The NFC East is going to be a beast of a division next season with the Cowboys considered the best football team at the end of the 2009-10 season, but the question after the first day of the draft is which team helped themselves the most.
The Redskins as expected drafted an offensive tackle but it wasn’t the guy everybody expected them to take.¬† Instead of drafting Oklahoma State’s Russell Okung, they took the more athletic Trent Williams of Oklahoma.
Williams is supposed to be a better run blocker, which makes you think that Skins coach Mike Shanahan is going to put that ball on the ground as much as possible.
They need him to step in and play right away.¬† His success will have a lot to do with Washington’s success this season. We’ll see how much they run behind him.
The Eagles got the pass rusher they wanted by grabbing Michigan’s Brandon Graham.¬† He’s undersized the way the Eagles like them.¬† He’s supposed to have a motor like Trent Cole and Hugh Douglas.
The Eagles defense won’t have to depend on the blitz.¬† They’ll be able to send four guys to get the quarterback.
If he can beat single blocks on the left side, the Eagles secondary will have improved despite losing Sheldon Brown.  No longer will teams be able to focus on Cole and that means trouble for opposing quarterbacks.
The Giants got the one of the top rated pass rusher, Jason Pierre-Paul, who has the least experience but happens to have the biggest upside.¬† We’ll see if they can revive that pass rush which led them to a Super Bowl title a few years ago.
If he can play, look out because they still have Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora, and Mathias Kiwanuka.¬† I think you’ll see all of these ends on the field on 3rd down.
The Cowboys got Dez Bryant who was rated as the best wide receiver in the draft.¬† If they can keep him in line, I don’t see how anybody is going to be able to cover all the big athletic receivers that Dallas has.
If you can’t get to Tony Romo, you’re in trouble.
Which NFC East team did you think helped themselves most in the first round of the draft?
Eagles hands down. We needed a pass rusher more than a Safety and hopefully Graham can give us 10+ sacks once he becomes a starter. Dez Bryant? Another TO. Did you see the buffoon on TV lie on the gorund and cry like a girl? Puleeze…
I think the jury is still out. Any of these dudes could be busts. But at least the Eagles (hopefully) landed a weapon on D.
The Cowboys without a Doubt…
They got this years best overall WR and now you pair him with M Austin and the Cowboys will have 2 big,strong,fast WR’s who can out jump,out physical most of the CB’s that will be guarding them.
If he keeps his head on straight, this can be a Dynamic Duo for the next 8-10 years for the Cowboy’s
I think the Giants were really looking for LN McClain and didn’t seem know how to adjust after the Raiders selected him. I am surprised the sedlected Jp Paul who only played 1/2 of 1 season at a Division 1 Program in COllege.. He is very raw and will need lots of work but he is a long,lanky,speed guy.. They would have probably been better at DT position in or who I thought they would grab in OG
M Iuapati or C M Pouncey..
Change your name back to Paulman. New name, same nonsense.
I like the Cowboys pick the best. Dez Bryant is a very good talent and now he has a huge chip on his shoulder. If he stays out of trouble they’ll be very tough to beat like they were last year. We gotta figure out how to beat Dallas those three losses last year still sting.
I think the Eagles, Redskins and Cowboys all made great picks. I think the Giants go the bust of the first round.
The Skins took the safe pick in Trent Williams.
The Eagles got their guy and I think he is an excellent complement to Cole and will get after the QB.
The Cowboys had the best WR in the draft fall to them. Not sure if it’s a great pick yet, but I will tell you this: Miles Austin, Dez Bryant, Jason Witten and Felix Jones…that scares me a little bit.
keep 5…. I guess when Jackson said “we gone sting they ass” he was talking about Eagles fans. LOL.
Cowboys will look to move WR R WIlliams and RB M Barbver to obtain more draft picks
The Giants will trade Osi Umenyora to get more draft picks (Panthers,Cleveland,Patriots.Broncos all are
interested and Browns,Pats & Broncos all have some draft picks to play with)
The Redskins will trade QB J Campbell for a late 3rd/early 4th Rd pick and would love to move
DT A Haynesworth for high picks but don’t think there is anyone intersted in taking him and his big contract/selfish attitude on…
The Eagles will try to move QB M Vick,DT T Laws, DE V Abriami and package them with some 4th/6th Round selections try to move back in to the 3rd Round, but don’t think there will be too many takers out there…
Everyone made great picks in the NFC but the cowboys have made their offense look very scary with Dez Bryant. Eagles have so many holes to fill and I hope they address the secondary early in the 2nd round and I hope who ever he is that they get some size. Cowboys are just so big and physical I dont see how our punny secondary can match with their big WR’s.
