NFC East midseason report

New York Giants

Leading Passer: Eli Manning – Comp %: 62.6, Yards: 2301 TD: 12, INT: 8, Rating: 89.1
Leading Rusher: Ahmad Bradshaw – Att: 126, Yards: 570, Ave: 4.5, TD: 4
Leading Receiver: Victor Cruz – Rec: 52, Yards: 650, Ave: 12.5, TD: 7

After a sluggish start, the defending champions are now stalking the rest of the league ominously. Early season defeats to division rivals Dallas and Philadelphia did nothing to shut up those people who insisted during the offseason that despite being the Champs, the Giants just weren’t that good. Since then however, they’ve gone on a roll, hammering the 49ers and pulling out close wins against the Redskins and Cowboys in games that they could/should have lost. There’s a lot of talent on this team starting with a 2 time Superbowl winning QB, the best WR tandem in the league, a top RB (when he’s fit), a good O-Line and one of the best defensive front 7s in the league – let’s face it, no-one in the league enjoys playing the fearsome trio of Pierre-Paul, Tuck and Umenyiora. This team is good and perhaps it’s biggest strength is that these guys know they are good because that brings to them a huge confidence that they can win the big games, like the one against San Francisco, and pull out the wins in the games when their backs are against the wall, like those against the Redskins and Cowboys. A team that possess that kind of X-Factor will always be dangerous, especially down the stretch and in the postseason when the pressure is really on. Bottom line? You shouldn't be surprised if you’re watching the Giants in New Orleans come early February.

Philadelphia Eagles

Leading Passer: Michael Vick – Comp 59.0%: 62.6, Yards: 1823 TD: 9, INT: 8, Rating: 78.6
Leading Rusher: LeSean McCoy - Att: 127, Yards: 504, Ave: 4.0, TD: 2
Leading Receiver: DeSean Jackson Rec: 34, Yards: 524, Ave: 15.4, TD: 1

Oh Andy…… Oh Andy, Andy, Andy. Why did it have to end like this? It’s just all falling apart in Philadelphia. We’re witnessing a little slice of history here people as the reign of the current longest serving Head Coach in the NFL comes to an end. The Eagles are the only team in the league who haven’t had to hire a Head Coach in this millennium. That’s going to change in 2013 and barring something outrageous happening in New England, it will leave Bill Belichick as left as the longest tenured HC in the league. The problem here is that you just get the feeling that it needn’t have been like this. There is talent on this team. Lots of it. It just hasn’t come together though and Andy Reid doesn’t seem to have the answers as to why not. The firing of Juan Castillo heading into the bye week was the action of a desperate man. Yes, the defense had been disappointing but what about that offense? If you’re looking behind you in terms of points per game and all you can see is Arizona and Jacksonville, then you’re in big trouble. LeSean McCoy should never be outside the top 10 in rushing in the league but he finds himself down in 15th. Mike Vick is the worst QB in the division this year which, given Tony Romo’s serious bout of interceptionitis, has actually taken some doing. Vick is 25th overall in the league. Of course injuries to the O-Line haven’t helped and Jason Peters is a big miss but still, I don’t buy that they shouldn’t be doing better than they are. We all know the old saying about how turnovers win games and that’s another area where the Eagles have been lacking – too many on offense and not enough on defense means that they are ranked 29th in the league with a turnover differential of minus-9. By comparison, the Giants are number 1 with plus-13. Those numbers sum up the story of the NFC East this season beautifully – the Eagles are killing themselves while the Giants are killing everyone else. Most worrying for Eagles fans is that if the performance against Atlanta in week 8 is anything to go by, things aren’t going to get any better. To this point, it’s just been nowhere good enough from the Eagles this season and, barring a miracle, Andy Reid is going to pay for it with his job. Might though, Nick Foles be that miracle???

