NFC Preview - East

The NFC has become the power conference of the NFL with four of the last five Super Bowl champions coming from the blue pro bowl team. The conference resurgence has been led by powerful aerial attacking offenses the likes of which have not been seen since Dan Marino's heyday. Guys like Drew Brees, Eli Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Tony Romo, Matt Stafford, Jay Cutler and Matt Ryan are the poster boys for the "new" NFL that protects QB's and favors receivers on every interference flag thrown. Once again the NFC fields a solid core of teams with Super Bowl aspirations, but all of them must survive the 16 game regular season and come out on top of their division to even have a chance (yes there are two wild card spots). Let's take a look at each NFC division.

Washington Redskins 

Popular opinion says the NFC East is the strongest division in the conference. That can be argued against the North, but nevertheless it is a formidable division that is rich in rivalry and history. The Washington Redskins of course have Robert Griffin III (RG3) and high expectations for a team with strong defense and special teams. The first question will certainly be, can RG3 perform to the level everyone expects him to? If he can do a Cam Newton impersonation the 'Skins will be in a good place. If not, there are not enough high end skill players on the offense to carry the team to a playoff birth. There is a lot of promise in Washington, and Griffin III will prove to be worthy of his number two overall pick. However, this will not be the year they make the jump to playoff contender.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles are still looking to build their "dynasty" but continue to face tough times in this pursuit. The Eagles have the most raw talent in the East, but somehow most of that talent ends up in the training room far too often to be a consistently great team. Mike Vick is truly an electric football player, but his ability to stay healthy and put together a full season as a pocket passer remains to be seen. LeSean McCoy is a top three RB in the NFL and he will once again be heavily relied upon to carry the Eagles late in the season. They will have multiple division games late in the season, in the cold, and it will be essential for McCoy to produce like he has over the past few years. All this talk about offense and the Eagles defense is where we should see the most improvement. With a season and a full training camp under their belt, the Eagles defense should be relentless up front and impenetrable in the secondary. Time will tell if all the pieces have gelled to create another vaunted Philadelphia defense, but the smart pick is to say they will and cause problems for every team they play. The Eagles are the favorite in the East, except for that big elephant in the room...injuries.

Dallas Cowboys

Jerry Jones is growing impatient down in Dallas. The man wants to win. He may make some interesting roster choices and personnel decisions, but he wants to win. This season's Dallas Cowboys football team is as good as any they have had since Troy was slinging the rock. Tony Romo takes a lot of heat for a guy that has been pretty consistent over the years. The guy is a good quarterback and with a solid running game in place (see Demarco Murray), this offense should be putting up big points this season. The defense has been somewhat retooled with the first round pick of CB Morris Claiborne, but showed moments of brilliance last season that will carry into this year in the form of a top D-corps that will cause major problems for the rest of the division. This is a Cowboys team to like if you are a Dallas fan, but they must face their demons and get by all of the off field nonsense that inevitably circles Cowboys Stadium. Can Jason Garrett hold it all together? Time will tell.

New York Giants

Now for the reigning Super Bowl champs, the G-men. Eli Manning is not the better Manning by the numbers or even by the look much of the time. He is however a two time champ and an undercover top QB in the NFL. He is cool and calm, and maintains a consistent rhythm regardless of who lines up next to him. Eli quietly finished 4th in passing yards and 6th in touchdown passes, right up in the mix with Brees, Brady and Rogers. The defensive side of the ball has traditionally been equally as strong as the offense, but this may be the year it falters. The front line of Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora, and Jason Pierre-Paul, while all physical freaks, cannot continue to carry this team on their own. The Giants will need young guys to step up right away in the secondary or they will continue to get diced up by opposing offenses. The Giants have the experience to put up another strong run at the Super Bowl. Tom Coughlin, while always maligned, knows his players and has this team ready to go when it counts. The NFC East, this season, may require them to be ready more often than they are able.

Final Standings:

1. Dallas Cowboys 10-6 
2. Philadelphia Eagles 10-6 
3. New York Giants 9-7 
4. Washington Redskins 7-9