By Mark Halpern
Thirty years ago, there was no division scarier than the NFC EAST. When you look at the teams that represented the Division, The Dallas Cowboys, The Washington Redskins (now commanders), and The Philadelphia Eagles were forces to be reckoned with, as three of the four teams in that Division won super bowls (1990 Giants, 1991 Redskins and 1992 and 1993 and 1995 the Dallas Cowboys) in the span of four straight Superbowls the NFC East was the most feared Division in football for a good ten years. Over the last 35 years, we have seen the Giants win, the Eagles claim victories, and, funny enough, both again, Tom Brady and Company. However, the Division has not been near the top Division for a long time, and things could change.
The Dallas Cowboys have revamped this to be a top Contender. Yes, we all know that Dak is being considered to have a Tony Romo disease and can have an outstanding regular season only to lose in the divisional round to the San Fransico 49ers over the last two years. The Cowboys have revamped their offensive line to help create some new lanes for Pollard and Deuce Vaughn (Now that Zeke heads to New England. Good luck, Zeke). Dallas made a lot of free-agent additions, but to me, none is more critical than Brandin Cooks. He joins two very talented receivers, Cee Dee Lamb and Michael Gallup. Cooks will allow the Cowboys to change their offense back to its winning days. With two weeks left, Jerry Jones made a fantastic trade with the 49ers in which a 4th round pick was traded from the Cowboys to the 49ers for Trey Lance. Lance was one of the top quarterbacks picked a few years ago, and San Fransico sold the farm to get him to have him play all four plays in his tenure. Lance will be the third-string quarterback and will most likely inherit the Cowboys.
Switching focus to one of the most troubled organizations in football, The Washington Commanders. This team has been in the spotlight over the last year for the wrong reasons. Dan Snyder, the disgusting and toxic man he is, left his stench on this organization and tried to crawl out from underneath the scandal, just like the Raiders had to do when the emails surfaced about Gruden and his treatment of certain players. The Commanders have some excellent weapons, as Terry McLaurin is the best receiver on this team and a top 20 wide receiver in this league any day of the week with his route running and speed. Sam Howell and Brian Robinson are this team’s only other bright points. Chase Young returns this year after an injury-plagued first few years, and we shall see if he is as electric as he used to be. I expect the Commanders to stay within reach, as they will be at the bottom of the NFC East.
The Philadelphia Eagles are the reigning NFC champs after going to Super Bowl 57 and losing to the Chiefs. The Eagles made many moves in the offseason to try and improve this team; however, they let their #1 RB Miles Sanders go to the Panthers, and the Eagles will be more of a committee at running back this year. The Wide Receiver core of A.J. Brown and Devonte Smith is one of the scariest sets of wide receivers over the past year and has a very talented Tight End in Dallas Godert. Jalen Hurts has proven he belongs in the NFL, but it had two years to scout and watch him. He is very predictable, but it will be a long day if Defense can’t stop him. Contain Hurts, and you contain the Eagles. The Eagles drafted Jalen Carter with the 9th overall pick. He has been compared to Micah Parsons with his ability and technique. The Eagles will make the playoffs as a wild-card team if the Defense can keep them in games.
Last and certainly least are the New York football Giants. I am glad I am not a Giants fan because they made the biggest mistake by signing Daniel Jones to a guaranteed contract, and superstar running back Saquon Barkley got a franchise tag to lock him up for one year. Before I get into the state of this team, let’s focus on this move. I understand that a quarterback is essential, but why sign someone who has yet to prove himself? Saquon wanted a longer deal and ultimately signed the tag to play in NY for this year. You would think the Giants would want him locked up, but over the past two years, he has caught the injury bug. When he is on the field, he is as electric as CM7. The receiving core, except for Sterling Sheppard, is nonexistent. The Giants have a lot of youth at the Receiver position but need an experienced enough quarterback to get that ball in the hands of speedy wide receivers. The Giant’s Defense was among the worst defensive teams, ranking 31st in the league. The Giants are in the process of trying to rebuild and make the team better than last year. Every Dog has its day, and that is how the old man sees it.
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