NFL Division Previews: NFC East

By GEOFF LOWE, sportsnet.ca

Trending: Upward

Head coach: Andy Reid (14th season)

Key additions: LB DeMeco Ryans, LT Demetress Bell, S O.J. Atogwe, DT Fletcher Cox, LB Mychal Kendricks

Key subtractions: LT Jason Peters (injury), CB Asante Samuel

Strengths — Defensive line: The Eagles have the deepest defensive line in the NFL, starting with pass rushers Jason Babin and Trent Cole. The pair combined for 29 of the Eagles 50 sacks last season, which is equal to or better than six other teams’ total sacks last season. Defensive tackles Cullen Jenkins and Derek Landri, who looks great this preseason, will hold down the middle of Jim Washburn’s “wide nine” formation. Former Winnipeg Blue Bomber Phillip Hunt, who joined the Eagles last season, has been the team’s best defensive player during the pre=season, while former 2010 first-round pick Brandon Graham is doing all he can to avoid the dreaded “bust” title. Add in emerging rookies Fletcher Cox and Vinny Curry and the Eagles have a potentially dominant unit across the line.

Weaknesses — Safety: The Eagles have been inadequate at the safety position since Brian Dawkins and Michael Lewis helped the team to the Super Bowl in 2004. Since then, Philadelphia has been unable to lock down permanent replacements as Kurt Coleman and Nate Allen do not strike fear in opposing offences. Philadelphia gave up too many deep passes over the middle in 2011, and their corners were exposed in single coverage far too often. The secondary needs to improve if the Eagles hope to contend with the NFC’s elite in 2012.

X Factor — LeSean McCoy: McCoy proved he is all the Eagles hoped he would be after letting Brian Westbrook sign elsewhere in 2010. He rushed for 1,309 yards with 17 rushing touchdowns last season. More importantly, McCoy allowed head coach Andy Reid to depend on the running game, a key in making Philadelphia’s offence so dangerous. McCoy will need a repeat performance in 2012, especially if quarterback Michael Vick continues to struggle with durability.br>
Needs to step up — DeSean Jackson: Despite leading the Eagles in receiving, Jackson’s fourth season in the NFL was a disaster. Distracted by a contract dispute, the California product had his worst season since his rookie year, collecting 961 yards receiving and only 4 touchdowns. It was clear Jackson’s effort was lacking in 2011. Jackson will need to be in top form to help re-establish the Eagles’ deep passing game, the key to Michael Vick’s success with the Eagles in 2010. At the very least, Jackson will open up space for fellow receiver Jeremy Maclin, who had a breakout season while Jackson worked to avoid injury.

Schedule analysis: The Eagles have the seventh toughest schedule in the NFL this season with half of their opponents winning at least 9 games in 2011. The Eagles face four tough teams in the first six weeks and will need to perform well heading into their Week 7 bye. Philadelphia’s most important game, however, could be their final one as they take on the Giants at Metlife Stadium in a matchup that could decide the winner of the NFC East.

Projected finish: 10-6, first in the NFC East.

Trending: Neutral

Head coach: Tom Coughlin (14th season)

Key additions: TE Martellus Bennett, T Sean Locklear, LB Keith Rivers, RB David Wilson and WR Rueben Randle

Key subtractions: TE Jake Ballard, RB Brandon Jacobs, OT Kareem McKenzie, WR Mario Manningham, CB Aaron Ross, DE Dave Tollefson, MLB Jonathan Goff

Strengths — Passing game: Both Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks had at least 1,100 yards in 2011, with the undrafted Cruz leading the league in receiving yards with 1,536 in just his second NFL season. Nicks is coming off a foot injury, but should be ready to go in the season opener against the Cowboys on Sept. 5. The fourth-year receiver will benefit from Cruz’s success last season, and Eli Manning won’t shy away from throwing the ball as the Giants ranked last in rushing yards in 2011. Despite high expectations for rookie back David Wilson, the running game remains a major question mark.

