2011 NFL Preview: Part 8 - NFC East

Greetings... let's wrap the divisions up...

1. Dallas Cowboys (11-5) - You're thinking, what!??! Dallas?... Yes, Dallas... I'm all-in... normally, my inclination is to fade Dallas because of the hype machine, but with the moves Philly made and the Wade Phillips meltdown, Dallas is somehow flying under the radar... Tony Romo is back and I think he has a big year... couple that with a legit run game now that Felix Jones can go, and the Bryant/Austin/Witten trio? Makings of a top-5 type offense... the defense was pretty putrid a year ago, but insert Rob Ryan as the coordinator, and they should be mean... oh, and Demarcus Ware still exists... They'd be even higher if they had pulled off the Asomugha signing, but I think the Ryan blitzing schemes will keep the pressure off the back-end... Give me the Cowboys on a limb...
2. Philadelphia Eagles (10-6) - It's all about Vick's health... literally, ALL about Vick's health... do I think he's as good as he was in the first 12 weeks last year? No I don't, but he's clearly a different (better) player than he was in Atlanta, and he has weapons galore to play with in Jackson, McCoy, and Maclin among others... if he plays 16? They probably win more than 10 games... if he plays 10? They probably win more like 7 or 8... it's that big of a swing when you consider that a) they've built the offense around him now, and b) his backup is Vince Young... it's an explosive unit offensively, yes... but the BIG splash? the secondary now features Nnamdi, Asante Samuel, AND Rodgers-Cromartie to form the scariest CB trio I can really ever remember... if they get anything at all out of the front 7, the defense could be scary... Trent Cole is a top-5 DE in the league right now and he'll need some help up there... I like Philly, but I'm gun-shy on Vick playing all 16, so I'll hedge...
3. New York Giants (8-8) - Screams mediocre to me... the defensive secondary has been gutted with injuries in the preseason... they lost Steve Smith to injury and then to another team offensively, and the Eli/Bradshaw combo doesn't do anything to inspire awe, no matter how solid it may be... if they were healthy as constructed before the preseason? I'd give them 9 wins (maybe 10) but they have guys off the street playing DB and that's not enough to make the playoffs in this division even when you have Justin Tuck and the like coming off the corner...
4. Washington Redskins (5-11) - Ladies and gentlemen... Rex Grossman!... Yikes... I'm giving them 5 wins because I think a) Rex isn't as bad as people he think (he's still bad, but not putrid), and b) I kinda like their defense... they're going to need production from Tim Hightower and Santana Moss, but read those names again and don't laugh about them being the #1's on a team quarterbacked by Rex Grossman... I'd be lying if I said it couldn't be worse than 5 wins, because that's very much in play if they quit on Shanahan, but with Orakpo, D-Hall, Landry and Atogwe teaming with rookie Ryan Kerrigan on defense, I can't hate too much... this isn't Carolina from last year... well, unless John Beck plays... then all bets are off...

Stay tuned for Part 9 featuring playoff predictions, awards, etc...