NFL Trimester Report: NFC East "Contender or Pretender"

The first 6 weeks of the 2010 NFL season has already graced us fans with enough drama to fill a soap opera script, with two Super Bowl favorites both sitting at 1-3 (Cowboys & the Vikings), while a couple of teams many expected to be drafting in the top 5 are currently sitting pretty with only 1 loss each (Kansas City & Tampa Bay??) As we are just about at the 1/3 mark of the season, now would be a good time to evaluate some of the standings and find of who is really a "contender" and who is getting their Ricky Hatton on (#norelapse). I'll kick it off with the loaded NFC East...

Washington (3-2)
On paper, the Redskins really haven't been anything special on offense and have given up a ton of yards on defense, but they already have 2 victories in their division and just find ways to win. McNabb has been steady at QB so far, but I think their lack of play makers on the perimeter and in the backfield will eventually catch up to them. Pretender

Philly (3-2)
The Eagles are tough to figure out as they have lost both of their home games so far while winning all 3 on the road, and it looks like the offense can move the ball with either Kolb or Vick under center. The defense may give up some runs, but those trademark Philadelphia blitzing schemes are murder for a passing game. Also, here is an interesting fact; both of the eagles losses have come when the starting QB was knocked out of the game. Contender

NYG (3-2)
The Giants have managed to withstand Eli Manning's erratic passing so far this season with a strong running attack and stellar defense. Despite constant criticism Tom Coughlin continues to get the most out of this nice mix of veterans and young players. Hakeem Nicks has emerged as a true #1 receiving option for Manning in the red zone. Contender

Dallas (1-3)
The pre-season favorites to win the division and leading candidate to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl (which will be played in their home stadium), the Cowboys are off to a slow start, to say the least. One thing that should be noted is that Dallas has lost all 3 games but a combined 20 points (less than a touchdown a game). They are right in games but can't seem to quite get over the hump. Costly penalties and mental mistakes give Dallas the look of a team who is not fully focused. Despite having the 3rd best passing attack in the NFL, the running game ranks only 24th and only generating 95 yards a game. I think they still have the talent to turn it around, but it's not looking too bright right now. Pretender

-ALR

2010 Preview Buffalo Bills

Los Sigh is all that comes to mind when I think of the Buffalo Bills. When Jim Kelly (yes that is him in the pic) was running the show this franchise was a perennial football powerhouse. Four straight Super Bowls appearances, all losses but still, they were playoff shoe-ins and contenders. A decade later the mighty have fallen, dare I even say Los The Fallen. They have one winning record in the past decade, really enough said. So let's dive into the team who hasn't made any significant improvements, shall we...

Offense

C.J Spiller is an unsigned draft pick, that will provide a good multi-faceted threat out of the backfield. He has the big play threat ability the Bills need, and from what I've read, he has the intangibles a RB needs to be successful. Fred Jackson had a 1000yd season and a league leading 2 tds (sorry couldn't resist), kind of an easy task in a 17 game season, but he did it, look for more of the same from him. Marshawn Lynch is a hell of a back, but who knows if his off the field issues will be a problem, certainly hope not.

At WR, the Terrell Owens project wasn't the answer last year, but I don't think it was his fault. With the speedy Lee Evans on the other side, Buffalo had good opportunity to spread the field, it just didn't materialize. So now with the departure of Owens, Evans has to find a compliment which will more than likely come from... Uh, your guess is as good as mine. Roscoe Parrish comes to mind, but we just have to wait and see. The problem with this roster of Bills isn't necessarily at the RB and WR skill positions, it comes at O-line and QB.

Ryan Fitzpatrick, Trent Edwards and Brian Brohm make up the QB trio in Buffalo. They all have the ability to complete an NFL pass, but it's kind of tough when you are on the turf or running for your life most of the afternoon. I just knew the franchise would address these issues in the draft, maybe Colt McCoy, a QB that can run for his life and still pass. Maybe one of the talented lineman that were available at the 9th pick... WRONG... Not that CJ Spiller isn't good, I think he will make plays, I just don't think he was a 9th pick need for the Bills. They did draft Edward Wang out of Virginia Tech, who may turn out to be a steal, I hope so for QB sake, anyway, I wish those 3 luck, cause they will need it.