Dallas doesn’t scare me IF we get to Romo. So, Graham pick provided he pans out (which is true for all picks) is the best pick.
Kind of a toss-up between the Eagles and the Cowboys for me. I like Graham a lot and he fills a real need for the Eagles, but a WR trio of Miles Austin, Roy Williams, and Dez Bryant along with other weapons like Witten and Feliz Jones is going to make the Cowboys offense a force to be reckoned with.
Another reason why this move pissed a lot of people off is because we got the whole Darryl Tapp song and dance about how we “stole” him from Seattle and he’s going to be a beast in our defense and start opposite Cole. After all that, you trade up, draft a DE with your first pick. So Tapp and Graham are probably going to be rotating a lot this year with Parker. I know we didn’t give up a lot for Tapp, but they must didn’t have a lot of faith in him really if you draft another DE. Presumably, you want one of these guys (preferably Graham) to be your everydown DE with Cole for the next few years. More rotational players. But I digress.
Scorp – ONLY time will tell what they do in terms of the LDE rotation. Tapp AND GRAHAM can play inside too. So maybe on 3rd and long we’ll have Cole, Bunk, Tapp, Graham. If you remember that great Giants Dline from the year they won the SB, they had more than 2 stud DEs. If we have 2.5 stud DEs, or 3, that’s not a problem or implication of the Tapp pick. Injuries happen and fatigue happens.
Scorp – every year the eagles keep 10 Dlineman – usually 5 and 5, but lately 4 DTs and 6 DEs. They have always rotated Dlineman (hell Hollis Thomas used to complain about his bonus money) – when they do nickel packages they typically put 4 DEs in – so… Nothing wrong with having lots of depth. If Tapp is better the Clemmons or Howard (and nothing wrong with pushing Parker and Abrami), its a good thing – but the fun part about it we won’t know anything for sure until what – December?
schiller/navy
I didn’t say it was a bad thing. Just giving some insight as to why I think some people were a little disappointed. But when they got Tapp, everyone was hyping him up like he was the starter opposite of Cole and talking about how he was the best player in Seattle blah blah blah. All that is well and good, but my point is he must be only thought of as a rotational guy much like Chris Clemons and not what people on here hyped him up to be.
And yes the Giants had stud DEs because Strahan was old and he was retiring sooner or later. So they of course needed depth and an eventual starter. But we have 2 young guys at the same position. So either one if going to be a beast and the other will be gone in couple seasons or they will both be nothing more than rotational/situtational players. And like I said, that’s not always a bad thing, but it is what it is.
You guys need to stop acting like everyone is attacking the Eagles when they are just making an observation.
Right on Navy,
The Eagles will always continue to rotate their D/Lineman and usually have 6 DE’s and 4 DT’s
on their roster but this will be a very important camp for DE V Abriami and DT T Laws…
1 of these players probably won’ t make the final roster for 2010 season and may end up being used
a trade bait to maybe get a mid-round draft pick back…
Yeah and having all those rotational guys have amounted to what? Us still looking for a guy opposite of Cole. Yes you need depth but you need guys who can play every down. Period. And we only have 1 of those guys on the D line right now. And schmucks on this site try to sell guys like Tapp as the answer to our DE needs and then the Eagles draft another DE in the first round. They don’t draft a guy in the first so he can only play 1 or 2 downs. So my point is, don’t hype up players who no one knows about just because the Eagles got him. It wouldn’t matter who the Eagles would have picked, some people would have labeled him a stud anyway just because they picked him.
Scorp – Good clarification, I understand you more clearly now. But your logic is still off. Just because guys (maybe or are) rotating, doesn’t mean they are not good enough to start. If the Eagles had Trent Cole, Jared Allen, and Julius Peppers, and they rotated them, does that mean that they’re not stud DE’s? My point is that a rotation doesn’t define the player’s ability.
All rotation does is keep players fresher for late in the games and late in the season,
Since the Eagles DL Scheme has been “smaller and quicker” to get pressure, (ever since JJ took
over the Defense) he Eagles would always need a good 4-5 DE’s which now it appears they have in place … The other benefit is that by rotating players throughout a game and season, players Like T Cole may be able to play longer and extend their career’s by not being on the field for every down,every game.. which is how H douglas was able to play for so long and DE M Strahan too
(the Giants have done this as well as do the Colts which is why you have a Freeny and Mathis able to still get pressure on Qb’s late in games (when it really matters)
The Giants made the best pick in the the NFC East. Even without Spags running that D it got a whole lot faster.
