NFC East Q&A with Big Blue View

by Dave Halprin on Aug 15, 2008 5:00 AM CDT in Dallas Cowboys News

BBV

ETVal, SB Nation’s Giants blogger over at Big Blue View, invited all the NFC East blogs to participate in a Q&A round-up for the NFC East. He sent around a list of 10 questions that all four blogs answered. I’ll post the answers, including mine, over the next few days or so. Since ETVal came up with the idea, here are his answers giving you the perspective of the New York Giants.

Q: The NFC East is brutal in terms of the depth and quality of its teams. Can you think of another division that is even close in terms of talent and competitiveness?

BBV: No. The NFC East has four legitimate playoff caliber teams. In my mind, no other conference comes close to that kind of depth.

Q: Was the Giants Super Bowl victory a fluke?

BBV: Absolutely not. It certainly was unexpected, but it wasn't a fluke. The Giants played incredibly, and they earned each victory. There weren't any crazy, fluke plays -- no 'Tuck Rule' plays or any of that nonsense. To me, the Giants are a talented team that had actually under-achieved for a long time. They finally had a stretch where they played up to their ability, and it came at the perfect time. That said, do I expect them to repeat? No. I expect them to be very good, but I'm not foolish enough to think they will win it all again.

Q: What new player on any of the teams -- draft pick, free agent or trade acquisition -- will make the biggest impact within the division this season?

BBV: Adam Jones. He's a tremendous talent, but also potentially a tremendous trouble-maker. He could help the Cowboys reach the Super Bowl. Or, he could help them implode and miss the playoffs entirely.

Q: Your team will win the division, and possibly the Super Bowl, if ...

BBV: First and foremost, Eli Manning stays healthy. I have no faith that the Giants can win games without him. Defensively, the Giants will need Mathias Kiwanuka healthy all season to make up for the retirement of Michael Strahan. Also, the development of young players like Aaron Ross, Terrell Thomas, Michael Johnson and No. 1 pick Kenny Phillips in the secondary could take this defense to another level.

Q: Your team will finish last in the division if ...

BBV: Eli Manning can't stay healthy. Also, if those young players in the secondary don't develop the Giants will have difficulty covering people. Oh, and if they can't win some games at home this season. The Giants went 7-1 on the road in the regular season, but only 3-5 at home. They can't count on being so efficient on the road, so they have to win more often in the Meadowlands.

Click below for the other five answers.

Q: What team in the NFC has the best shot at keeping an NFC East team out of the Super Bowl?

BBV: The popular answer to that question these days is the Minnesota Vikings. But, I'm not buying that with Tarvaris Jackson at quarterback. With Brett Favre, maybe, but not with Jackson. I don't believe in Gree Bay with Aaron Rodgers, either. I guess that leaves Seattle.

Q: Give me one player on your team everyone else might not know about, but who could wind up making a name for himself this season.

BBV: Watch out for No. 1 pick Kenny Phillips. This guy is a heavy-hitting, play-making safety and if he isn't starting Week 1 he will force his way into the lineup shortly thereafter.

Q: Rank the starting quarterbacks within the division.

BBV: Tony Romo
Eli Manning
Donovan McNabb
Jason Campbell

Giants fans will be mad at me for taking Romo here, so I need to qualify this answer. I don't think you can argue with the numbers that say Romo has been better game-in and game-out. As a Giants fan, though, would I trade Eli straight up to get Romo? Not a chance. Eli has proven that he is a winner. Romo has nice numbers and a celebrity girlfriend, but he hasn't proven that he can come up big when it matters most. Eli has, and I'll take that every time.

Q: Rank the coaches within the division.

BBV: Tom Coughlin. I think there is little doubt he is, right now, top dog among coaches in the division. That's pretty amazing, but I think really hard to argue with.
Andy Reid.
Wade Phillips
Jim Zorn

Q: Finally, what is your predicted order of finish in the NFC East? Why?

