NFL.com highlights the NFC East

[PA Skins Girl]

http://nfl.com/news/story/8655799


No cheap shots...

[redwolf1218]

thanks PA...

The Redskins and Cowboys figure to be the closest challengers to Philadelphia. The deciding factor between these teams is which gets the better production from its quarterback. Ramsey still has plenty to prove and must be more consistent in his performance, particularly when it comes to getting rid of the ball quickly. Bledsoe must demonstrate that his struggles in Buffalo the past two and a half seasons were not a sign of a career in deep decline, and that all he needs is some ultra-tough love from Parcells to return to the impressive form he showed upon first arriving in Buffalo in 2002.

Bledsoe still scares me.

[whitskins]

Good read, thanks for posting. Seemed like a fair assessment and I do agree that the team b/t us and Dallas who finishes with the better QB is gonna be the better team. Looking forward to seeing it go down on the field.

[2Cooley]

Good read looked pretty fair through the whole thing it is all up to Ramsey

[PA Skins Girl]

Bledsoe still scares me.
Really? I think he'll spend a lot of time on his back this season. The 'boys dont have the receivers (except Witten) to keep him out of trouble.

[whitskins]

Really? I think he'll spend a lot of time on his back this season. The 'boys dont have the receivers (except Witten) to keep him out of trouble.

There O-line has some age on it as well. Gregg Williams should know exactly how to get into Bledsoe's head and keep him down.

[redwolf1218]

Really? I think he'll spend a lot of time on his back this season. The 'boys dont have the receivers (except Witten) to keep him out of trouble.
he can be good, and he's workd with parcells before (like Vinnie). yes he scares me. if anyone has spent too much time on their back, it's Ramsey.

i'd rather face Vinnie than Drew.

[The Iceman]

I think that drew bledsoe is very scary also.. i can remember watching some games where he made some throws that made me want to be a patriots fan. (j/p), but seriously he is very talented and if by chance he does have time to throw, he is very dangerous.

I like drew bledsoe other than the fact that he signed with the cowboys this year. I hope he does well, and the cowboys lose all their games for other reasons that his play. which actually will probably be the way they lose their games considering their defense will once again be extremely porous.

[bwparker]

I think that drew bledsoe is very scary also.. i can remember watching some games where he made some throws that made me want to be a patriots fan. (j/p), but seriously he is very talented and if by chance he does have time to throw, he is very dangerous.

I like drew bledsoe other than the fact that he signed with the cowboys this year. I hope he does well, and the cowboys lose all their games for other reasons that his play. which actually will probably be the way they lose their games considering their defense will once again be extremely porous.
This is very unlike me to say this, because in general I don't wish for injuries to anyone, but I'm hoping that something will keep Julius Jones off the field next year.

[MWballer]

This is very unlike me to say this, because in general I don't wish for injuries to anyone, but I'm hoping that something will keep Julius Jones off the field next year.

Thats dirty i dont like the cowboys and all but id never wish for someone to get injured where better than them with or without julius.

[LATrueRedskin]

Really? I think he'll spend a lot of time on his back this season. The 'boys dont have the receivers (except Witten) to keep him out of trouble.

If LaVar's healthy, he may be 2-for-2 in Dallas QB career enders. :D I seriously shudder at the thought of LA slamming into an upright pole like Bledsoe.

[The Iceman]

i wouldnt wish injury on anyone, well, ok, you can have T.O. what a waste of talent.

[PyroGenic]

thanks PA...

The Redskins and Cowboys figure to be the closest challengers to Philadelphia. The deciding factor between these teams is which gets the better production from its quarterback. Ramsey still has plenty to prove and must be more consistent in his performance, particularly when it comes to getting rid of the ball quickly. Bledsoe must demonstrate that his struggles in Buffalo the past two and a half seasons were not a sign of a career in deep decline, and that all he needs is some ultra-tough love from Parcells to return to the impressive form he showed upon first arriving in Buffalo in 2002.

