A CLOSER LOOK AT THE NFC EAST

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE NFC EAST

By Troy Derengowski, EIHSS Sports

POWER POLLS AND PROJECTED FINISHES

1. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: 102.18 (12-4)
2. NEW YORK GIANTS: 100.97  (11-5)
3. DALLAS COWBOYS: 98.56  (10-6)
4. WASHINGTON REDSKINS:  93.68  (6-10)

UNIT RANKING

QUARTERBACK: NEW YORK 9.75

RUNNINGBACK: PHILADELPHIA  8.80

WIDE RECIEVER: PHILADELPHIA 9.19

OFFENSIVE LINE: NEW YORK  8.74

DEFENSIVE LINE: NEW YORK 9.65

LINEBACKER: DALLAS 9.07

DEFENSIVE BACK: DALLAS 8.58

SPECIAL TEAMS: DALLAS 8.58

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES:  If you are an Eagles fan, things didn’t go as planned in 2011.   This was a team that blew five second half leads and went 4-8 before winning their final four to finish 8-8.   That’s was a .500 record for a team that finished #4 on offense and #8 on defense.  Will this years’ “dream team” underachieve again in 2012?  They did add a couple of key factors to the defense and the schedule will be a little easier this season than last year.  If QB Michael Vick and other key components stay healthy, this may be the year that Coach Reid will take this team to the Super Bowl.

NEW YORK GIANTS:  This team didn’t look like a Super Bowl champion last season.  At one point the Giants were 6-6 and had injuries to deal with.   When they got healthier the Giants started to play well including a win against Dallas.   New York won the NFC East with a 9-7 record.   Once they got into the playoffs, New York  repeated what they did in 2007, winning four playoff games and a championship.  The defense will be stronger this season and if they stay healthy the Giants will make another run.

DALLAS COWBOYS:  The Cowboys lost more than they gained in free agency last season and it showed.  Dallas finished at 8-8 despite being favored in 12 games.  They were 7-4 against the East but blew leads to the Jets, Detroit, lost to Arizona in OT and blew a big lead to the Giants late in the year.  The defense got some upgrades more specifically in the secondary and that should make a difference in the very tough NFC East.  This is a team that should win 10 games but still may not be playoff bound.

WASHINGTON REDSKINS:  There were few highlights in 2011 but two stand out.  They beat the Super Bowl champions TWICE.  But they still finished 5-11 against a relatively soft schedule.  They also finished #16 on offense and #13 on defense.  So when you are that bad you trade 3 #1 draft choices for RGIII.   Despite RGIII being a rookie he is still an upgrade.   The Redskins also lost 65 starts to injury.  There is another problem in 2011, the schedule gets tougher (#3).  The Redskins will be better but their record may stay the same.