My preseason predictions:
1.New York Giants (12-4)
2.Philadelphia Eagles (10-6)
3.Dallas Cowboys (7-9)
4.Washington Redskins (5-11)
Final Standings
1.Washington Redskins (10-6)
2.New York Giants (9-7)
3.Dallas Cowboys (8-8)
4.Philadelphia Eagles (4-12)
Dallas Cowboys: I honestly think the Dallas Cowboys are the football equivalent of Groundhog Day. Every year without fail they put themselves in a position to make the playoffs and choke in the final game. Tony Romo once again had a good statistical year: 6th in TD's, 5th in completion percentage, and 3rd in passing yards, but he also failed to deliver for his team when it counted most. Romo really is a good quarterback, he just continues to blow it in key games tarnishing his reputation and making him the butt of just about every joke in the NFL. It also didn't help that the Cowboys were depleted by injuries. The defense was completely decimated by the end of the year with injuries to key contributors like defensive tackle Jay Ratliff, linebacker Sean Lee, defensive end Kenyon Coleman, and cornerback Orlando Scandrick. This isn't even including the guys that were playing hurt like linebacker DeMarcus Ware and defensive Jason Hatcher. The offensive was banged-up as well with starting running back DeMarco Murray missing a number of games mid-year with a foot injury, and receiver Miles Austin playing hurt again. On the plus side, Dez Bryant had an amazing season and is finally coming around to be the big-play, dominant receiver he was touted to be when the Cowboys drafted him. Jason Witten also had a career year breaking the single-season reception record for a tight end. Defensively, rookie cornerback Morris Claiborne had a solid rookie year and was one of the few bright spots on an otherwise bleak season for the Cowboys D. The Cowboys had some upside with their offense this year, but were plagued with injury and didn't come through in the clutch once again.
New York Giants: The reigning Super Bowl champs really couldn't decide what team they were in 2012 and it cost them a shot at defending their title. Most of the time this season they were either blowing out their opponents or getting blown out by their opponents. It's hard to believe a team the beat the Packers, 49ers, and Saints in dominant fashion didn't make the playoffs, but that's just the Giants for you. It's not like there is one person to blame for this issue, it's a team-wide problem. In their victories, Eli Manning was sharp, they were running the ball well, the receiving corps was torching opposing defensive backs, and their talented defensive front was getting to the quarterback. In the losses, Eli Manning was sloppy, they couldn't run, the receivers were dropping passes left and right, and the defense front was stagnant and unable to establish a pass rush. The Giants really need to strive for consistency and pick up some defensive backs in free agency or the draft. They are an immensely talented team that can stay competitive for a number of years if they go out and play at a consistent level week in and week out.
Philadelphia Eagles: Ugh the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles put together arguably the most disappointing season out of any team in the league. This team looked like it finally had it together after finishing strong last year and after they started 3-0 this year, you expected more of the same. Not the case at all, The Eagles went on to lose 12 of their last 13 games. It was a nightmare that grew more painful to watch week after week. Michael Vick was a turnover machine before he got injured and looked nothing like the guy that lead this team to the playoffs a couple of years ago. Vick's poor play lead their talented receiving corps to be essentially DOA without anyone that was able to get the ball to them. Nick Foles was decent in relief once Vick went down, but by then the damage had been done. Their pass defense was also abysmal and got torched week after week. Nmandi Ashomuga shot himself in the foot when he made the now infamous "dream team" comments before the 2011 season. Before that, he was an elite shutdown corner. Now he can't stop a nosebleed. Probably the saddest element of their game though was the offensive line. I honestly don't think I've seen worse offensive line play in my life (As a Bears fan that's saying something considering how bad their line is.) I mean they made the Saints poor pass rush look elite with a seven sack performance in their Week 9 matchup. The Eagles can at least take pride in the fact they have a good two-back system with LeSean McCoy and the surprising effectiveness of rookie Bryce Brown (though he does fumble A LOT.) The Eagles need a lot of work on defense and offensive line, but their new coach (who ever it may be) is inheriting a roster with a fair amount of talent on it and I wouldn't be shocked to see them rebound within a couple years.
Washington Redskins: How many rookies does it take to reverse years of bad luck for a franchise? Two apparently. The Redskins were doomed for years. Mike Shanahan seemed like he was losing his marbles with a series of boneheaded coaching decisions and a plethora of previously talented veterans had the life sucked out of them when they came to the Redskins. That all changed this season thanks to rookie quarterback/running back duo of Robert Griffin III and Alfred Morris and they made it back to the playoffs for the first time in almost a decade. I really need to stop doubting dual-threat quarterbacks transitioning well into the NFL. I was wrong last year about Cam Newton and I was wrong this year about RG3. RG3 was dominant throughout the year and the read option offense he runs is a nightmare for opposing defenses. He is explosive in the run game and he is patient with his throws and shown great arm strength, making him dangerous in the passing game as well. Running back Alfred Morris also had an exceptional rookie season. Morris came out of nowhere as a sixth-round pick who wasn't even supposed to be the backup, let alone the starting running back this season. Morris got his shot to start once veteran Tim Hightower was released, Evan Royster failed to impress in the preseason, and last years starter Roy Helu got injured. Morris made the most of his opportunity and excelled finishing 2nd in the league with 1,613 rushing yards. His style isn't flashy, but he runs hard and is one of the best power backs to enter the league in a long time. The x-factor for the Redskins this season though was wide receiver Pierre Garcon. Garcon was excellent proving he could be the top wideout and was easily Griffin's favorite target this season. What's incredible is that the Redskins were 9-1 when Garcon was active and 1-5 when he wasn't. If Garcon can stay healthy next season, he could be in for a career year. The Redskins defense even played pretty well after losing top contributors linebacker Brian Orakpo and defensive tackle Adam Carriker for the year early in the season. Linebacker London Fletcher is the backbone of this defense. He anchored a rock solid run defense and he's proven he's still got a lot left in the tank after all these years. The pass defense was awful to start the season, but got a bit better towards the end of the year. Pass defense is definitely their weakness as a team right now, but if they continue to progress they should be fine. The Redskins made a hell of an impression on the NFL this season and this is a pretty young team that will only get better over time.
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