The 2009 NFC East Preview
The New Giants look to defend title against the rest of the East
The NFC East has the reputation of being one of the most competitive divisions in the league and this season should be no different. Every time one of these teams faces each other, you can guarantee it will be a hard hitting, knock down, dragged out affair. There is no love lost between these long time rivals and that shows in their style of play. Sometimes it not as much about which team won or lost, but rather how much physical pain they were able to inflict upon the other. The N.Y. Giants have been the dominant team of late winning the division three out the last four years. While many experts believe this trend will continue in 2009, there are three other teams that will beg to differ. The following is a preview of each team in the division, noting their strengths and weaknesses heading into this season.
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys have been known has America’s team for close to thirty years. With that much public attention, their every move is closely watched. It is for this reason that owner, Jerry Jones decided to clean house this off season, releasing several players that were thought to be a disruptive force in the locker room. Most notably were Adam (Pacman) Jones, Tank Johnson, and Terrell Owens. The team is now squarely in the hands of quarterback Tony Romo has they will try and erase the disappointment of last season’s year end collapse and lead the team back to the playoffs. While the nucleus of talent is still there, there are still some questions on their ability to score points. Last season’s 22.6 points per game put them in the bottom half of the league and very little has been done this off season to correct this. On defense they are much more solid and last season were ranked eighth overall. It will be the strength of their defense that will have to carry them in 2009.
New York Giants
In 2008, the Giants were rolling along until wide receiver, Plaxico Burress accidently shot himself in the leg in a New York City nightclub. From that point on the Giant’s season took a turn for the worst. While they still compiled the best record in the NFC at 12-4, they lost at home to Philadelphia in the divisional round of the playoffs. Burriss is now gone from the team, leaving a gaping hole in their offense that has yet to be filled. They drafted WR Hakeem Nicks from North Carolina is the first round, but it remains to be seen if he can step up right away as a solid replacement. The weight of their success now falls squarely on the shoulders of QB Eli Manning, as he will have to be able to utilize all the players on offense instead of having that one go to guy. Overall, the strength of this team lies in their offensive and defensive lines which will still make them a legitimate contender in 2009.
Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles backed their way into the playoffs last season and almost made it all the way to the Super Bowl. After a disappointing loss to the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Championship game, they decided to go out this off season and get some more offensive weapons for long time quarterback, Donovan McNabb. By trading for All Pro left tackle, Jason Peters and drafting WR Jeramy Maclin in the first round they hope to protect McNabb’s weak side while giving him another target to throw the ball to. With these and other key player acquisitions, the Eagles have filled most of their holes on both sides of the ball and probably now have the most balanced team in the division.
Washington Redskins
The Redskins bolted out to a 6-2 start last season, only to fall apart down the stretch, finishing up 8-8 for the year. As the season wore on, injuries to their aging offensive line as well as inconsistent play from quarterback, Jason Campbell contributed to their demise. Little has been done this off season to correct these issues and will most likely plague them again going into this season. They have to find a way to put more points on the board, as they were only able to average 16.6 points per game last year which ranked them 28th out of 32 teams. The pressure will be on second year head coach, Jim Zorn to keep this team competitive week in and week out to keep pace with the rest of the teams in the NFC East.
See also:The 2009 NFC South Preview
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