Hello once again everyone. Since we already touched on the NFL news and notes of the day in my NFC South preview, let me open this column up with a personal story. It’s a fitting start to my NFC East preview.

Depending on who you talk to in my family, you will get varying answers on which NFL team they root for. Primarily, it is an NFC East family with a few Pittsburgh and New England fans thrown into the mix. When I started this blog a year ago, I went right to my wheelhouse and wrote a preview about the division.

Naturally as my family members passed around my NFC East preview, I got some interesting comments here and there about what I wrote. My favorite comment came from an unexpected place.

Most of my mother’s side of the family grew up in Washington and are big fans of the Redskins. Well, lets just say that some of them thought I took the bashing on Washington’s playoff chances a little too far, notably my late grandfather. Over the years, we have traded barbs about our respective teams, and would occasionally get a phone call from “The Judge” following a Washington win over Philadelphia.

His health would take a turn for the worst late last summer, but he left me with one last laugh that we could share over football. A couple weeks after I wrote the column, my mom told me the story of my aunt showing my grandfather what I wrote, specifically what I said about the Redskins. Upon reading the column with some of the jokes that I made at his team’s expense, my grandfather turned to my aunt and said, “Well it looks like I’m going to have to have a chat with that boy.”

As the one-year anniversary of his passing is coming up, I’ve found myself reflecting on some of these moments we’ve shared over the years. A lot of where I am and the path I’ve chosen for myself was shaped by the shared fandom of many of my family members, “The Judge” included.

Now let’s get back to football, where last season the Cowboys shocked everyone by taking the league by storm. Running back Ezekiel Elliott and quarterback Dak Prescott proved that rookies, no matter where you draft them, could have a massive impact on a team. These two led the Cowboys to a 13-3 record and the NFC East title. They also continued a trend of 12 consecutive seasons with a new division winner.

Already things are working against the Cowboys to finally break that trend, plus New York, Philadelphia, and Washington each have a legitimate shot at the crown. As we all now this division always comes down to the wire with the late season divisional games deciding the champion. Who will walk out of the regular season with the NFC East title? Let’s size up the competitors in another edition of “No Huddle.”

Dallas Cowboys (last season: 13-3)

It was a magical 2016 in Dallas. Tony Romo’s now-career ending injury made way for Dak Prescott to take the reigns of this offense and never look back. His efficient play coupled with the game-changing ability of Ezekiel Elliott made Dallas a formidable team. Things won’t be as easy this season though.

The on-going battle regarding Elliott’s six-game suspension has cast a big shadow over this team heading into this season. It looks like he will play this week, but the suspension is looming. With no clear resolution yet, we can’t be sure of when he will finally serve that suspension, how long it will end up being, or if he serves it at all.

Dallas does have a pair of capable runners to fill-in for Elliott with Darren McFadden and Alfred Morris. They will both be able to allow Dallas to play the ball-control, run-oriented offense that has served them incredibly well in the past. This does mean that Prescott will have to build on his successes from last year and not undergo a sophomore slump.

While Prescott has shown quite a rapport with Dez Bryant, Dallas possibly the toughest schedule when it comes to opposing cornerbacks. Again, this isn’t the best news for a team that needs its quarterback to take a big step forward.

Elliott’s suspension isn’t the only one that Dallas is worrying about this season. On the defensive side of the ball, Dallas already has three players suspended with potentially two more upcoming. Randy Gregory is suspended for the season, David Irving is serving a four-game suspension, and Damontre Moore has a two-game ban. Nolan Carroll could be suspended in relation to a DWI arrest and Damien Wilson could face suspension for an aggravated assault charge.

With most of this defensive line already suspended, the burden will fall on the linebackers and secondary. Sean Lee proved he hasn’t lost a step, but the real story on the field could be the debut of Jaylon Smith. After a devastating knee injury forced the former consensus All-American linebacker to fall to the second round of the 2016 draft, Smith spent all last season recovering. Now it looks like we will finally see Smith suit up, and if he is anything close to the player he was a Notre Dame, the Cowboys could have a star in the making.