Weaknesses — Back seven: The Giants defence was the key to their Super Bowl victory, there’s no doubt about that. New York, once again, was able to shut down Tom Brady and the Patriots vaunted offence for the second time in four years. However, that should be attributed more to a strong front four generating a consistent pass rush. During the regular season the Giants defence ranked among the worst in the NFL. The Giants continue to shuffle linebackers all season as they had fifth-worst ranked defence in the regular season, 29th against the pass and 19th against the run. The additions of former first-rounder Keith Rivers could help improve this group. More importantly, the Giants lost their best cornerback in Aaron Ross to free agency and, to Coughlin’s dismay, have suffered multiple injuries in the secondary. Expect this group to struggle with consistency this season, much like in 2011.

X Factor — Eli Manning: The success of this team depends entirely on the play of Manning. Twice now, the younger Manning has led his team to Super Bowl victories. Manning took this team on his back in 2011 and will need to do so again in 2012. Despite his playoff success, Manning has never thrown less than ten interceptions since becoming New York’s full-time starter and continues to deal with erratic play during the regular season. Manning will lead the Giants in 2012, but where he leads them will be based on his decision making.

Needs to step up — David Wilson: The Giants running game was non-existent in 2011. Both Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs struggled with injuries and neither ran for more than 700 yards. Jacobs signed with San Francisco, and the Giants drafted Wilson out of Virginia Tech in the first round in April. Wilson has impressed thus far in the pre-season, playing with the first team offence against Chicago on Friday rushing for 49 yards on five carries. If the Giants hope to improve their running game, Wilson will need to be the force behind the improvement.

Schedule analysis: The Giants face the NFL’s toughest schedule in 2012, facing opponents with a combined .547 winning percentage. The second half of their season will be a huge challenge as the Giants face the Cowboys, Steelers, Bengals and then Packers before a Week 12 bye. After a game in Washington, the defending champs will need to be at their best as they take on New Orleans, Atlanta, Baltimore and Philadelphia. Expect a Super Bowl hangover from the Giants in 2012.

Projected finish: 8-8, third in the NFC East.

Trending: Neutral

Head coach: Jason Garrett (2nd season)

Key additions: CB Brandon Carr, CB Morris Claiborne, QB Kyle Orton, FB Lawrence Vickers, OL Mackenzy Bernadeau, OL Nate Livings, LB Dan Connor, S Brodney Pool

Key subtractions: WR Laurent Robinson, CB Terrence Newman, TE Martellus Bennett, LB Keith Brooking, LB Bradie James

Strengths — Passing game: The Cowboys had three players with more than 800 yards receiving last season not including receiver Miles Austin, who struggled with injury but still caught seven touchdowns. Quarterback Tony Romo looks good so far in 2012, throwing for 198 yards and two touchdowns in one quarter against the Rams on Saturday. Romo has thrown for at least 4,100 yards in each season in which he has started all 16 games. In those three seasons Romo has thrown 93 touchdowns and have made the playoffs in two of those seasons. If injuries at quarterback and bad mistakes are avoided in 2012, the Cowboys will have success through the air, despite who plays at receiver.

Weaknesses — Offensive line: Heading into 2012, the Cowboys offensive line is the team’s biggest question mark. Although tackles Doug Free and Tyron Smith are relatively solid, the rest of the offensive line has yet to be finalized and the whole unit has struggled in the pre-season. The line looked entirely lost in their recent game against St. Louis. Clearly, Dallas has yet to find the right group of guys to man the inside of the line and this will likely hamper the offence all season long.

X Factor — Secondary: The Cowboys secondary is the only factor keeping the Cowboys’ defence from being a top 10 group. Dallas’ run defence ranked seventh in the league last season, allowing just over 1,500 yards and only ten touchdowns. Jerry Jones has made an attempt to fix the pass defence, revamping their cornerbacks by trading up to draft LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne and adding veteran Brandon Carr in free agency. But safety remains a weakness for “America’s team”, with Gerald Sensabaugh and Barry Church expected to start in Week 1. If improvements are made in the secondary, Dallas could boast one of the league’s top defences.

