2008 NFC EAST – Sneak Peek

2008 NFL Sneak Peek – NFC East
Posted on Thursday, April 23rd

 This begins our 8-week series taking an off-season look at each of the National Football League’s conferences. Look for a new article each Wednesday throughout the Spring as prepare for the upcoming season of Gridiron Greatness. We’ll kick things off with a look at the NFC’s top conference in 2007 and producer of your reigning Super Bowl Champions. Yes, Hank, we are ready for some football so let’s get the party started!

Dallas Cowboys (13-3 regular season, 0-1 playoffs) Head Coach Wade Phillips retains the key players that earned the NFC’s top seed in the 2007 Playoffs but free agent losses of S Keith Davis, CB Nate Jones, CB Jacques Reeves, and RB Julius Jones have created some needs on the depth chart. Safeties Ken Hamlin (franchised) and Roy Williams will anchor the defensive backfield (18^th-best at 233.0 pass yards allowed per game in ’07) and Dallas has secured the rights to CB Adam Jones with a 4^th round pick to Tennessee plus will certainly add talent in this weekend’s draft. Owner/General Manager Jerry Jones hold both the 22^nd and 28^th picks in the first round with most mock drafts having the Cowboys taking Arkansas RB Felix Jones to pair with RB Marion Barber (204 for 975 and 10 TD) – who did not sign an offer sheet with another team and will return – as he did with Darren McFadden. The Boys have not selected an offensive player in the first round since 1997 and if they stay put, Arizona CB Antoine Carson or Kansas CB Aquib Talib are possibilities as is Tennessee State CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie if they move up. QB Tony Romo (4211 yards, 36 TD, 19 INT) and WR Terrell Owens (81 for 1355 and 15 TD) led the league’s 4^th best passing attack last year but have made inquiries about adding a big name wide out through trade rather than draft. WR Terry Glenn comes off two knee surgeries and those first round picks could grab a player like Cincinnati’s Chad Johnson, Detroit’s Roy Williams, or Arizona’s Anquan Boldin. LT Flozell Adams has been resigned to guard the pocket and TE Jason Witten (96 for 1145 and 7 TD) also returns to an offense that finished second to only the Patriots with 28.4 points scored per game. Dallas’s 17-21 playoff loss to the Giants last season marked the 11^th consecutive season without a post-season win for the world’s most valuable sports franchise.

New York Giants (10-6 regular season, 4-0 playoffs) With a Super Bowl win comes attention from league for your personnel and Coach Tom Coughlin’s defensive crew (9^th ranked overall with 326.8 yards per) took plenty of hits with FS Gibril Wilson (Oakland), DT William Joseph (Oakland), LB Kawika Mitchell (Buffalo), and LB Reggie Torbor (Miami) taking the free agent train out of town. To fill the hole at safety, General Manager Jerry Reese picked up Sammy Knight from Jacksonville, tendered a restricted free agent offer to their starting SS James Butler, plus has a young hitter in CB Corey Webster that could make the move. Linebacker presents a bigger problem. The acquiring of Texan LB Danny Clark is a start and young LB Gerris Wilkinson may be ready for a starting job but if Tennessee LB Jerod Mayo is still available at the 31^st pick, the Giants would grab him in a New York second with Arkansas State’s S Tyrell Johnson, Miami-Fla S Kenny Phillips, Arkansas DT Marcus Harrison, and North Carolina DT Kentwan Balmer certainly possibilities. 36-year old DE Michael Strahan (57 T, 9 sacks) still hasn’t let the team know if he’ll return but the biggest news in the Big Apple is the possible trade of 4-time All Pro TE Jeremy Shockey. The Saints and Seahawks are interested with 2^nd round picks the offer while Green Bay and Miami also seem good fits. Miami’s 32^nd selection overall might be enough and would give the Giants back to back firepower in the draft while other teams would have to add a need position player for Reese to jump. If Shockey gets dealt, 2^nd year pass-catching TE Kevin Boss (started last 6 games) and 2^nd year blocking TE Michael Mathews (played in every game last season) get the call plus TE Darcy Johnson returns from missing 2007 while rehabbing his surgically repaired knee. DE Justin Tuck, K Lawrence Tynes, RB Derrick Ward, and G Rich Seubert have all been resigned while QB David Carr has been added from Carolina.

