An already tough division has been made harder by the fact that the NFC East will face off against the NFC North this season. With the 2013 NFL season kicking off soon let us take a look at each team's chances within the NFC East:
Dallas Cowboys:
Last season saw Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys lose again on the penultimate game of the regular season when they defeated 28-18 on the road against the Washington Redskins. The defeat was tough to swallow for the franchise considering they lost in similar circumstances the year before to the New York Giants meaning that for two seasons in a row the franchise missed out on the playoffs by the skin of their teeth.
The Cowboys have finished 8-8 the past two seasons so they will be looking to go one step further by posting a winning record and clinching the division. Although the team are 22-26 since they last went to the playoffs and despite the fact that many people consider them chokers down the stretch following recent big game losses head coach Jason Garret and quarterback Tony Romo in particular have a chip on their shoulder as well as a point to prove. The Dallas Cowboys franchise is one of the most well renowned teams in the league and will hope that a healthy roster will see them fulfill the potential they believe that they have. With Garrett heading in to his 4th year as the teams head coach he has no excuses now as this Dallas team does have the talent to succeed.
 |
| It's now or never time Romo & co! |
The team has a new defensive coordinator and will most likely line up with a 4-3 so the likes of DeMarcus Ware and Sean Lee will need to step up to ensure they improve on that side of the ball as well as develop with the new scheme. On offense running back DeMarco Murray and number one wide receiver Dez Bryant are crucial to helping Tony Romo and the Dallas offense succeed. Romo is an underrated quarterback who comes under individual scrutiny when his team loses like most quarterbacks. He has a regular season all-time career passer rating of 95.6 which ranks him at 5th and 4th among active players leaving him behind just Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and only .1 behind Peyton Manning. He may be prone to a big game interception but all it takes is one season to change people's opinions and the 2013 one could be it; Romo threw for a phenomenal 4903 yards last season. The 8th year quarterback will look to guide the Cowboys to their first divisional since 2009 and now that it seems they have the pieces in place it is time for this team to deliver.
Season prediction: 10-6. 1st in NFC East.
Washington Redskins:
Thanks to the help of rookie sensation Robert Griffin III the Washington Redskins overcame the odds to finish the 2012 NFL season as NFC East champions. Mike Shanahan's team went on a 7 game winning streak in the second half of the regular season to pull off a shock but unfortunately for them RG3 fell victim to injuries on his ACL and LCL ligaments.
Winning the division and getting this young team playoff experience was a fantastic achievement for the Redskins but in 2013 they are now the team to beat. It is much harder to repeat success when everyone is hunting for you so head coach Mike Shanahan will need to ensure his team are ready for the battle this year. Robert Griffin will also be a target for opposing defenses after his phenomenal debut campaign which saw him win the offensive rookie of the year award as well as set records for highest passer rating, 102.4, by a rookie quarterback and highest touchdown to interception ratio at 4:1. To throw only 5 interceptions as a veteran let alone a rookie is astonishing so Griffin will be expected to show the same class this year that he showed in 2012.
 |
| How will RGIII fair in his sophomore season? |
The injury has raised doubts over the young QB as such serious injury issues can often affect a player physiologically. I doubt he will have lost a step at all because he is very talented but you only have to look at Tom Brady's first year back after his ACL injury to see that it takes time to become comfortable again the pocket and what makes it even more of a challenge for RG3 is that his mobility and ability to rush out of the pocket is what makes him so dangerous but unfortunately that dynamic side also makes him vulnerable. Only time will tell as to how he and the Redskins fair but in a competitive NFC East they may suffer from second season syndrome due to a variety of factors. The franchise will be hoping that the likes of sophomore Alfred Morris will also be able to repeat the success of a fantastic 2012 whilst also hoping that the players in their prime such as Fred Davis, Pierre Garcon and DeAngelo Hall all have a good 2013 season.
Season Prediction: 8-8. 3rd in NFC East.
New York Giants:
The Giants must enjoy being written off because every time it happens they seem to go and prove everyone wrong. The team has won two Super Bowls out of the past 6 but failed miserably in defending their title in 2012 as they didn't even make the playoffs. After their win in 2007 they fell in the divisional rivals of the playoffs in 2008 to divisional rivals the Eagles and then missed out of the post-season for two consecutive years before their 2011 triumph.
To put any success in sport down to injuries is simplistic but for both Super Bowl runs the team got healthy at the right time. Unfortunately before the 2013 season has even begun there are injury concerns over the teams O-line and there were questions against the defenses secondary before injuries hit them during the final week of preseason. The Giants will be relying on Eli Manning to step up and get it done for them during the regular season but he has hardly ever managed that in his career so it does look doubtful.
 |
| Can Eli & Big Blue prove the doubters wrong again? |
The Giants will be hoping they can make the playoffs and will look at past successes for optimism but lightning doesn't keep striking in the same place and it somehow struck twice in 2007 and 2011. I'm not taking anything away from the success of the New York Giants franchise but 2013 is going to be a rocky road for them. They'll still post an 8-8 season at worst but Eli Manning is a post-season quarterback; he ranks at 3rd among active QB's for career passer ratings in the post-season. This isn't necessarily a bad thing but in a competitive division you need a strong roster and although it would be silly to rule them out completely I just think that even with a bit of luck the Giants will chase a wildcard spot at best. Honestly it looks like they will miss out on the playoffs because at least 9 other teams have a legitimate chance of making it the playoffs and New York don't have it in them to post a record good enough of even scraping it through and despite his credentials it comes back to what was mentioned before and that is the fact that despite even the fact that Eli has elevated his play in the past two seasons to a more consistent basis as before he still doesn't have it in him to carry the Giants on his back.
Season Prediction: 9-7. 2nd in NFC East.
Philadelphia Eagles:
I look back to a year ago where despite most of my predictions being accurate I stumble across when I put faith in the Eagles to win the NFC East and like dating a regrettable ex-girlfriend I say to myself... Why!? The Eagles self-proclaimed themselves as a dream team two years ago and last year there was still hope they could mix it with the best but sadly for them Andy Reid's tenure as head coach of the franchise came to the a sour end when the team plummeted to a 4-12 record ending Reid's 14 years on a very low point.
So in 2013 the Eagles have turned to evil genius Chip Kelly to use his offensive creativeness to hopefully bring some sort of spark back to the Eagles. He has two QB's who can run the system and it will be a nightmare for opposing defenses but I still can't get over the fact that Michael Vick said earlier in the off-season that Chip Kelly told him how to "Run with the football and how to carry the football, and I think it's something that you just have to work on". I mean I know Chip Kelly is supposedly a genius but surely he couldn't teach Vick something so difficult, you know something that people are taught from pee-wee... Never mind. It is safe to say there are still doubts over Michael Vick and although this system may be the ideal fit for him this literally is his last chance because it is getting to the point that even if Chip Kelly wanted to stick with him after a say bad year you'd have to say that eventually the franchise would get to the point where they would consider just wanting to cut ties with him instead of throwing him another bone.
 |
| The mad scientist is coming for you! |
Chip Kelly has plenty of offensive talent nevertheless and during preseason we have seen glimpses of what is to come. DeSean Jackson needs to have a big year regardless of the team's record because he is being paid big money and the franchise should only rightly feel that they want to see results on the field. They have a great tackle duo in the form of Jason Peters and Lane Johnson but 2013 for the Eagles will be about progressing and ensuring that the new era in Philadelphia gets off to a good start so they can start building for the future.
Season prediction: 7-9. 4th in NFC East.
No comments:
Post a Comment