NFL.com: NFC East: Can Eagles rule the roost again?

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NFC East: Can Eagles rule the roost again?

Team previews: Cowboys | Giants | Eagles | Redskins

By David Fischer

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/8762704

Football's NFC East hasn't quite been that stable these last four years -- but the top line of the division standings hasn't changed since 2001, when the Philadelphia Eagles won the first of what is now four straight division crowns. In the modern NFL, where the draft order, strength of schedule and salary cap all exert a powerful gravitational pull on top teams, Philly has successfully thumbed its nose at Isaac Newton.

Can the Eagles five-peat in 2005? No run lasts forever, but given the seven-game gap that separated Philadelphia from its division foes in Dallas, New York and Washington last season, the strong presumption here is that it will soar again -- with or without Terrell Owens. While the disgruntled receiver has provided a summer's worth of distractions, this veteran-heavy team is unlikely to let the bad vibes linger too long. Even perennial Pro Bowl quarterback Donovan McNabb -- a target of numerous T.O. barbs since last February's Super Bowl loss -- probably realizes that what Owens brings on the field is worth putting up with his antics off of it.

With no major personnel losses from last year's conference champions, a widely praised draft crop this past April and a relatively soft schedule, including only six 2004 playoff opponents, it's unlikely that anything short of a debilitating run of injuries will keep Philadelphia from another double-digit win campaign and another division title.

If the NFC East is to produce more than one playoff qualifier, the Cowboys are the most likely to step forward. New York looks to be better after two dismal seasons, but perhaps not quite ready for primetime. As for Washington, the Redskins might prove a pleasant distraction from concerns over the deficit, Iraq and nuclear proliferation. Or they might not.

Movers and Shakers

Given the anemic offenses of the three divisional also-rans (Dallas 14th, New York 23rd, Washington 30th), it's no surprise that the Giants, Cowboys and Redskins all looked to add firepower this offseason. New York and Washington brought in pass catchers, with the Giants signing former Steelers receiver Plaxico Burress to support second-year quarterback Eli Manning, and the 'Skins importing two new wideouts late of the AFC East, ex-Jet Santana Moss and former Patriot David Patten.

Dallas, already boasting three prime targets in receivers Keyshawn Johnson, Terry Glenn and tight end Jason Witten, hopes to improve on the supply side of the passing game by reuniting coach Bill Parcells with his former New England quarterback Drew Bledsoe. The Cowboys -- who spent a total of approximately $27 million on free-agent deals this year -- also signed several new defensive starters, including nose tackle Jason Ferguson and cornerback Anthony Henry. With the additions of first-round draft picks Demarcus Ware and Marcus Spears, Parcells will likely send out a defensive unit that has turned over about half its regulars from last season.

Linebacker Antonio Pierce, a rising star with the Redskins last season, travels up I-95 to join the Giants.

What to Expect

The Eagles versus the curses: As if dealing with T.O. wasn't enough to worry about, Philadelphia has to contend with a number of difficult-to-quantify, but nonetheless distressing, factors in their quest for a fifth straight division title.

First, there's the seemingly inevitable post-Super Bowl letdown: The "Losers' Curse" has kept five of the last six Lombardi Trophy runners-up home the next postseason. (The one exception was the 2000 Tennessee Titans, who went 13-3 but lost their first playoff game.) Reasons why have varied, from roster aging (2000 Giants, 2002 Raiders) to unforeseeable injury epidemics (2003 Panthers) to the rapid decline of key players (2001 Rams).

In his usual focused way, coach Andy Reid has focused on the problem, and he thinks staying healthy is the biggest key. Unfortunately, the Eagles have already lost starting receiver Todd Pinkston for the year and are concerned about the health of running back Correll Buckhalter, among others. Perhaps even more disturbing is the image of McNabb on the cover of "Madden 2006," the popular video game whose past featured players have tended to decline in their year of prominence on the game box.

But we're confident Philadelphia fans -- a notoriously sober and rational bunch -- won't go overboard reacting to these hexes and will instead concentrate on the return of all but three starters (Pinkston, lost to the IR, and departed free agents Jermane Mayberry and Derrick Burgess) from last year's 13-win team. The returning talent should be enough to carry Philly back into meaningful January football.

Dallas rides again: In his first three coaching stops with the Giants, Patriots and Jets, Parcells delivered great things in his second season at the helm -- the Tuna's teams improved by an average of nearly five wins from his debut season. But Year 2 of the Parcells era with the Cowboys saw big disappointment in Big D, as the team fell from 10-6 and a playoff berth to 6-10 and an early offseason.

