text: A Totally Biased Way-Too-Big NFL Preview: The NFC East | Totally Biased
  A Totally Biased Way-Too-Big NFL Preview: The NFC East
  Posted by Travis Rand on August 26, 2013 · 1 Comment
  No, dear reader, I'm not talking about Kris' atrocious win-loss record from last season's NFL picks, I'm talking about the leather on the pigskin. I'm talking about the wings after being coated in some Frank's Buffalo Sauce. I'm talking about the smell of Shipyard's Pumpkinhead which you crack open right before kickoff on Monday Night Football.
  It's almost here ladies and gentlemen. It's FINALLY almost here.
  Naturally, Totally Biased is here to help. Kris and I have teamed up to bring you an extensive know-how on everything NFL before the season kicks off. We're going to start it all off with the NFC East, and tomorrow Kris will deliver the AFC East. This will alternate until all divisions have been covered, and then Kris and I will package up a nice predictions piece, which we can all read at the end of the year and laugh at.
  I hope you stick with us throughout the season, as we live to serve the people. If you ever have a picks question, a fantasy inquiry, or just wanna talk football, you know where to find me on Facebook. Let's dive in guys, for out favorite time is upon us.
  2012 Recap: The Giants are coming off a disappointing season. There's no way around it. Fickle, perhaps, would be the word to best describe Big Blue's tumultuous 16-game slate. They were able to dismantle the Saints at home, Green Bay on the road, and they traveled to San Francisco and absolutely smoked the eventual NFC champion 49'ers. Of course, nobody really knows what happened down the stretch where they got embarassed by the Ravens, Bengals, and an absolute thrashing by the hands of the Falcons.
  Oh, we do know? Corey Webster looked like a shell of his former self? Hakeem Nicks had as many good bones in his body as the banana slug? Gotcha. I guess we did know.
  Biggest Off-season Move: Re-signing Victor Cruz. Without a doubt the biggest move the Giants made was being able to lock up the salsa dancer to a long term deal. Cruz is invaluable in the slot position, and a healthy Hakeem Nicks and a budding Rueben Randle could make the middle of the field a bit more open for the speedy salsa-dancer. People may shy away from #80 because of his "down year" last season, but Nicks is the cog that makes the wheel turn, and he was playing with multiple injuries after the Tampa Bay game, which unfortunately was week 2. If Nicks is healthy, Cruz will shine once again. Like a diamond, baby.
  Breakout Player: Brandon Myers. Myers had the biggest season of his young career last year, and it's almost a guarantee he'll be able to add to those gaudy numbers with a huge season in the Big Apple. Eli Manning is certainly a formidable upgrade over Carson Palmer, and Myers should get plenty of red-zone opportunities with the Giants moving the ball down the field. The aforementioned Randle, or speedy tailback David Wilson are popular choices for this spot as well. For the first time in recent memory, the Giants have some fresh and exciting talent that could be tapped into by mid-season.
  Crucial Match-up: vs Seattle Seahawks, Dec. 15th. The NFC East is expected to go down to the wire, and in week 15, the Giants could be playing to either save their season, or, knowing New York, playing for the #1 seed.
  2012 Recap: Wow. I can comfortable say I didn't see THAT coming. I'm not talking about RG3's busted knee either (I mean, it wasn't that hard to predict that, dude ran more than Usain Bolt), I'm talking about the season as a whole. The Redskins were absolutely electric. Not only did RG3 dazzle week in and week out, but rookie runningback Alfred Morris finished second in the league in rushing yards, only behind "Purple Jesus" himself Adrian Peterson. The Skins were eliminated in the playoffs by the Seahawks, a loss they will won't get the chance to avenge in the regular season.
  Biggest Off-season Move: Jordan Reed. The Redskins didn't make any major acquisitions in the off-season, but luckily they didn't lose much either. Resigning DeAngelo Hall, signing EJ Biggers, and even grabbing Pat White might be smart moves, but they're not too flashy. Reed is a big body tight end from Florida, and he hasn't committed a crime yet, so that's always a big plus in today's NFL. If Reed can becomes Griffin's safety valve, he could put up big numbers.
  Breakout Player: Pierre Garcon. Garcon was injured last season, but the Skins fared far better when he was on the field. If Griffin is going to hang in the pocket more often than last year, he's going to need some big bodies to get open, and I don't know if you've checked recently, but the Redskins wideouts aren't exactly the second coming of the 1998 Vikings. Garcon needs to perform at a high level for the Redskins to maintain a home run threat, something RG3 might not be providing when the season kicks off.
