The NFC East: The best division in football?

By Justin Shaw

The NFC East has always been a very good division and the team that comes out of it usually has a legit chance to make it to the Super Bowl.  Although the Giants and Redskins both got dominated in their playoff loses last season, this year could be the year this division produces a champion in the NFC.

This is the only division in the NFL in which all four teams could actually have a chance to take the crown.  First off, there is the still recovering Philadelphia Eagles.  They went from the penthouse to the outhouse in a very short amount of time.  They were a few plays away from winning the Super Bowl in the 2004 season and were 6-10 last season.  So the question for the Eagles is can they replace Terrell Owens with wide receivers that are relatively unknown?  Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook are still one of the top backfields in football, but without a passing game they will struggle moving the ball as they did in the Pre-T.O. era.  Although they have a veteran defense and solid special teams, you can’t win games if you don’t score.  They also have a brutal schedule and I don’t see them breaking .500.  Despite McNabb’s best efforts, the Eagles will finish last in the division at either 7-9 or 8-8.

Although many of the experts are highly touting the Dallas Cowboys because of the signing of Terrell Owens, they will still have their problems this season.  The Cowboys had a decent draft on the offensive side of the ball, acquiring RB Marion Barber from Minnesota and TE Anthony Fasano from Notre Dame.  However, there are just too many egos in Big D for this team to be a big success.  Jerry Jones, Bill Parcells, Terrell Owens, and Drew Bledsoe are a volatile mixture and I don’t think this will be a formula for tremendous success as the fans in Dallas do.  The offensive line is the weak link for the Cowboys and their defense is still unproven in big game situations.  They have definitely improved their roster top to bottom, and if they were in a different division in the NFC they could make a run to a division title, but in the East they won’t have enough.  They too have a very difficult schedule and will finish 9-7.

When the Giants and the Redskins hook up in their two meetings this season it will be explosive.  These two teams are very evenly matched on both sides of the ball and it will come down to the last few weeks of the season to determine who will win the division and whoever loses the division will be in the playoffs as a wild card.

The Giants had a great season last year until the red hot Carolina Panthers came into the Meadowlands and completely dominated them on their home field in the playoffs.  The Giants have an absolutely stacked offense and will put up a lot of points behind the running of Tiki Barber and the arm of Eli Manning.  However, they are going to have to rely on a host of rookies and inexperienced players on defense, which will be the weak link on the team.  The Panthers torched the Giants secondary in last year’s playoffs and the Giants haven’t really addressed that issue in this off-season.  Until New York can prove that they can play consistent defense when it matters they will be second best with an 11-5 record, but will make the playoffs.

The Washington Redskins are one of the most improved teams in all of football.  They filled their need for impact receivers by getting Brandon Lloyd from the 49ers and Super Bowl hero Antwaan Randle El from the Steelers.  They also dumped back up QB Patrick Ramsey and LB LaVar Arrington, which freed up a lot of money in the free agent market.  They also acquired hard-hitting safety Adam Archuleta to help out Sean Taylor and signed a solid TE in Christian Fauria.  The Redskins had a nice run in the playoffs last year and will be a big time force in the NFC this season.  As long as they keep their impact players healthy, they should be in position to win the division at home in the last game of the season against the Giants.  This win will propel them to a 12-4 record and to their first division title since 1999.  Daniel Snyder has put together a powerhouse of a team and his spending and dedication will finally pay off with a legit run to the Super Bowl in 2006.