Washington Redskins (9-7 regular season, 0-1 playoffs) QB Jason Campbell improved enough last season with 2700 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 11 picks before tearing a knee in Week 14 to boost the Redskin passing game to #15 in the league at 226.4 yards per game but faces another challenge this season. The knee is fine but new Head Coach Jim Zorn’s West Coast Offense will be Campbell’s 7^th new system in 8 years of college and pro football. A new passing game requires new personnel as incumbent receivers 5’10” Santana Moss, 5’10” Antwaan Randle El, and 6’0” James Thrash don’t fit the size profile for the West Coast so disgruntled Bengal Chad Johnson is a possibility and selections in the draft are a necessity. Owner Daniel Snyder and departed Coach Joe Gibbs spent years paying for overpriced free agents with top draft selections – leaving a grand total of 7 picks in the top 4 rounds over the last 4 years – but this season the cupboard is full with 9 selections including the 21^st overall. Oklahoma’s Malcolm Kelly, Texas’s Limas Sweed, and Michigan State’s Devin Thomas all fit the bill for a big target while an aging offensive line (all 5 starters and top 2 backups all at least 30 years old) will certainly get attention on offense. 33 regular season sacks and 91.2 rushing yards allowed per game were decent numbers but age at defensive line is also a problem so ends Calais Campbell of Miami-Fla, Phillip Merling of Clemson, or Derrick Harvey of Florida could be heading to the nation’s capitol, as could tackles Sedrick Ellis of Southern Cal or Kentwan Balmer of North Carolina. FS Reed Doughty looks able to handle the job opposite of SS LaRon Landry, vacated by the deceased Sean Taylor, while the Skins will make do with CB Fred Smoot while CB Carlos Rogers rehabs from the knee surgery that cost him 9 games in 2007. Not great and not young but Washington returns all 22 starters that won 4 straight to end the regular season.

Philadelphia Eagles (8-8 regular season, missed playoffs) Andy Reid’s crew failed to reach the playoffs last season but they did finish with 3 consecutive wins and the numbers reveal a squad still among the best in the NFC. 250.3 yards passing and 123.4 yards rushing per game was good enough to rank 4^th in the entire league. QB Donovan McNabb (19 TD, 7 INT, and 3224 yards in 14 games) has taken plenty of heat but he did spread the ball around extremely well with WR Kevin Curtis (77 for 1110 yards and 6 TD) and WR Reggie Brown (61 for 780 yards and 4 TD) putting up strong numbers while still getting 368 offensive touches for RB Brian “The Weapon” Westbrook (1333 yards/7 TD rushing, 771 yards/5 TD receiving). While Philly fans scream for a Big Time receiver, the Eagle’s offensive need is offensive tackle. T Jon Runyan (34) and T William Thomas (33) are in their 2^nd decade in the pros with Vanderbilt’s Chris Williams and Pittsburgh’s Jeff Otah possibilities at the 19^th selection of this weekend’s draft. An overall defensive ranking of 8^th (230.4 pass, 95.8 rush) was dragged down by defensive backfield injuries to SS Sean Considine (missed final 8 games), FS Brian Dawkins (missed 6 games), and CB Lito Sheppard (missed 14 games last 3 years) with a major shuffle underway. CB Will James is gone to the Bills and Sheppard will likely follow as soon as this weekend. CB Assante Samuel (16 INT last 2 years) enters via free agency, S J.R. Reed and nickel back Joselio Hanson have been resigned, and more help will come from the college ranks. Sitting pat gets a player like Miami-Fla S Kenny Phillips in Round 1 while moving up could grab a cover/return monster like Troy CB Leodis McKelvin. DE Jevon Kearse and LB Takeo Spikes have been cut but the Eagles have depth at their positions plus with 11 selections in the draft, they will get plenty more.