It’s that time of year…all football, all the time! And all eyes are on the men calling the shots in the huddle. Though it’s often annoying, entertaining, unconscionable, frustrating and comical, all the talking heads want to talk about is the quarterback.
With Eli Manning, Robert Griffin III, Tony Romo and Michael Vick at the helm, each of their teams feels like they can reach the playoffs. And considering the flaws of each of these teams, it once again make for outstanding NFC East theater.
If the NFC East is Young Money, then the New York “Football” Giants would unquestionably be Birdman…wait, that came out wrong. Well, you get the idea. The G Men are the only squad that has proven it can get it done in January and therefore, are the leaders of this division. The Giants also have an uncanny ability to look like an average football team for half the season, only to somehow transform into a juggernaut destined to win the Super Bowl. Most team’s success is tied to the success of their quarterback; for no team is this more true than the Giants. Eli Manning’s wild swings of greatness have helped carry New York to two Super Bowls, but it has also kept them out of the playoffs three of the last four years.
The Giants are going to need “Good Eli” this year if they’re going to compete. They’ve got massive offensive line questions, to go along with a new starting running back that has a history of ball security issues, perpetually banged up receivers and a defense with it’s own set of injury issues. Pass-rusher Jason Pierre-Paul is working his way back from back surgery and ball-hawk Stevie Brown just blew out his knee last weekend. That’s means even more responsibility for Eli, who is coming off a very average 2012 campaign.
Perhaps the Giants can win another Super Bowl, but not this year. Maybe in 2015-16— that appears to be the trend anyway.
The Washington Redskins have had the distinct claim of being the most racially charged team in the division — for obvious reasons — however they’ve been outdone by the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason. As disheartening as the Riley Cooper incident was, his continued employment by the team really only served to highlight how thin the Iggles are at receiver. Cooper will be asked to play a crucial role in the Philly passing attack, one that will be created and implemented new Eagles coach Chip Kelly.
Kelly, former coach of the University of Nike, has brought his elaborate offensive scheme with him to the pro ranks. While the Eagles shouldn’t be quite as bad as their 4-12 record in 2012, it’s hard to envision a them going far with Chip Kelly in his first season. For one, college coaches have historically struggled at the next level, with a few small exceptions. If that weren’t enough, Kelly’s unorthodox style could prove problematic in the NFL. Coaches, scouts and players are too smart for these kind of collegiate shenanigans…
Chip Kelly (far left) needs to get more creative signage if he doesn’t want opposing coaches picking up on his plays.
Alright, that was a joke. Nobody expects Kelly to break out the posters on the sideline….not really anyway. In any case, Philly should be considered a dark horse in what should be a competitive division.
The reigning NFC East champions and the likely favorite to win repeat as champs this year are the Washington Redskins. Although, there are multiple red flags that leave an ominous cloud hanging over the team entering the season.
Aside from respected NFL columnist Peter King recently deciding to start a passive-aggressive revolution against Washington’s nickname, the Redskins have slowly morphed into a media circus. The proverbial Bermuda Triangle between head coach Mike Shanahan, team physician Dr. James Andrews and quarterback Robert Griffin III have caused the truth behind the RGKnee to suddenly disappear. The uncertainty surrounding the recovery from his injury is far too prevalent considering their season starts in a week. Furthermore, a healthy Robert Griffin would have his own set of obstacles to contend with, most notably having to overcome the dreaded “sophomore slump” and staving off the likelihood that Kyle Shanahan’s somewhat-gimmicky read option offense will ultimately get found out. Other teams are now using it and RG3 nearly got killed last season running it; how much longer can Washington get away with leaning on this system?
And if all that weren’t enough, the expectations have clearly been raised.
Shanahan on #Redskins players: “They have set the expectations: anything short of a Super Bowl is a failure.” #HTTR
— Washington Redskins (@Redskins) August 23, 2013
While they are a talented group, as of today it’s hard to imagine the Redskins not taking a step back in 2013…which brings us to “America’s Team”.
Year after year the Dallas Cowboys have been labeled as the team expected to take the reins of the NFC East, only to invent new and creative ways to screw it up. Tony Romo has a well-chronicaled history of turning into Eddie Mush in the biggest moments…
(which basically makes Jason Garrett Frankie Coffee Cake— it’s good thing he no longer calls the plays).
Be that as it may, the Cowboys have a golden opportunity in 2013. They’re not nearly as banged up as the Giants and Redskins heading into the season, and they have continuity working in their favor. It appears as though Dez Bryant finally has his head on straight after a blistering end to his 2012 season. Bryant racked up an insane 50 catches for 879 yards and 10 touchdowns over the last 8 games of year! He’s carried that momentum into the 2013 preseason as well. Romo has always had a strong rapport on the field with Jason Witten and Miles Austin— adding Bryant (and a healthy DeMarco Murray) to that mix and the Boys should a formidable offense to say the least.
Defensively, the Cowboys are switching from the 3-4 to the 4-3, which may not necessarily sound like a big improvement, until you realize they also replaced the grossly overrated Rob Ryan with defensive guru Monte Kiffin at D coordinator. That move alone should be worth 1.5 W’s. The switch to 4-3 should free up Dallas’ young inside linebackers to make more plays than they were making before (which was a lot).
NFC East Champion: Dallas Cowboys
None of these teams look like world beaters, but the Cowboys are due and look poised to finally make a legit run at the NFC East crown. They’ve always had the talent, but this year they’ve backed off the huge free agent acquisitions and have focused their offseason attention on coaching. Still, the inherent risk of picking the Cowboys to win anything understood. Hopefully, they jump out to a big lead in the division, thus protecting them for the inevitable meltdown that awaits them in December.
And if Romo starts getting pick-happy again? Put him in the bathroom!