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Hands down the toughest division in the NFC, and arguably in the entire NFL, the NFC EAST is home to the best defensive brand of football in the league.
The division completed a ‘grand slam’ of sorts in 2008 when all four residents ended the season with sub 300-yard defenses.
To further enhance their stance, a message was sent to the rest of the league when all four teams shored up their stop-units in the off-season.
Now, provided they don’t beat each other to a pulp, the NFC EAST will be out to live up to the adage that defense wins football games in the NFL.
Here is my take of teams in the NFC EAST for 2009. …
NFC EAST
DALLAS
Team Theme – POST TURKEY TRAUMA
Jerry Jones’ new billion-dollar palace will serve as the playground for the most overrated team in the NFL. While the Cowboys have enjoyed four winning seasons in a row, they have been a resounding disappointment the last dozen years. In that span, the scorecard shows “America’s Team” is seven games under .500 (95-102) in all games, including 30-53 SU and 29-50-4 ATS against winning opposition. It all goes hand in hand with Dallas’ disappearing act in the playoffs. One glance at the Cowboys’ post-Thanksgiving schedule (Giants, Chargers, Saints, Redskins and Eagles) tells us all we need to know about their prospects in 2009. The last time Dallas posted a winning record in games from December out was in 1996. Like we say every year, if Jones had anyone else overseeing this operation he would have fired him long ago.
PLAY AGAINST: vs. San Diego (12/13)
NY GIANTS
Team Theme - THE G-SPOT
Through it all, despite a frustrating 1-4 finish, the defending Super Bowl champions enjoyed a solid season in 2008. While somehow managing their way through the Plaxico Burress distractions, and shaking off the added weight that usually accompanies defending champions, the Giants managed a trim and healthy 12-5 SU and ATS record. Better yet, they improved their numbers on both sides of the ball from their Super Bowl season. To top it off, a strong draft figures to fortify the ranks, making the G-Men deeper this year than at any time under head coach Tom Coughlin. A tricky three-game road trek early in the season would be a problem for most teams. Not for this road warrior, who is 14-3 SU and 15-2 ATS in its last seventeen road games. While it’s true that only two opponents on this year’s schedule suffered losing seasons last year, we look for Big Blue to rise to the occasion and beat the spot in 2009.
PLAY ON: as a road dog vs. Philadelphia (11/1)
PHILADELPHIA
Team Theme – POCKET ACES
For a team that was upended as road favorites the NFC title game last year, the Eagles made significant moves during the off-season, signaling an ‘all-in’ move for the 2009 season ahead. The addition of key veteran players such at LT Jason Peters, RT Stacy Adams and CB Ellis Hobbs was a coup. However, it didn’t stop there. Philadelphia cleaned up in the NFL draft, landing WR Jeremy Maclin and RB LeSean McCoy to cement a terrific off-season of key acquisitions. The onus now falls squarely on the shoulders of head coach Andy Reid and QB Donovan McNabb who, in tandem, have won ten playoff games in ten years. Sure, they have had some bad flops along the way but as a pair, Reid and McNabb have made it to the final table (read: playoffs) more often than not. Here’s hoping the river flows their way and that they get the winning bracelet they so richly deserve.
PLAY ON: vs. Washington (10/26) - *KEY off a win of 6 > points
WASHINGTON
Team Theme – HOG TIED
Last year, Jim Zorn became the eighth-straight Redskin coach to fail to record a winning season in his first season at the helm with Washington. A tantalizing 4-1 start last season titillated owner Daniel Snyder’s championship fantasy but, when push came to shove, the Redskins ended the year with a record worse than any of their NFC East division rivals and were home alone for the playoffs. That prompted the Boss Hog to empty the coffers when he signed the NFL’s best defensive force in Albert Haynesworth. The Skins then selected DE Brian Orapko from Texas in the first-round of the NFL draft and three additional defensive reinforcements with their next three picks. A new message was sent. If you are going to beat teams in the toughest division in the league, you will need to tie them down and do it with defense. The new-look Hogs got the memo.
PLAY AGAINST: as a road dog vs. Dallas (11/22)