The major problem I have with Graham is that his style of play compares a little to closely to a linemen that Eagles had in the 90’s named Mamula. The dude has “A Great Motor” and one move…”outrun the tackle to the corner” if that doesn’t work because he gets redirected, chipped or whatever that’s an entire career down the drain in the wrong system.
To be honest…The Eagles could have gotten the kind of production they’re looking for if they’d kept Gocong and rotated him Cole, kept Darren Howard (who had more sacks off the bench then both starting defensive tackles…combined x 3) and drafted either Earl Thomas or Jason Pierre-Paul or Derrick Morgan.
schiller :I think if the birds had Allen and Peppers those guys would object to being rotated. They are very capable of playing 3 downs the entire game and contributing throughout. I don’t understand the phlosophy of rotating guys. Is it so the team doesn’t have to pay bigger $$$?
The Giants picked a guy who has only been playing football for 2 1/2 years. He is extremely raw…
Lots of ability and raw talent, but he has a LOT to learn. How could they of made the best pick in the NFC East?
And your analysis on Graham is wrong. One move? Go back and watch the tape man. He has prob. about four moves. He can go inside and outside, which is key for a DE.
You obviouisly know nothing about DE’s or Brandon Graham. You are just throwing out the names of the highest rated players by guys like Kiper/McShay.
And for everyone….Earl Thomas wouldn’t be able to do anything if we don’t have a line who can russ the passer. Get over yourself and realize that DE was a MAJOR need.
Butch, to your point, guys that have the skill set (and mind set), don’t need or want to be rotated. They are inpact players, guys that make it happen-on their own.
At 6’1″ 268 pounds he may be a couple inches short. But he makes up for that by the way he plays the game. He is non-stop and gets in the back field a lot. This is something that will translate to the next level. I’m telling you…having him and Cole on the end’s is going to do two things. 1) it’s going to force opposing RB’s to run inside and 2) its going to create havoc for a QB on the blitz with two high-motor guys coming of the ends.
Listen, the size is something that is being over analyzed. He will be fine as a 4-3 DE. This guy can play ball…
I’m not gonna lie, the cowboys pick worries me.. i think dez bryant is gonna be pretty darn good.. HOWEVER, if graham pans out (which i’m certain he will), i think DE has much more of an impact.. esp. since it’ll give us the chance to pressure w/o blitzing (wouldn’t yall agree that that aspect of the defense needs the most work?)… so yea, i’m going w/m the birds… you can have superman out there running routes, but if romo doesn’t have time to throw it, it really doesn’t matter
Its crazy how everyone is talking about cowboy’s this cowboys that..I’m not worried about the cowboys..what did Minnesota do to them last year..exposed there oline which only got worse with the flozell loss..with the front seven we are building we can cause the same problems for them..And I honestly can say we have the better.WRs..
Anyway all the teams got need..the loser may be the giants just because the other three are all ready to play now.
scorp – not attacking – I just didn’t agree with your Trapp and then Gorden comments – sorry if it came off as attacking. I think the way the eagles roate DLman, they want them to almost all be starters or starting quality (wouldn’t we like all of them to be that way?) The big knock on Cole was that he wore down as the season progressed – now someone to relive that pressure. So this year instaed of Parker and Clemmons, or Parker and Babin, you have the new guys, Trapp and Gorden. You may not agree with draftin a guy#1 to only play 1st and 2nd down, but you and i aren’t paying his check. I think it was a good pick – they needed LB – DB(s) and DE- one down.
enzone the baker – and by object you mean what? Complain. Ok. Point being, you rotate to give fresh legs/different looks to a OT. All D lineman fatigue at times, and bringing in a fresh stud just makes sense. What’s there not to get? We’ll see about Tapp and Graham.
D-line rotation or a pro-bowl pass rusher….I do not care if the have the pro-bowl player if the rotation gives better production.
I agree with something that Big Red said last nght. If you have a strong pass rush from your line it make all other postions on the defense better. You can mask some possible problems in other areas by having pressure up front without having to resort to the blitz.