Bledsoe still scares me.


its not like they did bad last year. They were 9-7

[CarMike]

Drew Bledsoe is only a name to me. His career is over. I'm sure the Brunell probably "scared" a lot of teams last year. How did that work out? :)

I'm not worried about DB.

[Redskin-4-life]

I think Bledsoe still has at least 1 or 2 more years in him. If jones stays healthy he won't be called to do too much. I think he will be running a ball control offense.

[smoss]

Really? I think he'll spend a lot of time on his back this season. The 'boys dont have the receivers (except Witten) to keep him out of trouble.

Hopefully he won't spend al;ot of time on his back this way he can throw more INTs, Bledsoe is finished.

[redwolf1218]

Bledsoe is only 33 years old. it's not like he's 42 or whatever Testeverde is. I'd rather have Bledsoe than Brunell.

[Redskin-4-life]

Bledsoe is only 33 years old. it's not like he's 42 or whatever Testeverde is. I'd rather have Bledsoe than Brunell.

Ditto

[smoss]

Bledsoe is only 33 years old. it's not like he's 42 or whatever Testeverde is. I'd rather have Bledsoe than Brunell.

I'd rather have testaverde or Brunell, all 3 are done but Bledsoe is even worse. The only reason Buf didn't make the playoffs last year was b/c of Drew- They had an excellent running game, top D, great STs, excellent WRs and he still could not get them past Pitt when Pitt was playing w/ 2nd and 3rd stringers on that final weekend. Drew had a very good 1st half in 2002 but outside of that he hasn't been good probably since 1998 and that's a long time ago.

[redwolf1218]

I'd rather have testaverde or Brunell, all 3 are done but Bledsoe is even worse. The only reason Buf didn't make the playoffs last year was b/c of Drew- They had an excellent running game, top D, great STs, excellent WRs and he still could not get them past Pitt when Pitt was playing w/ 2nd and 3rd stringers on that final weekend. Drew had a very good 1st half in 2002 but outside of that he hasn't been good probably since 1998 and that's a long time ago.
are you sure about that? according to his game log on espn.com, he beat Pit 29 to 24 in week 17.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=2359

[smoss]

are you sure about that? according to his game log on espn.com, he beat Pit 29 to 24 in week 17.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=2359
That is obviously wrong as Buf lost to Pitt in Week 17 and missed the playoffs.

Buf was leading 17-16 in the 3rd then Pitt took a 19-17 lead THEN the game cahnging play as Bledsoe fumbled and Pitt returned it for a TD for a 26-17 lead. Pitt added another FG and Buf scored a garbgae time TD to make the final 29-24.

http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/live/NFL_20050102_PIT@BUF

[redwolf1218]

That is obviously wrong as Buf lost to Pitt in Week 17 and missed the playoffs.

Buf was leading 17-16 in the 3rd then Pitt took a 19-17 lead THEN the game cahnging play as Bledsoe fumbled and Pitt returned it for a TD for a 26-17 lead. Pitt added another FG and Buf scored a garbgae time TD to make the final 29-24.

http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/live/NFL_20050102_PIT@BUF
ok i figured something was wrong...

i still wouldnt say his career is over just because of a fumble against the league's best defense.

[Skinzaholic]

Amazing... this is the first realistic assessment I have read of this division.

[smoss]

ok i figured something was wrong...

i still wouldnt say his career is over just because of a fumble against the league's best defense.

Go back and look at his game logs from the past few years and look at his overall #s and W's & L's since '99 and that should be enough to convince you his career has been over for quite some time.

[redwolf1218]

Go back and look at his game logs from the past few years and look at his overall #s and W's & L's since '99 and that should be enough to convince you his career has been over for quite some time.
i sincerely hope you are right, and Parcells is wrong. i could look through all that information, but it still wont keep me from fearing this reunion of Bledsoe and Parcells in Dallas.

[smoss]

i sincerely hope you are right, and Parcells is wrong. i could look through all that information, but it still wont keep me from fearing this reunion of Bledsoe and Parcells in Dallas.

