From James Alder,
Your Guide to Football.
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Sep 3 2003

The Philadelphia Eagles have owned the NFC East recently, but the Giants might have something to say about that this year. They are a fiery, hungry team that is looking for a run deep into the playoffs, and they have the talent to do it. But don’t think the Eagles aren’t a motivated bunch, also, after losing in the NFC Championship game last season.

New York Giants
With a solid defense and what could be an explosive offense, the Giants may be the most well balanced team in the league. Quarterback Kerry Collins looks like he’s in for a big year with targets like Jeremy Shockey, Amani Toomer, Ike Hilliard, and Tiki Barber. The only question on offense is whether the offensive line, which has been revamped again, can learn to play together quickly.

The Giants addressed one of their few weaknesses by adding depth to their defensive line with their first two draft picks, William Joseph and Osi Umenyiora, along with free agent veteran end Keith Washington. The secondary looks especially good with Ralph Brown playing well in the preseason in the nickel cornerback position.

Bottom Line: The Giants have the talent to win it all this year if the right side of their offensive line holds up. They were playing with a lot of confidence at the end of the 2002 season, and I don’t anticipate that will change this year.

Philadelphia Eagles
The division race with the Giants should be very interesting this year, and I look for the Eagles to be Super Bowl contenders again. Quarterback Donovan McNabb is completely healthy and in the best shape of his career, but what he really needs is a bona fide No. 1 receiver. Todd Pinkston received a big contract extension. Now he needs to prove he deserves it.

On the defensive side, the Eagles still have the best secondary in the league. Weakside linebacker could be a problem with free agent Nate Wayne struggling in camp. The loss of defensive end Hugh Douglas to free agency hurts the defensive line, but overall, this is still one of the best defenses in the league.

Bottom Line: The Eagles should be a playoff team again this season, and it should be interesting to see if they can hold of the Giants. I don’t think they will.

Washington Redskins
Once again, the Redskins made a lot of headlines during the off-season, but will it pan out during the season? Running back Trung Canidate has a lot of speed, but he is unproven. Wide receiver Laveranues Coles should add a deep threat, but quarterback Patrick Ramsey must do a better job of reading defenses.