Key Rookies

Eagles: S Jaiquawan Jarrett

Cowboys: OT Tyron Smith

Giants: CB Prince Amukamara

Redskins: DE Ryan Kerrigan

Team Previews

Philadelphia

It looked as though the Eagles 2010 season was going to have a rough start.  QB Kevin Kolb went down with a concussion during the first game and that meant QB Michael Vick would be thrust in as the starter. He responded as well as anyone could hope, especially head coach Andy Reid.  With Vick’s return, Reid had to change the playbook on the fly.  It didn’t effect the offense at all. With the occasional ‘hold your breathe’ moments when Vick runs, the Eagles were in a good position to win the NFC last year.  With what happened this offseason the Eagles expect to win the Super Bowl.

With the emergence of QB Michael Vick, the Eagles are banking their success entirely on him.  It’s a high risk high reward situation. If Vick gets hurt for an extended period of time, who will back him up?  Gone is QB Kevin Kolb and in to replace him is QB Vince Young who hasn’t been a reliable quarterback in his career.  Andy Reid is a good head coach and will bring Young along slowly, but the injury bug follows him too.  Philadelphia had the most dynamic running game of any team last year.  RB LeSean McCoy was more dangerous as a receiver than a runner, but can do both with ease. RB Ronnie Brown is very similar to McCoy, but he also brings the wildcat to the Eagles offense with his ability to pass the ball.  To complete the trifecta is Vick with his ability to escape and make plays when there is no receiver to throw to.  There are a vast array of weapons to throw to this year in Philadelphia.  WR DeSean Jackson is among the best game changers in the NFL.  His speed is unmatched which makes it difficult for opposing corners to cover him without help.  WR Jeremy Maclin is a good complement to Jackson.  His size and speed makes it hard for defenses to choose which to double cover.  WR Steve Smith was signed away from the rival New York Giants.  If he’s fully recovered from major knee surgery he will be exactly what the Eagles need in the slot. TE Brent Celek is becoming a mainstay in the passing game.  He and Vick are developing a good repertoire together.

The Eagles defense has gotten exponentially better thanks to three major additions.  The first being CB Nnamdi Asomugha.  The prize free agent had Philadelphia high on his wish list and the Eagles were happy to hear that.  To pair Asomugha along with CB Asante Samuel is a defensive coordinator’s dream come true.  The secondary got even better when they acquired CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie from Arizona for QB Kevin Kolb.  Those three will see the field a lot this year and will take pressure off young safeties Nate Allen and Jaiquawn Jarrett.  The second major acquisition was getting DE Cullen Jenkins from the Green Bay Packers.  Jenkins was an excellent end in the Packers 3-4 scheme, but is an even better tackle in a 4-3.  The Eagles don’t blitz very often with their linebackers, but it shouldn’t matter with Jenkins all over the line.  DE Jason Babin was the last major acquisition.  He had a career year with Tennessee last year.  A lot of that had to do with him being blocked by only one lineman and defensive line coach Jim Washburn.  Washburn is now in Philadelphia.  It’s easy to expect another stellar year from Babin. That also bodes well for DE Trent Cole who had another season with at least 10 sacks.  The main weakness is at linebacker, but the Eagles are confident that youngsters LB Jamar Chaney, LB Casey Matthews and LB Akeem Jordan will make more strides this year in their development.

Dallas

It was a season to forget last year for the Cowboys.  There was a lot of talk, too much about the Cowboys making it to the Super Bowl which happened to be at Cowboys Stadium.  Injuries always are an issue with any team, but last years problems started with their head coach.  Wade Phillips was fired in the midst of a 1-7 season.  Owner Jerry Jones couldn’t take anymore of it after an embarrassing loss to Green Bay.  Jason Garrett brought respectability and more importantly accountability back to the Cowboys who finished the season 5-3.  Overall it wasn’t a good season, but this one looks much brighter.

Dallas is starting fresh on offense this year.  Jason Garrett will still be calling the shots, but will be more aggressive now that he is the head coach.  QB Tony Romo is back from a broken collarbone. It’s clear that if he’s healthy for a full season the Cowboys have a chance to be a playoff team.  Even though his playoff success isn’t the best among active quarterbacks, he still gives Dallas a chance to win every game. The Cowboys cut ties with RB Marion Barber.  That clears the way for RB Felix Jones to be the starter. He won’t be the guy to carry the ball 15-20 times a game, but he will be a big part of the offense.  Particularly the big plays.  Tony Romo has a great trio of receivers to throw to.  WR Miles Austin did struggle a bit last year, but he’s still the deep threat receiver that the Cowboys covet.  WR Dez Bryant is ready for a breakout year.  Now that he isn’t playing behind the departed WR Roy Williams, Bryant will be counted on quite a bit.  TE Jason Witten is still Romo’s favorite target.  You could argue that Romo wouldn’t be as good without Witten and vice versa.  Witten takes advantage of what’s given to him and finds a hole in the defense on almost every play.

The defense will have a new attitude this year with Rob Ryan on board as the defensive coordinator.  Look for Ryan to bring a new nasty demeanor to the defensive players, whom have been craving it for some time.  LB DeMarcus Ware figures to wreak havoc on opposing quarterbacks this year.  His ability to play almost every down will help keep the Cowboys defense amongst the best in the league.  LB Anthony Spencer who plays opposite Ware will have to increase his production if the Cowboys are to remain a threat.  DT Jay Ratliff isn’t the prototypical nose tackle for a 3-4 defense, but he is quick off the line and can bull rush the best offensive lineman.  The Cowboys secondary has always been an issue and it starts with their health.  CB Terence Newman is a premiere corner, but has been hampered by leg injuries his entire career.  Dallas would like to see more from CB Orlando Scandrick and CB Mike Jenkins this year to help take pressure off Newman.  Backing up the corners has been a major problem, but adding S Abram Elam will help tremendously.  Elam played for Ryan in Cleveland and has a good feel for what Ryan wants to do against the pass.