Defense

The loan standout on defense pulled a Favre. Pro Bowler Aaron Schobel threatened retirement so he could get released. Smart move for him, bad sign for a defense that doesn't have that big name draw that puts some kind of doubt in an opposing offense. Statistically, they were bottom half of the NFL and with no significant improvements, I don't see much of a change. Los Sigh...

Prediction

Last year Bills circled the wagon at 6-10, but with an AFC East that is kind of loaded now, I like for them to be a -2 in that win column. New coach Chan Gailey has is work cut out for him, but he is the man for the job. Good luck rebuilding Buffalo Bills

Philadelphia Eagles 2010 Preview

The Philadelphia Eagles are a team at the center of NFC East controversy, maybe even league controversy. Former franchise quarterback Donovan McNabb was unceremoniously given the boot from Philly, in what I believe to be a selfish act by the franchise. Granted McNabb didn't deliver on the grand stage, which is what QB's of his caliber are graded on, but he still has a few more prime years left in him. To add insult to injury, McNabb lands in the same division with the rival Washington Redskins. Competitively speaking, I would look for McNabb to find away to have a career day against the Eagles.

Then there is the Michael Vick experiment. On the whole, it was good to see Vick out of trouble for the football calendar year. On the field, he showed glimpses of the talent that made him the NFL's most exciting player, as a member of the Atlanta Falcons. Even in the playoff loss to Dallas, Vick threw a TD pass that looked like the old Vick was back. The experiment, however, did not go as planned, as McNabb felt the 2 QB system would get him out of rhythm. In my humble put up points opinion, the Eagles offense could have been more explosive than it already was if McNabb could have found away to buy in to this and make it work.

So where does that leave the 11-5 Eagles of last year this year...

Offense
With the departure of McNabb, the Eagles will turn to Kevin Kolb to lead the offense onto the gridiron. Kolb is steady quarterback, who filled in well when McNabb was hurt. I look for Kolb to manage games this season, getting into a West Coast offense feel, rather than stretching the field for big plays. I also see Vick playing more of a roll this season at QB, since he can use his athleticism to buy time for the occasional big play. I also see Vick having a pretty descent year rushing the ball if those big plays are going to happen.

The rumor mill says, the Eagles may go with the 3-back approach to the running game. Led by LeSean McCoy, the RB group will also feature Mike Bell, Charles Scott, Eldra Buckley and J.J. Arrington. Look for Arrington to maybe get some looks out of the backfield, Bell and Scott swapping short yardage duty, while McCoy carries the bulk of the load. I think McCoy's versatility will be the key for the Eagles this season, since it could open up the one thing the Eagles are above average at, play action passing.

Which brings us to the wide receiver group. The explosive DeSean Jackson leads the way for this group, who can, if given some open field, can score with anyone. The Cal product had 9 tds last season, 7 of the 50yd + variety, not to mention 2 punt return tds. Jermey Maclin came into his own during the season, so look for that duo to try and prove they are a WR tandem to be taken seriously. Someone, however, will have to be the reliable move the chains type of player. I see that being tight end Brent Celek, who hauled in a team leading 76 catches and 8 tds of his own. My biased opinion says rookie Riley Cooper may fill that role at some point as well (Go Gators).

I still think the Eagles offense has the potential to score big points, but it depends on if Kevin Kolb gets to play free and spread the field. If Kolb can't manage, let Vick try and recapture the athletic magic he used to have. Fans could be in for an offensive treat if that happens, I won't hold my breath though.

Defense
Philly's defense was ranked middle of the pack in pretty much every category as a team. Look for the secondary to be the catalyst if anything were to change this year. They have an elite CB in Asante Samuel, who had 9 interceptions last season. On the other side CB Sheldon Brown held his own with 5 interceptions of his own. With Brown now a Cleveland Brown, the battle for the other CB spot is heating up in camp. SS Quintin Mikell led the team with 90 tackles and DE Trent Cole led the team with 12.5 sacks. LB by committee will be the theme in the middle of the defense, and that's all I have to say about that.

Prediction
My vision of a Michael Vick resurrection of the Philly offense will probably not happen, simply because Kevin Kolb is not a bad QB at all. Look for the Eagles to compete in the division but ultimately fall into 3rd place, I'm going 9-7 for the regular season.

- @lostherod

NFL: NY Giants 2010 Preview

Feels like the image above was an eternity ago when the underdog NY Giants stunned the sports world in by upsetting the undefeated New England Patriots, doesn't it?

