Teams

Preseason Lowdown : Washington Redskins

What’s the story?

There are lots of memories I wish I could erase from the NFL portion of my brain. It’d be nice to forget a few of those Brett Favre interceptions that cost us playoffs wins. I’d rather not think and/or talk about either of the Packers encounters with the 49ers last year. And even though I live in New York, I don’t want to discuss the New York Football Giants, who have had the Packers number for years. But right alongside of all those things is the visual of RGIII’s knee swinging around independent from the rest of his leg – not once, but twice. Every time I think about it my stomach flips around independent from the rest of my body. By all accounts, the electric QB is making a quick recovery from his second major knee surgery and will be wearing a brace all season to prevent possible setbacks. But the question on everyone’s mind is whether or not he can keep this up. Can he keep playing the way he plays and be a long-term franchise quarterback in the NFL? Let’s hope so, because he’s a lot of fun to watch.

Leader and commander:

Mike Shanahan, who is taking some heat from the aforementioned QB in what is really a non-controversy controversy. RGIII is a competitor. He wants to play as soon as possible. Mike Shanahan is a head coach. He wants his quarterback healthy as long as possible. That means no action in the preseason for Griffin, who has made his displeasure known. But once the regular season starts? Water under the bridge. This is a non-story, in my opinion.

New kid on the block:

That would be “kids” plural. Even without a first round pick (traded it to the Rams last year to pick RGIII second overall), they had a great draft, and a lot of those rookies could see significant playing time this season.

Last year was…

…way better than expected. The Redskins overcame a 3-6 start and won all 7 of their games after the bye week, leading them to their first NFC East title since 1999.

Survey says:

Watch out, NFC East. There’s a new powerhouse in town. The Redskins are ranked higher than any other NFC East team (11th, right in front of the Giants, who are ranked 12th), and for good reason. They have an experience head coach, a hungry starting QB, an excellent backup QB (Kirk Cousins) in the case RGIII has continued knee trouble, and a very talented backfield. They are the team to beat in this division.

Preseason Lowdown : Philadelphia Eagles

What’s the story?

The Eagles are hoping to take a cue from the Fast and Furious movies: they’ll be running a very quick offense and doing it with all kinds of hyped-up passion. However, they are probably hoping that each season is more successful than the last, unlike each of the never-ending Fast and Furious sequels. (Seriously. How many are we even up to now?)

Leader and commander:

Chip Kelly, successful long-time college coach at Oregon, in his first NFL head coaching job (which is also his first NFL job, period). He is taking over a team that is just emerging from a different era under a similarly successful long-time coach, Andy Reid. Kelly’s style is markedly different from Reid’s, in that watching Kelly’s offense is like watching a regular NFL game on fast forward. He is best known for his fast-paced, big-risk, highly-unconventional offense…and I can’t wait to see how that translates to an NFL field with NFL talent. As T.O. would say, get your popcorn ready.

New kid on the block:

That would be the aforementioned Chip Kelly. But they also picked up two notable players in the draft: QB Matt Barkley, who could potentially be their quarterback of the future (but probably not of this season, unless something goes haywire with Vick and Foles) and TE Zack Ertz, who could have an opportunity to be a big part of the offense right from the get-go.

Last year was…

…unbelievable in all the worst ways. After winning 3 of their first 4 games, the Eagles went on to lose 11 of their next 12. It was rough.

Survey says:

Good things come to those who wait, and this might be a season of waiting for the Eagles. It could take time to adjust to an unheard-of style of NFL play under the tutelage of a first-time NFL head coach. Philly is currently ranked 25th in the preseason power rankings for that reason. But one can hope that this new era is given time to play out because man…it could be something really special.

Preseason Lowdown : New York Giants

What’s the story?

The Giants know how to win. They’ve proven that. But they also rely on last-minute victories and squeezing into the playoffs. They’ve proven that, too. In the past four seasons they’ve won one Super Bowl and missed the playoffs three times. A bit of an inconsistent showing for the G-men, who are always good, but not always great. The Giants will be hoping to swing on the other end of the trend this season after missing the playoffs last year.

Leader and commander:

Tom Coughlin, who is now a published author. I can’t wait to read his book (and then spend the rest of my life arriving to places on Coughlin Time).

New kid on the block:

Defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins (former Packer!) was brought in as a free agent from Philadelphia to replace Chris Canty, and he’s already making his presence known. He had a great start in the Giants first preseason game against his former team, the Eagles.

