NFCE Rankings by positional groups offense

[Stash]

One stat outweighs all the rest? Come on.

Yeah, the one stat that actually goes on the scoreboard.

 

[Sammy Baugh]

Yeah, the one stat that actually goes on the scoreboard.

Interceptions go on the scoreboard when they are returned for scores or set up field position. Passes which are incomplete affect the scoreboard by NOT putting up points. The fact is, ALL of the stats which I mentioned affect the scoreboard.

 

[Stash]

Interceptions go on the scoreboard when they are returned for scores or set up field position. Passes which are incomplete affect the scoreboard by NOT putting up points. The fact is, ALL of the stats which I mentioned affect the scoreboard.

You keep at it Junior, hope springs eternal.

Maybe someday your team will be 'relevant' again too...

:laugh2:

 

[Bizwah]

You have to show it on the field so the following comments are speculation:
1) with overall offensive stability like he hasn't had, I think you will see Jason Campbell break out this year.
2) Devin Thomas is likely to have a very good year. Malcolm Kelly may contribute, too, but we'll have to see about his knees.

My point is this: you might be re-ranking the qb's and the wr's before Halloween...

Too true.....

You never know. Miles Austin, if he turns out the way many think, could vault our WR corps to the top.

Anyway....here's mine. I'll try to limit this to starters and guys that will play a lot.

QBs:
Giants: Manning is steady and has the hardware. It's funny...but after we spanked them at NY in 2007, many NY papers were pining for a guy like Romo.
Cowboys: I think we have the best backup in the division. Romo, if he's on his game, is clearly the best QB in the division. But he still has moments where you wonder where his head is. He also has to better prepare himself in Dec.
Eagles: McNabb is still very, very dangerous. I think he has our number...seriously. We haven't been able to consistently beat him. I think many were right when they've said his best days are behind him.
Washington: I like Campbell. And he may really take a step forward this season. Right now, he looks like a bus driver rather than a game-changer.

Really, the QBs of our division are pretty good when you compare them to other divisions. I think this is a pretty close race.

RBs:
Cowboys: I seriously considered whether or not we deserved this. But when you look at the fact that all these guys play....and contribute...you have to give us the nod. All of them made big plays last year. I think if we had trusted Choice more after Barber's injury, that we would've made the playoffs.
Eagles: Westbrook is the best RB (maybe the best offensive player) in the division. There isn't much to fear after him (although I like McCoy).
Giants: I really would like to see us pattern our offense after there's in 2007. I think losing Ward is gonna hurt, but Bradshaw is pretty darn good. Jacobs for some reason doesn't seem to dominate like he should.
Washington: Portis may be the second-best back in the division.....but he's slowing down. Like Hostile, I like Cartwright (who seems to have a good KR against us every game), but he doesn't seem to make as big of an impact on offense as our guys...or the Giant's guys.

Again, this is a position where there are no stinkers. I think arguments can be made for each team why they have the best RBs.

WRs:
Washington: Moss may be the best WR in our division. He's dangerous as a deep threat, and can make the tough catch in traffic too. He always seems to have one big game against us each year. I'm not too impressed with ARE. I think he's more hype than anything else. There's potential with Thomas.
Philly:
Curtis is solid, as is Brown. They provide good, solid WR play (although, Curtis is underrated as far as deep threats are concerned). I disliked Jackson in the draft. I still think he has a lot to prove, and his attitude stinks. But he had a nice year. If he builds on it......yikes. Maclin was my favorite player in the draft. He's going to give us fits for years.
Dallas: Williams has the potential to be the best WR in our division. But his transition last year really worries me. Is he going to be a bust for us? I've always liked him. Crayton is the best number two in our division. Last year we shoved him down the totem pole. Austin is a lot like Thomas of Wash....if he puts it together...Watch out. I also like Hurd. He may be the hardest worker on our team.
NYG: I like Steve Smith and Hixon. Hixon especially has the potential to turn into a darn good player. There's a lot of questions here. I'm not sure there's a real home run threat in this group.

TE:
Cowboys: By a large margin. Witten is easily the best TE in the division. He may be one of the best offensive players in the division. Bennett will be a weapon for us this year. I really hope we go two TEs most of the time this season.
Washington: Cooley is a good player. He's more of an H-back....but he is still darn tough. We'll see what Davis brings to the table this season.
Philly: I like Celek. I can see him really taking a big step forward. Schoebel is a good player too. Ingram may be a perfect fit for this offense. Match up nightmare.
NYG: Boss really stepped up. I like him as a player. Beckum was a good choice for these guys.