Bledsoe was never great under Parcells, he was good and much better than he was w/o him but was never great. I don't think it is anything to be afraid of. The key is to get leads and make Drew throw the ball and the skins will have plent of TOs. What we don't want to see is Dallas grinding it out w/ Julius Jones.

[bwparker]

Thats dirty i dont like the cowboys and all but id never wish for someone to get injured where better than them with or without julius.
I know, but a punishing ground game can give Bledsoe time to throw. If Jones is out, their whole Offense falls apart(IMHO). Knowing that one guy can have that kind of impact makes me hope he doesn't play. He needs to get embroiled in a bitter contract dispute :D

[whistleandthumb]

Julius Jones is going to have to have a MONSTER year for the Girls to do anything special. For us, I agree with NFL.com that it's basically up to Ramsey. Our OL is really the key, but Ramsey should be at the point now where he's familiar with the offense enough to make some things happen.

As for Bledsoe... his head bleeds just like everyone else's. Look for a large puddle of it to form on the big star around Week 2 after LaVar crushes him into the ground.

Around Week 3, look for Bledsoe in the booth next to the other member of the "LaVar Made My Head Bleed into Retirement" Club, Troy Headache-men.

[MWballer]

I know, but a punishing ground game can give Bledsoe time to throw. If Jones is out, their whole Offense falls apart(IMHO). Knowing that one guy can have that kind of impact makes me hope he doesn't play. He needs to get embroiled in a bitter contract dispute

:lol1: To me Julius just had one good half of a season not even a whole one so i dont see why everyone thinks hes so great. Lets see him next year though now that all the coordinators have tape on him and see how good he is. If he does it again then ill no longer be a doubter.

[PA Skins Girl]

I know, but a punishing ground game can give Bledsoe time to throw. If Jones is out, their whole Offense falls apart(IMHO). Knowing that one guy can have that kind of impact makes me hope he doesn't play. He needs to get embroiled in a bitter contract dispute :D
Jones rushed 22 times for 57 yards and 0 TDs against us. He's pretty streaky. The guy I worry about on the Cowboy offense is Witten.

[redwolf1218]

Jones rushed 22 times for 57 yards and 0 TDs against us. He's pretty streaky. The guy I worry about on the Cowboy offense is Witten.
thanks for posting that, i was trying to remember...i dont think anyone really grinded it out on the ground against our Defense. the big plays i remember came from the young safeties.

[skinfanjon]

Jones rushed 22 times for 57 yards and 0 TDs against us. He's pretty streaky. The guy I worry about on the Cowboy offense is Witten.

If by streaky you mean he has big games against poor defenses and bad games against good ones, then you are correct.

Baltimore: 81
Chicago: 150
Seattle: 198
New Orleans: 88
Philadelphia: 80
Washington: 57
N.Y.Giants: 149

Those are his seven starts, hardly an indication that he will be a star. He simply took advantage of bad defenses. I watched the guy his whole career at Notre Dame and while he was a good runner, I didn't see anything that indicated he would translate into a bigtime back in the NFL. he is overrated at this point.

[BandWagon]

Seems pretty even handed. I like the optimism about our receivers. That's one of the few positive reviews I've seen from the national press.

[PA Skins Girl]

If by streaky you mean he has big games against poor defenses and bad games against good ones, then you are correct.

Baltimore: 81
Chicago: 150
Seattle: 198
New Orleans: 88
Philadelphia: 80
Washington: 57
N.Y.Giants: 149

Those are his seven starts, hardly an indication that he will be a star. He simply took advantage of bad defenses. I watched the guy his whole career at Notre Dame and while he was a good runner, I didn't see anything that indicated he would translate into a bigtime back in the NFL. he is overrated at this point.
I agree. I'll wait for a least the first 1000 yard season before I call him the next Emmitt.

Jones may actually have to compete for playing time with the A-Train. Also, a Cowboy fan here at work told me they have an undrafted free agent RB in camp that they really like.

[Skinz4lyfe]

Jones rushed 22 times for 57 yards and 0 TDs against us. He's pretty streaky. The guy I worry about on the Cowboy offense is Witten.

