Dallas Cowboys: EVEN
The Cowboys are everybody’s hot Super Bowl pick in the NFC. Things came together over the last month of the 2009 season and they won the NFC East and Wild Card Game. They have many offensive places in place entering 2010, especially at the skill positions (WR Miles Austin, TE Jason Witten).
QB Tony Romo is very comfortable in this offense and the team added another potential weapon in 1st round WR Dez Bryant. The biggest questions will be along the offensive line, LT in particular. The defense is talented and deep and DeMarcus Ware and Co. should be stingy all year.
New York Giants: 11-4
The Giants are coming off an extremely disappointing 8-8 season which saw the implosion of its once proud defense. Injuries were prevalent throughout, but the biggest reason for the decline was the ineptitude of one-and-done DC Bill Sheridan. New York brought DC Perry Fewell and is counting on him to resurrect the defense.
On offense, Eli Manning’s coming off his finest season, in which he tossed for over 4,000 yards and 27 TDs. The young receivers were a strength and will continue to be, and the pieces are in place for the team to regain its identity on the ground. The defense is still as talented as any in the league but its success will be dependent on how well they execute Fewell’s game plan.
Philadelphia Eagles: 7-2
The Eagles made a lot of noise in the offseason dealing longtime QB Donovan McNabb to the Washington Redskins. This leaves an untested 4th year QB Kevin Kolb as the starter. On offense, they’re exceptionally talented and young at the skill positions, and the offensive line is still a strength. The main question will be how well Kolb holds up over a 16 game season after opposing team’s have had a chance to prepare for him.
On defense, the unit will be stronger in the front seven, especially at Linebacker, but the secondary is still a concern. This team was beaten down physically by the Cowboys in its final two games and will need to rely on creative blitz packages to overcome their lack of size against the better teams.
Washington Redskins: 5-1
The Jim Zorn era ended after two lackluster seasons and the Mike Shanahan era is set to kick off. The most important move he made in the offseason was landing Donovan McNabb to run his offense. The Skins will be more competent offensively but still lack talent at the receiver position and on the offensive line. Defensively, they’re incorporating a new system under Jim Haslett, and it will take time find the right players to fit the scheme.
One thing we know however is DT Albert Haynesworth won’t be one of them. The Redskins could finish 8-8 but will still wind up no better than 3rd in the division.
Pro Football 101 Betting Strategy:
The smart football bet is on the Dallas Cowboys at even money. They’ve got a lot of pieces in place and Wade Phillips, although he’s horrible in the postseason, has led this team to two NFC East titles over his tenure in Dallas. We’d also hedge our bets and put 25 percent of our money on the New York Giants at 11-4. If the defense responds to its new coordinator, this team will be back in a big way and is more than capable of recapturing the division crown.