It’s going to be tough to predict how this season in Dallas will turn out. Odds are this is a playoff team, but repeating in the NFC East is not as safe a bet. Until the Elliott situation clears up, coupled with their potential defensive issues, temper your expectations for the Cowboys.

New York Giants (last season: 11-5)

Last season was setting up for the Giants to win their first division title since 2009. Then the Cowboys emerged. That doesn’t mean things weren’t great in the Big Apple last season. New York easily clinched a Wild Card berth behind the strength of a dominant defense and a big-play offense. 2017 finds the Giants as the favorite in the division once again.

Despite a poor running game, and a sub-par offensive line, the Giants still managed to have a dangerous offense. Odell Beckham will remedy some of those issues. Eli Manning had to be pleased that Brandon Marshall left the Jets to join the Giants. This offense has massive potential if this offensive line can keep Manning upright. The Beckham-Marshall combination will do wonders for this offense, as they will keep double-coverage off of each other. Sterling Shepard looked good in the slot last season and rookie tight end Evan Engram could be a versatile option.

New York broke the bank to improve its defense last season and it looked like money well spent. The Giants defense ascended up the ranks, finishing second in total defense. A real surprise was safety Landon Collins, who emerged as one of the best players at his positions. Collins made a strong case to be the Defensive Player of the Year.

This defense was the backbone of this team last season, allowing this offense to be opportunistic. If the Giants can replicate its defensive performance and get more consistent production on offense, this will be a bona fide playoff team. The NFC East crown will be theirs to lose heading into 2017.

Washington Redskins (last season: 8-7-1)

The Redskins may not have repeated as division champs, but they were still a very competitive team that just missed the postseason. Washington almost had some serious free agent losses but was able to keep the most important player while adding a very interesting piece in the process.

Kirk Cousins is back in Washington again this season, looking to add to his streak of consecutive 4,000-yard passing seasons. He is playing under the franchise tag once again, so a subplot to this season will be his future with the team. Most quarterbacks wouldn’t be too happy about losing two 1,000-yard receivers but fortunately for Cousins the Redskins front office softened that blow in free agency.

Terrelle Pryor, one of last season’s breakout players, joined Washington in the offseason. The former college quarterback had a stellar season in Cleveland a year ago and is a tailor-made fit for this passing game. He joins shifty slot receiver Jamison Crowder and oft-injured but talented tight end Jordan Reed. These three will give Cousins plenty of options to attack defenses down the field.

While the running game wasn’t great last season, Washington found some stability with relative unknown running back Rob Kelley. “Fat Rob” enters the year as the lead back, but this running game will have to improve overall this season.

Defensively, the Redskins don’t have a unit they can rely on week-in and week-out. Ranking 28^th in the league the past two seasons, they will need to get something out of this unit to get back to the postseason. Hoping that the offense will carry them and outscore their opponents just isn’t going to work. Playing more zone coverage while trying to get a solid pass rush could be the ticket though. If Washington can accomplish that, they can make enough of an improvement. This will mean Josh Norman will be more of a factor in creating turnovers.

Washington will be a tough team to face and very competitive in the NFC East. While they should be able to maintain their production on offense, this is a defense that could hold them back yet again. In a tough division and a deep conference, a playoff berth could be tough to come by once again this year.

Philadelphia Eagles (last season: 7-9)

No team did more in the offseason in the NFC East than the Philadelphia Eagles. After squandered a 3-0 start last season, the Eagles revamped its receiving core to give Carson Wentz more of a chance to improve on his rookie season. The Birds also made some interesting additions to what could potentially be a fantastic defense this season. It is all about taking the next step under second-year coach Doug Pederson.

When the Eagles traded Sam Bradford a year ago, it was clear they believed Wentz was capable of stepping right in as the starting QB. Now GM Howie Roseman has given him capable targets in the passing game. Alshon Jeffery was the splash addition, signing a one-year “prove it” deal with Philly. He could be the most well rounded receiver the Eagles have had since Terrell Owens. Philly also brought in Torrey Smith, who is limited but is a deep-play threat.

