NFL Rankings; Who Moved Up and Who Moved Down...

Back in April I told you who the best teams in the NFC East were, I broke it down, and I gave you solid reasons on why each were placed in those spots.

And anyone who wasn’t a Cowboys fan hated it.

Think about this for a second, I don’t ask much from my friends and fans. All I ask is that when you bring me your argument, you take your passion out of it. Whether its hatred for one team or whether it’s love for another, take it out of your argument.

Let’s get one thing straight, you hate other teams in this division because of specific events in YOUR life, not the franchise’s history, but in YOUR life.

If you’re a Redskins fan under 30 years old, you hate Dallas because for the past two decades, they pretty much dominated the Skins. Now the Skins have won some games, I don’t take that way, but let’s face facts; you hate them because even when Quincy Carter was QB, they were beating you and were very loud and proud about it.

Cowboys fans, you hate Redskins because they continuously like to trash talk and hate you no matter how many games you have over them. But other than that, you hate the Eagles, cause the second the “Triplets” left and your dynasty was over, the Eagles took over the NFC. Not to mention how they cheered when Michael Irvin laid paralyzed in the Vet.

Giants fans, you’re tired of being overlooked. You’re the only team with a Lombardi Trophy in the past decade, and yet nobody cares. Nobody talks about you being at the top of the division, even after you ended the Patriots’ streak.

Eagle fans, well let’s face it, you hate everyone. Everyone has a trophy, and you’re the Buffalo Bills of the NFC. With every great year, everyone downplays it because you never win the big one.

Of course there are other reasons why you’re passionate one way or the other, but that covers the majority of my readers.

Ok, now take that all out of it; and here are the August rankings of the NFC East.

The Dallas Cowboys are still on top of the NFC East. Not much has changed in Big D outside of their new offensive weapon in Dez Bryant. The thing about Dallas is, in a quarterback-driven league, they have the best quarterback from last season returning (statistically that is). They also arguably have the best wideouts in the division. They still have questions surrounding their left tackle position, that’s the one thing everyone’s eyes should be on. But ask any NFL general manager, if your team only has one or two question marks going into the season, you’re in good shape.

The G-Men of New York have been quiet this offseason, but their two key moves put them strongly in the #2 position in the East. Lets not forget this, the Giants started last season 5-2. Now, they did have a horrendous defensive breakdown, but just because they’re quiet, doesn’t mean they aren’t a team to look out for. Also, don’t underestimate the signing of Keith Bullock at middle linebacker. With Antonio Pierce being cut and eventually retiring, the Giants were ready to start fourth-round-pick, Phillip Dillard until Bullock’s recovery was promising enough to sign him. Combine that with the defensive help that Antrel Rolle will bring, and the Giants are confident that another meltdown in the second half of this season won’t happen like in 2009.

The Hogs and the Washington Redskins have made smart moves this offseason, moves that they’ve always failed to make in seasons past. For the first time in years, they stopped signing players as if they were one player away from the Super Bowl. They started in the trenches with rookie Trent Williams, traded for Jammal Brown formerly of the Saints, and then signed four different defensive lineman of 300+ pounds to help with the transition to the 3-4 defense. They may still struggler on offense though, with a running back core that’s on the decline, you’d hope that Shannahan’s running offense will be reborn in Washington. However, nobody can put their finger on the wideout spot. With Joey Galloway, a player who was cut twice last season, slotted at #2, many wonder what’s going to happen in the passing game.

And lastly, the Philadelphia Eagles are now last in the East. Don’t get me wrong, they haven’t made any steps backwards since the last time I evaluated them, but the Skins honestly have made more changes and moves while the Eagles stood idle. While the Skins are trading for help, taking players to Donovan McNabb’s “Hell Week”, the Eagles are getting injured in training camp and making zero moves to help their depth. Think about this for a second; I already explained how having the worst quarterback in the division usually makes you the worst team, but have you realized that the two players that anchored this team for around a decade are now gone? Both McNabb and Brian Westbrook made this team the dominating team for years, and within one offseason, they’re both gone. Can Kevin Kolb be a starter in the NFL? Can McCoy become a stable #1 RB? Will the new secondary be able to hold up in this offense-heavy conference? Much like the Cowboys only have one major question which is a good thing, Philly has the most question marks surrounding their team, and that my friends, is a bad thing.

Disagree? Please tell me why