NFL Preview: Part IV

NFC East

Dallas Cowboys: I used to play Madden on Nintendo 64 and the Cowboys were my squad. I only ran about five plays and they all pretty much involved Michael Irvin posting someone up or Emmitt Smith on a screen or run. Another great aspect of that game was the ability to put Deion Sanders in at WR where he was pretty much uncoverable although he did drop alot of passes. The current crop of Cowboys bear little resemblance to the dominating Cowboy teams of the mid 90's. They have a stout defense and running game but their passing attack hasn't been much. They picked up Bledsoe, but that doesn't appear to be a significant upgrade. The Cowboys will have a pretty good year though and will likely have a better record than the Eagles. Prediction: 9-7

Washington Redskins: With all the hoopla with the NCAA's attempts to ban ethnic or tribal mascots it amuses me that no one talks about the most offensive mascot of them all. Of course they are a classic team in the most profitable sporting league in America so of course they are untouchable. Look up what the word "Oklahoma" means, you may be surprised. At any rate, the Redskins have one if the top running backs in the NFL and a pretty good defense. Unfortunately, Joe Gibbs is learning that the modern NFL game is a bit different than the one he was effective in during the 1980's. That coupled with a weak group of receivers will prevent the Redskins from making much noise. Prediction: 7-9

New York Giants: Eli isn't all that great, nor is Shockey, nor is Tiki, nor is anyone else on this team. Prediction: 6-10

Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles have some serious deficiencies that will be exposed this season. Alot depends on how the T.O. situation plays out but a great deal of damage has already been done. Unless they find a way to trade Owens for some great value or clone Westbrook the Eagles will have a hard time putting up many points this year. Prediction: 8-8