NFL SEASON PREVIEW
(NFC EAST)
NFL teams around the country heading into the grind of Training Camp (and the NFL being the countries most popular sport), we thought it a perfect time to show you how Cosign does sports. Now we are not discounting the Olympics and will be keeping that Cosigned, but lets face it the NLF RULES US ALL! So we begin today a 6 part overview of each Division of the NFL, ending with predictions by the staff and some of others who we Cosign. We start with the Division that houses 4 teams that all have MAJOR headline stories….THE NFC EAST! Not only are the New York Giants the defending Super Bowl Champions, and the Dallas Cowboys are well…The Dallas Cowboys; The Philadelphia Eagle have one of the most polarizing figures in sports with Mike Vick as their franchise quarterback and the Washing Redskins have the dynamic #2 Draft pick Robert Griffin III as theirs. It’s been called the Toughest Division in sports by some and the most Overrated by others, but there is no doubting that it’s the most talked about top to bottom.
Washington Redskins: The Redskins are in a good place, and that’s a scary thing for the other teams in the NFC East. They are young, defensively solid, and are well coached. That being said this is still a team coming off a 5-11 team and have not made the playoffs since 2007 and have not won a playoff game since 2005. The real reason this team is primed for good things is a young defensive core anchored by LB Brian Orakpo, who is a pivotal 4th year in the NFL. He needs to prove that while he enjoys hanging with Cavemen and doing Gieko ads, he also plays like a future All-Pro. The popular reason why the Redskins will be better is Robert Griffin III or RGIII as he has been crowned before taking an NFL snap. It’s not that he does not have ALL the talent needed to be better than Mike Vick in his first year, but I always like to wait on Quarterbacks in the NFL. It’s like a cant miss pitching prospect in baseball, a lot of times they get rocked their first year. Now Cam Newton set the bar pretty high last year for rookie QB’s, and if Washington is to get out of the East cellar….then RGIII will have to push it further.
Philadelphia Eagles: Last year Vince Young called the Eagles a “Dream Team”…that Dream Team did not even make the playoffs and now Vince back up Ryan Fitzpatrick in Buffalo (hope he like hot wings and cold weather). That leaves Philly fans wondering if the new comments by Mike Vick, in which he said the Eagles have the ability to build a dynasty, will come back to bite them. The short answer is no it wont, but that’s because everyone knows that a ridiculous notion. To build a dynasty you need to have a chance to be the best team in your division for 5 or more years, and Mike Vick might not have 5+ years left the way he plays. The offense is explosive, but it lacks an offensive line capable of using Vicks new found accuracy, or really let Leshawn McCoy break out (he has 2,000 yard season skills). To many times Vick is chased out of the pocket to use the speed on the outside, forcing the ball to McCoy for effective but less vertical plays. That puts added pressure on a defensive unit with a lot of names but was very beatable last year. Jason Babin, Trent Cole, Demeco Ryans, and don’t forget about Nnamdi Asomugha on the corner. The team is stacked with Super Bowl potential but Andy Reed knows more than anyone on how it feels not to win the big one, even when he has a team of superstars (multiple years Philly was stacked and stopped at NFC championship games).
Dallas Cowboys: Americas Team has become a little more than a shell of itself the past few years. The once proud blue star has faded into the background of the rival New York Giants Super Bowl, Philly and the Dream Team, and Washington with RGIII, but Coach Jason Garret is fine with that. I have a feeling if Garrett could ban cameras, twitter, and reporters from training camp he would, but he also knows that this team is still Americas Team. He wants his team to focus on “Football” and the “process” of “getting better”. He would also like to keep troubled stud wide receiver Dez Bryant away from his mother long enough to fulfill his potential. The window maybe closing for great non-winners like Tony Romo and Demarcus Wear, but for the young guns its just getting started. Dez and second year running back Demarco Murray are keys to a young offense that has never been a problem; with Romo coming off one his best statiscal season ever. The defense is another story, but could be a better one. Wear maybe wearing down but with singing Corner back Brandon Carr and drafting Corner back out of LSU Mo Claiborne; Rob Ryan has a chance to really let the bulls loose. The defense line and other linebackers are a group of hopeful young players that all are more hope than anything, but Rob Ryan is known for getting the most out of fringe starters in multiple positions. With a combination of youth and veterans, skilled players on both sides of the ball, and a personnel staff and philosophy change in Garret Land.; the Cowboys may only have one team to look up at…or they could be looking down at all three just as easily
New York Giants: If it wasn’t for a one win in the last game of the season, this would be a different preview of the Giants season. They would have entered camp an 8-8 team that not only missed the playoffs, but started our 6-2; beating the patriots in week 9. Then the wheels fell off with the giants going 2-5 until the week 17 match up with the Dallas Cowboys. If the Cowboys win, then New York goes into panic mode, Tom Coughlin is fired; Eli Manning is torched by the media, NO SUPER BOWL. Instead the Cowboys laid an egg, and Eli’s football Giants fought their way through the playoffs to WIN THE SUPER BOWL!!! It seemed like destiny in a sense. Eli was quoted before the 2011 season saying he was an elite quarterback like Brady or his brother, and now with two Super bowl wins against Brady he has proven it. His numbers were not as good as his in division rival Tony Romo, but almost 5,000 passing is nothing to turn your nose at. The only problem is that Eli threw so much because the running game of Amahed Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs was no-existent (worst in football for 2011). The defense is built on a pass rush that combined for 48 sacks in 2011, 3rd in the NFL. The play of Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck really hid the poor defensive backs as Aaron Ross and Antrel Role were just average. Now the defending Super Bowl champs come into the season with basically the same squad (minus pieces Brandon Jacobs and Mario Manningham), and a chance to repeat as NFC East Champions. They are just as close to being 3rd in the division and out of the playoffs, but there is one thing our cant deny; The road to the Super Bowl goes through Giant Land until they are chopped down to size.
NFC PREDICTIED RECORDS
Cowboys (9-7)
Giants (9-7)
Eagles (8-8)
Redskins (6-10)
They will just beat each other up all year which will leave it up to other divisions on whether or two teams get in the playoffs. The Cowboys are much better than people think. The Offense was never a problem, but now the ‘Boys have the BIG D to win the BIG GAME.