Needs to step up — Dez Bryant: Despite an extreme amount of talent, off-field problems and personality issues have hampered the third-year receiver out of Oklahoma State. Bryant has shown glimpses of brilliance in his first two NFL seasons, but he needs to show the Cowboys he is worth the hassle. Bryant led the team in receiving last season with 928 yards and was second on the team with 9 touchdowns. With Laurent Robinson out of the picture and tight end Jason Witten out with a spleen injury, there is no better time to show the Cowboys that he can be the elite receiver they drafted him to be.

Schedule analysis: Dallas faces the 11th toughest schedule in the NFL this season, with opponents averaging a .504 winning percentage in 2011. The Cowboys have one of the earlier byes, getting their week off following Week 4. After that Dallas is in for a long haul, playing six playoff teams from 2011 and two games against the Eagles. The most important games for the Cowboys will come against their division opponents, as the NFC East will likely be decided by one or two games.

Projected finish:9-7, second in NFC East.

Trending: Up

Head coach: Mike Shanahan (3rd season)

Key additions: QB Robert Griffin III, WR Pierre Garcon, WR Josh Morgan, S Brandon Meriweather, S Tanard Jackson, S Madieu Williams, CB Cedric Griffin

Key subtractions: S LaRon Landry, S O.J. Atogwe, WR Jabar Gaffney, QB John Beck

Strengths — Linebackers: At 36, London Fletcher remains one of the best linebackers and defensive players in the NFL. Fletcher led the Redskins in tackling last season with a whopping 166 tackles. Outside linebackers Ryan Kerrigan and 2009 first-round pick Brian Orakpo, led the team in sacks with 7.5 and 9 respectively and both are under the age of 25. These players will be the leaders of the Redskins defence and will look to move this unit into one of the stronger defences in the league.

Weaknesses — Running game: The Redskins running backs accounted for a total of four rushing touchdowns in 2011. To make matters worse, the top three backs on the Redskins depth chart are all recovering from injuries. Evan Royster and Roy Helu are still mending from Achilles tendon injuries and Tim Hightower is continuing a slow recovery from an ACL tear suffered early last season. It’s unclear who the starter will be on opening day, but the near future is not optimistic for Washington’s backfield.

X Factor — Robert Griffin III: Griffin III has the ability to be a top-five quarterback in the NFL. He has tremendous arm strength and great accuracy. To top it off, Griffin was a world-class hurdler in college and that talent just so happens to translate nicely onto the gridiron. The Redskins will revolve around the development of Griffin in 2012, and the team will go as far as he takes them. In a highly competitive division, Griffin, who lacks offensive weapons other than receiver Pierre Garcon and tight end Fred Davis, is likely to have an interesting rookie season in D.C.

Needs to step up — Mike Shanahan: Redskins owner Dan Snyder has been pouring money into the team’s offence for years, constantly transforming the look of Washington’s attack to no avail. Snyder has done so again in 2012, giving up an arm and a leg to draft Griffin. After making such a bold move Snyder will demand results from head coach Mike Shanahan, who is entering his third season with the team and has had little to no success thus far in Washington. Despite expectations being so low, it’s time for the Redskins offence to show signs of improvement and a hint of a bright future ahead. If not, Shanahan’s days in Washington could be numbered.

Schedule analysis: Washington has the 8th easiest schedule in the NFL this season, facing opponents with a combined winning percentage of .488. Griffin will get a strong dose of reality in Week 1, facing the New Orleans Saints on the road to open up the season. The Redskins will be in tough for most of the season, but have opportunities to pull some upsets prior to their Week 10 bye. After the week off, Washington faces their toughest stretch taking on the Eagles, Cowboys, Giants and Ravens before a game against the Browns, followed by two more division games.

Projected Finish: 5-11, fourth in the NFC East.