Players to Watch in the NFC East
The National Football Conference’s (NFC) East division is always hyper-competitive and is home to some of the National Football League’s (NFL) most competitive teams and players. Furthermore, there have been several key offseason moves which could shift the results entirely from last year. Here are the players to look out for in the NFC East.
Doug Free:
The Dallas Cowboys didn’t make any serious changes during the offseason as their roster was competently developed. The Cowboys finished last season with one of the hottest streaks in the NFL and should be amongst the preseason favourites to win the Super Bowl.
The only major change by the Cowboys was the release of left tackle Flozell Adams. Adams was far past his prime, and for the most part, maintained his limited effectiveness with egregious holding violations. Free is the most likely candidate to fill Adams’s position in Dallas. He filled in last season for seven games when right tackle Marc Colombo was injured and has the potential to be a standout tackle.
If Free does become a starter, he will be the only Cowboys lineman under the age of 30. He has shown his speed and physical abilities already, he now needs to show that he has the mentality to consistently perform.
Kenny Phillips:
The main reason behind the New York Giants’ continual decline after a 2007 Super Bowl season was the decaying of their once strong defence. In 2009, their defence completely fell apart to an extent where it is impossible to find just one single explanation.
One of the main reasons could have been playing without safety Kenny Phillips. After Phillips sustained a season-ending injury, there was simply no one to lead the secondary. The Giants have since then signed Antrel Rolle and Deon Grant for depth at safety, but it cannot be the same without Phillips.
The Giants need Phillips to recover by the season’s start or else their defence simply will not be enough to compete in the division.
Kevin Kolb:
With the departure of Donovan McNabb to division rival the Washington Redskins, Kolb is the entire future for the Philadelphia Eagles. Kolb’s performance at quarterback (QB) will dictate everything for the Eagles. Kolb at QB is also part of Philadelphia’s plan to develop quarterbacks at the same time as young position players.
Kolb has thus far been liked by the Eagles receiving corps due to being much more accurate than McNabb, who had a huge tendency to under throw. While his arm is solid, to be a starting quarterback requires many other things. Kolb must show that he can lead a team and perform well under pressure. Kolb will need to improvise well and be the heart of the huddle, two areas McNabb was particularly good at.
Trent Williams:
Most of the Washington Redskins' last season woes were attributed to underperforming quarterback Jason Campbell. In reality, Campbell never had a chance after being saddled behind a very poor offensive line.
Now that the Redskins have acquired Donovan McNabb from the Eagles, they have also decided to give McNabb a stronger line to work behind. They took massive Oklahoma tackle Trent Williams with the fourth pick in the draft, and will be starting him immediately.
The Redskins line is by no means fixed, but Williams is the first part of a long-term plan to rebuild offensively. The 6-foot-5, 315 pound Williams will be playing on the left side, which means that he is responsible for protecting right-handed McNabb’s blindside. How Williams plays will strongly affect McNabb’s success or failure.
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