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Summer Scramble: NFC East Burning Questions and Prediction

Posted Jul 08, 2009 9:00AM By Dan Graziano (RSS feed)

Filed Under: Cowboys, Eagles, Giants, Redskins, NFC East, FanHouse Previews, NFL Predictions, NFL Analysis

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It's July, the slowest month of the year for the NFL, and it's driving you nuts. You need a fix. A hit. Anything NFL to pull you through the dog days. FanHouse is here to help with an in-depth look at each division that should have you plenty prepared for training camp. We're calling it the Summer Scramble, and today we take a look at some burning questions in the NFC East. As a bonus, we also predict the order of finish (though we admit it's ridiculously early).

• Is it Jason Campbell's fault that he has yet to live up to his potential?

We start with the Redskins because so many of their fans felt compelled to chime in on yesterday's entry. For the record, yes, I understand that right tackle, nickel corner and third down strong side linebacker are some of the actual "position battles" the team will try to sort out come training camp. But the point of this is to keep people awake during a slow time of year here, the Zorn-Portis thing is real whether you want to believe it or not, and sometimes I still forget how VERY SERIOUS we're all supposed to be about everything associated with the NFL.

Aaaaanyway, Campbell. My answer is no, not completely. As in, nothing that's happened so far constitutes a reason to give up on Campbell as Washington's long-term solution at quarterback. He doesn't throw interceptions. He's demonstrated some decent on-field decision-making. And he has all the necessary physical tools. It's been pointed out before, but it's worth mentioning that this will be the first time in his pro career that Campbell has had the same head coach and offensive coordinator for the second year in a row. The team's off-season coveting of quarterbacks like Jay Cutler and Mark Sanchez was unnecessary and unfair to the guy they already have. Campbell hasn't been around long enough to be given up on.

One of Campbell's problems this year is likely to be the lack of a game-breaking receiver. Second-year man Devin Thomas needs to step up and earn enough playing time to be an athletic difference-maker, because they're not likely to find many yards-after-the-catch downfield in the fingers on Santana Moss and Antwaan Randle-El. The Redskins will need to run the ball and trust their defense if they're to be a factor in the toughest division in the NFL, but Campbell's not going to sink their season.

• Do the Cowboys need to become a running team with Terrell Owens gone?

They should, but they probably should have done this last year. Dallas is deep at running back. Marion Barber is a classic wear-down-the-defense bruiser (who can catch, too), and teamed with Felix Jones and Tashard Choice he could give the Cowboys the kind of triple-threat running attack that helped make the Giants' running game so successful the past few years. Roy Williams may well be good enough to approximate Owens' production at the No. 1 receiver spot, but it shouldn't matter much whether he is or who starts opposite him. The Cowboys will be at their best when Tony Romo is handing the ball off in the backfield, wearing down the opposing defense and the clock and keeping the Dallas defense (outstanding front seven, suspect secondary) rested.

• Can the Eagles' defense be as good without Brian Dawkins (and maybe without Jim Johnson)?

Personnel-wise, Philadelphia's defense could well turn out to be the best in the league. Quintin Demps, Sean Jones and Ellis Hobbs are talented enough to make up for the losses of Lito Sheppard and the aging Dawkins in the secondary, meaning overall this may be a better group than the outstanding one that led the Eagles to the playoffs (and very nearly the Super Bowl) last year. But it's hard to estimate the extent to which they'll miss the leadership that Dawkins brought to his position. And if Johnson, the longtime defensive coordinator who's on leave right now as he battles skin cancer, has to miss time during the season, the Philly defense could lose some of its edge. Johnson's an instinctive play-caller who's become legendary for the way his hunches pay off, and there's no way to know how much or in what way his presence on the sideline would be missed. The Eagles and everybody who knows Johnson hope they don't have to find out.

• How much will the Giants miss Derrick Ward in the running game?

All of the talk seems to be about who will replace Plaxico Burress in the passing game, and that's fair. New York missed Burress terribly in the second half last year. But Ward's free-agent defection could have more of an impact than is being estimated. As the middle part of the Giants' "Earth, Wind and Fire" running game, Ward was a crucial piece. Without him, it'll be more important than ever that Brandon Jacobs stay healthy, and Ahmad Bradshaw will have to take on more carries. The Giants' coaching staff believes Bradshaw can do that, but they don't know for sure. Ward had 182 carries last year. Bradshaw has 90 for his career. They drafted Andre Brown to help out, but he's a rookie, which means they don't know how much they can count on him. If Ward's departure weakens the running game, that's going to increase the pressure on Eli Manning and whichever wide receivers he ends up throwing to. And that's not where the Giants want the pressure to be.

RIDICULOUSLY EARLY PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH

1. Giants (11-5). Depth on defense (assuming Michael Boley can find the field), a fearsome pass rush and championship experience add up to a slight edge in a very tough race to call.

2. Eagles (11-5). They re-stocked the offensive line and got some fun new targets for Donovan McNabb. If Brian Westbrook is healthy, this could be the league's best team.

3. Cowboys (9-7). Some believe the subtraction of T.O. makes them Super Bowl contenders. We're calling them one of three NFC East playoff teams.

4. Redskins (8-8). They're not a bad team, but they're not a great one, and to win this division you're going to have to be great.

Tomorrow: AFC East Position Battles to Watch
Friday: AFC East Burning Questions and Prediction
Tuesday, July 14: NFC North Position Battles to Watch
Wednesday, July 15: NFC North Burning Questions and Prediction

Tags: ahmad+bradshaw, brandon+jacobs, brian+dawkins, dallas+cowboys, derrick+ward, devin+thomas, eli+manning, felix+jones, jason+campbell, jim+johnson, marion+barber, new+york+giants, philadelphia+eagles, santana+moss, summer+scramble, tashard+choice, terrell+owens, washington+redskins

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