  Crucial Match-up: vs San Francisco 49'ers, Monday Night Football, November 25th: This is a huge contest for both squads, something that will certainly be headed by the first time RG3 and Colin Kaepernick will take the same field. Throw in that this game is late in the season, and on Monday Night Football, and we're in for great contest.
  2012 Recap: They won a few, lost a few, and then it came down to Tony Romo in the clutch and they lost. Wait, is this 2010's recap? 2011's? Nope. It's last year's, alright. Dallas had plenty of close games, with 12 of them being decided by 7 points or less, and they went 7-5 in those contests. Unfortunately, Dallas squared off with Washington in week 17 to decide the NFC East champion, the loser would be left out of the playoffs entirely. Of course, we all know how that went. Dallas looks to rebound in 2013, and a new coaching staff looks to make a big impact.
  Speaking of new coaches…
  Biggest Off-season Move: Shaking the coaching staff up. That's right, not a specific player move was the headline topper for Big D this off-season, but a total coaching transition could pay dividends. Rob Ryan, Skip Beete, Brian Baker, and a few others were given the axe, and in came Monte Kiffin, Rod Marinelli, and Gary Brown. It's about time Dallas could use some fresh faces.
  Breakout Player: Dez Bryant. I know what you're thinking, didn't Dez Bryant break out LAST season? Yes, and no. Dez is an absolute freak of nature, who is poised to become one of the best young talents in the NFL. Bryant was targeted 138 times last season by Tony Romo, and that number is on the way up. Bill Callahan is calling the plays for Dallas this season, and he will no doubt call for more handoffs than last season, but that doesn't mean Dez is going to see any less action. If and when Romo is still throwing the ball 25-30 times a game, expect ten of them to be aimed at #88.
  Crucial Match-up: vs New York Giants, Sunday, September 8th: I know it seems premature to call the very first game of the season the biggest on Dallas' slate, but it is. Manning and Company might have their name on the lease to the new Dallas Stadium, and they'll bring their 4-0 record into Big D and try and get a leg up on the competition. A win by Dallas will put them on the right track, and prove that the coaching changes might forecast a better season for the Cowboys and their fans.
  2012 Recap: Turnovers. Are we done now? But seriously, Michael Vick was on a record pace there for a while. It didn't start out terrible, the Eagles won three of their first four games. After that though, the wheels didn't just come off, they flew off and went shooting into the atmosphere. The Eagles lost eight in a row from weeks 5-to-13, and in week nine of that atrocity, Andy Reid showed Vick, and viewers at home everywhere some compassion, and slid in Nick Foles. I know, I know. Like trading broccoli for asparagus. With Andy Reid shipped off to Kansas City, Nmadi Asomugha in San Fran, and Chip Kelly taking over in Philly, the Eagles are looking forward to week 1, where 2012 will officially be far in the rear-view mirror.
  Biggest Off-season Move: Chip Kelly becoming the Head Coach. Anyone who's a fan of the NCAA, or has seen Sportscenter's Top 10 on a Saturday night know how explosive The University of Oregon was when Chip Kelly was wearing the headset. Kelly will trade in the state-of-the-art training facility for a jacket with an NFL logo instead of an "O". Kelly runs an extremely fast-paced offense, and even though the NFL will be limiting just how fast the Philly offense will move, it doesn't sound like Kelly is concerned. It will especially interesting to see how Michael Vick, DeSean Jackson, and LeSean McCoy will be used in Kelly's gameplan. Fantasy players are drooling everywhere.
  Breakout Player: Zach Ertz. With Jeremy Maclin suffering a season ending ACL injury, and Riley Cooper doing his best plantation owner impersonation, someone has to not only step up and haul in some passes, but also use family safe language. From what I've seen, Ertz is ready to prove what he's got. No word on his language yet. Someone get on that.
  Crucial Match-up: @ Denver, Sunday, September 29th. The most important game on the Eagles schedule isn't against a division rival, or even a conference foe, instead, it's the Denver Broncos out in the West. Aside from taking on the Washington Redskins in week 1, the game against Peyton Manning in Denver is the first "big" tilt for Chip Kelly. Depending on how the Eagles perform in those first four games, it could give us an idea where they'll fall in this topsy-turvy division.
  Check back tomorrow for Kris Kauffman's break-down of the NFC East!
  Filed under Sports · Tagged with Dez Bryant, Eli Manning, Michael Vick, NFC East Preview, NFL, NFL Predictions, Recap, RGIII Week One, Schedule, Tony Romo, Victor Cruz Walking Boot