I totally agree! For some reason, good receiving TEs have traditionally been a thorn in our side (dating back to the Bavaro days). Jones is a very good RB but our run defense is great! Bledsoe doesn't scare me one bit. He's not that good. He's a statue in the pocket and wilts w/the slightest of pressure.

[Joe-T]

The team that scares me in the East is the Giants ,I believe that it will be between us and the Giants to beat back the Eaglets. :)

1)If Eli does anything close to what his brother did as a 2nd year pro .....
2)Like em or not , Tiki ,Shockey ,Toomer ,Plaxico....
3) If the Defense stays healthy

[whistleandthumb]

The team that scares me in the East is the Giants ,I believe that it will be between us and the Giants to beat back the Eaglets. :)

1)If Eli does anything close to what his brother did as a 2nd year pro .....
2)Like em or not , Tiki ,Shockey ,Toomer ,Plaxico....
3) If the Defense stays healthy
Ya never know what's going to happen with the ol' Manning boy, but I just don't see the explosiveness yet in him, the way it was very evident in Peyton. Plax has the potential to be good, but he never quite showed up in Pittsburgh, so I think he's a big question mark, too. Their defense was a joke last year after all those injuries, so, for me, that's another question mark. I think their season is going to be completely dependent upon Tiki. If he has another 1500+ yard season, they could compete.

I agree with the writer that it's really about us or the Girls unseating the Iggles. And with Drew Molasses out there, I think the Girls are going nowhere fast.

[ScalpinSteve]

I think that the NFC East will be more competitive when it comes down to the Eagles wiping out everybody, at least. Unfortunately, as for the final standings, I still think it's going to be the Dirty Birds on top with two of their losses in the NFC Beast.

Eagles 11-5
Redskins 9-7
Cowboys 8-8
Giants 7-9

As for the in-division breakdown, I think it's gonna go a little something like this:

Eagles 4-2... 1-1 v. Skins / 1-1 v. Giants / 2-0 v. Cowgirls
Redskins 4-2... 1-1 v. Iggles / 2-0 v. Giants / 1-1 v. Cowgirls
Cowgirls 3-3... 1-1 v. Skins / 0-2 v. Eagles / 1-1 v. Giants
Giants 3-3... 0-2 v. Skins / 1-1 v. Eagles / 1-1 v. Cowgirls

I really think that our beloved Beast in the East Conference will regain alot of its tarnished image with four teams that have respecatable records overall. People outside of our fanbase will want to watch us again for more than the Iggles and we won't be one of the NFC laughing stocks again... Which they should. Because regardless of how good we have been, year in and year out (for the most part) any two-team NFC East matched game has been dirty in-the-trenches football decided by only a few points. (Remember I said for the most part. :rolleyes: )

[ihatedallas]

nice article...highlights how the recievers we got..while small...can still be great given the right situation...

[redwolf1218]

I totally agree! For some reason, good receiving TEs have traditionally been a thorn in our side (dating back to the Bavaro days). Jones is a very good RB but our run defense is great! Bledsoe doesn't scare me one bit. He's not that good. He's a statue in the pocket and wilts w/the slightest of pressure.
I still have nightmares about that game where Shockey got 11 catches against us, jumping up to signal "first down" on most of them. but everything happens for a reason, and the result was a revamped secondary and linebacking group, and the eventual drafting of Sean Taylor. We wont be having a guy like Trotter trying to cover a guy like Shockey anymore.

[bwparker]

I think that the NFC East will be more competitive when it comes down to the Eagles wiping out everybody, at least. Unfortunately, as for the final standings, I still think it's going to be the Dirty Birds on top with two of their losses in the NFC Beast.

