>
Can NFC East Teams Compete With 2015 Philadelphia Eagles?
In recent weeks, I've been following up on the moves of the Philadelphia Eagles, but there are three teams in the NFC East who are in direct competition, on paper at least, and have been getting a lot of NFL press in that same time frame. While we hold the Eagles in close scrutiny, and measure the potential and pitfalls of each player addition and subtraction, I believe it's only fair to give the same birds eye view of the competition – namely the off-season moves of the Dallas Cowboys, the New York Giants, and the Washington Redskins.
Normally I prefer not to weigh in on our competition, but part of the consideration of 'how good can these Eagles be?' is the quality of the teams we face twice a year. Even more recently, I'd read several articles by Philadelphia Eagles bloggers detailing how they now lay awake at night – fearful of the NFC East teams rise to domination based on the 2015 NFL draft results.
Some say this is the year for the New York Giants to rise to playoff calibe again. Some have even laid claim to the Washington Redskins having found a secret formula in 2015.
My answer?
Sleep peacefully Eagles fans, sleep well. 2015 will be many things. But first and foremost, it will be the Eagles year.
NFL Draft Is Future, Not Present
The build up to an NFL draft has changed the perception of what it takes to go from "prospect" to "solid performer". The main ingredient is time. Typically, even the best prospects need time to learn from veterans, understand their role and the role of their teammates, and find their "niche" in the NFL. Some work very hard and never make it. Some do not apply themselves very well. Some run into the wrong scheme, the wrong coaching, the wrong city, the wrong health and conditioning.
The NFL is a business, and a fundamental of any business is marketing. The NFL has mastered that to a point that we assess the talent of an NFL draft as destiny changing. It's believed to turn bad teams into good teams. It's believed that rookie players – the kindergarten class – can produce so effectively that a team will do a complete change of destiny. It's what keeps fans of bad teams hopeful, and fans of good teams nervous. Ultimately, it's what keeps the NFL so damned popular.
Division Winner – The Dallas Cowboys
If you haven't read the stories about the "rich getting richer" referring to the Dallas Cowboys off-season, than you've been on a remote tour of duty.
Risk.
Iit's a cost of uncertainty. 31 NFL teams felt the cost did not warrant the potential reward of each of the Dallas Cowboys three personnel gambles.
Reading the post-draft analysis, that's missing in the equation. The by-lines refer to the talent of players, the upside of their potential. But a player must focus his potential OVER THE LONG HAUL to achieve greatness. A player without focus? The fall is sometimes difficult to watch.
Entering the NFL draft, the Dallas Cowboys needed quarterback depth and a starting running back due to the loss of DeMarco Murray in free agency on offense. On defense, the team needed help at outside linebacker- having lost Bruce Carter and Justin Durant. The defensive line was decimated, with three defections – defensive tackle Henry Melton, and ends Anthony Spencer and George Selvie - from an overachieving group in 2014.
Their free agency headliner was the signing of NFL bad boy Greg Hardy – who will be suspended for the first ten games of the season.
The NFL draft was more headliners – with the selection of undersized 235 pound Randy Gregory at the defensive end spot. He'll have plenty of opportunity to learn from… Greg Hardy.
The Cowboys did select a promising prospect in cornerback Byron Jones. He'll likely slide into the same spot occupied by former first round prospect cornerback Morris Claiborne – who had such promise in the 2012 NFL draft that the Cowboys traded up eight spots in the first round to select him.
The other player of note for the Cowboys is the signing of UDFA offensive tackle La'el Collins. He immediately will compete with their third round selection of offensive tackle Chaz Green. While it's true that the Dallas Cowboys have a good offensive line – it was their best unit in 2014 – they are a unit of five players only. With tackle Tyron Smith, center Travis Frederick, and guard Zach Martin at the core of a very young group, they return with veteran guard Ron Leary and tackle Doug Free.
If Chaz Green or La'el Collins will make an impact on the 2015 Dallas Cowboy roster, they will need to win a starting role outright over a veteran player. How likely is that scenario? In my opinion, it isn't.
The Cowboys failed to add depth behind an often injured and aging quarterback in Tony Romo, and are content to rely upon the unproven legs of Darren McFadden, Lance Dunbar, and Joseph Randle.
Dez Bryant is still a quality wide receiver in the NFL, and he'll be paired once more with Terrance Williams. But without a threat of a running offense, this team will quickly fall back to relying upon the arm of Tony Romo. When the defense knows Romo is throwing, bad things happen to the Dallas offense.
Did the Cowboys do enough? N
o.
Cowboys 8-8
Third Place – New York Giants
The New York Giants had moments of solid play in 2014, and their rookie wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr had a brilliant season. But the team was a pale image of its glory days. It had virtually no running game, a porous offensive line, a battered receiving corps, and a defense that struggled to get to the quarterback.
The Giants signed running back Shane Vereen and defensive end George Selvie in free agency, both will give a starting veteran presence to compete for starts. They lost starting safety Antre Rolle and slot cornerback Walter Thurmond in free agency.
They did manage to pick the top-rated safety in the draft in Landon Collins, and added offensive tackle Erick Flowers.
They did not add a tight end target for quarterback Eli Manning, nor did they strengthen their linebacking corps, despite a fairly deep draft class. So has the team improved? I think the return of wide receiver Victor Cruz will add a win. Still, the Giants have a lot of challenge in their 2015 schedule, and they added rookies to an offensive line which will need time to produce quality results.
Did the Giants Do Enough? No.
New York Giants 7-9
Fourth Place – Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins have no place to go but up in 2015, don't they? After a four win season, they've got plenty of catching up to do.
But on paper, they've got skill players. In fact, their offense has amassed a very dangerous arsenal of receivers and running backs, if they could solidify the play at quarterback and on their offensive line.
On defense, they need talent and depth.
The Redskins of 2015 are not the same as the team of yesteryear. They quietly made some pretty good decisions. Despite the loss of outside linebacker Brian Orakpo, they addressed the defensive line in solid signings of tackles Terrance Knighton and Stephen Paea.
They needed help on the offensive line, and drafted Brandon Scherff who will likely start at right tackley (ala Lane Johnson). They replaced Orakpon with Preston Smith, and added offensive guard depth with Arie Kouandijo.
But the team still has the same enigma at the quarterback role as 2014. Robert Griffin III, Kirk Cousins, and Colt McCoy will likely compete once more, none of whom made a strong showing last year.
Did the Redskins do enough? They've improved, but from a 4-12 season, not enough to threaten the Eagles in 2015.
Washington Redskins 6-10