Last year was…

…an upset for the Giants, who missed the playoffs in a surprising coup by the Redskins. They learned that they can’t always rely on the patented Eli 4th quarter comeback and lost 5 of their last 8 games.

Survey says:

The Giants didn’t win their division in either of their past two Super Bowl winning seasons. They are rarely the clear-cut contenders to win it all – just look at those past two Super Bowl wins against the Patriots! It works because they are a well-coached team and a solid franchise, and that means they always have a chance. But it’ll take more than a good foundation and a few stunning last-minute wins to make it to the playoffs this season in a highly competitive division and conference.

Preseason Lowdown : Dallas Cowboys

What’s the story?

Tony Romo got paid. Jason Garrett got demoted (but not necessarily in a bad way). Rob Ryan got the ax. And everybody got pretty uncomfortable (as evidenced by the fact that the ‘boys hold training camp in Oxnard, California and are clearly roughing it out there…amongst the palm trees).

Leader and commander:

~~Jerry Jones~~ Jason Garrett.

New kid on the block:

Monte Kiffin might be new on this block, but he is hardly new to the NFL. Kiffin is a legendary defensive coach. (Remember him from the Tampa 2 post?) He is the Cowboys new defensive coordinator and will certainly bring something special to the table in his return to the NFL. If the Cowboys have anything good going on this year, it’s this.

Last year was…

More of the same: 8-8. The Romo-haters blame him for the mediocre season, but really, it was a team effort. They tended to fall apart at all of the worst moments.

Survey says:

The future could be brighter, Cowboys fans. The NFC East has reinstated itself as one of the best divisions in the league. Each team poses their own unique threat: the Giants are proven winners, the Redskins have RGIII, and the Eagles might run so many plays per game under Chip Kelly’s new system that other teams forfeit from sheer exhaustion. The Cowboys? Monte Kiffin is an interesting addition at defensive coordinator, and Romo is always good (embrace it, people). But that spark that will carry them into the playoffs and beyond? That has yet to be seen from America’s team, and is the reason why they are currently ranked at number 20.

Preseason Lowdown Roundup : AFC South and West

Missed one of the preseason lowdown posts this week? No problem! Here’s a roundup of everything we covered:

Preseason Lowdown : Houston Texans

Preseason Lowdown : Indianapolis Colts

Preseason Lowdown : Jacksonville Jaguars

Preseason Lowdown : Tennessee Titans

Preseason Lowdown : Denver Broncos

Preseason Lowdown : Kansas City Chiefs

Preseason Lowdown : Oakland Raiders

Preseason Lowdown : San Diego Chargers

Looking for the AFC East and North? Here’s last week’s roundup. Want to earn your History Buff badge? Check out these divisional breakdown posts from last year (which also make for an interesting read if you’re wondering how preseason predictions pan out – spoiler alert: not so well).

See you all next week for the NFC East and North (!!!).

Preseason Lowdown : San Diego Chargers

What’s the story?

The ch-ch-ch-Chargers are ch-ch-ch-changin’. A rough 7-9 season caused the final firing of head coach Norv Turner and GM A.J. Smith after years of rumors to that effect. The new season brings new leadership and hope to battle for first place in the AFC West with the Broncos, not last place with the Chiefs and Raiders.

Leader and commander:

Former Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy. Hiring a rival team’s offensive coordinator after he just helped to achieve a 13-3 record with Peyton Manning and friends? Not a bad move, Chargers.

New kid on the block:

The oft-disparaged rookie linebacker Manti Te’o, who is likely the most eager man in the NFL to get out there and hit someone. Despite everything he has been through this off-season, he’s still a good man and a great player. Wishing him only the best in SD.

Last year was…

…a healthy sprint to the finish (winning 3 of the 4 final games) preceded by a long limp (losing to almost everyone they played who wasn’t in their division). When you consider that this is a team that played four games against the Chiefs and the Raiders, who they swept, the 7-9 record doesn’t look as much mediocre as it does pretty bad.

Survey says:

How does 23rd sound? That’s how the preseason power rankings see it. This one could go either way. The team could respond to new head coach Mike McCoy and get back to the days of being a yearly contender in the AFC, or they could continue to struggle and find themselves in rank with the other less-than-successful AFC teams. Either way, out-winning the Broncos to win the AFC West is going to be a tall order.