The G-Men are coming off an underwhelming 2009 campaign that saw them sputter to an 8-8 record, missing the playoffs for the first time in 3 seasons. There haven't been any significant upgrades on either side of the ball, so you can expect much of the same in 2010.

Offense
NY's offense lives and dies with the consistency of franchise QB Eli Manning, who has shown progress every year he's been in the NFL. He's shown confidence running the Giants offense and should continue to grow and be a bright spot. After showing flashes late in the season last year's 1st round pick WR Hakeem Nicks appears to be up to the task of starting along side the steady and reliable 'other' Steve Smith, who was among the lead leaders in receptions (albeit for a paltry 11 yards a catch). Despite a solid line, the weak link of the offense will again be the running game, which just isn't what it was a couple seasons ago. Brandon Jacobs looks opposing before the snap but no longer runs like the beast he appears to be. Backup RB Ahmad Bradshaw lacks the size to run between the tackles consistently. Hopefully they can present enough of a threat to keep defenses honest and prevent this from happening repeatedly to Manning.

Defense
They may look to have a ton of talent on paper, but NY's defensive performance on the field leave much to be desired. They finished 30th in the league in points allowed, slightly better than STL & the Detroit Lions (ouch). This is a little shockingas the Giants have the luxury of fielding the deepest DE rotation in the league, with the ultra athletic tandem of Justin Tuck, Mathias Kiwanuka, your mom's favorite DE Osi Umenyiora and 2010 1st round pick Jason Pierre-Paul. The retirement of Antonio Pierce leaves them inexperienced in their linebacking core with Michael Boley (27) being the only one having seen extensive time on the field. Jonathan Goff (24) has potential to be stellar and now has the opportunity to prove it.

The secondary is another area of concern for the G-Men. Neither of the projected starters Corey Webster & Terrell Thomas are considered lock-down corners and have tendencies to give up big passing plays. FS Antrel Rolle was a nice off-season pick up but Kenny Phillips' return from microfracture surgery will be something to keep an eye on. SS Deon Grant may not be enough to fill the void left.

Prediction
8-8
In a nutshell the Giants have som weapons on offense and can apply enough pressure on opposing QBs from the edge to remain competitive, but they have too many question marks and inexperience to challenge for a wild card spot in the NFC this season, which may eventually cause heavily-scrutinized Tom Coughlin to lose his job.

Hey, at least they'll always have memories of David Tyree and "The Catch".

-ALR

Washington Redskins 2010 Preview

2009 was expected to be a big year for Washington Redskin football. So was every season from 2008 back to 1999, back when owner Daniel Snyder first bought the team. Under Snyder's helm, the once mighty, and still proud franchise has managed a less-than-mediocre 80-96 record, only three playoff appearances ('99, '05, and '07), and no playoff wins.

Safe to say, expectations are not being met.

The blueprint for "success" has usually been the same: spend big money on veteran free agent pro-bowlers, tout the usually high draft picks, put the head coach on the hot seat, and watch the wins happen. They're super at doing everything but that last part.

This season, things will be different, allegedly. New GM (Bruce Allen), new head coach (Mike Shanahan), and a new quarterback (Donovan McNabb). Allen was brought in to make sure Snyder didn't overspend on free agents. Shanahan was brought in because Jim Zorn was incompetent. McNabb was gift wrapped and shipped from Philadelphia, probably for this.

Hope springs eternal.

Offense

Shanahan is known for using a stable of running backs, dating back to his days with the Denver Broncos. The Redskins will give him plenty of options, having signed former Pro-Bowlers Larry Johnson and Willie Parker to team up with former Pro Bowler Clinton Portis in the backfield (So much for not over spending on free agents). McNabb will probably have his most solid passing options at tight end with Pro Bowler Chris Cooley and third year USC alum Fred Davis. Davis filled in admirably last season after Cooley was injured, catching 48 passes for 509 yards and 6 TDs.

Washington will be looking for either Devin Thomas (11) or Malcolm Kelly (12) to step up at wide receiver. Sanatana Moss has led the team in that category for the last five seasons, but at 31 has seen his yards per catch drop each year (from 17.7 in '05 to 12.9 in '09). Both Thomas and Kelly were second round picks with high expectations that neither have lived up to (3 career TDs combined). Jamal Brown and rookie Trent Williams were added to an offensive line will also need to improve greatly this season as well. The 2009 Redskins allowed 46 sacks, fifth worst in the NFL.

