The Crystal Ball 2014 Preseason Preview - NFC East

For our second installment, we’ll give the NFC a chance to shine by taking on the overly hyped, yet under competitive NFC East. Nope, still haven’t come up with a witty opener. Keep your smart aleky responses to yourselves, peanut gallery.

NFC East

Dallas Cowboys

2013 – Finished 8-8, 2^nd in division

We all know the metric that shows since the Cowboys Super Bowl win in 1995; the team has been.500 for almost 20 years now. Well, Cowboy fans, this won’t make you feel better.

"As you know, the Cowboys have not gone to the playoffs in several years. We have not gone, yet we're the most popular TV show there is on television. We lead all teams in TV ratings. We lead, 24 of the last top 25 shows were NFL games, and any time your Cowboys play they're up there at the top and leading.'' – Cowboys owner Jerry Jones

Yes, that’s your team owner all but admitting he only cares about profits, and winning is secondary to raking in the moolah. Now I know where the Pirates owner learned it from. So perhaps Jones is not the worst general manager in football, just the most profit conscious.

Scratch that, he’s the worst. Of his three best defensive players from last season, one left via free agency, one was cut to save money, and he bolted for Denver, and the last one tore an ACL already and is now done for the season, before August. No defense = a very long season in Big D.

To cement his legacy, Jones passed on drafting Johnny Manziel and sending Texas into a state of delirium and racking in millions in new merchandising sales. Yet now he keeps talking about how he “almost” did draft the Texas A&M quarterback. Yeah, so? Then why didn’t you? A solid answer has yet to come forth. If Jones had said, “well I don’t think having Manziel and Dez Bryant on the same team would be a good idea,” well that would be a prudent choice, although the parties would have been epic. But this wishy washy, I was gonna draft him, almost did too, nonsense has got to go.

But Jones the general manager is never to be outdone by Jones the owner. Just last week, Jones claimed that head coach Jason Garrett is not coaching for his job this season. Well, I guess we can say goodbye to Garrett before Thanksgiving then. Jones the owner also feels good about a future team in Los Angeles. Of course he is, there’s profit to be had.

Projected outcome – As long as Dan Snyder and his soon to be forcibly renamed team remain in the NFC East, Jerry Jones will never see his team finish last. Well, except this season.

New York Giants

2013 – Finished 7-9, 3^rd in division

The Giants have done a bit of retooling over the offseason, but they still have a tool at quarterback. Tom Coughlin made a major change in his offensive philosophy and has put a new man in charge of the Giants offensive attack. I think this will be a make or break season for the younger Manning, who seems to revert to a confused rookie unless he’s playing the Patriots.

Projected outcome – Nothing they’ve done seems overly spectacular to me, and I think the team is in a bit of a talent drain. Third place seems to be right.

Philadelphia Eagles

2013 – Finished 10-6, 1^st in division

After a rough start, the Chip Kelly experience ended up being a rousing success in the City of Brotherly Love. Nick Foles seems to be the man who can run his offense, despite looking like Napoleon Dynamite with a hair straightener. And the team did a lateral quarterback move, getting rid of aging backup quarterback Michael Vick and replacing him with male model Mark Sanchez. How’s that for job security for Foles!

Projected outcome – There’s no reason to think they couldn’t win the division again, and probably will if they can maintain the same surge they had in the second half of 2013. I think a sophomore slump is in order. But jeez look at this division. First again.

Washington Snyders

2013 – Finished 3-13 4^th in division

If you’re a Washington fan, there is some excitement around this team. RGIII is back and healthy. They have a new head coach who is offensive minded and ready to bring some excitement back to Washington. But no one is talking about any of that.

The only thing people are talking about is Snyder’s stubborn refusal to change the team’s nickname from its current racial moniker to something, well, not insulting to an entire group of people.

Despite congressional pressure, pressure from Native American groups who have flat out said the nickname is insulting, fan pressure and even pressure from the US Trademark office who are currently working on canceling the team’s trademark on the nickname, and thereby potentially costing Snyder millions, Snyder refuses to cave to pressure. He’s even gone so far as to start a foundation as a transparent move in order to keep his racist team name. He keeps operating as though with enough time, the issue will go away. Unfortunately, I think this fight is just heating up.

Projected outcome – A weak division, plus the return of the franchise quarterback, a more modern offensive system will vault Washington out of the basement and all the way to second place. And with the team relevant again in the win column, demands for a name change will reach a new cacophony.