2011 NFL Preview: NFC East

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-Digger's Daily-

Here we go. NFL 2011 season is ready to go. Teams are making last minute roster adjustments. Odds makers gearing up for a big opening weekend of betting. Players chomping at the bit to play for real after a long pre-season filled with decimating injuries.

How will the final standings read after all is said and done once the 16 game schedule concludes? One thing is for certain - once again - NFL 2011 will be action packed from opening kickoff to the final whistle.
All World All Sports goes division by division previewing/predicting how the NFL will shake out in 2011. Let's begin with the NFC.

NFC East

1 - Philadelphia Eagles

Offense: Speed. Team speed. How will defenses contain Michael Vick, DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, Brent Celek, Steve Smith, Jason Avant and Riley Cooper. Out of their backfield is LeSean McCoy and Ronnie Brown. Vick's decision making may very well determine if the Eagles score the most points during the regular season. Offense is primed to average well over 30 points/game if they're able to protect the pigskin.
Defense: Eagles usually known for their D but suffered a bit by lapses in 2010. Juan Castillo is Philly's new DC. Eagles added plenty of new faces & depth for '11. Question marks surrounding all phases of defense from front line, linebackers and cornerbacks. Andy Reid is one of NFL's best. I'm believing his D will step it up a notch. However, with Philly's quick strike offense - will D be worn out by end of 3rd quarter?
Prediction: 12-4 NFC East division winners

2 - New York Giants

Offense: Eli Manning single handily wrecked the Giants season as the NFL leader in turnovers. Time after time he coughed up the ball in situations dictating throwing the ball out of bounds or taking a sack. Banged up offensive line & wide receivers didn't help matters either. Inconsistency was the Giants theme in '10. What's up for 2011? More of the same or football smarts?
Defense: Training camp took a painful toll on New York's secondary. Opponents will try exploiting this make-shift group early and often until they prove worthy of stopping opposing offenses. Good luck. Giants pass rushers will have to save the day - Justin Tuck, Jason Pierre-Paul, Mathias Kiwanuka and eventually Osi Umenyiora will rattle a few cages as NFL's top pass rushing unit.
Prediction: Don't get your hopes up this year Giants fans. 9 wins max.

3 - Washington Redskins
Offense: Shanahan recently named Rex Grossman starting QB. Gross often gets grilled by media types because he's not a prototypical QB. All Rex needs to do is play efficient football - something he's quite capable of doing regularly if teammates chip in. Key to offense is Skins running game. Shanahan produced 11 1,000+ yard rushers in 12 Denver seasons. Something tells me a secured offensive line is ready to go. Hightower is their featured back and he's ready for a breakout season.
Defense: Shanahan's sticking with 3-4 system. I'm no fan of the 3-4 as it opens up the D to many potential mistakes vs big opposing offensive lines. Skins D ranked 31st in '10 - will be tested often in '11.
Prediction: 7 win season is definitely attainable. If Rex & Co. can score - if D can sufficiently derail opposing attacks - Washingtom may become the cinderella story of 2011. Don't bet on it - don't be surprised if it happens either.

4 - Dallas Cowboys

Offense: Whoa, 2011 could turn ugly quickly. Only one good bit of news for Dallas heading into regular season opener - Tony Romo is back. Plenty of bad news beginning with a terrible make-shift offensive line featuring two rookies. Romo will be running for his life. Runningbacks soon to be challenged looking for running lanes vs formidale NFC East defensive linemen.
Defense: No NFC team surrendered more points in 2010. Dallas picked up an all star coordinator - Rob Ryan of the famously defensive minded Ryan clan (father - Buddy, brother - Rex). Don't expect miracles in 2011 as personnel is probably division's worst. Ryan will blitz from every direction out of necessity with a weak in all areas D. 2011 could bet ugly early, often and every game. Dallas is a long way off from thinking about playoff football.
Prediction: Jason Garrett is not head coach material. Will Dallas Cowboys head coach revolving door continue? 4-12 season says most definitely!
Up next - NFC North.

NFL 2010 Preseason Predictions - NFC East

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-Digger's Daily-

The 2010 NFL regular season kicks off September 9th with a bang. In a rematch of last year's NFC Championship Game, Minnesota takes on defending Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints. Dallas is getting a head start on competitors when they become the first team hitting practice fields (July 24th). From coast to coast plenty of news will be coming from NFL cities as teams try to stay injury free this preseason prepping for a grueling 16 game war. Every division will be a fierce battle. Plenty of question marks will be answered one way or another. Can Romo finally step up a become a big game QB? Will the Giants bounce back to Super form? Can New Orleans take advantage of a weak schedule and repeat? How about those tarnished stars? Will Roethlisberger, Vick, Owens and company ever straighten out their troubled persona's?

Each day this week I'll be breaking down the NFL division by division. First up NFC East.

1) New York Giants A series of devastating injuries to key personnel derailed New York's season (8-8) after they opened up 5-0. Manning and a young receiving corps were often out of sync. Look for the offense to be explosive this year if the line is sound. On defense, draft picks were a bit questionable and may not provide immediate impact. However, if all returning injured players are fully healthy then this will be a dangerous team in every facet of the game. 7th hardest NFL schedule heading into 2010. Coaches will have them ready to play. Giants are hungry and will emerge division winners.

