NFC East Predictions

See, the blog is called "Steelers N At" so I can feel free to post whatever I want that's non-Steelers related. However, I'll be sure to keep this to a minimum once the season actually starts.

The NFC East is predicted to be one of the best and most hotly contested divisions in the league for 2006. Therefore, I'm starting with them. Teams are posted in the order in which I believe they'll finish the 2006 season.

Philadelphia Eagles:

I know they were in the Super Bowl as recently as 2004. I understand that they were ravaged by injuries last year. I completely agree that McNabb gives them an exceptional chance to win every week, as long as he's healthy (and he was hurt last year.)

But...

They don't run the ball enough. Or well. Or really even as an afterthought. Westbrook can't hold up for a full 16 games. Beyond Westbrook, who do they have that's a legitimate offensive weapon? Letting T.O. go was a good call. Now, though, they're left with Reggie Brown, Todd Pinkston, and a lot of undrafted guys that are better on special teams than regular teams. They've got a great line and a great quarterback, but they don't have any skill position guys that can help them take advantage of those two strengths.

And the defense is old. They're soft up the middle. They don't have great linebackers. Bryan Dawkins no longer scares the hell out of me. Neither does Michael Lewis. And I always draft either Lito Sheppard or... the other guy in Fantasy Football leagues where you need to take individual players. Reason? A lot of passes are completed on them and they get a lot of tackles as a result. Great for fantasy, not so great for reality.

All this having been said, I still say they improve on last year and win 7 or 8 games. That's good enough for last place in this division.

New York Giants:

I don't trust Eli. Tiki has to run out of gas eventually. Jeremy Shockey is a better talker and showman than he is a player. I have a long and well documented hatred of Plaxico Burress. So... I'm supposed to pick these guys to win the division based on Amani Toomer and Tim Carter? I think not.

Their linebackers are improved. They have one of the best d-lines in football. While it's true that their secondary is suspect (what year did Patrick Surtain retire? I think it was 2002.), the NFC East has always been a division that centered around the power run game (which is why the Eagles will finish last). The Giants are probably going to be beter on defense than offense this year, which is strange considering that have WAY more talent on offense.

At some point, Coughlin is either going to cave into the 38,103 manic personalities he has on offense, or he's going to wig out like a crazy father on a sitcom, start turning out all the lights and say that everyone needs to be in bed by 8:30. No comic books. Neither scenario will work out to the Giants' best benefit.

Dalls Cowboys:

They really should win the division. Seriously. Great coach, loads of talent on both sides of the ball, Parcells finally has the right personnel to run the 3-4 as his base defense, Bledsoe is out to prove that he's not a crybaby and a moron. And the window for this team to make it to the Big Game is closing.

But...

The Cowboys are the only team in the league that should employ a therapist, and interventionist, and a conflict-resolution expert. And an exorcist. They've got Terry Glenn, Mike Vanderjagt, and T.O. on the same roster. AND THEY TRIED TO RE-SIGN KEYSHAWN! ARE THEY COMPLETELY INSANE?!?!?!?! You can only flick lit matches at the powder keg for so long before your luck runs out. I say Parcells has 6 strokes and an aneurism before the season ends.

As a result, I cannot and will not pick this collection of misfits and malcontents to win the division. If I were a Cowboys fan, I'd buy a gallon drum of NyQuil at Sam's Club just so I could sleep at night. This team could go 16-0, blow through the playoffs and the Super Bowl, and win all their games by an average of 36 points. Or, they could finish 3-12 with the last game being stricken from the NFL record books because everyone on the Dallas Cowboys (including the coaches, owner, some fans, the cheerleaders, and the girl that answers the phone at the front desk) was dead.

Washington Redskins:

I stepped into my buddy Weidman's car a few weeks back (he and I carpool to work together) and said, "Dude. Clean Sanchez is trying to ruin the beard mojo." And Weidman knew exactly what I meant. What's my point? Weidman and I have known each other for 7 years. We can complete each other's sentences. When a football team is together for about half that time, they begin to anticipate each other's actions on the field. And when stuff happens as quickly as it does on an average football play, having that extra millisecond to react and attack instead of thinking about what you should be doing is critical.

Since Dan Snyder bought the team, they haven't had that kind of continuity. It seems as though every season the man pulls a Mark Cuban and overhauls his roster. Well, the Mavericks finally made it to the NBA Finals last season. And this is the season the Redskins make it to the Super Bowl.

The primary reason for this is that, for the first time in a long time, they're not breaking in a new head coach and a whole pile of new starters. True, Brandon Lloyd, Antwaan Randle-El, Andre Carter, and Adam Archuleta are all new, but they're complimentary players and situational guys (except Archuleta, he's replacing Ryan Clark). And Joe Gibbs is finally starting to get it.

I'm a big Joe Gibbs guy. I'm sure that, now that he's had time to get used to the "modern game," he's going to conquer it. The man has three rings, won those rings with three different starting quarterbacks (and one of those rings was won with Doug Williams and Jimmy Smits), and he's had success everywhere he's been. He's a Hall of Famer for a reason.

With Gibbs, the new pieces in place, Al Saunders calling the plays, and a stout offensive line that will (hopefully) keep Brunell out of harm's way, it looks like their year. Provided, of course, that Brunell stays healthy. Which is a BIG if, given the fact that the Smithsonian keeps calling him, asking him to ship them his left arm.