Football fans rejoice! In less than a month we are going to have meaningful football back in our lives. That isn’t to totally dismiss the preseason (well kind of), but it is only a tease for the main attraction. It’s been another wild offseason in the best reality show on television but we’ve finally made it. Peyton Manning gracefully rode off into retirement. Tom Brady accepted his Deflategate suspension, ending the 500+ day debacle (don’t worry, the NFL just started another ordeal with the Al-Jjazerra investigation).
Before I spin my wheels too much on what has already happened this offseason, it’s time to look forward to this season. This is a beautiful time of year where everyone has a sliver of hope sitting at 0-0. I will be going division by division over the next few days giving you a quick outlook for each team and a storyline or two to keep an eye on going into the 2016 season.
Today I will be looking at the NFC East, which always seems to be one of the most interesting divisions in the league, even when none of the teams look like a Super Bowl contender. This is always a tough division to predict year to year. There hasn’t been a repeat division champion since the 2003/’04 Eagles (sorry Washington fans). A 9-7 record was good enough to win this division last year but likely won’t be the case this year (sorry again Washington fans). So with that said lets jump right into the previews.
New York Giants
The Giants parted ways with Tom Coughlin after a disappointing finish to last season and promoted offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo to head coach. Then addressed some serious defensive needs signing defensive end Olivier Vernon to a huge contract and luring defensive back Janoris Jenkins away from the Rams. They added much needed talent to a defense that ranked 30th in points allowed and last in the league in yards allowed. In addition to the free agent additions, the Giants drafted cornerback Eli Apple to help bolster the secondary.
New York has all of the offensive firepower to be in any game this season, especially with the addition of rookie Sterling Shepard in the draft and the possible return of a healthy Victor Cruz. This is an offense that ranked 6th in scoring last season and is primed to repeat that type of performance this year. Shepard could be poised to have a great rookie season playing opposite of Odell Beckham Jr., giving Eli Manning another weapon to utilize as the season progresses.
The schedule isn’t exactly a cakewalk, but the back half of the season is a spot where the Giants can make a run to clinch a division championship playing three out of the last four games against the Cowboys in Week 14 before closing the season at Philadelphia and at Washington in Weeks 16 and 17. The Giants are currently my pick to win this division, but nothing is set in stone with the way the NFC East tends to beat up on each other.
Washington Redskins
Washington enters this season as the defending champions in this division, but my faith in their chances to repeat just isn’t there. Quarterback Kirk Cousins put in a Herculian effort to will this team to a division title following his famous “You like that!?” outburst. Jordan Reed burst onto the scene as a game-changing target at tight end. Offensively the Redskins were ranked 10th in scoring but aside from that there wasn’t a whole lot to love about this team. This is a passing attack that can’t be slept on, but don’t have much going on in the running game (20th in yards, last in yards/attempt). Second year running back Matt Jones is poised to be the starter in the backfield. Jones showed some playmaking ability catching the ball out of the backfield, however I have doubts about him suddenly becoming a bell cow running back.
On the defensive side of the ball, the headline for Washington was the acquisition of All-Pro cornerback Josh Norman after his strange departure from Carolina. Norman is a much-needed addition to a defense that ranked 28th in yards allowed and 17th in points allowed. The question remains how Norman will fit in this defense going from a 4-3 scheme in Carolina to a 3-4 scheme in Washington. Both defenses like to play zone coverage but the talent difference is staggering. Norman won’t be able to gamble as much on passing plays and could see a drop in production. Reports out of camp haven’t been stellar for Norman either, so this is a situation to keep an eye on for Washington.
The schedule for Washington is brutal this season, having to play all of the NFC division winners in addition to the NFC North and AFC North. Following their Week 9 bye, the Redskins have to play against Minnesota, Green Bay, Arizona, and Carolina along the home stretch. The wheels could fall off in a big way, even if they play well against the NFC East.
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys are hoping to put the disastrous 2015 season behind them with quarterback Tony Romo returning from injury. If you ever doubted the value of a backup quarterback, last year in Dallas should be a prime example of that position’s value. Once Romo went down with a shoulder injury, this offense lacked any explosion (even after Dez Bryant returned from his own injury). A lost 2015 regular season netted the Cowboys the fourth pick in the draft, which they used to draft running back Ezekiel Elliot out of Ohio State. Elliot has all of the tools to be a workhorse for the Dallas offense running behind the best offensive line in the NFL. This running game has the potential to recapture the production from two years ago when DeMarco Murray led the NFL in rushing.
With all of that potential on offense, there isn’t much to be said about this defense. A rash of suspensions have ravaged this defense, which was not that great to begin with (middle of the pack in points allowed and yards allowed, ranked last in takeaways). Dallas will have to minimize the amount of time this unit spends on the field, similar to the 2014 season. Dominating time of possession is the only chance the Cowboys will have to make sure this defense won’t hold back a potentially electric running game.
Dallas’s schedule catches a bit of a breather playing the last place teams from the NFC. However the most realistic route to the playoffs for the Cowboys will be to win this division similar to Washington last season, as the Wild Card teams are likely to come from the North and the West divisions. While there is a route to the playoffs, expect the defense for Dallas to hinder its chances to return to the postseason.
Philadelphia Eagles
Where do I start with the Eagles? Chip Kelly didn’t even make it out of last season before getting the big ugly axe. Philadelphia went back to the Andy Reid coaching tree, bringing in Doug Pederson to take over as head coach. Then, after resigning Sam Bradford to a two-year deal the Eagles traded up to the second pick in the draft to take Carson Wentz (could be awhile before we see him in action). Former rushing king DeMarco Murray was dealt to Tennessee after a failed season in 2015. This leaves Ryan Mathews, Darren Sproles, and rookie Wendell Smallwood to carry the load.
Expect this offense to resemble the old Andy Reid offense in terms of scheme but there are question marks all over this side of the ball. Jordan Matthews had a down year in 2015, struggling with drops all season before finally breaking out of late in the season. He is currently dealing with a bone bruise in his knee. Aside from Matthews, the receiving corps is nothing to get excited over, although yesterday’s acquisition of Dorial Green-Beckham adds a bit of promise to the long-term outlook at this position. This offense won’t score a ton of points and will have to rely on controlling the clock (I just pray Pederson manages the clock better than Andy Reid for their sake).
During the Chip Kelly era, the Eagles defense was a joke at times. That might not be the case in the Doug Pederson era. The key addition here is the signing of Jim Schwartz as defensive coordinator bringing a return to the 4-3 scheme.
That scheme shift will highlight the team’s best unit, its defensive line. Led by Fletcher Cox, who is poised for a potential All-Pro season, the defensive line can wreak havoc on opposing offenses and protect the secondary, which has been royally exposed in recent seasons. Another name to watch on this defensive line is Vinny Curry, who was comically misused in the old 3-4 defense, and finally gets to play his natural position as a 4-3 defensive end. Middle linebacker Jordan Hicks returns from injury and will be the signal caller for the defense once again. Hicks was a pleasant surprise as a rookie before his season was cut short. The Eagles looked lost on defense without him after his injury. Philadelphia’s defense could be the surprise of this division.
The schedule is tough especially dealing with an early bye week and having to play 13 straight weeks to finish the year. We’ll know a lot more about the identity of this team in Week 3 when the Eagles host the Steelers. Much like the Cowboys, the Eagles will have to win this division to have a shot at the playoffs.
Check back tomorrow as I continue my NFL season preview with the AFC East. Leave your own thoughts on the NFC East in the comments. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney or like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.
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