NFL Preview: NFC East

Ryan: Because of all of the uncertainty surrounding all 4 teams in the division, the NFC East is the league's most interesting division. Longtime Philly icon Donovan McNabb is a Redskin, which is one of the stranger things I have ever heard, and Kevin Kolb has stepped up to be his replacement. The Cowboys look stacked as always, and the Giants seem to have talent, but are going through an identity crisis on both sides of the ball. Two years ago, there was no better division in football. That could be the case again, but it seems more likely that only one (maybe 2) of these teams will make the playoffs this season.

1st Place-Dallas Cowboys, 14-2
This might be an unreasonably high expectation for the Cowboys, but they really are flawless on offense. Tony Romo is a great quarterback, and I have always said that Felix Jones would lead the league in rushing yards if he was the full time starter (which might just be the case this year). Jason Witten is the best TE in the league in terms of receptions, and a receiving core of Witten plus Miles Austin, Roy Williams, Dez Bryant, and Patrick Crayton is probably the best in the whole league. DeMarcus Ware anchors a very solid pass rush, and Terrence Newman is the star of an above average secondary. Additionally, David Buehler kicks touchbacks like their extra points, and Mat McBriar is a fantastic punter. A flaw will surely emerge, and they might flounder in the playoffs, but Dallas is certainly the favorite in the NFC East.

2nd Place- New York Giants, 9-7
Eli Manning has developed into the best quarterback in franchise history, dropping 27 TD's and 4021 yards last season in what was the best statistical season a Giant QB has ever had. Injuries held the team down last year, with Antonio Pierce, Kenny Phillips, Aaron Ross, and other defensive stalwarts missing substantial amounts of time. The replacement players just did not cut it for the G-Men, and their once proud defense crumbled at the end of the season. Keith Bulluck, Antrel Rolle, Jason Pierre-Paul, and Deon Grant are all solid players that will give the Giants more depth and firepower on the defensive end. The Eagles and Redskins are also going to have down years, which will help the Giants' chances of getting back over .500. My favorite team will certainly have a shot at the playoffs this year, and hopefully can make another run towards the Super Bowl like they did 2 seasons ago. I just pray Tom Coughlin realizes how horribly ineffective Brandon Jacobs is, and increases the playing time of Ahmad Bradshaw and even Andre Brown. I don't care if Jeff Feagles comes out of retirement and takes handoffs, just take that lineman out of the backfield plleeeeaaasseeeeee!!! Jacobs is such an easy target for strong linebackers because he is so large, and doesn't seem to know how to take advantage of his size. If he could just destroy would-be tacklers like he did during the Super Bowl run that would be lovely, but the secret on how to stop him is out, and its time to move on.

3rd Place- Philidelphia Eagles, 7-9
Kevin Kolb, in my opinion, is an upgrade over Donovan McNabb at the QB position. He is the only QB in NFL history to throw for 300 yards in his first two starts, and he had some unbelievable statistics at the University of Houston (3809 Yards, and 30 TDs to only 4 INTs as a senior). However, McNabb was a great leader and knew how to win, skills that Kolb might not have this season. DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin are good receivers, but they might not have a good rapport with Kolb in his first season with the team. All in all, I predict a below .500 season for the Eagles, complete with many ups and downs and an overdose of criticism towards a QB that has enormous shoes to fill.

4th Place- Washington Redskins, 6-10
The Backfield of Extraordinary Gentleman has been assembled in Washington, with the key word being Gentleman. Larry Johnson, Clinton Portis, and Willie Parker are all over the hill running backs, and Donovan McNabb is an aging former superstar. Santana Moss is getting up in years, Chris Cooley is coming off a major injury, and Albert Haynesworth seems more interested in filling his wallet and waistline than plugging holes on the football field. The Redskins would be a force to reckon with if they were a few years younger, but I see Mike Shanahan's squad having serious chemistry issues and failing to come through in the clutch against the superior teams in the division.

Jason: The NFC East is a very tough division to predict. All the teams have the pieces to be contenders but all of them could falter and finish below .500. McNabb is a Redskin and hell hasn't frozen over so thats a plus. The Cowboys are a trendy pick to reach the Superbowl in their own stadium. The Eagles and Giants are both coming off disappointing seasons and are looking to bounce back.

1st Place- Dallas Cowboys, 11-5

While most people think the 'boys will cruise to the superbowl they have a tough schedule that could limit them. Their offense is stacked with Romo, Witten, and pad-hater Dez Bryant. After many distractions in previous years the Cowboys are primed to make a run. Wade Phillips isn't on the hot seat, Jessica Simpson isn't in the stadium, and they finally won a playoff game again. The defense played great down the stretch last year and should continue to grow. I think the Cowboys will win the division easily but won't dominate the league like many others think.

