We are constantly told to be positive. We are promised it’s healthy, but sometimes it’s fun to be a little negative. One of the best parts about sports is complaining about how bad your team is or could be. If you are a fan of any team in the NFC East, your angst is justified.
The offseason brings hope to a lot of fanbases with new signings, coaches, and draft picks. If you’re one of those fans who have that bright sense of hope for your team in 2019, yikes. If you’re thinking about going into the start of training camp with a glass half full approach, pour out the water and let’s get real.
Before the season starts and a wave of reality hits you that your team may not be what you think it is, this story is here for your wake up call. Read the next sentence, and read it closely— your team is not going to win the Super Bowl in 2019.
Again for those of you who skipped over the last paragraph— your team is not going to win the Super Bowl in 2019.
If you have lofty championship aspirations for your team, it is now my job to talk you down. Now, if your team does do well, it will be a surprise, but if they fail, you’ll be prepared.
This is the first in a series on Pro Football Network about why your team won’t win the Super Bowl.
The NFC East
Dallas Cowboys:
America’s team? We can all admit the Women’s National Soccer Team have earned that title. Now that we have that out of the way— Really, you think the Cowboys are going to win the Super Bowl? Dak Prescott will be trying to earn a new contract, but when the Cowboys fail, it won’t be Prescott’s fault, it won’t be Ezekiel Elliott’s fault, it will be because of Jason Garrett.
We know who the Cowboys are on offense with Garrett running things. Kellen Moore may make a difference, but he’s a product of Garrett and that does not bring much faith. You need to be creative and aggressive on offense to win in the modern NFL. Feeding Elliott 50 times a game won’t get it done. Jerry Jones couldn’t pull the plug on Garrett and the Cowboys will suffer because of it.
Philadelphia Eagles:
The Eagles are only one year removed from winning Super Bowl LI and look to be a favorite in 2019. This offseason they built back their depth to complete one of the better rosters in the NFL heading into training camp, but we are being negative here people. When thinking about the Eagles with a “half empty” approach, the first thing that comes to mind is team health, and that’s scary. Several key players for the Eagles have injury concerns. What’s frightening is Philadelphia’s most important player has the biggest question mark when it comes to health, and that’s Carson Wentz.
Wentz has flashes of brilliance, but without Nick Foles waiting in the wings, Wentz has little room for another injury scare. Nate Sudfeld, Cody Kessler and Clayton Thorson as backups are a lot different than Foles. So you still have faith in the Eagles to make another run at either the NFC East or the Lombardi trophy?
New York Giants:
Where do we begin? The Giants, once the pride of the division, have a star-studded cast of characters that make this explanation simple. Dave Gettleman, Eli Manning, Daniel Jones, and that defense— sheesh, but in a bad way.
The Giants have stacked their offensive line this offseason in hopes of clearing the path for Saquon Barkley, but how much of the Giants offense can the sophomore carry? We know the quarterback position isn’t great and say what you will about the rest of the offense, but there are even bigger problems on the other side of the ball.
Who is going to rush the passer? Who is going to cover? Where’s the depth? Do I need to say more?
Washington Redskins:
Similar to the Eagles, the Redskins have injury concerns across the field. Washington will be relying on several key players to have bounce-back seasons, but their core issues reside under center. Does Jay Gruden have the confidence to start rookie Dwayne Haskins? If Gruden opts for Case Keenum while Haskins learns from the sideline, Washington is essentially punting on the season.
They tried backing the front end of their defense by spending money in the secondary with the signing of Landon Collins, but there are still question marks at cornerback and linebacker. The Redskins could surprise a team here or there, but they won’t get close to winning the NFC East or a Super Bowl? Come on now, take a deep breath.