BBV: Giants
Cowboys
Redskins
Eagles

The Giants are defending Super Bowl champions. I say they are the favorites until someone knocks them off. I still think it's 50-50 on the Cowboys. They could win the whole enchilada, but they could also completely implode with that volatile roster and a lame-duck head coach and miss the playoffs entirely. I almost picked Dallas for last in this division, because I think an implosion of some sort in inevitable, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. The Redskins have talent, but they have a question mark at head coach. The Eagles are tough to figure. I just don't know about Andy Reid anymore, and McNabb's health is always a question.

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Comments

volatile roster??? implosion inevitable??

c’mom ETVal, you have absolutely no evidence to base that conclusion. I admit, Pacman is a knucklehead, but if he gets in trouble again, he’s simply removed off the roster, no implosion there.

As for T.O. and Tank, those guys are model teammates and leaders on this team every bit as much as Romo and Witten.

Dude, you’re way off base and have been reading too many media pundits.

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on Aug 15, 2008 7:26 AM CDT reply actions

Meh

Nothing in ETVal’s answers that I couldn’t get from a loudmouthed Giants’ fan off the street. Seriously, where’s the good info/insight?

Also, gotta love the patronizing ranking of NFC East qbs followed by the qualifier that Eli is a “winner.” Good for you, why not just put him first? The facade of objectivism is pointless.

Championship...believe it!

http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/league/them_boys

by accidental innuendo on Aug 15, 2008 8:00 AM CDT reply actions

Well I'll give the Giants fans this

They’re persistent with their delusions of Eli and his game.

And how the hell can you say it wasn’t a fluke to win the SB yet be so adamant that they’re likely to not get another trophy? That seems a bit contradictory to me. If the Cowboys were to win the SB this year, you can be damn sure I’d think it possible if not likely they’ll get a repeat.

Ugh.. I could go on.. A lot of these answers are weak at best and completely homeristic. I guess that’s what you’re supposed to do as a fan though. At least he recognizes Romo as the best QB.

by sublimezg on Aug 15, 2008 9:20 AM CDT reply actions

+1

When did Eli “come up big?” Good job Eli, you had a 4 game stretch where you didn’t completely self destruct. It’s not like he put them on his back and led them anywhere.

If the Patriots DB’s had hands we wouldnt even be having this conversation. People forget that he threw 2 balls that should have been picked right before the Tyree miracle.

I cant wait till the season starts so Eli can be average and inconsistent again. Then I want to see them defend him again.

And as far as Tony Romo. He has lost 2 playoff games that he played pretty well in. In ’06 screw the field goal, if Terry Glenn doesnt fumble the ball through the end zone with 6 minutes left. Game over. Last year if Crayton catches the crossing route, or keeps running on the deep ball, Game over.

They are trying to make it look like is what Peyton Manning used to be. Peyton lost his first 6 playoff games if I remember right. Tony has lost his first two. 2 is not a streak. When he has lost his 4th straight playoff game, then bring on the criticism.

by Carl Shelton (GloryDayz88) on Aug 15, 2008 11:00 AM CDT up reply actions

The "Locker Room Theory of Success"

This theory of the likely Dallas “implosion” is based on an assumption of how NFL teams win: call it the “Locker Room Theory.” On this theory, there are 8 or so teams good enough every year to win the Super Bowl, but the team that wins does so because they “come together as a team” more so than other teams. A New York fan would be more likely than most to adopt this theory, what with the NY press’ obsessive reporting of locker room intrigue.

No one who watches the Cowboys thinks the team will “implode” from bad characters. I have concerns that Wade is all wrong to coach the team, and that his nice guy-ness needs to be supplemented by someone who can yell. Of course, I think the same thing of Tony Dungy, and now that he’s a Super Bowl champion, I don’t have those concerns.

by TimSchultz36 on Aug 15, 2008 9:29 AM CDT reply actions

I don't dismiss the locker room chemistry theory at all

In this same Q&A when asked about what could happen so we finish last in the division, injuries was #1 in my book but the team chemistry was another. On the field we don’t have any major weaknesses to point at with our starters. But we are a team full of high-profile players who are quite talkative. Everything went very smoothly last year because we were winning, if we run into a rough patch, how will this team react? We aren’t exactly the stoic-type who keep everything internal. This team is very media-friendly and Wade’s style encourages that. All it takes is a few misplaced quotes or comments in anger to get a locker room in turmoil. We have players who speak their mind, who talk to the media often, and who the media follows closely. Wade runs a very loose ship that allows that.