To aid the running game, Philly added Legarrette Blount to be the power back. He was magnificent in the red-zone last season, an area where the Eagles habitually have struggled over the years. Blount and Darren Sproles will be a very interesting combination in this backfield.

Over on the defensive side of the football, this could be the year where people finally start taking this unit seriously. Moving to a 4-3 scheme under Jim Schwartz was a good start, but now they are filling in the gaps on this depth chart. To put it simply, this front-seven could be incredible in 2017. Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham were among the best defensive linemen last season so the Birds got them some help.

Timmy Jernigan was a solid interior lineman in Baltimore last season and should take some pressure off of Cox. Philly signed defensive end Chris Long to bolster the pass rush after winning a Super Bowl with New England last season. Keep an eye on rookie defensive end Derek Barnett this season as he looks like an ideal fit in this defense.

The secondary will benefit greatly if this front-seven is as good as advertised. Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod worked well together as a safety pair last season. However the search for stability at cornerback continues for the Eagles. Jalen Mills, Ronald Darby, and Patrick Robinson will be the primary corners this season as the Eagles wait for rookie Sidney Jones to recover from his offseason injury.

Overall, there are a lot of positive additions for the Eagles. The question is how all of these pieces fit and mesh together. Add in a brutal schedule and it’s going to be tough to predict where the Eagles will finish. At best this is the team that could win the division. Worst-case scenario, it’s a more competitive team that repeats its 7-9 record from a year ago.

That is it for me today. I’ll be back tomorrow with a look at the AFC West and my final predictions for the 2017 season. Plus, I’ll be previewing the regular season opener between New England and Kansas City. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney, subscribe to Shooting the Moon on WordPress, and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.

Well it has been an interesting twelve hours in the NFL. Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott had his suspension upheld by the arbitrator Harold Henderson. However, since the decision was not made until last night, Elliott is eligible to play this weekend against the Giants. The six-game suspension will likely start next week. I say likely because of the NFLPA’s filing of an injunction to prevent the suspension so that Elliott’s legal team could fight the suspension further. This situation looks like it is far from over folks.

In other news, due to Hurricane Irma barreling towards the Miami area, the NFL decided to postpone the Miami-Tampa Bay game until Week 11. This now means both teams will have their bye week now, and play 16 consecutive games. It is tough to say what the “right” call would have been in this difficult situation, but now each team will have to deal with the decision. Obviously, I send my best wishes to those that will be affected by Irma this weekend.

Now let’s get down to business, I have three more divisions to preview over the next two days. This column will be a look at the NFC South, and I will have my preview of the NFC East up a little later today. Tomorrow will feature another double dose of NFL coverage with my AFC West preview followed by my predictions for the season and my breakdown of the New England-Kansas City regular season opener.

So let’s talk about the NFC South, which could be my favorite division race of the season. The big question with this division is whether or not we will see a third consecutive Super Bowl appearance from a NFC South team? Atlanta returns with all of their key players in tact, and a few improvements on defense. Tampa Bay has been getting a lot of love for their offseason moves and could be a team on the rise. Carolina is healthy but we still don’t know a lot of how some of the new parts will mesh together. Then there is New Orleans who could be stuck in neutral but still have Drew Brees running the show, which always gives them a fighting chance.

2017 should provide plenty of fireworks, so let’s jump right into the mix in your first installment of “No Huddle.”

Atlanta Falcons (last season 11-5)

We all saw the collapse. We’ve all enjoyed the countless memes, jokes, etc. The Falcons have to put their heartbreaking loss in the Super Bowl behind them. Fortunately, this team enters 2017 primed to put last season in the rearview mirror. While they might be the preseason favorites to win this division, they will have to battle history and improved competition to repeat in the NFC South.

