2010 NFL Division Preview: NFC East

Yesterday I put up a post by Michael Wright that gave 15 thoughts he had about his New York Football Giants for this upcoming season. I hinted that my NFC East preview would be written in the near future so here it is. This is the third installment of my eight-part preview of the 2010 NFL season, breaking it down division by division. In each of these posts I will preview each team in the division and then at the end I will predict who will win the division and how the other three teams will end up behind them.

To read my other divisional previews just click on the appropriate link:

NFC South

NFC West

In the NFC East we have had a lot of drama this offseason. A face-of-the-franchise quarterback being traded to another team within the division. Big name veteran free agency signings. A team trying to bounce back from a disappointing 2009 season. A team trying to build on their first playoff win since 1996. We had a big name quarterback get bloodied in the preseason opener. There was a prima donna receiver refusing to carry pads. You get the idea. Let’s jump in.

Teams: Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins

2010 NFL Division Preview: NFC South

For those of you that don’t count down the days until the start of the football season, it is officially 40 days until the first Sunday of the NFL season, and 37 days until the opening game when the Vikings will be visiting the Saints on September 9. My plan is to write one (of eight) division preview every five or six days between now and then. I’m going to hold off as long as possible on writing the NFC North preview because of the never-ending Brett Favre saga. I realize there are reports that he’s told the team he won’t be playing this year, but I don’t think they’re going to give up that easily. Until we’re within a week or so of that first game I’m taking all of the reports with a grain of salt because I don’t want to write an entire division preview assuming one way or the other and risk it being the wrong assumption. And you should never assume - just ask Michael Clarke Duncan.

Minnesota Vikings at New Orleans Saints

The second-to-last post for this 11-part series, previewing each and every game for the NFL playoffs. To see any of the previous nine, click on the appropriate link below:

Jets at Colts

Jets at Chargers

Cowboys at Vikings

Ravens at Colts

Cardinals at Saints

Packers at Cardinals

Ravens at patriots

Eagles at Cowboys

Jets at Bengals

This game will likely prove to be the most intense game so far this post season. These were the two highest scoring offenses during the regular season and both have stellar defenses. However I think one of the biggest factors in this week’s game is how well the Vikings can handle going into the Superdome and coping with the loud crowd that comes with it. All four of the Vikings losses have came when they were on the road this year. Away from home they are 4-4 and New Orleans is one of the hardest places to play as a visiting team.

Arizona Cardinals at New Orleans Saints

This is the fifth installment of my 11-part playoff preview series. To read the others click on the appropriate one below:

Packers at Cardinals

Ravens at patriots

Eagles at Cowboys

Jets at Bengals

Let me first start by saying that Saturday will be a great day to watch great quarterbacks play at a high level. Peyton Manning in the late game and Drew Brees squares off against Kurt Warner in the earlier game but the Cardinals have had a short week. They played the late Sunday game last weekend and they play the early Saturday game this weekend. I don’t think it will really have much of an impact on the game, but you never know. The real question here is can lighting strike the same place twice? The place being represented by the Arizona Cardinals and the lightning being represented by an unlikely playoff run. Bad analogy? Fine, but you get the idea. This is gonna be a high-powered, high-flyin’, high-energy game that you like to see in the playoffs. Both teams are pass-happy, and score a lot of points. The Cardinals beat the Packers in this very type of game last week. Again, can lightning strike twice?

Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys

This is part two of my 11-part playoff preview series. For part one click here.

I’m just gonna throw this out there now: The Dallas Cowboys have not won a playoff game since 1996. That’s a long time ago. The Cowboys just haven’t been able to find a way to win in the post season. Even in games when it looked like they were going to win or games where for all intents and purposes they should have won, they still managed to lose. In that same period of time the Eagles have won ten playoff games and played in five different NFC Championship games, winning one in the process. However, I will do my best to not let this influence my outlook on this game, but I did feel the need to point it out.

2010 Pro Bowl Rosters

Here are the rosters for the 2010 NFL Pro Bowl with comments from Michael Wright. From here down are the words of Mr. Wright:

2010 NFL Pro Bowl Rosters
M.D. Wright
12.29.09

***EDITOR’S NOTE: Changes may be made due to potential for injuries, but these are the results of all the voting.

AFC
OFFENSE

* – First Player Listed Is STARTER

How can the Redskins make the playoffs?

Our best commenter, Michael, asked about how his favorite team, the Redskins, could make the playoffs. So despite the fact that the Redskins are currently sitting at 3-8 and can do no better in the division than hope to tie the Cowboys for the top spot of the NFC East I will map out exactly what crazy miracles need to happen in order for this team to find it’s way into the playoffs.

Draft Thoughts for Bryan

First let me say that this won’t interest a whole lot of people, and will only probably intrigue people that are fans of an NFL team drafting in the top 10 or just want to gather as many different thoughts and perspectives on the 2009 NFL Draft as possible. With that out of the way, let’s get down to it.

As many of you know Bryan is a huge Rams fan and because of this he is already looking ahead to the draft for obvious reasons. So he asked me “if the Lions take Andre Smith and you were drafting for the Rams, what would you do?” This was an interesting question, because I believe (and Bryan agrees with me) that the Rams goal for the first round should be to get one of the top 3 offensive tackles in the draft: Andre Smith, Eugene Monroe or Michael Oher. They are all easily top 10 players on my big board. So what I told Bryan is that if I couldn’t trade down to a spot where I thought Monroe or Oher would still be available, then I’d reach for Monroe, but that I’d definitely be trying to trade down to get something extra out of it. He said that in addition to the team’s 2009 first round pick he’d also want a first rounder in the 2010 draft as well, but that he might settle for the team’s 2009 second rounder.

