NFC Least

[Golgo-13]

Our division has been sorry for quite some time now. However, I have heard several people mention on other threads that we may be coming back into the limelight again soon. With the Eagles, who are peaking now, and us and Dallas on the rise, what do you guys think? Can any of you foresee the balance of power truly shifting back to the NFC east within a few years time?

[Talent Wasted at a Desk]

I think the NFC East field 2 teams in the playoffs this year, and prob the next. But some lombardi trophies...or a run like Buffalo's...will have to go to our division for any power shift to occur. I don't see that this year!

The Rams are the only truly good team in the league, the 49ers are decent, and the Seahawks are improving, so I'd say the NFC West is the premier division in the conference.

The AFC doesn't matter...I'm rooting for the Texans, so they prize fans away from Dallas.

[The Sisko]

Perhaps. But I doubt it. The Eagirls ownership is stingy and won't do what it takes to win it all so I think they're destined to be competitive but no better for a number of years. The Giants are at the very beginning of what's going to be a rebuilding phase given the talent that they've lost and will lose shortly.

So the 'girls and us is about it. We've all talked on and on about the fundamental flaws in the cowgirls system. None of that is going away anytime soon. Will they be more competitive than they have been, yes. Are they going to make other NFL teams shake in their boots, no.

As for us, so far I'd say the same is true. However, we at least have the benefit of fewer pieces missing, superior overall talent, and two of the best offensive/defensive minds in football. Plus, I'll take The Danny over Jerrah any day.

[bulldog]

the NFC East is not what it has been in the past, but it is interesting to note that an East team has made it to the Conference title game each of the past 2 seasons and the Super Bowl in 2000.

meanwhile the NFC Central has boasted all of this competition and yet the last time I saw a Central team go deep in the playoffs, the Vikings, they were losing 41-0 to the Giants.

the Rams have been the dominant team of late but younger teams in SF, Philly, Wash, Dal, Chi and now Seattle are slowly shifting the balance of power.

the Packers I see ramping up for a run in 2002 knowing that Brett Favre at 33 only has so many campaigns left in him. That accounts for the number of veteran signings the Packers had this offseason.

the Bucs are another aging team that has faded from contender in '99 to being a wildcard loser the past two years.

Gruden is facing a challenge in Tampa because as he reconstructs the offense to get productivity, the defense is slowly deteriorating. This is not the defense the league saw in '98 and '99.

Teams CAN and do run on the Bucs now. They wear down in the second half of games. Their pass rush is not what it was.

The East will still be represented at the top by the Eagles unless McNabb gets hurt.

I think Dallas and Washington are still a year away from being real challengers, unless Matthews or Carter comes out and has a Tom Brady type year in 2002.

But you won't see the sorry, sloppy play that has plagued the East in the past 5 or 6 years since the Cowboys last won in 1995.

And that is a relief.

[NavyDave]

The NFC East will see a resurgence soon from the Skins and unfortunately the pokes with probably a little drop off from the iggles defensively and a rebuilding year from the midgets.

The Midgets should do the smart thing unlike the raiduhs and let the QB walk and look at taking advantage of the QB class coming out this year instead of extending a stiff.

The skins,iggles and pokes in a few years could go 3-3 in the division and then its up to their domination outside the division to determine playoff spots.

But right now its iggles, skins we will see how much dropoff the midgets have compared to the pokes upgrade.

[OrangeSkin]

I would say the NFC South is the weakest division. The Bucs are the class of it, and they're probably overrated. The media loves the Eagles and the Cowboys, so they'll do everything to build those teams up and make our divison look stronger than it is to the naked eye.

I'd say we're 3rd strongest in the NFC, moving up to second in the near future.

[fansince62]

the tide seems to roll with when the salary cap structure matures. it has been speculated, for instance, that this may be the last run for the rams as they run into significant cap problems next season. now the nfc east is interesting in that the iggles really don't seem to be "spending their way to the top" whereas the skins and boys, if not egregiously, are certainly not immune to cap problems. we will see how this pans out next year with jansen, davis & champ. kinda obvious, but real champions are built by whomever manages the cap the smartest. equally obvious, a good eye for talent in the draft is a compensating factor.