Defense

Believe it or not, the Redskin defense was actually pretty stout. Their $100 million man, Albert Haynesworth, didn't light the world on fire statistically, but his presence was felt on a defense that allowed only 4 yards per carry rushing, and sacked the quarterback 40 times. The main problem with the Redskin defense was overuse, and the inability to force turnovers (17 total, dead last in the league).

Haynesworth has made the news a lot this off-season due to contract holdouts and conditioning issues, but having him on the field would make this defense that much more formidable. MLB London Fletcher is coming off his first Pro Bowl season at the tender age of 34, but he's surrounded by young players entering their primes. Linebacker Brian Orakpo (23) made the Pro Bowl in his rookie season last year, defensive end Andre Carter (30) had 11 sacks, DeAngelo Hall (26) has resumed the form that at one time had him ranked as one of the top cornerbacks in the league. This is a very formidable group.

Prediction
10-6.

At the risk of sounding like an idiot, I believe they made the right moves this time, even if they seem to have done the same thing as every other off-season under Snyder. The Shanahan-McNabb combination > the Zorn-Jason Campbell combo. They could be just what the offense needs to score the extra TD a game that could've made last year's 4-12 team a potential playoff team. Their average point differential was 4 per game. This could be the year.

Just don't "expect" too much.

2010 NFL Preview: Dallas Cowboys

With the first week of "Los That Sports Blog" in the books, it's about time to get our NFL pre-season predictions kicked off. Check back frequently for our reviews of every division in the next couple of days. We'll get it going with the loaded NFC East, which saw a couple of teams switch QB's along with a few other changes. So with no further ado let's get into it:

Dallas Cowboys
Tough to expect a team in it's prime that had no major losses to not improve on 2009's 11-5 record.

Offense
The Cowboys are arguably the most offensively talented team in the NFL, returning starters in virtually every position. Suprisingly, despite ranking 2nd in the NFL in total yards per game the 'Boys only managed to rank 14th in PPG in '09 (22.6). All past off-season distractions aside, Tony Romo is coming into his own as a QB. Has he won a big game? No, but he's proven to be durable and reliable in the regular season while lowering his turnovers for the 2nd straight season, and he just turned 30 in April. After producing just 13 catches in 2008, Miles Austin exploded with 81/1320/11 in 2009 to emerge as a true no. 1 receiver. He has the size & speed combination to be a both reliable option in the short game and a threat down the field. Expect close the the same production from Austin in '10. Rookie 1st rounder WR Dez Bryant signed his contract early to avoid any holdouts and has looked like the real deal and will challenge the underwhelming but brash Roy Williams, who has yet to live up to his first round billing (and probably never will). Throw in perennial All-Pro TE Jason Witten who always produces and you have a loaded receiving core.

The Cowboys also have the luxury of a ton of depth in their backfield, with RB's Felix Jones & Marion "The Barberian" Barber both worthy of a starter's share of carries. Jones is an exposive runner & a threat to take it to the house on any given carry, and Barber is a nightmare to tackle. Tashard Choice (who might be this season's version of Michael Turner back when he was in SD) might even be the most well-rounded of the trio and can fill in without much of a loss in quality. As mentioned, on paper the offense appears to be top notch.

Defense
Again, Dallas retained almost all their pieces from a top 10 defense last year (ranked 9th overall & 2nd in points allowed per game), but their unit appears to be showing a little age. They do an excellent job against the run & DeMarcus WareDeMarcus Ware will continue to wreck havok off the edge, but the linebacking core up the middle could definitely use an upgrade. Keith Brooking is solidKeith Brooking, but not a playmaker than can run sideline to sideline and in a 3-4 scheme (and he's a little of a head case). The Cowboys have decent DBs, but Mike Jenkins is prone to gambling and giving up too many long plays and Terence Newman is aging and has a history of nagging injuries. They do have a bright spot in their secondary as Orlando Scandrick is considered a rising star in the nickel and routinely locks down opposing slot receivers. If the D-line can continue to put pressure on opposing QB's Dallas should be able to hold opponents to 3-&-outs, cause a few turnovers and keep their high power offense on the field.

Prediction: 13-3
Dallas is in my opinion by far the favorite to win this division. If Wade Phillips can keep them together, I see them emerging as the NFC's representative in Super Bowl XLV, which just so happens to be played in that monster of a stadium in Arlington.

Talk about a storybook ending.

-ALR