Superbowl, the Giants were a major disappointment last season. This year, I expect them to finish exactly how they did last season. They added Keith Bulluck to a defense that allowed 26.7 points per game last season (3rd worst in the NFL). Although Bulluck is an improvement, he is not the answer to their problems. On offense, they are also going to have some troubles. Eli Manning has been a sufficient quarterback in the past, and he is coming off his best season as a pro, but outside of Steve Smith, he doesn’t have many options. The running game is shaky at the moment. Ahmad Bradshaw has won the starting job over Brandon Jacobs, and Jacobs is not happy.

Washington Redskins:
The Washington Redskins were able to trade for Donovan McNabb in the off-season, but it will still not be enough for them to win this division. McNabb is an improvement over Jason Campbell, but not by much. Campbell never really got the respect he deserved in Washington and I think McNabb will prove that point, when they have yet another disappointing season. Santana Moss should have an increase in production because of McNabb’s deep ball, but outside of that, the Redskins don’t have nearly the receiving weapons that the Eagles had last season. The defense will be a strength of the team as long as everyone can pass conditioning tests. Mike Shanahan’s first season as head coach will be an improvement over last year, but he is still a couple pieces away from winning the division.

Photo Credit: FantasyKnuckleHeads.com

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