Dallas Cowboys

Leading Passer: Tony Romo – Comp %: 65.7, Yards: 2073 TD: 9, INT: 13, Rating: 78.8
Leading Rusher: DeMarco Murray – Att: 75, Yards: 330, Ave: 4.4, TD: 1
Leading Receiver: Miles Austin – Rec: 34, Yards: 561, Ave: 16.5, TD: 4

See Philadelphia, replace Andy Reid with Jason Garrett and Mick Vick with Tony Romo and it’s just the same story. Well maybe not quite but much of the backdrop about what’s going on in Dallas is the same as in Philadelphia. We’ve got a coach on the hotseat who looks all but done, a star QB who really ought to be doing better and a team that overall is playing below its talent level and is just killing itself. Or are they? Might it be that they’re just not that good? That’s the hot debate about these guys just now. For what it’s worth, I’m giving their talent level the benefit of the doubt so I’m in the camp that says they’re underachieving. There is still time to turn this around and I get the feeling that if Dallas could stop being so sloppy then they could make a playoff run since none of the teams currently sitting between them and the final wildcard place have been overly convincing for my money – and I include the Vikings in that. They won’t win the division but a wildcard is definitely attainable. The defense is ranked 4th overall and they’re proving tough to pass the ball against. Demarcus Ware finds himself, as usual, amongst the league’s leading sackmasters with 7.5 already. On offense, the passing game is ranked in the top 10 despite Romo’s interceptions. If there’s a big weakness then it seems to be the running game this year. Losing DeMarco Murray for the last few weeks has hurt them. Felix Jones hasn’t been getting the job done in his place although, in fairness, Murray was hardly lighting the league up before he went down. Much of that though was perhaps down to a tough opening schedule for RBs. So, if Dallas can somehow cut out the mistakes, which, admittedly, is asking a lot, they can save their season. This weekend’s game against the undefeated Falcons is huge. A win could really propel them forward. A defeat could send them into a self-recriminating tailspin from which they will struggle to recover and which would almost certainly end with Jerry Jones wielding his axe yet again. Watch out Jason.........

Washington Redskins

Leading Passer: Robert Griffin III – Comp %: 66.8, Yards: 1778 TD: 8, INT: 3, Rating: 97.3
Leading Rusher: Alfred Morris – Att: 151, Yards: 717, Ave: 4.7, TD: 5
Leading Receiver: Fred Davis – Rec: 24, Yards: 325, Ave: 13.5, TD: 0


Through 8 games, the Redskins are 3-5. Through the same number of games last season, the Redskins were………….. 3-5. For all the glowing words that have been written about Robert Griffin III, the fact remains that the scandalously talented rookie QB hasn’t helped his team chalk up any more wins than the Rex Grossman/John Beck two-headed monster than roamed the DC-area in 2011. So, on the face of it, nothing has changed, right? Wrong! Can you imagine the train wreck of a season we would be witnessing in Washington if this season’s defense was teamed up with last season’s offense?? Horrible isn’t?? RG3 has transformed the offense from one of the worst in the league to 7th best at the halfway point of the 2012 season. This is a team for whom over the last decade, scoring 20 points in a game represented a scoring avalanche. This season they are averaging 26.6 per game. Being amongst the league’s most productive offenses in both yardage and points is just uncharted territory for the Redskins and RG3 is the biggest factor in that. Much improved O-Line play has also been a major factor in fairness. RG3 would not be the 7th ranked QB in the league and fellow standout rookie, Alfred Morris, would not be ranked 4th in the league in rushing were it not for the big strides made this season by the offensive line. Trent Williams at Left Tackle is finally playing like a number 4 overall pick and that has been every bit as pleasing for the team as the play of Robert Griffin III. How galling must it be for the Redskins then that their once stout defense has regressed every bit as much as the offense has improved. Or more specifically, their pass defense has. The run defense still stands up well to opposing RBs however, there are no words to describe how bad the pass defense has been. Fortunately, the stats speak themselves. This unit is ranked dead last in the league in passing yards allowed and not only that, they’ve allowed the second most amount of passing yards against them through 8 games of all time. ALL TIME!!!! So, for all that Robert Griffin III has energised this team and elevated the offense to heights it hasn’t visited since the last time the team won the Superbowl, the Redskins still have enough deficiencies to ensure that they won’t be competing for the division title this season. This weekend’s game against Carolina will tell much about where this team are going to finish this season. The Redskins have always slumped at this stage of the season over the last 20 years and if they head into their bye week having lost to the Panthers then you really fear that finishing better than 5-11 could be beyond them given that the toughest part of their schedule is yet to come. The higher the Redskins pick in next year’s draft of course, the higher the ultimate price for RG3 – if that means a top 7 or 8 pick next year, will that change people’s view of whether or not he was worth it???? Discuss……….