OL:
Giants: Solid group. These guys are well-coached and play well together. They don't have a star...they're not scary....they're just good.
Philly: For the first time in a long time they have big changes at OT. I think there's some very good talent there. They may have the best interior OL in our division.
Dallas: I just can't understand why we don't dominate. The parts don't equal the whole here. I see too much inconsistency pass blocking (Romo seems to run for his life a lot). I also don't see us as a strong run-blocking team. Maybe the return of Kosier and Holland will bolster our team.
Washington: Not a bad OL. It's just not quite as strong as some of the others in the division. I like Thomas. Samuels is still a strong player, but he's not the dominator he was.

 

[Sammy Baugh]

Too true.....

You never know. Miles Austin, if he turns out the way many think, could vault our WR corps to the top.

Anyway....here's mine. I'll try to limit this to starters and guys that will play a lot.

QBs:
Giants: Manning is steady and has the hardware. It's funny...but after we spanked them at NY in 2007, many NY papers were pining for a guy like Romo.
Cowboys: I think we have the best backup in the division. Romo, if he's on his game, is clearly the best QB in the division. But he still has moments where you wonder where his head is. He also has to better prepare himself in Dec.
Eagles: McNabb is still very, very dangerous. I think he has our number...seriously. We haven't been able to consistently beat him. I think many were right when they've said his best days are behind him.
Washington: I like Campbell. And he may really take a step forward this season. Right now, he looks like a bus driver rather than a game-changer.

Really, the QBs of our division are pretty good when you compare them to other divisions. I think this is a pretty close race.

RBs:
Cowboys: I seriously considered whether or not we deserved this. But when you look at the fact that all these guys play....and contribute...you have to give us the nod. All of them made big plays last year. I think if we had trusted Choice more after Barber's injury, that we would've made the playoffs.
Eagles: Westbrook is the best RB (maybe the best offensive player) in the division. There isn't much to fear after him (although I like McCoy).
Giants: I really would like to see us pattern our offense after there's in 2007. I think losing Ward is gonna hurt, but Bradshaw is pretty darn good. Jacobs for some reason doesn't seem to dominate like he should.
Washington: Portis may be the second-best back in the division.....but he's slowing down. Like Hostile, I like Cartwright (who seems to have a good KR against us every game), but he doesn't seem to make as big of an impact on offense as our guys...or the Giant's guys.

Again, this is a position where there are no stinkers. I think arguments can be made for each team why they have the best RBs.

WRs:
Washington: Moss may be the best WR in our division. He's dangerous as a deep threat, and can make the tough catch in traffic too. He always seems to have one big game against us each year. I'm not too impressed with ARE. I think he's more hype than anything else. There's potential with Thomas.
Philly:
Curtis is solid, as is Brown. They provide good, solid WR play (although, Curtis is underrated as far as deep threats are concerned). I disliked Jackson in the draft. I still think he has a lot to prove, and his attitude stinks. But he had a nice year. If he builds on it......yikes. Maclin was my favorite player in the draft. He's going to give us fits for years.
Dallas: Williams has the potential to be the best WR in our division. But his transition last year really worries me. Is he going to be a bust for us? I've always liked him. Crayton is the best number two in our division. Last year we shoved him down the totem pole. Austin is a lot like Thomas of Wash....if he puts it together...Watch out. I also like Hurd. He may be the hardest worker on our team.
NYG: I like Steve Smith and Hixon. Hixon especially has the potential to turn into a darn good player. There's a lot of questions here. I'm not sure there's a real home run threat in this group.

TE:
Cowboys: By a large margin. Witten is easily the best TE in the division. He may be one of the best offensive players in the division. Bennett will be a weapon for us this year. I really hope we go two TEs most of the time this season.
Washington: Cooley is a good player. He's more of an H-back....but he is still darn tough. We'll see what Davis brings to the table this season.
Philly: I like Celek. I can see him really taking a big step forward. Schoebel is a good player too. Ingram may be a perfect fit for this offense. Match up nightmare.
NYG: Boss really stepped up. I like him as a player. Beckum was a good choice for these guys.

OL:
Giants: Solid group. These guys are well-coached and play well together. They don't have a star...they're not scary....they're just good.
Philly: For the first time in a long time they have big changes at OT. I think there's some very good talent there. They may have the best interior OL in our division.
Dallas: I just can't understand why we don't dominate. The parts don't equal the whole here. I see too much inconsistency pass blocking (Romo seems to run for his life a lot). I also don't see us as a strong run-blocking team. Maybe the return of Kosier and Holland will bolster our team.
Washington: Not a bad OL. It's just not quite as strong as some of the others in the division. I like Thomas. Samuels is still a strong player, but he's not the dominator he was.

Good intelligent analysis.

 

[jterrell]

I think you overrate our WR's, while underrating our HB's.

I understand the thought there and agree it is the popular one.

My thinking is this.

WR:
Crayton is the most underrated WR in the division. He has averaged about 42 catches, 5 TD for the past 3 years as no more than a spot starter.