While the Falcons have the same offensive unit this season, the question is how this offense will look without former offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. Atlanta put up video game numbers on offense last season, and with all the key components back this season you would expect this unit to still be dangerous.

Reigning MVP Matt Ryan looks poised to recapture the magic of last season. Julio Jones is still Julio Jones. I think the biggest thing to watch here is Devonta Freeman, who is now the league’s highest paid running back. Freeman is the perfect complement to the passing game with his elusiveness, and is fully capable of doing damage himself out of the backfield. It will be very interesting to see how new offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian uses all of the pieces at his disposal. Sarkisian has been given the keys to a Ferrari, so to speak.

Everyone knows about the Atlanta offense, but it was the defense that really turned some heads down the stretch last season. Head coach Dan Quinn is clearly trying to emulate the Legion of Boom formula and the contributions from his young players were very encouraging. This is a unit that finished second in the league in net yards allowed per game and two key additions could really elevate this defense in 2017.

Atlanta signed defensive tackle Dontari Poe in the offseason to anchor the interior of the defensive line. Then the Falcons drafted edge-rusher Takarrist McKinley to play opposite Vic Beasley. The back seven (linebackers/secondary) played extremely fast, and now with an improved defensive line the feeling here is that this defense can compensate for any potential drop-off from the offense.

Now will there be a Super Bowl hangover? Unfortunately, history points to that being a likely scenario, but the pieces are in place for Atlanta to buck this trend. They are in the driver’s seat to win this division and a playoff berth is definitely in the cards at the very least.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (last season: 9-7)

No team in the league, aside from New England, is coming into the season with more hype than Tampa Bay. As the subject of HBO’s Hard Knocks we got an in-depth look at the Bucs as they prepared for a pivotal season. Key additions could be the catalyst in turning a team that was on the outside looking in last season to a dark horse to win the NFC.

We’ll start on the offensive side of the ball where quarterback Jameis Winston has to be happy with the improvements made on this side of the ball. A multitude of injuries reduced this offense to Winston, Mike Evans, and occasionally Cameron Brate. Guess what? They were still pretty good at times. This offense has the makings of a complete and dangerous unit in 2017.

Football isn’t a one-man game, but one player can change your fortunes. DeSean Jackson joining the Bucs could be a major catalyst in the progression of this offense. Jackson is still a very productive receiver and has the ability to take the top off of opposing defenses, something this offense has sorely needed. More importantly, Jackson will prevent defenses from focusing solely on Evans.

To complete this offense, they will need a running game. They will start the year with Jaquizz Rodgers in the lead role until Doug Martin serves the final three games of his suspension. After that the sky could be the limit here because Martin looked incredible this preseason and showed flashes of his 2015 form.

While the sky could be the limit, this offense will only go as far as Winston can take them. The biggest concern for Winston is the turnovers. Winston has a tendency to get greedy and force balls into some really bad spots, especially near the goal line. If he can produce a stat line that resembles 30+ touchdowns and about 10 interceptions, Tampa Bay will be very good shape.

You might not have realized this, but Tampa Bay’s defense was actually really good at times last season. During a stretch of games from Weeks 10-14, the Bucs defense averaged 12.8 points allowed. That is the ceiling for this defense, but sustaining that type of dominance is easier said than done.

The defensive core is solid with defensive tackle Gerald McCoy leading the way with linebackers Levonte David and Kwon Alexander behind him. If there was one spot where this defense was vulnerable though, you have to look at the secondary. However, a recent addition could provide a huge boost at the back end of this defense.

Three-time Pro Bowl safety T.J. Ward was one of the shocking cuts last weekend, but he quickly made his way to Tampa Bay to join the Bucs. He will add a serious edge to this secondary. He might not be quite the star he was in Denver, but is still a much-needed upgrade for this defense.

Most experts might have been a year early on the Bucs last season, but there is some serious potential this year. The NFC wild card is chock-full of really good teams, but the Bucs could end up being the best of the bunch. I really think that Tampa Bay takes the leap into the postseason and will be a serious challenger for the NFC South crown.