Prediction

Easy! The Giants will win this division and will do so with at least 3 games to spare. I’ll stick my neck out even further here and say that the Giants will not only win the NFC East but they will also go on and win the Superbowl. More than anyone else in the league right now, these guys just know how to win games.

Brilliant write ups mate! I think with the Redskins a top 7 or 8 pick wont be disaster and will still be a success. You know need to build around RG3 and remember Garcon has been injured for a long period

Doesn't that first round pick go to the Rams though? I disagree with some of your assessment particualrly on the Cowboys, Romo has no receivers a poor OL and a porous defence (they give up points), what they feck is he supposed to do?


Their passing attack is ranked so high as they have to pass often as they tend to give up leads, it's not incredibly effective as their yards per catch will show.

Nice breakdown though.

Yeah the Redskins pick goes to the Rams for the next 3 years.

Giants will win the division at a canter, Eagles/Cowboys around 6-8 wins and the Redskins in the basement

Redskins pick goes to the Rams the next 2 years which means that the higher they pick in those years, the higher the price for RG3 - top 7 or 8 pick is obviously more valuable than one in the 20 to 25 range. It will be interesting to see down the line, in the final analysis of the RG3 trade, if that changes opinion on the deal. Right now, you would probably say that it won't but what if RG3 has a Cam Newton style sophomore slump???

I take the points about the Cowboys but still, Romo has to do a better job of looking after the ball. You simply can't have more INTs than TDs if you claim to be one of the better QBs in the league which I'm sure Dallas and Romo would claim him to be. I don't care how bad your O-Line is, you just have to do a better job of looking after the ball than that.

RG3 is actually a good apsser of the ball, he won't slump like Cam (newsflash: I called this and was laughed at).


If his receivers are getting open I'd agree with you but when you are under pessure and have to force the abll then you are going to have picks. The Cowboys aren't underperofrming in my opinion they simply aren't very good.

Great piece. I agree with most but fear with players like Tryon and Hosley in our secondary we're only one or two injuries away from being exposed at the back end. Just see what Josh Freeman and Vincent Jackson did to us.

I like your Super Bowl pick but I'll save my judgement for when January rolls around. I started supporting the Giants in the offseason after SB42, if we're the 3rd or 4th seed I'll be more confident than if we get a bye.

Cam's slumped largely because the offensive gameplan and calling are garbage.

Shanahan's put together a nice gameplan to keep things simple for RG3, like Carolina did for Cam last year, but we'll see how he adjusts it for his 2nd year as defenses adjust.

As for the Giants to the SB, I don't see it really. The Giants are at their best as an underdog, under Coughlin they haven't really responded that well as clear favorites.

I have to say whilst I see the point that Romo has poor recievers and a bad O-line it still isnt a great excuse for not performing better. And the defence does give up points but look at the Pats last year nade the SB with the worst D in the league and no deep threat recievers. Romo simply has to look after the ball better.

His WRs aren't that bad.

Austins a pretty underrated player when his hammys are ok. Dez is overrated but still a physical specimen. Witten's the best safety blanket in the NFL.

