Expect reports on the last preseaon games and other loose ends. While waiting for that enjoy this evaluation of the NFC East.
Time for our run-through of the NFC East Division and your 2005-2006 Washington Redskins!
Philadelphia Eagles
OFFENSE:
The Eagles offense seems to be very potent once again this season. At quarterback is the always dangerous Donavan McNabb. The receivers for Philly include Terrell Owens and rookie, Reggie Brown. Ownes will be one of the best in the league as usual and Brown will likely play an important role quickly. Philly's starting halfback is Brian Westbrook. The all-purpose runner is a play-maker that can really break a game wide open. His game is multi-faceted and he is a great reciever. At tight end the Eagles will be lining up L.J. Smith. Smith appears to be ready to play a more expanded role this season. He figures to catch more passes. The Eagles offensive line is strong. With players like Jon Runyan they appear to be very capable of protecting McNabb and the running game.
DEFENSE:
The Eagles defensive line is good. It has superb speed rusher, Jevon
'The Freak' Kearse lined up on the left side. He figures to once again be a force on the line. The Eagles linebacker corps is fast and strong. Jeremiah Trotter, Keith Adams, Mark Simoneau, Dhani Jones and Jason Short will all be great on defense. At the cornerback position Philly is good. Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown proved themselves last year, and will only get better. At Free Safety Philly has Brian Dawkins who is always prepared to deliver a big hit or make a big play.
SPECIAL TEAMS:
Kicker, David Akers will be the Eagles best player on special teams.
New York Giants:
OFFENSE:
At quarterback the Giants have second year man Eli Manning. He is taking big strides towards being a star in this league. However, don't expect that to happen this year. At halfback the Giants have Tiki Barber, Barber's fumbling woes lessened last season, but that is still a problem. The Giants backup halfback is rookie Brandon Jacobs, he is a huge goal-line threat. New York's tight end is Jeremy Shockey. Shockey is a physical tight end who will most likely be the leading pass reciever on the team. The Giants recievers include Amani Toomer and their big free agent signing, Plaxico Burress. Burress will be the team's number one pass reciever. He has a large wingspan and thus, is a great target in traffic and the back of the endzone. Last year New York's offensive line improved. However, they are still weak.
DEFENSE:
The Giants defensive line is good. One of their defensive tackles is William Joseph. He should be a great player. At left end the Giants have Michael Strahan. You can count on him to get 7+ sacks year in and year out. At right end New York has Osi Umenyiora. Umenyiora is an up and comer in the league and had a team-leading 7 sacks last season. The Giants picked up former Washington Redskin, Antonio Pierce to play middle linebacker. He should be a force for that improving defense. At cornerback New York has two great players, William Peterson and Will Allen. Besides that, the Giants do not have great depth at cornerback. At strong safety the Giants have Gibril Wilson. Wilson is another great young player.
SPECIAL TEAMS:
Last year the Giants had the best special teams in terms of field position after a kickoff or punt. Their punter and Kicker are Jeff Feagles and Jay Feely.
If Eli Manning develops quickly this season the Giants will have a good year
Dallas Cowboys
OFFENSE:
The Cowboys quarterback is a familiar face, Drew Bledsoe. After their quarterback troubles last season the Boys' hope that Bledsoe will last the whole year. Their starting halfback is 2nd year man, Julius Jones. In Jones limited time last season he showed great promise. At wide receiver the Boys' have Keyshawn Johnson, Peerless Price, Terry Glenn and Patrick Crayton. These receivers are not great, but should get the job done. The Cowboy's tight end, Jason Witten is a great receiver as well. The Cowboys' offensive line is great with big veterans Larry Allen and Flozell Adams. They also picked up guard Marco Rivera to improve their already great line.
DEFENSE:
The Cowboys are great up the middle with defensive tackles, La'Roi Glover and Jason Ferguson. They have a great right end in Greg Ellis. Dallas also has good linebackers like, Scott Fujita and Dat Nguyen. Dallas improved their cornerbacks alot over the off-season. At corner Dallas has Aaron Glenn, Anthony Henry and Terrence Newman. Dallas has one of the best safeties in the league in Roy Williams. Their defense looks to be great this season.
SPECIAL TEAMS:
The Cowboys have a terrible kicker in Jose Cortez and a terrible punter in Mat McBriar.
If Julius Jones plays as well as he did last season when he was not injured Dallas is in store for a great season.
Washington Redskins
OFFENSE:
The redskins have a 2-way QB controversy at the moment between incumbent starter, Patrick Ramsey and rookie, Jason Campbell. The Redskins have one of the best halfbacks in the league, Clinton Portis. He should lead the offense this season. The recent acquisition of Brandon Jacobs has already proved its worth during the offseason. Why spelling Portis he is more than able to carry the offense on his shoulders. Washington did not have a wide receiver over six feet tall until picking up Koren Robinson via F/A. He should prove a viable WR for whoever is at center. All of the WR's are extremely fast. During the off-season Washington acquired Santana Moss. He will be the number one receiver this year. Number two will be David Patten. The former Patriot will play a bigger role this season then in years past. Tight End Chris
ey emerged last season as a great player. He should be even better this year. The Washington offensive line is healthy this season and anchored by veteran Jon Jansen.
DEFENSE:
The Redskins' defensive line is anchored by defensive tackle Cornelius Griffin and defensive end, Phillip Daniels. In the past week the Skins have signed two 2nd year players who show tremendous amounts of talent at the DE spot. These guys are here for the long haul and will be adequate replacements to an aging D line. The Redskins also have an incredible linebacker corps with, Lavaar Arrington, Warrick Holdman, Marcus Washington, Gary Brackett and Lemar Marshall. They probably have the best depth in the league at the linebacker position. At cornerback Washington has Shawn Springs, Walt Harris and rookie, Carlos Rogers. Their corners are good. They also have great depth at safety with Sean Taylor, Pierson Prioleau, Omar Stoutmire and Ryan Clark. They should have a capable defense.
SPECIAL TEAMS:
The Redskins have a great kicker, John Hall and a great Punter Tom Tupa. Tupa will probably retire following this season, and have another punter on the roster, Andy Groom.
Projected Finishes:
Philadelphia Eagles 12-4
New York Giants 7-9
Washington Redskins 7-9
Dallas Cowboys 7-9
