In this episode we begin to preview each division of the NFL.  We started with arguably the strongest in the entire league, and the one home to the defending Super Bowl Champions, the NFC East.  Stay tuned over the next few days as we do a rundown of every division in the NFL.

Hosts: Kevin, Rich, and Ryan

 

 NFC East Preview [20:39m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

• Should we pay any attention to the Carolina Panthers this year? With stories like these, it’s making it hard to ignore them. The Panthers, set on committing to a ground attack featuring 1st round picks Jonathan Stewart and Deangelo Williams, have brought in former tank Natrone Means to mentor the young backs. With a bunch of 330 pounders on the offensive line, the Panthers look ready and willing to punch the NFC South in the mouth.

• Close your eyes and try to imagine the Philadelphia Eagles without Dononvan McNabb and Brian Dawkins. Pretty difficult, right? Well, 2009 could see the Eagles missing two franchise faces. The 34-year-old Dawkins hinted at retirement in a press conference at training camp, saying this could be his last ride.

• Self proclaimed offensive genius Charlie Weis sung “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” at Wrigley Field over the weekend. Beginning his rendition amidst a chorus of boos, Weis hung in there and delivered a decent performance. In other news, Wrigley Field has reported a shortage of polish sausages and cotton candy.

• In relatively unrelated news, Chris Balke, a two-year starter at offensive line for Valhalla High School (1999-2000), finally tied the knot over the weekend. In case you didn’t know, he’s my brother. Congratulations, Chris and Jackie!

• The San Diego Chargers, knowing they have a limited window of opportunity to win championships, have always been an organization that looks out for their own. That trend continued yesterday, as the Bolts inked star defensive end Luis Castillo to an extension through 2014. With stars like Antonio Cromartie, Shawne Merriman and Philip Rivers just two years away from free agency, general manager AJ Smith will be busting his ass to get as many of his stars signed as possible.

• With so much talk about the Giants and Cowboys, I guess the Eagles’ Donovan McNabb was getting a little bit antsy. McNabb came out and hyped up the Eagles‘ chances at a Super Bowl berth. I understand it’s foolish to count out Andy Reid’s boys. But come on, Donovan. Because you “should have” beat the Cowboys, Giants and Redskins, that makes you Super Bowl contenders?

• More news about he who shall not be named. Reports have surfaced of an old, indecisive quarterback calling up the Minnesota Vikings using a cell phone provided by the Green Bay Packers. In other news, both the Baltimore Ravens and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are downplaying their interest in you-know-who.

• Good news for teams that haven’t signed their first round pick yet. The Bears (#14 Chris Williams) and Giants (#31 Kenny Phillips) have both signed the dotted line with their top choices With a few more first rounders getting signed, this should speed up negotiations between teams and unsigned picks.

We all remember the hit that was laid by Sean Taylor on Bills punter Brian Moorman during the Pro Bowl. That hit, as expected, was greeted with plenty of anger towards Taylor. However, I found it hilarious. And I also find this clip funny. The 700Level has posted a clip of Eagles punter Sav Rocca getting absolutely murdered by Ray Lewis Antwan Barnes. The only thing disappointing here is Gus Johnson, who should have went nuts over the hit. Come on Gus, cut loose for once!

For the entire month of August, the Sportable Staff will look at one National Football League team a day. We?ll look at their offense, defense and in the end, assess their playoff chances. Previews will be done by division, starting with the NFC East. Each new division will also feature a new podcast devoted entirely to that division.

Westbrook and McNabb Pace NFC Contender
The Eagles are a team that should never be counted out of the playoffs because of the caliber of Donovan McNabb and the underrated coaching of Andy Reid. Yes, I believe Andy Reid is underrated mainly because his pool of talent isn?t overwhelming yet he finds a way to compete year in and year out.

Offense.
The offense starts and ends with Donovan McNabb and his health. McNabb was on his way to a Pro Bowl season last year before he suffered a season ending knee injury. While some believe it takes two years to heal from the surgery McNabb had, expect him to be just fine mainly in part to him reducing the times he scrambles and becoming more of a pocket passer. McNabb can?t afford to test out that surgically repaired knee until he gets some work on it and also eats his share of Chunky Soup Roadhouse Chili. Brian Westbrook is a guy I love to watch because he?s quick and incredibly versatile. He can catch the ball out of the backfield, line up in the slot, and he is an underrated runner as well.

The issue stems from the fact that Andy Reid hates running the ball. If Reid?s fat ass would get more comfortable with letting Westbrook eat up clock with tough running then I think we would see Westbrook turn into an elite running back. At wide receiver the Eagles will count on Reggie Brown to bounce back from a down year last year in which he disappointed many fantasy owners (including myself). The Eagles added fast pasty bastard Kevin Curtis to compliment Brown, an addition that will show its rewards immediately because Curtis is a much better receiver than overhyped first round bust Donte? Stallworth (Look forward to our burn on him in the Patriots preview). I?m still waiting for LJ Smith to decide that he wants to become a great tight end in this league. He has all the tools and a great quarterback and it?s just a matter of him not being a lazy ass and learning to stretch the field like the great ones do (Gates, Gonzalez, and I?ll even go as far as Kellen Winslow). Up front, John Runyan is the highlight. Runyan is hairy and a monster of a tackle and he?s easily one of the best at his position. Another nice player they have is Shawn Andrews, a first round pick from four years ago, who has really solidified himself on the offensive line as a great run and pass blocker.

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