Team Projected Win-Losses (Range)
1. Dallas Cowboys 10-6 – 13-3
Last year at this time I didn’t see Dallas making the playoffs, then Tony Romo connected with a great receiver in Miles Austin. The Romo-Austin connection should continue into this season, and now with rookie Dez Bryant and underachieving veteran Roy Williams, Romo could have an even better season than last. TE Jason Witten gives Romo another great target to throw to, and 2nd year player Kevin Ogletree could sneak up now that Patrick Crayton has been traded to the Chargers. RB’s Marion Barber and Felix Jones make a nice one-two punch, but neither seems to be the clear cut number 1. If Felix Jones can stay healthy, at some point I see him overtaking Barber, who doesn’t have much left in the tank. The Cowboys have a good, but aging offensive line. Dallas has one of best nose tackle’s in the league with Jay Ratliff. Ratliff had 6 sacks and 7.5 tackles for a loss last season and would benefit from playing end in Dallas’ 3-4 defense. Unfortunately Ratliff’s skills are limited at the NT position, and the Cowboys have no one else who can play it. The Cowboys have an excellent group of LB’s with OLB’s DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer, and MLB’s Bradie James and Keith Brooking. The Cowboys have one of the best front 7 in football, but their secondary lacks depth. CB’s Mike Jenkins and Terrence Newman form one of the better combos in the league, but the only other true corner on the roster is Orlando Scandrick. Safeties Akwasi Owusu-Ansah and Alan Ball can play corner, but one of them will be starting at FS. SS Gerald Sensabaugh is a decent veteran, but is far from elite. Dallas has put together a well-rounded team with few glaring weaknesses, that has a realistic shot at the Super Bowl.
2. Philadelphia Eagles 6-10 – 10-6
The Eagles are a team that is hard to predict this season, especially with new starting QB Kevin Kolb. Kolb has all of the tools around him to succeed, but he has a lot of pressure on him. WR’s DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin are 2 of the best, young wideouts in the game and should continue to improve. TE Brent Celek is also a very reliable target. 3rd Receiver Jason Avant is coming off the best season of his career. RB LeSean McCoy was pretty catching the ball last season as a rookie, but needs to step up his ground game. Philadelphia has a pretty good, but banged up, offensive line. The Eagles have what looks to be a improving defense, mostly because of the drafting of DE Brandon Graham, the return of MLB Stewart Bradley, and adding former Lion OLB Ernie Sims. With Graham, star DE Trent Cole, and defensive tackle’s Broderick Bunkley and Mike Patterson, the Eagles have a very good d-line. Akeem Jordan has now moved to Strongside LB and is a good fit due to his coverage ability and intelligence. CB Asante Samuel is very good, but the other corner Ellis Hobbs will be targeted frequently. SS Quintin Mikell and rookie Nate Allen are both solid starters. Despite losing Donovan McNabb, Kevin Kolb and the Eagles could have a Wild Card team and have a slight edge over the Giants.
3. New York Giants 7-9 – 10-6
Although the Eagles have a lower range then the Giants, they have a higher possibility to be a 6-10 team, but I’m giving Kevin Kolb the benefit of the doubt to lead the Eagles over New York. This season QB Eli Manning will have a good offense around him with receivers Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, and Mario Manningham. Nicks has the highest potential of the three and could be amazing this year. RB’s Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw are both very good when healthy and Bradshaw is ready to break out. The Giants offensive line is still among the best in the league, but at some point they’re going to have to get younger. Giants fans should not be worried at all about their offense, but the defense is a huge concern. The defensive line is no where near where it was on the 2007 Super Bowl team. DE Justin Tuck is very good, but Osi Umenyiora is declining and Mathias Kiwanuka is not a great pass rusher. DT’s Barry Coefield and Chris Canty are decent, but need to play better. At LB, Michael Boley is the only proven starter. OLB Clint Sintim (currently listed as the starter over proven veteran Keith Bulluck) has potential but hasn’t delivered MLB Jonathan Goff isn’t quite ready to be an every down player. CB’s Terrell Thomas and Corey Webster could be shut down corners this season and with FS Antrell Rolle and SS Kenny Phillips, the Giants have a strong secondary. The Giants could be a very good team if they can play up to their potential on defense, the talent is there all they need to do is deliver.
4. Washington Redskins 5-11 – 9-7
The Redskins are another team that is difficult to judge. QB Donovan McNabb is a big addition to the Redskins, but Washington does not have a great team around him. RB Clinton Portis probably won’t reach 1,000 yards, but, barring injury, can still be a productive back for at least another season. If Portis goes down, don’t expect Larry Johnson to be very effective. At WR Santana Moss is the only weapon McNabb has to throw to, Joey Galloway is old, and all the other receivers are inexperienced. Former 2nd round pick Devin Thomas still has potential, but can’t get on the field. Luckily McNabb has 2 relaible TE’s with Chris Cooley and Fred Davis. The Redskins have had an up and down offensive line recently, but with the addition of Jammal Brown and the 4th overall pick Trent Williams, the Skins are working toward a much better line. This whole offseason, one of the big stories has been DT/DE Albert Haynesworth and his feud with new Head Coach Mike Shanahan. In my opinion Shanahan has not handled this situation very well. Haynesworth is one of the best defensive players in the league, and if he can win his starting job back and if he doesn’t get traded he is a huge asset for this defense. The rest of the defensive line is average. With MLB’s London Fletcher and Rocky McIntosh, and OLB’s Brian Orapko and Andre Carter, the Redskins are set at linebacker. Fletcher is a tackling machine, Orapko could be a great pass rusher, but Carter is switching from his natural position at DE (where he’s been pretty good for the Skins the past few years) to OLB, where he struggled while playing the 3-4 in San Francisco. At corner both Carlos Rogers and DeAngelo Hall are good, but not great CB’s. SS LaRon Landry has been good for the Skins, just not what you expect out of a safety who was picked 6th overall just a few years ago. FS Reed Doughty is a decent tackler, but is by no means a ballhawk. The Redskins will have a good defense this year, but without a offense around McNabb, they will not win this very tough division.
This is also posted on ESPN.com
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