2) Dallas Cowboys The Cowboys finally enjoyed a strong regular season finish in '09 winning their final 3 (2 by shutout). Dallas even found a way to win their first playoff game since December 28, 1996. Excitement is in the air once again heading into 2010 for a team which many think has never realized full potential. QB Tony Romo continues to be plagued by lack of leadership critiques and inability to perform in big games. Coaching staff play calling and lack of player control/respect carries over once again. If they can keep the sideshow off the field then Dallas could be primed for a Super run. Explosive weapons on offense and aggressive defense (NFC low 250 points against) set the stage for a big year. Despite all their talent something always seems to unhinge this squad. 2nd place on the way vs NFL's 3rd toughest schedule. They'll be in the wild card hunt.

3) Washington Redskins Welcome Mike Shanahan, new coaches and new team field general Donovan McNabb. The Redskins are finally getting their act together. Questionable first two draft picks could pay huge dividends if these players are committed to excellence (Trent Williams, OL, Oklahoma & Perry Riley, OLB, LSU). Washington is probably another 2 years from making a serious run. However, do not take this team lightly. 'Skins will be greatly improved from a dismal 4-12 shellacking of 2009. Expect these seasoned vets to play inspired football. 8-8 is well within reach.

4) Philadelphia Eagles I've always believed a few screws must be loose in the minds of Philly's personnel decision makers. On and off over the years the football world has wondered aloud what life would be like without Donovan McNabb under center. Well they're about to find out how quickly life changes after trading away a career 92-49-1 quarterback who led Eagles teams into the playoffs in 8 of 10 seasons. Worse yet, McNabb was traded to division rival Washington. Revenge is sweet McNabb gets two cracks per seasn vs a team he knows inside and out. Kevin Kolb filled in well when McNabb missed time and will be given every opportunity to claim starter status. On the field Michael Vick gets a crack to unseat Kolb. Off field troubles continue haunting this guy and might lead to getting cut or traded. It's going to be a very long season in Philadelphia. Terrible draft picks makes one wonder if it's time to replace their entire scouting staff. 11-5 might become 5-11 (if they're lucky).

McNabb Trades Wings for Hatchet!

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Season after season NFL fans have heard all the rumors claiming Donovan McNabb was about to be traded. Rumors, bloggers and various speaking heads had speculated of this day for years. Well, after 11 years of high's and low's, Philadelphia finally parted company with one of the franchises most popular players. On paper, McNabb's statistics seem impressive. 82-45-1 record, 32,873 yards on 59% completions, 216 TD vs 100 INT, 3,249 career rushing yards (5.7 average). The one glaring ommission... and NFL Super Bowl Championship for a city that hates to lose.

Perhaps it's time for the Eagles to find a new path. My biggest question isn't why was McNabb traded? Put in simplest of terms... why trade McNabb to a division rival??? There's no good reason for this. NFL teams far and wide would clearly line up for his services. Now, McNabb will not only get to play against his former team... he'll probably beat them too. He brings more to Washington than talent. He has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to education his new coaches about their division rival. He knows their defense inside and out. Offensive tendencies inside and out. Trading McNabb will be debated in Philly for years. Trading McNabb to arch rival Washington has been lambasted from cover to cover.

Washington gains something they have not had for years. A real NFL quarterback. Lack of a leader under center has taken its' toll on this once proud franchise. New Head Coach Mike Shanahan was all smiles after landing McNabb. He has an All Pro QB and can now focus attention on refining draft day strategies. Shanahan will certainly revamp a floundering Skins offense and he has a near perfect weapon to get things rolling. Look for many Washington changes approaching draft day. Not much work needs to be done to turn this group of underachievers into winners. Philadelphia fans will soon regret the day Donovan was traded. As the old saying goes, be careful what you wish for!

Did Redskins Sign Ex-Giants QB for Signal Stealing?

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-Digger's Daily-

Washington Redskins will be traveling to the Meadowlands to play the Giants in week one. Will they be bringing a secret weapon? If New York Giants Head Coach Tom Coughlin has a say then the answer is yes.

Washington recently signed former Giants practice squad QB Andre Woodson and now Giants players are livid thinking this was done strictly for spying purposes. Woodson knows the Giants signals. He knows their audibles. Of course, Redskins coaches will be grilling him all week for any information possible leading up to this weekends game.

'Skins Coach Jim Zorn has denied this was Washington's motivation for signing Woodson. Yeah, right. But, he did acknowledge Woodson would provide some info. Quoting NFL.com... "He might be able to help us a little bit," Zorn said. "He knows their stuff. He certainly knew their snap count and just the obvious things, but we're not trying to glean every little (detail), we're not going to put him under the microscope."

Ok Coughlin, this is what coaching is all about. Improvising from week to week, opponent to opponent. Change your audibles. Set them up (Redskins) on snap counts. Make this work to the Giants advantage. The men in blue should actually be happy with this news. There's still plenty of time for adjustments. Now go out and get it done. Use this as a teaching moment or motivational tool. Whatever it takes.

Spying, video taping, coaches calling other coaches for tips. Football is football. This is nothing new. Get a grip and adjust. Championship teams survive all obstacles. This is only week one. Get it done!

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