New Orleans Saints (last season: 7-9)

It has been the same story for the Saints for the past three seasons. A great offense led by Drew Brees is held back by an anemic defense and the Saints woefully finish 7-9. While you would think that the Saints would learn from their recent history, but it seems that isn’t the case. In fact New Orleans might have doubled down on their current formula.

Brees is still at the helm, which gives them an advantage over most teams they will face. However, he enters this season without two of his top receivers from last year. Brandin Cooks was traded to New England, and Willie Snead is serving a three-game suspension for a DUI arrest in the offseason. Michael Thomas will be relied upon to repeat his stellar rookie season from a year ago, and free agent signing Ted Ginn has a big role to fill with Cooks gone. Tight end Coby Fleener will have an expanded role as well, but will have to be a lot better than he was last season.

The big splash for the Saints in the offseason was the signing of running back Adrian Peterson. Unfortunately, we don’t know what that will mean for this offense just yet. Mark Ingram is still the “lead” back and finding a balance between both backs is a key factor to watch. If healthy, Peterson could be this season’s Legarrette Blount. Health aside, the real issue could be scheme fit as the Saints are primarily a shotgun offense a formation Peterson has rarely run out of in the NFL. Add to the mix rookie Alvin Kamara (seen as a Darren Sproles-type back), and there is a ton of uncertainty in this backfield.

It’s tough to imagine the Saints defense showing marked improvement on the defensive side of the football. Nothing they have seemed to do to improve this defense has worked over the past few years. They added Manti Te’o to bolster the linebackers, but it could be one step forward and two steps back. Nick Fairley suffered a potentially career-ending injury and first-round pick Delvin Breaux is currently injured. This defense looked good in the preseason, but let’s temper our expectations.

All signs are pointing to the Saints recent history to continue. Another 7-9 finish is likely despite the moves that New Orleans made in the offseason. Which begs to question what the future holds in the bayou?

Carolina Panthers (last season: 6-10)

Why should the Falcons be worried about a Super Bowl hangover? Just look at the Panthers in 2016. Roster turnover, poor play, and injuries effectively rendered last season a lost year for the Panthers. There is renewed hope that Carolina will return to playoff form in 2017 though.

Cam Newton underwent offseason shoulder surgery, which means we haven’t seen much of him in the preseason (one appearance and threw two passes). However, reports indicate that the former MVP is good to go this season. Newton lost his deep threat Ted Ginn in the offseason, but they drafted a player that could add a completely new dimension to this ground-and-pound offense.

Rookie Christian McCaffrey might be the key to unlocking the hidden potential of this offense. “CMC” looks like the perfect complement to what this offense has typically looked to do during the Newton-era. McCaffrey has the ability to run in-between the tackles but his real talent is his versatility. He can run the ball on first down, catch a ball out of the backfield on second down, line up in the slot on third down, and return the punt to start your next drive. This rookie has wowed in the preseason, and the hype has only intensified with yesterdays report that he will be a vital part of this offense with “his own playbook.”

We’ll have to see how this defense rebounds from a dismal 2016. Carolina really felt the loss of Josh Norman as this secondary was torched time and time again (see Julio Jones’ 300 yard game). Just when it looked like this secondary was getting its game together, this defense suffered its most devastating loss. Luke Kuechly suffered a scary concussion in Week 11 against the Saints and missed the rest of the season, raising many concerns about his future.

When healthy, this is a defense that is poised to jump back into the top-ten defenses in the league. However, if they are to lose Kuechly again it will be tough to see this defense reach that potential.

Carolina will certainly be a tough team this season, and will be in contention for a playoff spot. This offense could be really fun to watch and a nightmare to gameplan against. It’s the defense seemingly hanging on by a thread that has me worried about their playoff hopes in a deep NFC.

Stay tuned to Shooting the Moon for my NFC East preview which will be up tonight. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney, subscribe to Shooting the Moon on WordPress, and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.