NFC East: Who Will Be The Beast of the East?

Who Will Win The East?

It's....the most wonderful.....of the year! It's football season folks. The lockout is over, the game is back on, and the water cooler talk will commence in September. I know I speak for the majority when I say let the good times roll. Today, we will examine one of the toughest divisions in the NFL, the NFC East. However, before we dive into that. You know what it is, time for the Hail Storm!

Hail Storm

1. Danica Patrick is moving to NASCAR. Count me in the crowd of, "who cares?" Not saying she isn't marketable. What I'm saying is that she hasn't won anything. Come wake me up when she actually wins a race. 

2. Terrelle Pryor was drafted by the Oakland Raiders. I actually love the move...under one condition. As long as they take the time to develop his QB skills. If, as Oakland is known to do, make a bad move and rush him under center then it is a wasted third round draft pick and he'll have to make it in the NFL at another position. 

3. Not sure how the controversy with the LSU football program is goign to turn out. I think that LSU was an overrated team in the preseason to begin with. This has the potential to derail their season even more. 

4. I have Anderson Silva winning his UFC fight in the third round by TKO on Saturday. You heard it here first. 

5. I'm tired of the NBA and their lack of movement in the lockout. If they want to ruin all of their momentum, then go right ahead. If they lose time and they lose fans, I hope they realize that it's their own faults. 

Beast of the East, NFC That Is

One team won the vaunted "Having the Best Offseason" award, one team has a quarterback decision to make, one team is trying to finally earn the "America's Team" nickname, and one team is just trying to overcome a litany of preseason and training camp injuries. The NFC East is definitely a hot bed of discussing this preseason. The Philadelphia Eagles went out and signed just about every free agent that was available (slight exaggeration). The Washington Redskins are recovering from the failed Albert Haynesworth and Donovan McNabb experiments and are trying to find their starting QB. The Dallas Cowboys are trying to rebound from an awful season that saw a mid-season coaching change and the season ending injury to Tony Romo. Then, you have the New York Giants. This is the same team, that if it wasn't for bad luck they wouldn't have any luck at all. Their secondary has been decimated due to injuries. At this point, they just want to make it to the regular season with enough people to field a complete team. So, who do I think wins it? 

Philadelphia

I honestly L...O...V..E...the moves that the Eagles made. I think Cullen Jenkins is a huge upgrade to their defensive line. Putting pressure on the QB with the front four is a huge deal. Especially when you have three shoutdown corners like the Eagles do. I've heard the argument that "You only start two corners". Blah blah blah. In today's NFL, the Nickel package (3 CBs) is pretty much a starting defensive lineup. However, the move I love the most is getting Vince Young to backup Michael Vick. The reason being is that Michael Vick has played all 16 games in a season once. ONCE! The odds are stacked against him playing the entire season. Because of that you need a backup that you can bring in and not have to alter your game plan. Who better than a mobile quarterback who has a winning record such as Young? If Vick goes down, I do not believe that the Eagles will miss a beat. The biggest problems the Eagles have are their lack of impact linebackers and believing their own hype. The Eagles only have to look within their own division and the Washington Redskins to see a team that has won the "Offseason" award and then bomb where it counts. The Eagles have to get consistent and good play from their LB corps and keep listening to Andy Reid to have a good season. 

Washington

Mike Shanahan wants us to believe that he hasn't figured out who his starting QB will be. Oh, and I have an ocean front property in Idaho for sale. John Beck is going to start for this team. This team will rise and fall with his play. So far this preseason I've actually been impressed with the running game of the Redskins. That comes as no surprise giving Shanahan's track record of producing 1000 yard rushers. Unfortunately for him and the Redskins fans, this is a QB driven league at this point. The good teams get good and consistent play from their QB. The bad teams...well...they don't. Simple as that. The key to this team is the play of their QB. Even if Shanahan goes with Rex Grossman, it still comes down to how consistent the main man under center is. And by consistent, I mean consistently good. 

Dallas

In Texas there is a team with so much talent and so much potential that we should be talking about a Super Bowl caliber season. Instead, we're talking about a team who is hoping to rebound and just have a winning season. I know that Jerry Jones doesn't want to hear that, but that's just the facts of life. Tony Romo is looking to stay healthy this season and lead his team back to the playoffs. He has Felix Jones in the back field who has the potential to turn any run into a touchdown. Dez Bryant who has the potential to turn any catch or return into a touchdown. Jason Witten who is potentially one of the top five TEs in the league. So what's missing? Ah, the defense. The Cowboys will need their secondary to show up every Sunday for them to have a chance to win their division. We all know that Dallas has an explosive offense when things are clicking. How they stop their opponents is what will determine their wins and losses. 

New York

The Giants have to be ready for the start of the regular season. Injuries, injuries, and more injuries have been the mark of their preseason. So, what is the key to their season? New York has to find a way to weather the storm and put a competitive secondary and defense out on the field. Eli Manning has to rebound from his terrible 2009 season. 30 or so turnovers from your QB is not going to produce a playoff team. If he rebounds, that will go a long way to producing a successful season. Getting productive play out of their defensive line will go a long way towards masking the injuries in the secondary. If the d-line fails to get consistent pressure on opposing QBs....well, at least the New York faithful have that other team in New York.

Who Wins?

Looking at the team's schedules here is how I have it broken down. 

Redskins: 7-9

Giants: 7-9

Eagles: 13-3

Cowboys: 11-5

That's right, I have the Eagles going 13-3. Quote me. I have the Eagles winning the division with the Cowboys likely getting one of the Wild Card spots for the NFC. I think the play of Michael Vick, their defensive line, their secondary, will be enough to get the Eagles to the playoffs. I believe they will get just enough from their linebackers to put them over the top. I believe the Giants have lost too much to be a huge factor this season. I believe the Redskins are two seasons away from being a force. The Cowboys will be there until the end, but ultimately they'll have to settle for a Wild Card spot. Disagree? Use Facebook or the comments section to voice your opinions. After all, this is what makes the NFL the new America's past time. 

End of the Storm

 Thanks for taking the time to read this edition of Tha Weatha Report. Stay tuned as next time we will examine the AFC East and who I predict to come out of that tough division. As always, support the "movement" and go to Facebook and "like" the page. Tell your friends and coworkers. Until next time, stay blessed, keep living and enjoying life, and keep enjoying sports!