NFL Preview 2006 - NFC East

2005 Standings – NFC EAST
NY Giants ---------- 11-5
Washington --------- 10-6
Dallas ------------- 9-7
Philadelphia ------- 6-10


2006 Outlook:

NY Giants (12-4) – Unlike the NFC North, the NFC could possibly be the toughest division in the entire NFL, and the Giants appear to be right at the top. QB Eli Manning is improving every year and has developed a great connection with WR Plaxico Burress and TE Jeremy Shockey. RB Tiki Barber is one of the best all-around players in the league and he only seems to be getting better with age. The Giants have solid lines on both sides of the ball and the only question mark (if you can call it that) on the entire team is their defensive backfield. The New York “Football” Giants will be one of the teams to beat in the NFC and should be causing some serious trouble in January.

Philadelphia (11-5) – The Eagles are coming off a very disappointing 6-10 season in which their 2 best players, Donovan McNabb and Terrell Owens, played a combined 16 games. The “Owens Experiment” was a miserable failure as he was little more than an annoying distraction for the team. He has since moved on to Dallas and no one in Philadelphia misses him. McNabb is healthy again and seems to be back to his old self. Assuming he stays healthy, the Eagles will be a good team and will give the Giants a run for the division and, at the very least, snag a wild card berth in the playoffs.

Dallas (10-6) – After failing in Philly, the “Owens Experiment” starts over in Dallas and already there is concern. Owens has barely practiced let alone step on the field this preseason due to a hamstring injury as well as a nagging groin injury. QB Drew Bledsoe and WR Terry Glenn know each other well as they have been together since their Patriot days. TE Jason Witten and RB’s Julius Jones and Marion Barber are great secondary options, and the Cowboys defense is one of the best in the NFL. Without Owens the Cowboys are a good team, but with him, they could be a great team. Either way, they should be able to make the playoffs on a wild card.

Washington (8-8) – The Washington Redskins are the dark horse of this division. Last year they overachieved coming in at 10-6 and made the playoffs and, like the Bears, they rely heavily on their defense, which is pretty darn good. The offense is being led by Mark Brunell, who turns 36 during Week 2 and is only a slightly above average QB. Clinton Portis is a top RB in the NFL, but he suffered a shoulder injury in the first preseason game that will knock him out of action until Week 1 of the regular season at the earliest. So, the Redskins acquired RB T.J. Duckett from Atlanta in a trade as insurance. No matter who Washington plays this year, they will be a tough opponent, but they are playing in a tough division and they don’t have enough firepower to keep pace.