2nd Place- Philadelphia Eagles, 9-7

The Eagles have a new look to them this year. The most noticeable difference is new QB Kevin Kolb who is taking over for Donovan McNabb. Also, long time running back Brian Westbrook was released and just picked up by the 49ers. The offense can be very explosive with Jackson and Maclin at wide receiver. They also have LeSean McCoy in the backfield who can be very explosive. Their defense was suspect last year and could be a real weak spot. I don't think the Eagles can win the East but in the weak NFC they could sneak in as a wild card team.

3rd Place- New York Giants, 8-8

The Giants can go one of two ways. They can surprise people and make another run of they can have a weak defense and disappoint again. I think it will wind up being the latter. They have a very good QB in Eli Manning but he looked very bad in their first preseason game completing only 4 passes for 77 yards, 51 of which came on one broken play. There was also clear confusion between Jacobs and Manning on the play where Eli's head got a nice makeover. Their receiving corps is solid but still very young. Their D was injured for most of the year last year and it should be better this year. They got grandpa Keith Bulluck and a lineman who can do backflips. But seriously, they will be getting starters returning to their secondary and d-line which should help.  I do think that they do need a replacement for Antonio Pierce who was a leader on the field and in the locker room.  I don't think the Giants will improve this year and I expect coach Coughlin to be done after this season.

4th Place- Washington Redskins, 6-10

The Redskins should be much improved from last year, not saying much, I know. They brought in McNabb from philly and got Mike Shanahan to come out of retirement. Other than that, i think they will be just about the same team. Their run game shouldn't be any better this year and they dont have good receivers. Their defense has someone who takes a week to run 300 yards and not much else. Don't expect much from the 'skins this year because they aren't going anywhere.

Next up is the very competitive AFC North. Stay tuned!

NFL Preview: AFC East

DV Staff: We're back with an extensive preview of the 2010-11 NFL season! Beginning with the AFC East and finishing with the NFC West, we'll cover every single team in the league, division by division.

Ryan: The AFC East is one of the stronger divisions in football, featuring the perennial powerhouse New England Patriots, the reloaded Miami Dolphins, and one of the Super Bowl favorites; the New York Jets. Star power has crept into this division in the form of free agents and trades, namely Brandon Marshall, LaDainian Tomlinson, Antonio Cromartie, and blazing fast rookie C.J. Spiller. Young quarterbacks Chad Henne, Mark Sanchez, and Trent Edwards look to create names for themselves, while Tom Brady looks to tack on another great season to his Hall of Fame career. It should be a thrilling race to the finish between the Jets and the Pats, but I think the Jets will nudge them out for the crown.

Place-Team, Record

1st Place- New York Jets, 13-3.
The Jets feature by far the league's most intimidating defense as well as the most inventive and intelligent defensive mind in all of football in Head Coach Rex Ryan. Although the Darrelle Revis contract situation is a troubling one, the Jets really do have a bright future. They still have two fantastic DBs in Antonio Cromartie and Kyle Wilson, the rookie 1st rounder out of Boise State. Bart Scott and David Harris are two of the 10 best linebackers in the whole league, and Kris Jenkins is a force to be reckoned with on the D-line when healthy. The Jets also have a stellar running game, which should only improve with Shonn Greene's insertion into the starting lineup at RB, and they have improved in the passing game by adding former Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes. LaDainian Tomlinson is also a Jet for at least this season, which just increases the star power and veteran leadership this team already has. The only huge question Mark is the QB Sanchez, who had 20 picks last year and looked lost, which is very bad considering his responsibilities mostly consisted of not tripping over his own feet while handing the ball to his backs. Still, a division title for the Jets is very likely, and the Super Bowl is a distinct possibility.

2nd Place- New England Patriots, 11-5

Maybe Tom Brady has never been the best QB in the NFL, but he has always been its best winner. Aside from that one absurd 50 touchdown season, Brady has never stood out that much statistically; rather its been his winning that makes him such a legendary player in this league. Even though Welker is still recovering from a serious injury and newly acquired Torry Holt is out for the season with a knee injury, I still believe Brady will keep this offense operating at a very high clip, maybe even at a higher rate than the Jets' offense. The Pats defense, however, is far from stable right now. Ty Warren is out for the season, and the core from the dynasty of old is just that; old. No Bruschi, no Seymour, no Warren, no Division Title. The best this team can hope for is a Wild Card spot, but there is just no way I envision them outperforming the Jets to an extent great enough to win the Division.