Next Bryan asked me how far I would trade down and who it would be with. This was a harder question to answer than I would have first thought. My answer to the first part of the question was simple: “I’d say we need to stay in the top 10, preferably the top 8, but I think top 10 would be fine.” The second part of the question was much more difficult. I first needed to find a top 10 team that was behind the Rams and had a big enough need for a player to jump up to the second spot because a team currently in front of them would likely take that desired player. After that I then had to figure out who I thought the remaining teams would draft to see if one of the previously mentioned offensive tackles would still be available for the Rams.

NFL Playoffs Seedings

With only the game tonight between the Chargers and Broncos remaining and it being the one regular season game left unplayed, I thought I’d bring everyone up to date  one how the things currently stand.

In the NFC the seedings look like this:

1. New York Giants

2. Carolina Panthers

3. Minnesota Vikings

4. Arizona Cardinals

5. Atlanta Falcons

6. Philadelphia Eagles

In the AFC the seedings look like this:

1. Tennessee Titans

2. Pittsburgh Steelers

3. Miami Dolphins

What Does Your Team Need To Do? (Part II)

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THIS INFO IS OUT OF DATE! CLICK HERE FOR THE 2009 VERSION!

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I thought I’d put up another one of these, seeing how a lot of things happened during week 16 that either solidified team’s positions or eliminated their playoff hopes. So here is what everyone else needs to have happen to make it in. Unlike last time, I am much more confident in what I have found out. Again, by using the NFL’s tiebreaking procedures, this is what I have come up with.

On the NFC side of things the Giants and Cardinals have clinched the East and West divisions respectively. The Giants have also clinched the first seed, giving them a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The Panthers and Falcons have also each clinched playoff spots, though neither has actually clinched their division. The Lions, Rams, 49ers, Seahawks, Packers, Saints, and Redskins have all been eliminated from the playoffs.

Here’s how things can play out for those who still have something to clinch in NFC:

Carolina Panthers:
The Panthers will clinch the NFC South and the NFC’s second seed (also giving them a first round bye) if they win in New Orleans against the Saints or if the Falcons lose to the Rams.

Atlanta Falcons:
The Falcons will clinch the NFC South and the NFC’s second seed (also giving them a first round bye) if they beat the Rams and the Panthers lose to the Saints.

Minnesota Vikings:
The Vikings will clinch the NFC North and the NFC’s third seed if they beat the Giants or if the Bears lose in Houston to the Texans.

Chicago Bears:

The Bears will clinch the NFC North and the NFC’s third seed if they beat the Texans and the Vikings lose to the Giants. However, if the Bears fail to win their division, they can still clinch a wild-card spot if they beat the Texans and both the Cowboys lose in Philly to the Eagles and the Buccaneers lose at home to Oakland.

Dallas Cowboys:
The Cowboys will clinch a wild-card spot if they beat the Eagles in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia Eagles:
The Eagles will clinch a wild-card spot if they beat the Cowboys and both the Buccaneers lose to the Raiders and the Bears lose to the Texans. The Eagles will also clinch a wild-card spot if they beat the Cowboys and both the Buccaneers lose to the Raiders and the Vikings lose to the Giants.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
The Buccaneers will clinch a wild-card spot if one of the following three things happen:

1. They beat the Raiders and the Cowboys lose to or tie with the Eagles.
2. They tie with the Raiders, the Cowboys lose to the Eagles and the Vikings lose to or tie with the Giants.

3. They tie with the Raiders, the Cowboys lose to the Eagles and the Bears lose to or tie with the Texans.

In the AFC the Titans and Steelers have clinched the South and North divisions respectively and both have also clinched first-round byes. The Titans have also clinched the AFC’s first seed, giving them home-field throughout the playoffs, and leaving the Steelers with the AFC’s second seed. Oh, and my Colts clinched a wild-card spot and the AFC’s fifth seed! The Bengals, Browns, Texans, Jaguars, Chiefs, Raiders, and Bills are still the only teams in the AFC to have been eliminated from the playoffs.

Here’s how things can play out for those who still have something to clinch in the AFC:

Denver Broncos:
The Broncos will clinch the AFC West and the AFC’s fourth seed if the beat the Chargers in San Diego.

San Diego Chargers:
The Chargers will clinch the AFC West if they win at home against the Broncos.

Baltimore Ravens:
The Ravens will clinch the remaining wild-card spot and the AFC’s sixth seed with a win at home over the Jaguars.

Miami Dolphins:
The Dolphins will clinch the AFC East and the AFC’s third seed if they beat the Jets in New York.

New England Patriots:
The Patriots will clinch the AFC East and the AFC’s third seed if the beat the Bills in Buffalo and the Dolphins lose to the Jets.

New York Jets:
The Jets clinch the AFC East and the AFC’s third see if they beat the Dolphins at home and the Patriots lose in Buffalo to the Bills.

As always if you have any questions or thoughts you’d like to share, you should feel free to leave a comment, or you can always take a look at our “Contact Us” page to send us an email.