Are all football analysts smoking crack???

[deacon]

I'm just wondering. Every analyst I see on TV or read in mags or web is touting the NFC east as the toughest division in the NFL.

What???

How can this be?

The Redskins look like hot garbage and their offense is horrible. Their D does not cause turnovers and outside of Portis, Chris Cooley is by far their best player.

Dallas has a QB that while above average is 105 years old, can't avoid the rush. The D is good but they give up too much rushing yards and Tuna can't even decide who the feature running back will be. TO is eventually going to be TO and start causing trouble which will take the focus off playing football and will inevitably split the locker room. And Vanderjadct (sp) has proven time and again that he cannot hit a clutch kick.

Philly does not have a true #1 receiver or running back that can carry 25 per game. The D cannot stop the run and they rely too heavily on blitzing (eventually they get burned).

Giants look to have the most complete team in the division but it will be dependant on Manning being able to perform well for an entire season (which he has yet to do). Their D also has trouble stopping the run.

As a whole this division does not look any better than the AFC north or NFC south.

It must be the 'sheep mentality'. One person said it and everyone else is just going along with it. I just don't see it.

[ffpost]

Well, I wouldn't disagree with the NFC East being toughest but certainly without a doubt the AFC North is very tough too. I agree with you that Skins have looked awful. As for your analysis on the other teams, well you can't always base things on last year.

Cowboys: Solid Def and of course TO. TO makes them far better than last year.

Giants: Defense is getting real good, Barber has been unreal and Manning too.

Eagles: Just added Stallworth, Reggie Brown is upcoming, and their Def has been hot this preseason, I know it's preseason. They've been stock piling D-Lineman, Jim Johnson will have the D back.

[Wesley Walker]

Dallas has a QB that while above average...

That's being generous.

[SniperShot]

also don't forget the teams in the NFC East have some of the best coaches in the NFL. Gibbs, Greg Willams DC, Al Saunders OC, Andy Reid, Parcells, and Tom.C(I tried to spell his name a couple times, didn't work well.)

[eaglesrule]

Philly does not have a true #1 receiver or running back that can carry 25 per game. The D cannot stop the run and they rely too heavily on blitzing (eventually they get burned).

Well, they haven't had the true number one receiver for any year other than 2004. they made the championship game three times prior to that.

Last year, I think they shut down LT pretty damn well. I don't think he got 20 yards on the ground. I'd take a quick look at the ppg allowed to during their span and see if they "eventually got burned" because they really didn't. they also don't rely as much on the blitz as media analysts and casual observers seem to think. What they do is blitz exotically and at weird times to throw off timing. Its not a volume issue nearly as much as people think. considering the defense is both healthy now in the secondary and restocked on the line, the d is going to be a lot more fearsome. The WR canard is so old its laughable now. they don't have a number one per se, but they have donovan and westrbook, westy can catch, donovan can run, which leads to awfully difficult assignments, because you can't tell the true intent of the play. now with brown, stallworth, lj schoebel, westbrook and the running threat of donovan, they may never have the dominant guy, but a lot of different options at any given time, given down and distance, that it's hard to defend, and you can't allocate all of your defenders on one specific thing. Considering the success of the eagles when donovan and half the tema isn't injured, I think the eagles coaching and management know a thing or two. Fact is, QB, Defense and lines are the things that win games, and the eagles are on the upper echelon of all of those things right now. Giants too, plus RB. Skins have those things (except qb). Dallas seems shaky to me however.

i can't speak for the other teams in the division, but when the previous year had two playoff teams from the division, and the eagles made four of the five latest cahmpionship games, and the other team got parcells and the number one wideout in the game, its tough to argue.

Just for giggle take a look at New England's first super bowl team and tell me how integral the runnign attack really was.

[Philly Pride]

The only team I see out of this group struggling is the Redskins, because Brunell is not going to be anywhere near his 2005 numbers.

*slight homerism* With Stallworth on the Eagles I think they have a legit shot at one of the wild card spots. Remember, he put up good #'s last year...with Aaron Brooks of all people at QB.

The Giants are, IMO, the best team in the division with Eli continuing to mature and a healthy, improving defense.

The Cowboys season sort of relies on T.O., and that's not what you want to hear We told you so.

[deacon]

Yes Philly did go to the champ game 4 years in a row but they basically ran away with the east because the other teams were dreadful.

They got a first round bye every year and won one playoff game to get to the NFC championship which they lost. The only year they made it over the hump was when they played the Falcons and I don't think anyone will argue that they are or were a powerhouse team.

I know they had tons of injuries last year but they went from 8-0 in the division to 0-8 last year. I don't think Philly could hang with at least 5 of the AFC's top teams. Could Dallas? Redskins?

Giants seem to be the only real threat in that division.

Philly benefitted from the fact that the NFC is full of mediocre teams. Its the same thing Seattle did last year.

[Wesley Walker]

Yes Philly did go to the champ game 4 years in a row but they basically ran away with the east because the other teams were dreadful.

They got a first round bye every year and won one playoff game to get to the NFC championship which they lost. The only year they made it over the hump was when they played the Falcons and I don't think anyone will argue that they are or were a powerhouse team.

I know they had tons of injuries last year but they went from 8-0 in the division to 0-8 last year. I don't think Philly could hang with at least 5 of the AFC's top teams. Could Dallas? Redskins?

Giants seem to be the only real threat in that division.

Philly benefitted from the fact that the NFC is full of mediocre teams. Its the same thing Seattle did last year.

I agree that the G's are the best in the division. But I also agree that there are MANY very strong divisions in the NFL. More so than a few years ago, there is real parity in the NFL right now. With the possible exception of the hapless 49ers and perhaps even that legendary AFC powerhouse from Northern Jersey.

[moochman]

While there is a huge Eastcoast bias with most TV studio analysts, I don't think you can compare any conference to the NFC Beast.

Top to bottom this is the toughest division. Every team has a shot at making the playoffs, the biggest detriment to that being a tough schedule because they have to play eachother twice. Other conferences just don't stack up.

[dgan]

Last year you had three teams from the NFC East that either did or were one game away from making the playoffs. None of them are worse this year, and most are arguably better. No other division has 4 defenses comparable to the NFC East. And, most importantly, these aren't just good defenses...these are hard-hitting, black and blue, they-are-going-to-kill-eachother defenses. This division will tear itself apart.

And that is what makes it the toughest...not necessarily the "best". In fact, I predict none of those teams will get a first round bye or make it past the first round of the playoffs.

It will be fun to watch.