Also see: NFL '08 Predictions: NFC North | NFC West
In 2007, the NFC East was the strongest division in the NFC, second only in the NFL to the AFC South. The East represented 50% of the NFC's playoff teams and the eventual Super Bowl champion in the New York Giants. While you may fully expect the NFC East to be the most powerful division in the NFC once again, you won't see each team at or above .500 in 2008.
DALLAS COWBOYS
The Cowboys (well, any team with Terrell Owens) seem to be a team with some off the field problems year in and year out. Interestingly enough, Owens is far less in the spotlight than his new teammate Adam "Don't Call Me Pacman" Jones. Add in whoever Tony Romo has in his romantic sights this season (I'm betting on Keira Knightley), and Owens' inevitable hi-jinx, and the Cowboys are going to have a hard time focusing on football as it seems they always do.
Despite all of this, Romo has played great as a starter and the Cowboys and, for the most part, Owens has been tamed down in Big D. But with all teams, losing makes athletes unhappy, and all too often, unhappy with each other. Opening the season at a tough Cleveland team, Week 3 at Lambeau, Week 9 at the Super Bowl champion New York Giants, Week 14 at Pittsburgh, and Week 15 against the Giants at home will all be tough challenges. But Tony Romo's improvisational skills look similar to Brett Favre and while Romo won't start 200+ games, he may be nearly as exciting to watch as the legend himself.
Prediction: 13-3
NEW YORK GIANTS
I know, how ridiculous that the defending Super Bowl Champs won't even win their division, but they didn't last season, and they won't in 2008. Eli Manning proved many things to the football world in the playoffs last season, and this prediction counts on Eli to be a dominant quarterback. The reservations about the Giants (much like the Cowboys) involve off-the-field problems. Jeremy Shockey will never shut his mouth, and now Plaxico Burress thinks he needs to challenge Shockey for biggest baby. Add to the idiocy of those two that perhaps the game's most positive and hardest-working player is now retired (Michael Strahan) and it turns Eli from potential dominant quarterback to babysitter.
Much like the Cowboys, a lot of problems will be solved if the Giants can win early and often. And with a similar schedule to the Cowboys, that may be possible. The only differences are the Cowboys get the Packers and Buccaneers, while the Giants get the Vikings and the Panthers.
The winner of the NFC East will be determined by who can best diffuse the ticking time-bombs throughout the season.
Prediction: 11-5
WASHINGTON REDSKINS
Admittedly, the Redskins can do better than 7-9. In 2007, after the death of star safety Sean Taylor, the team rallied off four must-win games to make a lot of teams very nervous entering the playoffs. And at that time, they looked amazing.
There's been some hype about Jason Campbell becoming a premier starting quarterback in 2008. The Redskins' new head coach Jim Zorn looks to install a West Coast offense that will suit Campbell very well, but let's think realistically about change in the NFL. It seldom happens overnight and the success of the Redskins in 2007 had to do with passion and Todd Collins, not Jason Campbell.
So will Jason Campbell succeed under Jim Zorn? Yes, but not yet.
Prediction: 7-9
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
This is the year to sell your stock in the Eagles. They've been hanging by a thread for three seasons on whether or not Donovan McNabb will stay healthy and it's gotten to the point where it's more likely he'll be injured than healthy. It's honestly at the point where I begin to feel sorry for the team MVP Brian Westbrook and hope that he can find a trade out of Philly and into a team that is of Super Bowl caliber as they Eagles were just four seasons ago.
I would look for this year to be explosive for the Eagles, as in this will be Andy Reid's last season, as in this will be McNabb's last season, as in Westbrook (and others) will be begging for a trade. The Eagles are about to hit rock bottom.
Predication: 5-11
July 15, 2008
Anthony Brancato:
How anyone can say that the East won’t dominate the NFC again is beyond me. Indeed, if not for Seattle, the four NFC East teams would have a very realistic chance to finish with the four best records in the entire conference in 2008; and two of the three defending champions of the other NFC divisions literally have no shot at posting so much as a winning record this coming year (the now post-Brett Favre Packers, and the Buccaneers).
And take it from someone who has been warning of the Eagles’ impending meltdown for years now, and has been wrong all but once (2005): They’ll win at least 9 games this season - and I want to hear every day, and twice on Sundays, how DeSean Jackson is “too small” to be anything but a kick returner in the NFL. It will only make these people look that much more foolish.
August 7, 2008
your mother:
You’re stupid if you think the Eagles don’t have at worst the second best record in this division. Your predictions are the worst I’ve seen thus far. Everyone has the right to an opinion but your’s isn’t worth putting on the internet. Go Birds!
August 7, 2008
Andrew Jones:
@”your mother”
So you believe that the Eagles are a lock to have a better record than the defending Super Bowl champions AND the Cowboys who had the best record in the NFC last year?
Well, that is what I call faith, and misguided faith at best.
August 8, 2008
your mother:
You watch em’ vs. pittsburg friday night? Donovan looks better than ever and all around they look very promising.. I believe this is a solid team with a lot of potential. Easily a better team for 08 than the Giants and Skins. I really don’t know what the giants being defending champs has to do with their future performance. BTW Eli looked like SHIT vs. the shotty Lions defense. apologies for my earlier comment lol not too nice
August 8, 2008
your mother:
Oh yeah and westbrook formally stated that he intends to be an eagle for the rest of his pro career and he just signed a big ass contract till 2013.
August 9, 2008
Andrew Jones:
@ your mother…No I did not see the Eagles tonight (Friday). I was watching an acquaintance of mine from high school who now plays for Seattle, TE John Carlson, play against the Vikings. He looked good, I think he’ll end up starting by the end of the year.
I don’t understand how you think the Giants have a low potential or how winning the Super Bowl six months ago is meaningless for the outcome of the upcoming season. Their player turnover was not high, what would prevent them from playing at a similar level?
i saw the Westbrook deal and that is good for the Eagles, but keep in mind the countless amounts of people who have changed their mind on playing for a team for the rest of their careers. Of course he’d like to, but he’ll go where he can get paid well, be appreciated and succeed and if Philadelphia does not provide that over the next three seasons, like any other athlete, he’ll leave.
I’ve never been a huge Eli fan, but he beat Tom Brady in a Super Bowl, and no other quarterback can say that, and maybe no other quarterback ever will be able to.
August 10, 2008
your mother:
I just don’t understand how you can say the Eagles don’t have good potential… on paper.. the team looks better than the skins and giants and they were very competitive in this divisional games last year with poor offensive performance particularly in the red zone. If mcnabb plays like vintage mcnabb and westbrook continues his dominance they will be contenders. Mcnabb healthiness = key