The NFL season opener is just 8 days away, and we at Ice
Bath Report couldn’t be happier about it. So every day leading up to that
glorious kickoff, we will release a division preview with rankings and record
predictions. PJ will handle to NFC and Chris will take care of the AFC. Without
further ado, here is your NFC East preview:
1. New York Giants
I honestly can’t remember another year when the reigning
Super Bowl champion had less hype going into the following season. I know the
Giants only finished the regular season 9-7, but does anyone remember how good
this team was in the playoffs? Eli Manning looked as good as any quarterback in
the NFL, and the defense made Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady look very average.
And the thing is, this team has only gotten better. Eli’s chemistry with his
young stud wide receivers, Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz, will continue to
develop. The Giants also brought in Martellus Bennett from Dallas, who has
never been great but is still an upgrade at the tight end position. David
Wilson has also showed freakish ability in the preseason, and should easily
perform better than Brandon Jacobs did in the backup role last season. On the
defensive side, Jason Pierre-Paul, Justin Tuck, and Osi Umenyiora form a
pass-rushing trio that is unrivaled by anyone else in the league. Linebackers
were a weakness for the Giants last season, but Mathias Kiwanuka is back from
injury and they brought in the talented Keith Rivers from Cincinnati. While the
Terrell Thomas injury this preseason hurt a lot, the secondary should still be
good. Corey Webster played at a Pro Bowl level last season, and Antrel Rolle
and Kenny Phillips make one of the better safety tandems in the NFL. The unity
of the offensive line, the gap at the middle linebacker position, and Prince
Amukamara in a starting role are all question marks for this team, but they
have more than enough strengths to make up for them. I definitely think the
Giants will return to the playoffs, and probably with a first-round bye.
Projected Record: 12-4
2. Philadelphia
Eagles
At this point last season, the Eagles were being referred to
as the “Dream Team” and almost every NFL expert had them going to the Super
Bowl. Although no one is going to make that mistake again, this Eagles team
should be pretty damn good. Despite the extremely disappointing result last
season, the Eagles soared in their last four games and almost snuck into the
playoffs. This roster might be the most talented in the NFL, but there was
almost no chemistry for the majorty of last season. I don’t see that happening
again, as the veteran players on the team have made it clear that they are more
focused than ever. Still, the Eagles play in one of the toughest divisions in
the NFL and might not be ready to win the division. The loss of left tackle
Jason Peters was monumental, especially because he was the only great player on
an offensive line that has the duty of protecting a scrambling quarterback with
bad ribs in Michael Vick. If Vick can stay healthy, this offense should put up
some huge numbers. LeSean McCoy led the NFL in touchdowns last season, and wide
receivers Jeremy Maclin and DeSean Jackson are also both explosive. The Eagles
should drastically improve defensively. The defensive end combo of Jason Babin
and Trent Cole should be able to pressure the quarterback enough on their own,
which will take a lot of pressure on a linebacker corps that really struggled
last season. The Eagles also stole middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans from Houston,
who should be key this season. However, the real fault in the Eagles defense
last season was the secondary. They let star cornerback Asante Samuel go, which
should actually help a lot. Nnamdi Asomugha was out of his comfort zone in zone
defenses, so this year he will return to his dominating self in man-to-man.
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is a very good second cornerback, and the safeties
are serviceable. While I don’t think the Eagles will be great, I think they
will be very good. Even in the extremely tough NFC, I see them grabbing a
wild-card spot.
Projected Record: 11-5
3. Dallas Cowboys
Ah, the team that always seems to fall short of their
preseason hype. Well guess what…they’re going to do it again. In the past few
years, the Cowboys have had very talented teams but have choked away every
chance of making the playoffs. But if you look at their roster this years
compared to the powerhouses of the NFC, they just aren’t that good. Tony Romo
is exciting and puts up good numbers year after year, but at this point it’s
obvious that the guy just isn’t a winner. DeMarco Murray will be dangerous this
year if he stays healthy, but running backs don’t win divisions in this passing
age of the NFL. Miles Austin and Dez Bryant are both big name receivers, but in
their two years together they have never meshed well. The biggest weakness for
the Cowboys is their offensive line. They royally suck, and they’ll probably
make it very hard on Romo this season. DeMarcus Ware is one of the best players
in the NFL, Jay Ratliff is a good nose tackle, and Brandon Carr was a nice
pickup at cornerback, but aside from that every defender on the team is either
mediocre or average. Sorry Cowboys fans. This year will just be another
testament that money can’t buy you into the playoffs in the NFL.
Projected Record: 8-8
4. Washington
Redskins
Another year, another finish at the cellar of the NFC East
for the Redskins. I do feel for this team, as they have significantly improved
but just so happen to play in probably the hardest division in the NFL. I do
think Robert Griffin III will someday be a stud in this league, but it
certainly won’t happen in his rookie season. I know other rookie quarterbacks
in recent memory, like Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco, have taken their teams to the
playoffs, but RG3 isn’t surrounded with nearly as much talent as those two
were. The running game is a huge unknown, because it’s really a crapshoot who’s
going to start at running back for Mike Shanahan. Fred Davis is a good tight
end, but the rest of the receivers are average at best. The front 7 of the
defense is actually very good, with the vastly underrated London Fletcher and
future star linebackers Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan. The same can’t be said
about the secondary, which is honestly very bad. That’s not a good area to be
weak in when you have to play against Eli Manning, Michael Vick, and Tony Romo
each twice a year. The Redskins will improve, but because of their strength of
schedule their record won’t very much.
Projected Record: 6-10
Chris’s Picks:
1. New York Giants
2. Philadelphia Eagles
3. Dallas Cowboys
4. Washington Redskins
Hope you enjoyed the first of our eight previews. Look
forward to Chris’s take on the AFC East tomorrow.
-PJ Moran
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