PROJECTED
ORDER OF FINISH
1.
Cowboys 12-4
2.
Giants 9-7
3.
Eagles 8-8
4.
Washington 3-13
Now
that unpleasantness is out of the way…
I am
still a Cowboys fan, but I try to be as realistic as possible.
Running
back by committee is not a wise choice, but they feel that their offensive line
is good enough that anyone can run behind that line. Former Cowboys wide
receiver Drew Pearson says in
an interview with the Dallas Morning News that if he was Coach Jason
Garrett, he would be concerned about this approach.
The
defensive unit performed better than anticipated. While the Cowboys will have
linebacker Sean Lee returning from an injury, they lost cornerback
Orlando Scandrick to an ACL and MCL tear during training camp.
Giants
defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul provided the children an important fireworks
safety lesson during the offseason. Coach Tom Coughlin says
he believes that Paul will eventually return to the Giants.
Despite
this, I think the Giants might be the least talked about team heading into
2015. It would not surprise me if they make a run similar to their championship
runs in 2007 and 2011. The combination of Victor Cruz and Odell Beckham Jr. will
create headaches for opposing secondaries provided that quarterback Eli Manning
can cut down on his interceptions.
I am
not buying the hype around the Eagles. Philadelphia has their hopes dependent
on quarterback Sam
Bradford who has only played a complete regular season twice in his five
seasons in the NFL. Bradford missed the 2014 season due to a knee injury.
Washington
is a mess.
But
this is not about politics.
Not
only are their more criticisms of the team’s name, but this franchise has been
on a downward spiral since their surprising 2012 run to the playoffs. The
relationship between coach Jay Gruden and quarterback Robert Griffin III is not
working. Though Griffin has been hampered with knee and foot injuries over the
last few seasons. For now Kirk Cousins is the starter but I expect that at this
time next season Washington will try to shop Griffin to another team.
One
of the things I miss about not living in Dallas is the ability to listen to The Ticket on my way to class. I would
listen to Bob Sturm on my way home. I share the similar concerns such as
injuries, the running game, and the overall health of quarterback Tony Romo.
However he points out that the NFC East might not be as good as advertised. The
Cowboys played the role of underdog after their opening day loss to San
Francisco and were able to make their way into the playoffs. A perceived bad
call might have cost them a second trip to Seattle (where the Cowboys beat the
Seahawks in Seattle early in the season) and a chance to play in the Super Bowl
for the first time in almost 20 years.
I
share his
optimism though:
With that in mind, I am rolling this
year with 11-5 as the record, the division title, and perhaps a real chance at
a bye week in the playoffs. I like this
team, this coach, and the way this front office has put together a roster that
even seems to have some injury insurance at a lot of spots.
The NFC has some other very strong
teams, but I don't see why the Cowboys should feel inferior to any of
them. They have a real chance. They have already demonstrated they can play
with Seattle and Green Bay, and then they went and added a bunch of talent to
try to push past them. Nobody
(especially me) has any idea if they can, but they certainly have a number of
compelling reasons to keep us locked in.
And now, we grab our seats for the
season to begin. We have no idea what
2015 has around the next corner, but it says here the floor is high and the
ceiling can be very high.
Now, will this column be as comically
amusing in 365 days as the 2014 version?
Hope
springs eternal…
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