[bulldog]

if you aren't willing to give out some bonus dollars you aren't going to maintain your core of talent, regardless of how many wins you post.

the Eagles proved with Trotter that they just don't want to pay the money.

they would rather let their defensive MVP at age 25 go to a division rival and replace him with a converted outside linebacker in Gardner who was himself starting for the first time outside in 2001.

it will be interesting to see what the Eagles do when other key performers come up for contract extensions after 2002.

so far they have been able to ride most of these players and stay comfortably under the cap because they are still on their rookie contracts.

and they have signed only mid-tier free agents with the exception of Runyan.

but that structure was built largely when the team was 5-11 and then 7-9.

now that the club is 11-5 and a division winner, you are going to see more players trying to redo their deals and threatening to walk.

and so far Lurie has blinked when faced with spending to keep his talent.

[Carlito Sway]

The whole NFC "Least" thing is a label employed by casual football fans who are not familiar with our division. In my view, it's like this: NFC East football is about conservative gameplans (well, until SOS), running the ball, and with an overwhelming emphasis on defense and field position. See Parcells, JJ, JG, et al. During the first couple months of the season, fans see the Rams on turf, AFC aerial attacks, flashy plays, etc. They also see our NFC East teams looking kinda stodgy and boring. Couple that with the fact that every team in the division splits with every other team, and the records plus gameplay seems to indicate a weak division. Right?

But then it's November. Hmmm. All those bruising hits on D and heretofore 'boring' runs by freight trains like Stephen Davis up the middle start to hurt a lot. Now it's December, and cutesy little passes start to be dropped by flashy receivers who can't catch cold, wet, slippery balls. Three and out, anyone? Then you start to see NFC "Least" teams kicking the snot out of teams which are supposed to be far better - and somehow one of our division's teams makes a playoff run.

The Lombardi trophy is handed out in January. Now I know that the SB is played indoors, but the NFC championship isn't always played on turf. If a team of our divisions' makes it through the regular season into the playoffs, they have immediate credibility. Simply put, we play tough-as-nails ball. In the cold, it's the most effective way to play. The season is like a lifetime, and life for the NFC East begins at fifty.

I think everyone but the Giants will compete for the crown. Dallas always plays tough - gotta give them that, haven't been able to say that about our team since the inception of the Norval era - and the Eagles have the most complete team. But their bizarro refusal to secure a franchise back will always be their achilles heel. I mean, Donovan is a magic man and all, but he's not adept enough of a passer to win it all by his lonesome. Against us, in particular, he can't ****foot around because LaVar is spying on him, just begging him to leave the box and get popped like Troy into submission.

Maybe I'm biased (gee, ya think?) but I think that SOS need only put 14 on the board for us to be in every game. As such, coupled with a decently fair schedule, we can compete for a crown this year, as long as our QBs don't throw too many picks.

[Golgo-13]

The only thing is that in this salary cap era, the tide can turn so quickly. Who knows...the NFC East may very well be running the show again in the next few years and then be back in the toliet again.

[laurent]

It's interesting that the NFC least garbage keeps coming up. I think the NFC East did pretty well over the last three years.

1999 - Redskins 2nd round

2000 - Eagles second round, Giants Super Bowl

2001 - Eagles Conference Final

[Art]

The East will be back if Dallas and Washington get good quarterbacking play. If Carter is the answer in Dallas, as unlikely as that may be to contemplate, then the Cowboys will have a team ultimately very dangerous to handle. If Spurrier can get 3500 yards out of Matthews, then the Redskins will be a tough team to beat for anyone. McNabb is an elite QB and a wonderful leader, capable of taking a team on his back and winning. It is funny though that our division is so weak, yet the Eagles continue to hammer Tampa, who is so strong.

We need to get another team to step up and compete at a high level, and once we do, the East will get the respect it should always have retained.

[The Sisko]

I have felt that the old NFC Central was the weakest division in football for a few years now. As for the NFC least thing, it just sounds cute on the air. Other teams know that what Smootylicious said is exactly true. Only thing is, when you're the Lambs and don't play much of anybody, you end up with home field advantage. Then the whole outdoors in the cold, run the ball and play D thing isn't quite so relevant anymore. That's why you have to be able to do both....Fun AND Gun. :cool: Plus you gotta be able to play D too or you're just the "Air" Coryel Chargers all over again. Fun to watch but can't win the big one.

Trust me. A well rounded team is the only way you can pull it off these days. Please nobody bring up the Ravens.

[Golgo-13]

Good point laurent. If the AFC West had been sending in playoff contenders like the NFC East has been, everyone would be going nuts. But we have one of the strongest, if not THE strongest tradition of any division in football. Therefore, we are held to a higher standard. Although it's not totally fair, I would rather be held to a higher standard because I have been good than held to a crappy one because I have always sucked.