NFC EAST 2009 Season Preview
By Adam Barone
The NFC East is always one of the most competitive
divisions in football, but this year it brings plenty of question marks:
Which Redskins team will we see—the one from the first half of
last season, or the one from the second? Can Eli Manning lead a team
to a winning record without receiver Plaxico Burress and running back
Derrick Ward? How will the Cowboys offense be with a reduced role for
Marion Barber and without T.O.? Are Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook
still young enough to lead the Eagles on another run? Here’s how
we see it all working out:
1. Philadelphia Eagles (11-5): Donovan McNabb got himself
a healthy two-year contract extension in the offseason, eliminating
ridiculous questions about when he’ll be dumped in favor of Kevin
Kolb. Running back Brian Westbrook, however, had knee and ankle surgeries
in the offseason, and will turn 30 before the season starts. We all
know that once a running back passes his 30th birthday he begins to
develop gangrene in both of his legs. Westbrook will almost certainly
be dead soon. LeSean McCoy was drafted out of Pittsburgh as the heir-apparent
for Westbrook, and bears a striking similarity in running style to the
current starter. Former Missouri star receiver Jeremy Maclin was drafted
as well to play opposite DeSean Jackson.
The Eagles had a disappointing regular season in 2008, finishing 9-6-1
including a tie to Cincinnati. That doesn’t make a lot of sense
though, considering that they finished ninth in total offense and third
in total defense. Expect the Eagles to take charge in this division
in 2009.
2. Dallas Cowboys (10-6): Terrell
Owens and Jessica Simpson are both gone. It’s just Tony Romo,
Jason Witten, a stable of running backs, and a ton of pressure in “Big
D.” Romo is one of the league’s best quarterbacks, but now
he has no excuses. We’ll see if he can build on last year’s
26 touchdowns and 91.4 quarterback rating with receiver Roy Williams
as his top target outside of Witten. Williams had only 19 receptions
in 10 games after the Cowboys traded for him in the middle of last season,
and scored just one touchdown in that time. A healthy Barber, Felix
Jones, and Tashard Choice in the backfield will certainly help ease
the pressure. Jones had only 30 carries last season before getting hurt,
but was averaging 8.9 yards per carry! Choice got his chance later in
the season, averaging 5.1 yards on 92 carries, and going for at least
88 yards three of the four times that he got double-digit carries.
Little has changed on the defense, a unit which ranked eighth overall
in 2008. Long-time Cowboy Roy Williams is now a Bengal, and will be
replaced by Gerald Sensabaugh.
One thing that the Cowboys will need to address is their discipline.
They had the most penalties in the league on offense last season (119)
for the second most yards (952).
3. New York Giants (8-8): The
Giants and their three-headed running game were impressive against last
season, but this year will be different. Burress is gone, as are Ward
and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, among others. The good news
is that defensive end Osi Umenyiora is back after missing last season
with a knee injury. The bad news is that the wide receivers are Steve
Smith, Domenik Hixon, Sinorice Moss, Mario Manningham, and rookies Hakeem
Nicks and Ramses Barden. Nicks and Barden both have potential (Nicks
was a first round pick with plus hands and route-running ability, and
Barden is enormous at 6-foot-6 with surprising speed) but not much can
be expected from rookie receivers.
With Ward gone, now even more of the rushing load is on Brandon Jacobs.
Jacobs set career highs last season with 219 carries and 13 games played.
He’ll need to stay healthy, as the other options include Ahmad
Bradshaw, Danny Ware, and Andre Brown.
The return of Umenyiora bodes well for the defense, which will be looking
to improve on its 42 sacks from a season ago, good for sixth in the
league. The defense as a whole will need to play well, because the offense
is likely to struggle.
4. Washington Redskins (7-9):
It was a tail of two halves in Washington last season, as the Redskins
started the season 6-2, and crossed the finish line at 8-8. Things fell
apart after a 23-6 loss to Pittsburgh on November 3. The signing of
behemoth defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth away from the Titans and
drafting of stand-out Texas end Brian Orakpo will certainly help what
was already the fourth ranked overall defense, but the biggest question
marks are on offense.
To the surprise of many, Clinton Portis carried the ball a whopping
342 times last season, and still averaged a respectable 4.3 yards per
carry. Chances are slim, however, that he can repeat that performance
with so much wear on his treads and what’s likely to be a weak
passing game. Quarterback Jason Campbell led the 23rd ranked aerial
attack in 2008, finishing with just an 84.3 rating. Washington could
sit in neutral all season if the offense doesn’t improve significantly.
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