New York

They have been in prime position to clinch a playoff spot the last two seasons, but late season collapses have left the Giants out of the playoffs.  The only thing that head coach Tom Coughlin can point to is that the Giants didn’t play to their standards.  They were turnover prone and gave up big plays far too often on defense.  It’s safe to say that Coughlin’s job is not in jeopardy, but if the Giants do falter late in the season again, it will be hard to justify keeping him.

The main problem with the Giants and turning over the football was with QB Eli Manning.  Even though he did throw for over 4,000 yards and had 31 touchdown passes, his interception total was far too high at 25.  He is fumble prone also, but that can be fixed. One way it can be fixed is the Giants focus more on rushing the ball first and pass second.  It will be hard to do with a good quarterback in Manning, but RB Ahmad Bradshaw and RB Brandon Jacobs are one of the best combinations in the NFL.  Jacobs got in Coughlin’s doghouse last year, but has come out of it with a renewed attitude. Bradshaw is the better all around back, but Jacobs brings a bruising style to their offense.  Manning found what had been missing in the passing game when WR Plaxico Burress was sentenced to prison.  A reliable target.  WR Hakeem Nicks lived up to his potential last year with a breakout year. There is no telling how far Nicks can go, but the Giants would love to see him raise the bar even higher.  WR Mario Manningham will be counted on to fill the role vacated by WR Steve Smith. Manningham was better suited as the slot receiver, but he must step up and be as good as Hakeem Nicks.  Eli likes having a big tight end in the middle of the field.  TE Kevin Boss is gone so that leaves young TE Travis Beckum to be the next starter.  How he does will have a great effect on Eli’s production this year.

The organization feels they’ve fixed the secondary this offseason, which has been a problem area for them of late.  CB Prince Amukamara was a top flight cornerback at Nebraska.  He won’t be thrust into the starting lineup right away with established starters CB Corey Webster and CB Aaron Ross ahead of him.  However, Prince should see plenty of time with CB Terrell Thomas out for the season.  And as long as S Kenny Phillips can stay healthy, he and S Antrel Rolle will be the primary playmakers on defense.  There is still a major problem on defense.  Who will be the difference maker at linebacker for the Giants?  LB Michael Boley was inconsistent last year.  He is the most experienced, but is limited in pass coverage.  LB Jonathan Goff has been given the reins, but it will take some time for this unit to get up to speed.  The Giants strength has always been on their defensive line.  DE Justin Tuck and DE Osi Umenyiora are one of the best pass rushing duos in the league.  Their depth will be strengthened with the emergence of DE Jason Pierre-Paul.  If he emerges quickly, the Giants might have enough to offset their weaknesses elsewhere on the defense.

Washington

It really wasn’t a welcome sight for the Redskins last year.  Head coach Mike Shanahan was supposed to right the ship immediately, but things were a disaster from the start.  Shanahan wasn’t thrilled with DT Albert Haynesworth once he arrived at training camp.  QB Donovan McNabb wasn’t Shanahan’s first choice to be the Redskins quarterback, but it started to look like Shanahan was right towards the end of the season.  Either way it seems the Redskins have taken two steps back going into the 2011 season. Who will be the starting quarterback, running back and where will the direction of this team go?

Mike Shanahan announced before the lockout ended that QB John Beck was the starting quarterback for the Redskins.  That was before they traded QB Donovan McNabb.  Whether Shanahan knows what he has at quarterback is one thing, but to think that he played QB Rex Grossman instead of McNabb for four games last year is a bit suspect.  Regardless of what happens at quarterback, Shanahan does know how to find talented running backs.  He does have a good one with RB Ryan Torain, but his motor leads him to suffer nagging injuries.  Enter RB Tim Hightower who was acquired from the Arizona Cardinals.  Hightower was a good change of pace back in Arizona and could have a bigger role in the Redskins offense.  Washington was wise to bring back WR Santana Moss. Without him they wouldn’t have a reliable option for whomever is going to be the starting quarterback.  This late in his career Moss is still a capable receiver considering his size.  If TE Chris Cooley can stay healthy for an entire year it will make the transition a lot easier for either Beck or Grossman at quarterback.  Cooley is an elite pass catching tight end.

Defensively it was a struggle for the Redskins who switched to a 3-4 defense last year.  However, they did play better down the stretch last season.  That progress should bode well going forward and not having Haynesworth will help too.  LB Brian Orakpo has developed into an elite pass rusher for Washington.  If this years 1st round pick LB Ryan Kerrigan can do the same opposite Orakpo the Redskins will have a great duo for many years.  LB London Fletcher in the middle has been a big relief in the transition.  He hasn’t always played in a 3-4 system, but he makes adjustments on the fly.  That works well in a complex scheme.  S O.J. Atogwe is new to the defense, but him and S LaRon Landry could form one of the best safety duos in the league.  Landry can do it all and Atogwe is more of a cover safety, but can help in the run defense. CB DeAngelo Hall is starting to be more comfortable in Washington.  Maybe it’s the new coaching staff or the fact that he is being left to do his job and cover the opponents best receiver. The defensive line is a deep unit.  DE Adam Carriker has adjusted well to the new defense and is poised for a breakout season.  DT Barry Cofield isn’t the ideal nose tackle, but is a Jay Ratliff type who attacks the quarterback constantly.  DE Kedric Golston and DE Lorenzo Alexander are good in run support.  Both will be counted on when it counts.