Some of Drew Bledsoe's best seasons have come under Bill Parcells.

A dive into the free-agent waters landed the 'Boys seven players at a total price tag of nearly $27 million. The most prominent addition is Bledsoe, slated to be Parcells' third starting quarterback in as many years. Both lines should be better as well, thanks to the arrival of Ferguson and guard Marco Rivera.

But the Cowboys' playoff hopes really rest on second-year tailback Julius Jones, a bright spot last season who averaged better than 100 yards per game, and a revamped 3-4 defense. Arguably the league's best defense in 2003, Dallas slipped to 16th last season while allowing 25.3 points per game. A return to the top 10, coupled with at least league-average performance from Bledsoe and Jones, avoiding both a sophomore slump and the trainer's office (he missed eight games in 2004), should put the Cowboys back in the saddle.

Giant steps for Eli and Big Blue: In New York, a former Parcells protégé has his own work cut out for him.

After imposing a strict regimen that, by some reports, nearly sparked a mutiny among Giants veterans last summer, second-year coach Tom Coughlin returns with a slightly mellower outlook and a franchise quarterback, Eli Manning, who the coach thinks is ready to start living up to the hype.

Manning won only the last of his seven starts in 2004, but made unmistakable progress as the season went on. Now he's got a new weapon in Burress, plus new blockers Bob Whitfield and Kareem McKenzie, who should strengthen an offensive line that allowed 52 sacks in 2004. Returnees Tiki Barber, coming off a superb 1,500-yard season rushing the football, and tight end Jeremy Shockey, reportedly in the best shape of his career, could speed up Manning's maturation process.

On the defensive side, the Giants will hope for better health from two key veterans, defensive end Michael Strahan and linebacker Carlos Emmons, and greater consistency from cornerbacks Will Peterson and Will Allen. New middle linebacker Pierce, who helped key the excellent Redskins defense from a year ago, has already impressed Coughlin and his staff as a superior on-field leader.

Controversy in the nation's capital: For the first time in recent memory, the Washington Redskins weren't the undisputed champions of the offseason in 2005. If anything, the moves made by once-and-again coach Joe Gibbs inspired more head scratching than adulation.

Gibbs traded disgruntled wide receiver Laveranues Coles (90 receptions in 2004) back to his old team, the New York Jets, for Moss, who had just 45 catches last year. Then Gibbs selected Auburn quarterback Jason Campbell in the first round of the April draft, just months after pledging himself to fourth-year signal-caller Patrick Ramsey.

Long considered an offensive mastermind, Gibbs is more likely to rely on a stalwart defense that coordinator Gregg Williams crafted into a top unit in 2004: The Redskins allowed just 267.6 yards per game, third best in the league. The question is whether that defense will suffer with the losses of linebacker Pierce and former starting cornerback Fred Smoot. Top draft pick Carlos Rogers, Smoot's presumed replacement, has been hobbled with an ankle injury throughout the summer.

When Washington has the ball, running back Clinton Portis is likely to be the key man once again after a feast-or-famine 2004. Though Portis had four games in which he rushed for 147 yards or more, his per-carry average dropped to 3.8 after two straight years averaging 5.5 with the Broncos.

If Portis doesn't step forward and new wideouts Moss and Patten don't stretch the field for a Washington offense that produced just 24 touchdowns last season, D.C. could be the scene of a three-way quarterback controversy between Ramsey, Campbell and veteran Mark Brunell, who started eight games last year.

[forbeskin]

Some wins outta quiet these people down.

[CHUBAKAH]

NFC East: Can Eagles rule the roost again?

[/color]

Nope, Nadda, no way, aint happenin...

[Walking Deadman]

The Eagles probably win the NFCE again....but the rest of the NFCE has gotten better.

[bulldog]

The Redskins are going into the season in just the position I had hoped for - picked to be dead last in the 4 team race

There will be no pressure on this team to perform and I think with the continuity gained from returning the roster largely intact the Skins will have an advantage vs. the Cowboys and Giants.

The Eagles are still the favorite to win the division, however, the Skins did play them tough last season. The Eagles' weakness on defense is vs. the run and that happens to be the Redskins strength. On defense, the Skins will have to contend with McNabb who has had some of his best highlights against the Skins defense until 2004.

The Redskins have upgraded their speed on defense the past two years and I think that is going to tell against the running quarterbacks like McNabb.

Sean Taylor, Carlos Rogers, Marcus Washington, the return of Arrington, Marshall at MLB, etc.......