Eagles 11-5
Redskins 9-7
Cowboys 8-8
Giants 7-9

As for the in-division breakdown, I think it's gonna go a little something like this:

Eagles 4-2... 1-1 v. Skins / 1-1 v. Giants / 2-0 v. Cowgirls
Redskins 4-2... 1-1 v. Iggles / 2-0 v. Giants / 1-1 v. Cowgirls
Cowgirls 3-3... 1-1 v. Skins / 0-2 v. Eagles / 1-1 v. Giants
Giants 3-3... 0-2 v. Skins / 1-1 v. Eagles / 1-1 v. Cowgirls

I really think that our beloved Beast in the East Conference will regain alot of its tarnished image with four teams that have respecatable records overall. People outside of our fanbase will want to watch us again for more than the Iggles and we won't be one of the NFC laughing stocks again... Which they should. Because regardless of how good we have been, year in and year out (for the most part) any two-team NFC East matched game has been dirty in-the-trenches football decided by only a few points. (Remember I said for the most part. :rolleyes: )
Thats a nice breakdown. But it doesn't fit our M.O. historically. We've never been a good division team. We are losing all of our division matchups over history(although we did have the lead on the cardinals before they left). Last year is a perfect example of that. We were 1-5 in the division and 6-6 in NFC, that means we were 5-1 in our conference outside the division. We were also 0-4 in the AFC, but what NFC team wasn't? :banghead:

I think a much more likely way of getting to 9-7, would be to break even in the AFC(2-2) and go 2-4, or 3-3 in the division, while holding to 5-1 or 4-2 in the conference OUTSIDE the division. We play:
NFC:
Cardinals
Bears
49ers
Bucs
Rams
Seahawks
We can 4 or 5 of those
AFC: The west
Broncos
Raiders
Chiefs
Chargers
We can win 2 of those(fingers crossed)
But In the Division, I think we are lucky if we reach .500, I think 2-4 is more likely. Not because we are worse than our fellow NFC easters, but because historically we are not a very good division team.

[bwparker]

Just to to illustrate my point, take a look at Gibbs' first tenure here which is widely considered the most successful stretch of time in franchise history.
Team Record............................................ ...124-60 | 65.2%
NFC East Record:.........................................60-35 | 63.2%
Out of Division.......................................... ...64-25 | 71.9%

Now take The cardinals(who are no longer in our division) out of the mix-
Current NFC East(Discounting Cardinal Games):..40-31 | 56.3%
Team Record out of Current Division.................84-29 | 74.3%

And this was during the STRONGEST stretch of team history. The fact that we are a fairly weak division team has always upset me, but its true: no matter how well we play against the league - we tend to play worse against our own division. Thats why I think that we won't go 9-7 with 4 wins in the division. If we had 4 wins in the division we'd be good enough to 14-2. Which isn't gonna happen.

[redskin_rich]

Just to to illustrate my point, take a look at Gibbs' first tenure here which is widely considered the most successful stretch of time in franchise history.
Team Record............................................ ...124-60 | 65.2%
NFC East Record:.........................................60-35 | 63.2%
Out of Division.......................................... ...64-25 | 71.9%

Now take The cardinals(who are no longer in our division) out of the mix-
Current NFC East(Discounting Cardinal Games):..40-31 | 56.3%
Team Record out of Current Division.................84-29 | 74.3%

And this was during the STRONGEST stretch of team history. The fact that we are a fairly weak division team has always upset me, but its true: no matter how well we play against the league - we tend to play worse against our own division. Thats why I think that we won't go 9-7 with 4 wins in the division. If we had 4 wins in the division we'd be good enough to 14-2. Which isn't gonna happen.

The NFC East happens to be the best division in football, at least in the Super Bowl era. Thats why this division has the most trophies, discounting the Eagles who have none.

[The Iceman]

Thats a nice breakdown. But it doesn't fit our M.O. historically. We've never been a good division team. We are losing all of our division matchups over history(although we did have the lead on the cardinals before they left).

We also have the lead on the Eagles in the alltime matchup category.

[redskin_rich]

We also have the lead on the Eagles in the alltime matchup category.
True and we are 4-1 all time in playoff games against the NFC East, with the lone loss being against the Giants.

[whistleandthumb]

The NFC East happens to be the best division in football, at least in the Super Bowl era. Thats why this division has the most trophies, discounting the Eagles who have none.


We should make it a point to state that more often. It just can't be said enough... :)