The NFC East appears to once again to be one of the worst divisions in the NFL. All four teams have problems that will likely prevent them from rising to the top of the NFC and challenging for a spot in the Super Bowl. Here is part I on the Cowboys and Eagles. Later, I will discuss the Giants and Redskins.
Cowboys: Dallas' defense gave a pretty good performance against the Giants in Week 1. It forced six turnovers but also gave up lots of yards. The Cowboys won, 36-31. The jury is still out on the defense. It played pretty well in a 17-16 loss to Kansas City. I didn't think last year's defense was that bad. I didn't think defensive coordinator Rob Ryan deserved to be fired (Monte Kiffin is now the DC). His defense started out 2012 as one of the best in football. Injuries took their toll and the unit was weakened at the end of the season and failed to stop Robert Griffin III and Alfred Morris in a season-ending loss to the Redskins that would have clinched the division. That's why he was fired but when he had a full complement of players, I think the defense was fine. The book still needs to be written on this year's defense. The reason it looks
like Dallas will lose its share of games this season is because of the offense. Dallas had multiple chances to score more points in the game against the Giants but it ended up with just 24 offensive points. The Cowboys' main problem on offense is the same as it's been for years: a weak offensive line. The pass protection hasn't been that bad -- Tony Romo has been sacked five times in two games -- but the running game is still lacking. Part of this is a DeMarco Murray problem. I've noticed recently he doesn't have great moves. He is more of a straight line runner, so he is taking a lot of punishment and leaving some yards on the field. But some of it is a line problem. There are times when Murray hits the line and there are no holes.
Dallas has winnable games the next two weekends against the Rams and Chargers, and wins would really help the Cowboys out in their quest to get back to the playoffs for the first time since the 2009 season. After that, the Cowboys get Denver at home and that is a team that probably won't lose many games this season. After that, Dallas has a stretch where it could really get going if it plays solid games -- vs. Washington, at Philadelphia, at Detroit, and vs. Minnesota -- four games against teams that could be at or below .500.
Eagles: Philadelphia looked great in Week 1 against the Redskins, staking a 33-7 lead before staving off a Washington comeback to win. Chip Kelly's new offense was looking like it was going to be an unbridled success in the NFL. The last couple games -- Philadelphia lost last night, 26-16, to the Chiefs -- have not been as promising for the Eagles. Against the Chargers last weekend, the problem was the defense. Philadelphia's offense is built to get off the field quickly. Kelly's scheme relies on speed. Everything the Eagles are doing is fast. They are snapping the ball fast and lead the league in rushing at over 200 yards per game. The offense has looked great at times. The problem is Philly's defense is not very good and Kelly's
offense is putting it in bad positions. Against San Diego, Philly did not even possess the ball for 20 minutes. That puts lots of pressure on the defense to perform. San Diego racked up 539 yards of offense and 33 points vs. the Eagles. Philadelphia ranks 27th on 'D' against passing and 21st against the run. Unless that unit gets better, I think success will be limited for the Eagles this season. One solution would be for the offense to slow down and take its time to give the defense a breather. The problem then becomes the offense probably won't be as efficient because its speed is what makes it hard to defend.
The defense has not always been completely at fault. Thursday night vs. the Chiefs, the Eagles turned the ball over five times. Michael Vick threw two picks. He has not proven to be the best decision maker over his career and Kelly's offense needs a solid QB who can make good, quick decisions. Vick is lacking in that department and that will probably end up hurting the Eagles in more than one game this season. Also, Vick has already gotten banged up this season. With his sleight build, he's always had a problem with injuries. Is he going to be able to make it through the year?
Cowboys: Dallas' defense gave a pretty good performance against the Giants in Week 1. It forced six turnovers but also gave up lots of yards. The Cowboys won, 36-31. The jury is still out on the defense. It played pretty well in a 17-16 loss to Kansas City. I didn't think last year's defense was that bad. I didn't think defensive coordinator Rob Ryan deserved to be fired (Monte Kiffin is now the DC). His defense started out 2012 as one of the best in football. Injuries took their toll and the unit was weakened at the end of the season and failed to stop Robert Griffin III and Alfred Morris in a season-ending loss to the Redskins that would have clinched the division. That's why he was fired but when he had a full complement of players, I think the defense was fine. The book still needs to be written on this year's defense. The reason it looks
like Dallas will lose its share of games this season is because of the offense. Dallas had multiple chances to score more points in the game against the Giants but it ended up with just 24 offensive points. The Cowboys' main problem on offense is the same as it's been for years: a weak offensive line. The pass protection hasn't been that bad -- Tony Romo has been sacked five times in two games -- but the running game is still lacking. Part of this is a DeMarco Murray problem. I've noticed recently he doesn't have great moves. He is more of a straight line runner, so he is taking a lot of punishment and leaving some yards on the field. But some of it is a line problem. There are times when Murray hits the line and there are no holes.Dallas has winnable games the next two weekends against the Rams and Chargers, and wins would really help the Cowboys out in their quest to get back to the playoffs for the first time since the 2009 season. After that, the Cowboys get Denver at home and that is a team that probably won't lose many games this season. After that, Dallas has a stretch where it could really get going if it plays solid games -- vs. Washington, at Philadelphia, at Detroit, and vs. Minnesota -- four games against teams that could be at or below .500.
Eagles: Philadelphia looked great in Week 1 against the Redskins, staking a 33-7 lead before staving off a Washington comeback to win. Chip Kelly's new offense was looking like it was going to be an unbridled success in the NFL. The last couple games -- Philadelphia lost last night, 26-16, to the Chiefs -- have not been as promising for the Eagles. Against the Chargers last weekend, the problem was the defense. Philadelphia's offense is built to get off the field quickly. Kelly's scheme relies on speed. Everything the Eagles are doing is fast. They are snapping the ball fast and lead the league in rushing at over 200 yards per game. The offense has looked great at times. The problem is Philly's defense is not very good and Kelly's
offense is putting it in bad positions. Against San Diego, Philly did not even possess the ball for 20 minutes. That puts lots of pressure on the defense to perform. San Diego racked up 539 yards of offense and 33 points vs. the Eagles. Philadelphia ranks 27th on 'D' against passing and 21st against the run. Unless that unit gets better, I think success will be limited for the Eagles this season. One solution would be for the offense to slow down and take its time to give the defense a breather. The problem then becomes the offense probably won't be as efficient because its speed is what makes it hard to defend.The defense has not always been completely at fault. Thursday night vs. the Chiefs, the Eagles turned the ball over five times. Michael Vick threw two picks. He has not proven to be the best decision maker over his career and Kelly's offense needs a solid QB who can make good, quick decisions. Vick is lacking in that department and that will probably end up hurting the Eagles in more than one game this season. Also, Vick has already gotten banged up this season. With his sleight build, he's always had a problem with injuries. Is he going to be able to make it through the year?
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