News: DMN: Gosselin: After several key additions, the Commanders know the NFC East is theirs in 2016

[theebs]

I have no idea who is going to win the east but when talking about washington if you look at their schedule they have it really tough.

they play minnesota then green bay the sunday before they come to Dallas on turkey day. From their they have to go to arizona, philly then home to carolina at chicago and then finally home vs the giants.

4 of their final 6 on the road and they have to play carolina and arizona. That is huge. They don't get to play their usual fellow basement teams from the other divisions.

they could not win on the road last year. I think their offense is going to be very good but I am not so sure where all the love is coming from for this defense. Isn't their whole secondary not named norman hurt or coming off injury?

again I don't know who will win the division but I think washington is in for a tough final 8 game stretch. Lat year they got to play the bears and rams and the afc east wasn't as strong as the afc north we are all going to play this year.

if they don't start fast which imo means they will have to beat the eagles, browns and lions they could be looking at a 7 win season or less. That finish of the schedule is really difficult.

 

[JoeKing]

If he is half a competitor, he plays his rear end off in preseason since with just a little bit of success, he is the backup instead of Moore. If he plays it conservative to put "what he has learned on tape" for other teams, then that is selling himself short. And when I say streetball, I am talking improv plays when the time calls for it. Romo did the same thing his first preseason and while it drove the coaches crazy, it showed them part of his character.

Yes that is what Romo did and it would have got him cut if it were not for Quincy Carter's love of the wacky weed. That won't earn Dak a roster spot. He needs to put on tape what he is being taught by the coaching staff.

 

[Alexander]

Yes that is what Romo did and it would have got him cut if it were not for Quincy Carter's love of the wacky weed. That won't earn Dak a roster spot. He needs to put on tape what he is being taught by the coaching staff.

I don't think the idea that Romo would have got cut is entirely accurate. Cut in favor of whom?

There was Carter, Hutchinson and Stoerner.

It sounds nice that he was a Cinderella who had to battle his way on the roster, but even Coach Parcells recognized quickly he had potential and he only rode players he thought were worth the time.

If they had cut him to keep Stoerner or even Hutchinson, I doubt it would have been in tune with what Payton or Parcells would have desired.

 

[USMarineVet]

The only reason the Skins won the division is because Romo & Dez went down. And we had to suffer through 3/4 of a season with scrub backup QBs. Period.

 

[boysfanindc]

I have no idea who is going to win the east but when talking about washington if you look at their schedule they have it really tough.

they play minnesota then green bay the sunday before they come to Dallas on turkey day. From their they have to go to arizona, philly then home to carolina at chicago and then finally home vs the giants.

4 of their final 6 on the road and they have to play carolina and arizona. That is huge. They don't get to play their usual fellow basement teams from the other divisions.

they could not win on the road last year. I think their offense is going to be very good but I am not so sure where all the love is coming from for this defense. Isn't their whole secondary not named norman hurt or coming off injury?

again I don't know who will win the division but I think washington is in for a tough final 8 game stretch. Lat year they got to play the bears and rams and the afc east wasn't as strong as the afc north we are all going to play this year.

if they don't start fast which imo means they will have to beat the eagles, browns and lions they could be looking at a 7 win season or less. That finish of the schedule is really difficult.

Good points, they have improved, but the have a first place division schedule.

 

[xvendettax914]

You would think by now writers would know that annointing a division winner is May is absurd and off base. But, nope.

 

[StarBoyz83]

Meh I say they take 3rd and we take 2nd. Giants take 1st.

 

[DBOY3141]

The skins were bad running the ball and stopping he run. They have not done anything to improve those areas. The impact from this years draft will be minimial.

Doctson - will be their 4th receiver after Jackson, Gargeon, Reed. How many balls do they really think he will catch. As soon as Jackson doesn't get his share, I'm sure he will be crying.

Cravens - LB or safety. where will he play

Fuller - Bruce Allen said after the draft that they "hope" he is ready for Training Camp and they "hope" he can contribute in 2016. Doesn't sound reassuring.

Don't see how they improved much for this 2016. They will have one more year experience in Gruden's system, but that's it.

