Biggest division threat to the Skins (Sponsored by the boring offseason)

[Schneed10]

I am the lone wolf who voted for the Eagles. I'm very concerned about them.

Their defensive line is a lot more formidable now than last season, they now have bookends at DE in Jevon Kearse and Darren Howard. The Howard acquisition is kind of flying under the radar, but that tandem rivals the Giants' Osi and Strahan. Kearse is never going to be what he once was, but he's worth 8 sacks and Howard is worth 10+. They drafted Broderick Bunkley, and can pair him with last year's first rounder Mike Patterson at DT. Makes for a scary front 4.

In the secondary, Dawkins has lost a step but he's still excellent. Michael Lewis (pro bowl 2 years ago) is healthy again at SS. And Sheldon Brown and Lito Sheppard are both fully healthy again at CB. The one weakness in the secondary is nickel CB.

At LB, Trotter is still there, and otherwise it was a weak unit last year. But Dhani Jones returns from injury, and they had another under the radar acquisition: Shawn Barber.

Overall I'm very scared of the defense.

The offense is going to rebound because of players returning from injury. The obvious ones are McNabb and Westbrook, but LT Tra Thomas is back and fully healthy again, which is huge. They managed to keep Runyan at RT. The interior of the line is kind of weak, which is why they can't run very well. But drafting Winston Justice in round 2 may help matters there. The receivers are still weak too, but Jabar Gaffney doesn't totally suck.

In the end, a healthy McNabb can turn even the weakest surrounding casts into a viable offense. I think the Eagles are going to get by with a mediocre offense and rely on a serious resurgence on defense.

I don't like the Giants' coaching staff. Tom Coughlin can make your team work hard, but he's not very smart. He's not going to outscheme anybody. As for the Cowboys, I think the loss of Sean Payton as offensive coordinator should not be overlooked. He is one of the great offensive minds in the game, and now he's coaching the Saints. How the Cowboys adjust is a huge question mark. I'm also not sold on their running game. I think Julius Jones is a pansy. That Marion Barber looks alright, and he could turn into something, but I'm not exactly scared of him just yet.