His OL sucks but its Romo being Romo.

I think a lot of blame has to go to Jason Garrett as well. He is a dreadful Head Coach imo

My reckoning for picking the Giants to go all the way is just that I think people will find all sorts of reasons for not thinking that can win the Superbowl. I think they will be underdogs the whole way through the season - people will find ways of favouring the likes of Atlanta and San Francisco over them - and they'll be right because those teams, on balance probably are just a bit better than the Giants but I just think that what the Giants have, that the other teams don't, is a confidence and a belief and an ability to just win games. And the bigger the game, the better for them.

They already beat SF pretty comfortably, the Falcons aren't getting that mmuch hype for a 7-0 team, and the Giants are 6-2. The Giants aren't underdogs

GSC wrote:His WRs aren't that bad.

Austins a pretty underrated player when his hammys are ok. Dez is overrated but still a physical specimen. Witten's the best safety blanket in the NFL.

Agree with that, don't think they can be called poor, Dez seems a bit hit and miss but Witten is one of the best TEs in the league (how many others could have 18 catches in a game?), Austin is good but seems to have injuries quite regularly.

Just put it this way. The Cowboys broke three records (two franchise records) against the Giants and still managed to lose.

The franchise records were the first ever time they had three different guys receive over 100 yards in the same game (Austin, Bryant and Witten) and Witten broke the record for receptions in a game with 18. Romo threw a career high 437 yards.

Those sort of numbers should be the side note of a big win. Instead they accompany a loss in a game they should never in a million years have had a chance to win nevermind be fingertips away.

They just find a way to lose don't they? I think Jason Garrett is an awful head coach personally, his game management especially is laughable.

They find a way to lose because they aren't a particularly good team. Garrett isn't a good HC but hes Jerruh's puppet. Thats where the blame lies.

Some people are buying into the Cowboys hysteria. Witten is decent but he is doing a Kellen Winslow on it, he is the dump off option, he is a pretty good Tight End but won't create much separation or get too many yards.


Bryant is overrated, a lot of drops ,poor route running (caused a few Ints because of it in my view) and simply not very good. Austin is their best option but is he one of the best in the league? Probably not top 10 but top 20.


Olly, you have blame it on the QB syndrome, if your receivers can't get open (as Romo's can't look at their yards per catch tallies compared to more elite options), if your guys can't get open, you have little time in the pocket, your down by over a score, you will have some Ints, it's not all his fault.


GSC, Cam's throwing is actually quite poor, he is not incredibly accurate a passer, he is unfortunate too that he has absolutely no receivers bar Smith and a terrible defence means they have to pass often to keep up.

I'm absolutely not and have never bought into the Cowboys hype, but Witten is a great TE. He actually blocks as well as being a good receiver.

He was better in the past he is struggling to create as much separation now, still one of the better ones out there, I may have been harsh in my K2 comparison.

Might that be because he had surgery in preseason and barely made the opener?

Possibly, he is getting on a bit though.

Oops! Sorry Giants fans! Looks like I put the kiss of death on your team! I stand by my prediction though.....

Re Dallas - let the tailspin commence!

Redskins fans - It's the usual midseason mantra for us..... "There's always next year". I've been saying that for so long now that I'm seriously starting to get worried that I'll be dead before the Redskins ever win the NFC East again. I'm not asking for much. I'm not talking Superbowls here. Just a division title would do me.

Eagles fans - All the best for tonight. It's been a bad weekend for the NFC East so far.

Number-25 wrote:Re Dallas - let the tailspin commence!

They seemed to move the ball really easily on the no huddle drive for the touchdown, just a shame for their fans about the other 20 odd minutes of possession.

reading last week on a lot of news feed stories re Peyton JJ came out nad backed Garrett I would expect to see Garrett at Dallas at least until end of 2013 if even if they have 2 poor seasons and losing records

Don't worry. You haven't jinxed the Giants. This happens every year.