Tag Archives: nfc east

Rex Grossman is the Washington Redskins Starting QB (SERIOUSLY!)

The Washington Redskins depth chart lists Rex Grossman as first on the depth chart for quarterback. The “sex cannon” is once again a starter in the NFL (And people wonder why I call Daniel Snyder the worst owner in all of sports).

Does that sound nuts to Chicago Bears fans? It should because Rex Grossman’s one “good” season. Actually, it was a good half-season as Sexy Rexy led the Bears to the Super Bowl (or you could say they went to the Super Bowl in spite of him,

His twenty-three touchdowns in one season (’06) rank Grossman among the best Bears quarterbacks in the franchise’s history. while his twenty interceptions in one season are among the most thrown by any Bears’ quarterback in almost two decades. The unusual combination ranked Grossman as statistically the most inconsistent quarterback in almost a decade. See the chart below

But it’s not that crazy, as Grossman had his best season passer rating for his career last year; by about 10 points. And he played in four games, started three, so he ended up with the third most passing attempts in a season for his career.  And what else can Mike Shanahan and the Skins do? John Beck, could beat Rex out for the #1 position. But after that……it gets real ugly (Kellen Clemens ugly). It’s pretty sad that Washington has had so few options that they need to settle for Rex.

It’s going to be yet another long season in what should be the NFL’s toughest division. Good luck getting past the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys.

Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net, an official Google News site that generates millions of unique visitors. He’s also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Walter Football.com, Yardbarker, and Fox Sports. You can follow him on Twitter

What We’ve Learned So Far: Division by Division NFC Edition

The NFL season is three weeks old.  One week short of the quarter mark, yet we’ve already learned so much about certain teams. Now, there is still plenty of football left to be played, but here is what we know, or we think we know, so far. Check out the AFC Edition here.

NFC East

Coming into the season, the NFC East appeared to be the strongest division in the NFL.  The Dallas Cowboys, who many have picked to play at home in the Super Bowl, have looked shaky in the first two weeks.  However, their big week three win over the Houston Texans seemed to calm the fan base, at least temporarily.  The talent is certainly there for a title run.  In New York, the Giants started strong but have fallen off in the last two weeks.  Pass protection for Eli Manning has been lacking, and this could lead to some costly turnovers down the road.

With Michael Vick solidifying his starting spot at quarterback in Philadelphia, the Eagles could quickly become the team nobody wants to face this year.  However, there are many new faces, particularly on defense, and this could spell trouble as the season progresses.

Finally, the Washington Redskins have begun a new chapter with the acquisition of former-Eagle QB Donovan McNabb.  With their huge week one win over the Cowboys, DC fans were primed for a resurgence.  Unfortunately, they followed that big victory with two straight defeats, losing a nail-biter to the Texans and suffering a head-scratching loss against the lowly Rams.

NFC North

So far, we’ve discovered that the Vikings will not be the dominant team they were in 2009.  Brett Favre is without top wideout Sidney Rice for the first half of the season, and this has proven to be a significant loss for the team.  The aging quarterback may soon find his decision to return for yet another season to be a poor one.  The Chicago Bears, on the other hand, look to be a team on the rise.

Under new offensive coordinator Mike Martz, the Bears look much stronger, and quarterback Jay Cutler is thriving in his second year.  On the other side of the ball, DE Julius Peppers, acquired in the offseason, adds a scary dimension to an already strong defense.  Peppers caused a few Packer penalties all on his own last week.  Speaking of the Packers, who have been and still remain a popular Super Bowl pick, QB Aaron Rodgers has looked next to unstoppable with his never-ending choice of quality receiving targets.

Unfortunately, Green Bay can’t seem to get out of their own way.  Penalties have plagued the team and could prove to be their Achilles heel.  At the bottom of the division, the Lions appear to be heading in the right direction.  However, they still have a long way to go and it will be a good while before they are included in any meaningful discussions within division.

NFC South

The Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints are looking to repeat, and there’s no reason why they can’t.  The loss of defensive back Darren Sharper could hurt them, but its hard to root against Drew Brees and that high-flying offensive attack.  In the short term, the Saints need to worry about replacing the touches that went to running back Reggie Bush.  His absence over the next few weeks could become a significant issue.

If any team will challenge the Saints in this division, it will surely be the Atlanta Falcons, who already made a big statement by beating the champs in their own house last week.  QB Matt Ryan looks primed to have his best year yet, and has already appeared to have found his rhythm with TE Tony Gonzalez and WR Roddy White.

The Buccaneers have also started well, but they may not be as good as their 2-1 record indicates.  QB Josh Freeman is still largely unproven and does not have many options to throw to.  In Carolina, the Panthers are in obvious rebuilding mode, having already pulled the ripcord and inserted rookie Jimmy Clausen as their starting quarterback.

NFC West

This is undoubtedly the worst division in football, so it was no surprise when many pundits picked the 49ers to ascend in 2010.  That was before the real games started, and people saw how awful their offense really was.  It appears that QB Alex Smith will never be an elite NFL quarterback, and you can’t win many games in the NFL these days without a decent offense.  So far, this has been a disappointing year in the Bay area.

Under new head coach Pete Carroll, the Seahawks have turned some heads after the first three weeks.  Seattle is still one of the toughest places to play in the NFL, and as long as QB Matt Hasselbeck stays healthy, there’s no reason to believe the Seahawks can’t win the West this year.  In Arizona, the losses of QB Kurt Warner and WR Anquan Boldin have already taken their toll.  You can just see the helplessness on the face of wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald every time QB Derek Anderson misses a throw to him.  Arizona’s defense is simply not dominant enough to make up for what the offense has lost.

With rookie QB Sam Bradford at the helm, the Rams were supposed to be the doormat in the division this year.  However, the young quarterback has been impressive thus far.  Beating the Redskins last week, even at home, was no small feat.  There is certainly reason for optimism in St. Louis.  Not too much, though.

NFC East Breakout Players

We kick off the NFC today with a look at the NFC East.   The toughest division in football last year looks like it will be a dogfight again and these brejout players could make the difference in who makes the playoffs and who goes home.

Dallas Cowboys- Martellus Bennett

Bennett can silence the critics with his play this year.

Bennett has made a lot of noise this off season for his off the field antics but is also impressing on the field.  The talented tight end’s immaturity may be the only thing holding him breaking out.  With the rapid development of Bennett the Cowboys will use a two tight end  set as their base formation this season.  Combine that will the departure of Terrell Owens and Bennett will be looking at a lot more targets.  Even with Jason Witten ahead of him on the depth chart I wouldn’t be surprised if Bennett finished third on the team in receiving.

New York Giants- Terrell Thomas

Thomas has a nice season as a rookie last year and will look to build off that this season.  Playing mostly in a nickel and dime role Thomas impressed and even started two games due to injuries.  With Aaron Ross currently nursing a nagging hamstring injury Thomas has an opportunity to seize the starting job.  Playing opposite Corey Webster  will not hurt as well as having perhaps the best pass rush in the game.  A complete corner, Thomas could have a big season this year.

Philadelphia Eagles- DeSean Jackson

Jackson was electrifying as a rookie igniting the Eagles offense.  He finished the season just short of 1000 yards and looks like the number one receiver the Eagles have been searching for ever since Terrell Owens left town.  As good as he was last season he still made rookie mistakes, most noticeably prematurely dropping the ball before he crossed the end zone which could have been very costly.  With another year of seasoning Jackson should be even better this year as he becomes Donovan McNabb’s clear number one target.