He has been a solid WR with great hands and tremendous ability to get open in zones.

Steve Smith is painfully overrated. He's not a dog of a player but look at his stats when Burress went down. You'd think he would have blown up as he had more targets but no, he really didn't do much. He had 1 TD all year and he finished that playoff game with 2 catches for 17 yards....

I am not real big on ARE. He has similar stats to Crayton except less TDs and he has started basically every game of the past 3 years. Crayton is also clearly a better blocker.

The Giants have potential with their young guys but no proven go to WR. Not even close to one. Can a rookie be the go-to guy?? I do not think so. Especially not a late 1st round guy.

Austin has shown he can definitely get deep and he will draw penalties. He is a question mark for health but any team in the division would play him if he were healthy.

HBs: I really do like our HBs. I just don't know if Felix can stay healthy. Or if Barber is going to be able to stay healthy running through defenders. So while the crew is good I just don't rate them over Jacobs who at 260+ can afford to run through defenders and then the scat back is such a huge change of pace for them.

 

[Sammy Baugh]

I understand the thought there and agree it is the popular one.

My thinking is this.

WR:
Crayton is the most underrated WR in the division. He has averaged about 42 catches, 5 TD for the past 3 years as no more than a spot starter.

He has been a solid WR with great hands and tremendous ability to get open in zones.

Steve Smith is painfully overrated. He's not a dog of a player but look at his stats when Burress went down. You'd think he would have blown up as he had more targets but no, he really didn't do much. He had 1 TD all year and he finished that playoff game with 2 catches for 17 yards....

I am not real big on ARE. He has similar stats to Crayton except less TDs and he has started basically every game of the past 3 years. Crayton is also clearly a better blocker.

The Giants have potential with their young guys but no proven go to WR. Not even close to one. Can a rookie be the go-to guy?? I do not think so. Especially not a late 1st round guy.

Austin has shown he can definitely get deep and he will draw penalties. He is a question mark for health but any team in the division would play him if he were healthy.

HBs: I really do like our HBs. I just don't know if Felix can stay healthy. Or if Barber is going to be able to stay healthy running through defenders. So while the crew is good I just don't rate them over Jacobs who at 260+ can afford to run through defenders and then the scat back is such a huge change of pace for them.

You are right about ARE. He really should be a #3 receiver in the slot.

You are also right about the Giants. I think that they will have a tougher time both running and passing this year because the lack of a go-to deep threat will mean that they face 8 in the box more.

 

[jterrell]

In Philly's case, I feel they don't run Westbrook into the ground as much as Gibbs did with Portis. Giving a 205lbs RB the ball as much as Gibbs did was stupid. Especially with Betts on the bench.

I do agree with your point though. At this point, if I could choose one back in the division, it would probably be Westbrook. I think all 4 teams have good RBs. But as a UNIT you have to give NY and Dallas the nod.

To address both of you... the reason his point is a bit hollow is that BOTH backs were banged up last year.

Westbrook and Portis are very good backs but few backs make it through the year healthy and you have to grade the groups because of it.

In Dallas' case they have a guy who makes plays like Westbrook in Felix Jones but also have a guy who can pound the ball inside.

Portis is a good player but again his injury history has affected him even when he plays through it.

I am not sure the last great team that used one main back. Arizona and Pitt both had committees. Giants, Pats have committees.

*** Added note, you have to judge depth as well because all 4 team shave RBS who have made Pro Bowls.

 

[RainMan]

JT, I reluctantly agree that Crayton is one of the more underrated wideouts -- not just in the division, but in the league IMO.

He gets dogged a lot -- and deservedly so -- for the dropped passes in that Giants game, but he's a steady player. Nothing special, but steady. And I don't think he necessarily gets the respect (even from Cowboy fans) for being steady.

Other point: I think our division might be the league's most difficult to rank at the QB position. You have the aging, but ever-productive McNabb who has taken his team to four NFC title games and has by far the most skins on the wall. He also has the "choker" label, and is aging. Then you have a Super Bowl-winning Manning, who while he has a ring seemed to regress last season and has never looked special outside of his one playoff run. Then there's Romo, a statistical wizard, but a guy who turns into a pumpkin every December.

Honestly, I could understand placing those three in any order. I think for the time being, Manning will continue to be placed higher than he otherwise would be solely because his Super Bowl win remains so new and shiny. He impressed the heck out of me during that playoff run, but has since not looked like the same player. Two years from now, I'd frankly be highly shocked if he's still widely regarded.

(Note for the Skins fan: I don't discount Campbell out of disrespect, as I think he's a solid player. But I think he's clearly the "worst" QB in the division at this point, as he's by far the most unproven. But unproven doesn't mean he can't be a good one.)