NFC East Preview: Part II
Washington Redskins: Prediction Under 9 Wins - After a very disappointing 2003 season, the Redskins have made some significant changes in an attempt to turn things around quickly in 2004. Starting with new head-coach Joe Gibbs, Washington then went on to add veteran (QB) Mark Brunell and the explosive (RB) Clinton Portis. Portis is one of the best running backs in the league and will solidify the running game for the Skins who have not had a reliable runner in several years. Rounding out the offense is a strong pair of receivers in Laveranues Coles and Rod Gardner that should once again give Washington many offensive weapons.
While the offense will be much improved with addition of Portis, the defense will pay the price for that gain at the cost of (CB) Champ Bailey. To replace Bailey, the Redskins have brought in (CB) Shawn Springs from Seattle, who along with Fred Smoot should be a solid duo at the corners. However, the rest of the defense has a lot of question marks as many new players were added to upgrade last season’s unit including: (DE) Philip Daniels, (DT) Cornelius Griffin, (LB) Marcus Washington, & (LB) Mike Barrow. These new faces should compliment (LB) LaVar Arrington, who’s potential is only limited by his desire. The Skins also drafted talented (FS) Sean Taylor from Miami in the first-round and he should step right into the starting lineup and immediately play a big roll in the secondary.
Washington should improve on their (3-5) home record last season, but with all the new additions on both sides of the ball, this team will really need to come together quickly to make a big move this season. The defensive play must improve over last year & should play a large roll in how far the Skins go in 2004. An 8 win season would be a nice improvement, but everything will have to fall into place to expect much more.
New York Giants: Prediction Under 7 Wins - The Giants are another team entering the season with a lot of new personnel hoping to improve on a disastrous 2003 season. New York managed only 4 wins last year, their lowest total in the last 21 seasons, so they are desperate to turn things around quickly and new head-coach Tom Coughlin will certainly have his work cut out for himself.
The Giants were just brutal offensively last year averaging only 15 points per game (ranked #15 in the NFC). They will enter the season with a new QB, either veteran Kurt Warner or rookie Eli Manning. Although Warner has been successful in the past for the Rams, he has started just 9 games the last two seasons and is clearly just a temporary placeholder for the future starter Manning. The same group of offensive weapons will return for the Giants, (RB) Tiki Barber, (WR) Amani Toomer, & (TE) Jeremy Shockey each having the ability to break a game open. However, if the Giants hope to compete they must get better protection from a re-vamped offensive line that will feature several new faces and possibly 3 new starters.
The defense was also a sore spot in New York last year as the team allowed over 24 points per game (ranked #14 in the NFC). There was huge turnover on defense in the off-season and defensive coordinator Tim Lewis will be working with almost an entirely new crew of players. The Giants biggest additions were (DT) Fred Robbins from the Vikings, (LB) Carlos Emmons from the Eagles and Barrett Green from Detroit. The secondary remains strong with the return of (CB) Will Peterson (who missed most of the season with injury) and (CB) Will Allen. Shaun Williams should rebound from a poor season and once again be a force at strong safety.
With a new head-coach, QB and defensive front seven, the Giants may just have too many new additions to remain consistent throughout the season. They start the season with a tough stretch of games opening at Philadelphia and then go on to play Washington, Green Bay and Dallas all within the next 4 weeks. Yes, an improvement is nearly guaranteed in 2004, especially at home where they were just (3-5) last season. However, a 7 win season might be too much to ask from a team looking to redefine itself in a very competitive division.
Click Here for Part I of our NFC East Preview Covering the Philadelphia Eagles & Dallas Cowboys.
Click Here for our NFC West Preview.