If Romo/Bryant stay healthy, it's the Cowboys to lose.

 

[JoeKing]

I don't think the idea that Romo would have got cut is entirely accurate. Cut in favor of whom?

There was Carter, Hutchinson and Stoerner.

It sounds nice that he was a Cinderella who had to battle his way on the roster, but even Coach Parcells recognized quickly he had potential and he only rode players he thought were worth the time.

If they had cut him to keep Stoerner or even Hutchinson, I doubt it would have been in tune with what Payton or Parcells would have desired.

I recommend you read a book... "if These Walls Could Talk" by Nick Eatman. If you want the true story of how close Romo was to getting cut prior to Quincy's wacky weed crisis, here it is from the perspective of someone that was there like a fly one the wall.

 

[dstew60105]

The NFC East is theirs, really? I guess there's no need for us to even show up, it's been decided. Thank you Rick Gosselin.

Goose fails to mention that last year they basically won it by default.

 

[Denim Chicken]

Kirk Cousins has never beat a team with a winning record.

 

[zrinkill]

Last year he said it was the Eagles year.

Year before that he said Giants.

 

[boysfanindc]

The skins were bad running the ball and stopping he run. They have not done anything to improve those areas. The impact from this years draft will be minimial.

Doctson - will be their 4th receiver after Jackson, Gargeon, Reed. How many balls do they really think he will catch. As soon as Jackson doesn't get his share, I'm sure he will be crying.

Cravens - LB or safety. where will he play

Fuller - Bruce Allen said after the draft that they "hope" he is ready for Training Camp and they "hope" he can contribute in 2016. Doesn't sound reassuring.

Don't see how they improved much for this 2016. They will have one more year experience in Gruden's system, but that's it.

If Romo/Bryant stay healthy, it's the Cowboys to lose.

I don't know:

Josh Norman is quite a improvement, no way Doctson in a 4, Kirk should be better, the RB Jones should be better, Reed @ Davis could be quite the TE combo.

I hope you are right, nothing would make me happier, but I would not sleep on them.

 

[conner01]

Goose danced around the draft question. There's a hit from the lower round of the draft every year, but does a team consistently draft em? Maybe Ron Wolf did it two decades ago, but anyone else?

Walters football did a nice study of picks by round. How many were hits or busts. Hits being starter quality players which is a very liberal definition of a hit. Second round picks were 50% hits over a decade. First rnd picks about 10% higher
Fans perception of other team draft don't usually match reality. They see the Brady or Sherman picks and think other teams are hitting on late round picks all the time. Reality is a bit different . your odds of hitting on a UDFA is much higher than draft picks in any round after the 3rd.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

There's not 1 organization in the NFC East that has shown that they can make the playoffs 2 years in a row for quite some time. I actually think it comes down to Dallas and NYG. Just how the division has played out for quite a while now. And for all of the Skins talk...they went a whopping 9-7 last year and were easily beaten by the Packers...at home. It wasn't like they went 11-5 or 12-4, won a playoff game and added new talent.






YR

 

[speedkilz88]

I have my issues with Goose, like anyone else, but this looks to me like a copy editor running just a bit far with the headline.

Yeah, the headline doesn't match what he said in the q & a

 

[Stash]

Skins will be tough. Tough D.

They've turned things around a lot after hiring Scot McCloughan to be their GM. When he's had his life in order, he's been successful in finding talent wherever he's been - San Francisco, Seattle, or Washington.

 

[Denim Chicken]

They've turned things around a lot after hiring Scot McCloughan to be their GM. When he's had his life in order, he's been successful in finding talent wherever he's been - San Francisco, Seattle, or Washington.

That's the popular narrative these days.

I haven't seen much change.

 

[Denim Chicken]

Skins will be tough. Tough D.

28th ranked defense.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

Goose danced around the draft question. There's a hit from the lower round of the draft every year, but does a team consistently draft em? Maybe Ron Wolf did it two decades ago, but anyone else?

I noticed that too and that was a great question. I've never heard that statistic that no team really drafts any better than the next.