None of that is a criticism of our players, coach or organization, just an observation. I do think about that issue as something that could occur.

by Dave Halprin on Aug 15, 2008 10:22 AM CDT reply actions

I'd be shocked if the Cowboys players

threw each other under the bus if we run into a rough patch as Wade has instilled the “team as a family” approach. We might have players with big mouths who will talk openly to the media, but I just don’t see them criticizing one another if things don’t go well.

I think our locker room chemistry is as good as any team in the league.

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on Aug 15, 2008 10:43 AM CDT up reply actions

a bad loss or 2

It could easily happen..

"If you see me up in the mountains with a lion, I ain't lyin
don't help me, help the mountain lion"

by Wmillion on Aug 15, 2008 12:49 PM CDT up reply actions

Absolutely not. It certainly was unexpected, but it wasn’t a fluke. The Giants played incredibly, and they earned each victory. There weren’t any crazy, fluke plays — no ‘Tuck Rule’ plays or any of that nonsense.

They played great, no doubt. But the play of the game (the “Giant Snatch” if you will) had a lot of luck involved.

by chilibean_3 on Aug 15, 2008 1:10 PM CDT reply actions

We'll see who is better this season

I’ll predict another regular season sweep of the Midgets. I don’t think they’ll get to the playoff this time.

T-New, shutting down WR's for Dallas since 2003

by APerfectStar on Aug 15, 2008 1:28 PM CDT reply actions

+1

that luck wont strike twice in the same place.

by bleedn blu on Aug 15, 2008 2:31 PM CDT reply actions

Ouch

very harsh responses. I think BBV was actually pretty balanced, at least for the most part. I agree with Grizz (maybe because he holds the power of blogging life and death) that locker rooms matter, but I disagree with ETVal that this is a combustible mixture. Owens has shown himself to be a model citizen, and the other “personalities” have never, ever been locker room problems, but rather off-the-field problems. But I get that if a team looks great on paper, you look for something, anything, to critique. For the BBV, it’s “chemistry”.
All that said, here are my critiques of his critiques…
(1) It’s lame to use the “we’re cmaps until someone proves we’re not”. That is McFlabb’s line of last year “the NCF East comes through Philly”. Not so much or we’d all be bored with Green Bay winning every championship for the past 40 years.
(2) Implosion. Of all teams, the Giants should understand that predictions of a team’s demise based on chemistry are much overstated.
(3) Eli. ETVal should know better than most that last year’s victories are not Eli’s, but Osi’s, and Jason’s. If the D plays well, they have a nice shot. If it doesn’t, they have none. Eli isn’t winning games at this point, he’s managing them. And that is perfectly fine. When you have a great defense you ride it.

Never wrestle with a pig. You both get dirty and the pig loves it.

by dunkman on Aug 15, 2008 9:17 PM CDT reply actions

No implosion on the Cowboys

I think comments by fans of other teams about potential implosions due to the personalities on our team are simply manifestations of their jealousy of the fact that we picked up T.O., Tank, and Pacman rather than their teams. These comments also reveal what the other fans hope happens rather than what they think might happen.

Let’s see, what has Manning done? Well, he won the Super Bowl in only his fourth season in the NFL. He was the Super Bowl MVP. His brother has won the Super Bowl. His father was one of the nation’s most well-known college and NFL quarterbacks. Give him his due rather than trying to pretend that he hasn’t done anything. It’s a new year, but they are the champions, which is why we need to beat them at every opportunity.

by rrb on Aug 15, 2008 11:44 PM CDT reply actions

It's not prenetending Eli hasn't done anything

but he is not, as many claim, an elite QB because his team won the Super Bowl. His numbers tell you where he ranks, and it’s not up there with Brady and P Manning.

Never wrestle with a pig. You both get dirty and the pig loves it.

by dunkman on Aug 16, 2008 7:04 AM CDT up reply actions