Gman Takes (On) Stock(ers): 2009 NFL Season Predictions
The Eastern Divisions
by Chris Brophy & Ben Stockwell
15/8/2009
 
In the fourth of our series, we reach the end of the divisional road in the east as our regular predicting team consider how Tom Brady's return to health will impact the AFC East whilst then trying to figure out who will survive best in the rough and tumble of the NFC East.
 
*Division Champion; ~ Wild card qualifier

Tom Brady is back and the Patriots have reloaded on defence so I think after a one year slip (that seen them go 11-5 without Brady and somehow miss the play-offs) they take back their crown and seal their achievement as team of the decade. No one expected the Dolphins to turn it around like they did last year and the concern this year will be was it too much too soon? However, this franchise is run by a smart bunch and there have been a couple of useful additions via the draft. However, they won't be such a well kept secret in 2009 which will see them tread water rather than take the next step.
 
I suspect the Jets will be much like new Head Coach Rex Ryan's old team, the Ravens – great defence and an offense based on grinding the football. Does lightening strike twice for Ryan and he is part of a team that gets quality production from a rookie QB? Whilst not impossible I'm going to play the odds and say "no". As for the only team in New York (and Canada), I've just got a feeling it's going to fall apart badly for the Bills. I'm not on then Trent Edwards bandwagon and TO will not keep it quiet if he falls off too. No Marshawn Lynch for the opening 3 games means they are at a disadvantage to start off the season and if they fall behind the pack early doors, it could get messy.

Tom Brady back at the helm, the defence with just enough gas left in the tank and a running game to lean on, the Patriots will be a force to be reckoned with this season. I actually think the signing of Fred Taylor was unnecessary and backs like Sammy Morris and BenJarvus Green-Ellis actually have more to offer this team than Laurence Maroney & Taylor who currently sit atop the Patriots' depth chart. Irrespective of that this team just looks absolutely mouth watering. The defence has just enough left in the tank to go on one more run in my opinion, but it will need to be carried most of the way. I expect a similarly slow start for Brady returning from his knee injury as Manning had last year, but once they get rolling and with a stronger running game to lean on if he does struggle with timing early on the Patriots look like a good bet to build and become stronger as the season moves on towards January and the playoffs. The Dolphins I think will slip this season but I don't think they'll actually play a great deal worse this coming season than they did last year. For me it's simply a case of a lack of clear improvement whilst the Patriots and others in the AFC have moved forwards. The Dolphins did very well to capitalise on Brady's injury last year and clinch a tight race for the AFC East title. However the major concern this year is Chad Pennington's prior history of being unable to string together good seasons, if he can overcome this then the Dolphins are well set for a stabilising season. A solid but unspectacular campaign to set a stable base to hopefully launch long term success from and a stable team to hand over to Chad Henne in the not too distant future.
 
The Jets are a team that I can't quite make my mind up over. On the one hand the defence was good last year and should improve from the addition of scheme aggression from Rex Ryan and the addition of Bart Scott to the linebacking corps brings the most destructive linebacker in the NFL to Gang Green. However the question is whether the scheme will work with players who are good but not quite as good as in Baltimore in the key positions? Then you look at the offence and you see a unit that's got a top offensive line (quite possibly the best in the league), a decent duo of receiver & tight end and a decent running back, but will the question marks at QB drag the unit down? Is either unit good enough to carry the load if one struggles?
This team could challenge for the division title or a top 5 draft pick, frankly I'm too confused by this team to make a clear cut prediction so I've gone slap bang in the middle for a .500 hundred season. The Bills coming in at 7-9, that seems somewhat familiar, but surely Dick Jauron would not survive another mediocre season? Terrell Owens is an addition of some sort, but is he a solution to the Bills' issues? Lee Evans already provides a downfield threat, what they lack is a consistent receiver, a chain mover, Evans does that to an extent but they need more of it, not more boom or bust downfield plays. Owens will keep his head down this year, he has to, but I just don't think this team is good enough to challenge. Going back and re-watching last season's games I never got the impression that the Bills were a good team, even with their 5-2 start.

The Eagles have had a tough recent loss when Jim Johnson sadly passed away but I believe they'll play hard in his memory. The recent loss of Stewart Bradley is not as bad as it appears either. Offensively, McNabb has plenty of toys to play with now and I think a backfield of Brian Westbrook and LeSean McCoy could quickly become one of the dominant duos in the league. I do think the Dallas Cowboys will be better off for their decisions to part with attention seekers and trouble makers they have tried to use in recent times. Tony Romo should be able to spread the ball around to different receivers and I believe Marion Barber will have a career year. Wade Phillips needs to keep himself heavily involved in the defensive play-calling though.
They'll grab a wild card.
 
The NFC East threatens to be brutal again and I have the Giants missing out by a whisker. They still have plenty of talent but I believe they'll miss Derrick Ward and Plaxico Burress on offense and more so the aggressive play-calling of Steve Spagnuolo on defence. Giants fans should like this though because every time I get all "prophet of doom" on them they usually win big! As for my beloved Redskins – I think the defence will be just fine, in fact, I think it can be a top ten unit again and create more sacks and turnovers. However, I have no such high hopes for the offense. I fully expect Jason Campbell to underwhelm and musical quarterbacks will follow for the rest of the year. The NFC East is too unforgiving to have such a big weakness!

The Eagles for my money are the most complete team in the league coming into the season and I'd make them pre-season favourites to win it all. After nearly having time called on his time in Philly last season Donovan McNabb responded superbly and might just be playing the best football of his career. If he follows that over into this season the Eagles are well set for a run to win it all. The receiving corps is much maligned but I personally am a huge fan and think it's one of the best in the league, it's not got the top line receiver but it's got quality top to bottom. There's no one player you can go to game after game but there are 3 or 4 guys who on any day can contribute so the passing game is never found wanting and in Jason Avant they have one of the most underappreciated, efficient, third down receivers in the league. The defence will miss Jim Johnson's mind and Brian Dawkins leadership but I think there's far too much talent left there and Johnson has spawned too many successful coaches in his time in the league for me to think that Sean McDermott isn't ready to take over this defence and run it extremely well. The Giants have some big questions to answer this year but even if they struggle in the areas I expect (passing game principally), they are too strong in other areas to allow that to drag the team down. This team can ride their running game and defence to the playoffs but when they get there I fully expect them to be found wanting against the top opposition.
 
The Cowboys, they've jettisoned themselves from the drama of Terrell Owens, though I can't quite see why and I certainly can't see Roy Williams riding to the rescue. Build this team around their running game and run defence and they might just creep close to the playoffs but the changes made this off-season all appear to me to be steps back from last season. Zach Thomas for Keith Brooking is a downgrade; Terrell Owens' departure is a downgrade. This team needed to be improved, obviously, they weren't quite there and now they've taken a step back. Tony Romo will take a lot of the flak for a bad season, but he is just about the least of Dallas' problems. Finally to the Redskins, the strongest team in the division, holding all the other teams up. This team just seems to lack any direction at all, there's talent but there seems a lack of direction and an unnecessary interest in piling pressure on a QB who is good enough to win football games. With the number of QBs talked about being brought in to replace Campbell I just can't see him succeeding this year, far too much in his head, too much pressure. The running game is there, the defence is there, the passing game should follow but at key moments it was found wanting last year, particularly on third downs. Could there be a new head coach and a new quarterback on the horizons for Washington?