3rd Place- Miami Dolphins, 9-7

Brandon Marshall, in my opinion, is the 2nd best receiver in the league behind Andre Johnson. But Kyle Orton was not the QB for such an explosive athlete to catch balls from, as he rarely takes the chances required to take advantage of Marshall's skill. But this season, Brandon has taken his talents to South Beach, and I believe that the Henne to Marshall combo can do some incredible things through the air. That being said, the Dolphins have the misfortune of being in this top heavy division, and probably will win at most 1 game against the Pats and the Jets combined. Assuming they take 2 games from the hapless Bills, their division record will be 3-3, a record that will make it very difficult for them to compete for a playoff spot.

4th Place, Buffalo Bills, 3-13

Jake Locker...Andrew Luck...Ryan Mallett...mmmmmm. Oh, wait, we still have another season until the 2011 draft? Darn..okay, well..lets just tough it out, I guess. The Bills have pretty good young talent in C.J. Spiller and Paul Posluszny, but have very little else besides home field advantage. They may go winless in the division unless they can steal a game at home, and this season may just be chalked up to the development of Spiller and the rest of the young guns before they reload with a high pick in next years draft. Maybe they'll take a QB like Locker and stop putting all of their faith in a QB who's best season in college featured a 5 and 6 record...

Jason: Full disclaimer, I am a huge Jets fan.  With that in mind, this division is one of the best in the N.F.L. and should be competitive.  The AFC East has been owned by the Patriots for the last decade but now the Jets and Dolphins are making a push to be considered the top dog of the division.  The Bills don't have much to look forward to except next years top draft pick.  As Ryan pointed out there are many new players in this division including Santonio Holmes, Jason Taylor, and Karlos Dansby.  I think the Jets should win the division and one other team from this division will make the playoffs as a wild card.  

1st Place, New York Jets, 12-4

Generally after a team reaches the conference championship game the team stays intact however that was not the case with the Jets.  They added former MVP LaDainian Tomlinson, Superbowl MVP Santonio Holmes, all-pro Antonio Cromartie, Jason Taylor, and draft pick Kyle Wilson.  They have the best defense in the league run by Rex Ryan and anchored by current hold, out all-world Darrelle Revis.  Although Revis is the best defensive player in the league, the Jets don't want to give him 16 million dollars and they shouldn't.  Even if Revis doesn't play this season the Jets D still should be one of the tops in the league with Harris, Scott, and the return of Kris Jenkins.  On offense, Second year QB Mark Sanchez looked very good in the playoffs passing for 4 TD's and 2 INT's with a 92.7 QB rating.  Sanchez has also gotten new weapons.  L.T. is still a pass catching threat out of the backfield and Holmes will help open up the playbook.  Shonn Greene was very solid in the playoffs and the games he started in the regular season and should be ready to carry the main workload for the Jets.  Overall I think the Jets can finish 12-4 with their difficult schedule and win the division and perhaps the whole thing.  

2nd Place, New England Patriots, 10-6

The Pats have owned the division for most of the decade but their dominance has come to an end.  Unlike the Jets, the Patriots haven't made many moves this offseason.  Brady and Moss are getting older and their once formidable defense is no longer a big threat as made evident in their playoff loss at the hands of the Ravens.  Wes Welker has made a very speedy recovery from his knee injury suffered in week 17 and should be ready for the regular season.  The Patriots are also dealing with a holdout, that of guard Logan Mankins, and it appears that he won't be on the Pats this year.  They also lost their starting D-lineman Ty Warren.  The Pats still have tallent and one of the best cheaters, I mean coaches in the league and should be able to win 10 games and sneak into the playoffs.  

3rd Place, Miami Dolphins, 8-8

There is a-lot of hype in South Beach these days and not all of it is centered around the Heat.  The Dolphins had a nice offseason bringing in Brandon Marshall and Karlos Dansby.  They also have a young talented QB in Chad Henne.  The Henne to Marshall combo could be one of the most feared in the NFL for years to come.  The talent level is there but I don't think that it can translate into enough wins in the AFC East to make the playoffs.  

4th Place, Buffalo Bills, 4-12

There isn't much to look forward to in Buffalo.  They don't have a QB, defense, or wide receivers.  They do have electric back C.J. Spiller who could be special and is now thrust into the starting role due to injuries to the top two backs for the Bills.  The Bills are in the process of rebuilding and it will take a few years before they are relevant again.    

Thats it for the first division preview.  Stay tuned for the rest of out previews leading up to the start of the season which is less than a month away.  

Brett Favre Retires (Again)

Breaking news out of the N.F.L. this morning as Brett Favre has reportedly informed the Minnesota Vikings that he has decided to retire again.  The story has yet to be confirmed by the team but the Minneapolis Star Tribune and now ESPN are reporting the story.  Favre leads the league in all time wins, passing yards, passing touchdowns, completions and interceptions.  This is the third time Favre has retired now leading the league in that category as well.  Only time will tell if this retirement will stick but as of now the Vikings are looking for a new QB.