Bottom line, if the group they put together gets the pressure and production to make the defense better it doesn’t matter if we have a stud or we have a short / tall / fat or skinny line, it is about the production.
The Redskins made the best need pick, but the Cowboys got the best talent. Had we just drafted Thomas, I’d say the Eagles would have won both
Shiller, if we’re talkin about the same thing, it’s a moot point. My point is rotating (on a steady basis) is one thing. Having a player come out for a breather is another-one I think necessary. The way contracts are built, these guys get paid spiffs for a certain amount of sacks, pressures, balls knocked down, etc. Wouldn’t a player want the oppty to make more, make the Pro Bowl where his value goes up? If a guy plays less time, it’s a whole lot harder.
schiller, the point is you don’t need to rotate guys that are good enough. Players are rotated for 2 reasons 1) fatigue and 2) they aren’t good enough to play in every situation. If you have very good defensive ends you don’t rotate them because they are out there every down and only come out when they are tired. I’m sorry, who was Jared Allen and Ray Edwards rotating with? I mean actually splitting snaps?
When your guys are good enough you have guys behind then for depth and not because the starter can’t get it done all the time. They moved howard to DT on 3rd down because our tackles get no pass rush. Now if they did get a good pass rush and sacks, do you think they would have been rotating out for any other reason besides fatigue? Probably not. Point is a rotational guy just means you don’t have enough guys at the position to play every down.
Sal Pal says the Eagles are gonna go after Dexter McCluster hard. He said they “love him” He also said he believes they might trade the 37th pick to add some of the picks they gave up for Graham.
Yeah well silencer, all that is good and well but we aren’t the Vikings and don’t have the studs on defense that they had. You act as if we whooped them last year and people are all of a sudden worried. Who cares what the Vikings did to the Cowboys. What about what the Eagles did?
The point is, is they hardley blitzed..I’m talking about front 4 pressure..there front 4 is better..but the point is to get pressure without blitzing…and on the Thomas note..if we had taken Earl Thomas we would be in the same boat as last year..selling out on the blitz, getting burned for 15 touchdowns off the blitz..now we hide secondary weakness. Main example is the colts D..plays that cover 2 zone..Y..hmm because they have two awesome edge rushers to get pressure with the front four without blitzing. And so do we now with Graham n Cole..
With Bradley back and Simms, I’m looking for a major improvement in LB. I think Simms will play with a chip on his shoulder and want to make up for 5 years with a bad team/various coaches/different schemes.
Now let’s get some secondary players who like to pop receivers and not always look for the int.
Yes Silencer, I agree but we aren’t those teams. Don’t tell me what the Vikings did and act like we can do the same thing when we don’t have the same players. Yes it would be nice to have those guys, but right now, WE DON’T. The Vikings had the personnel AND the scheme to match up well against the Cowboys. We didn’t. But the Cowboys beat the Saints and the Viking didn’t. It’s about matchups and not just because another team did it, so can we.
And it’s no guarantee that your DEs are going to get pressure against everyone so you are going to need guys that can cover. So to think drafting this guy also solves your secondary problems is idiotic. Good teams with good offensive lines and good QBs can find a way to make plays which it why it’s key to have guys that are able to make plays down the field. How did that same pass rush fair against Drew Brees for an entire game?
Some of you are very contradictory. The same people who think this DE solves your problems are the same people who think Kolb won’t get sacked a lot. Why? Because he gets rid of the ball quickly, right? Ok well if that would work for him, it also works for other teams as well. So if we believe can get the ball out quickly and avoid sacks and make plays, what will stop the better QBs of the league from doing the same to us? This is why you need guys that can make plays in the defensive backfield. Seriously people need to stop contradicting themselve.
Paulman..G throws you a bone and now your taking yourself too seriously..Whats with the name change?
You hav e to take the whole off season into account. We are not done yet but so far. We dumped dead weight players (clemmons, gocong, Howard, ect) and added young players with a ton of upside. Tapp and Graham are an upgrade to clemmons and howard. Sims is an upgrade to gocong and alows jordan to move to strongside. So that move took care of 2 spots. I think Sims – Bradley – Jordan backed up by Fouku? – Gaither – Hall? is far better than what we fielded last year at LB and I think Cole – Bunk – Patterson- Graham backed up by Parker – Dixon – Abiamiri – Tapp is a better situation on the D line than last year. Remember that we have 2 days of draft left.
ARRGHH!! I hate ESPN and NFL Network!! I swear its like nothing happened yesterday besides Clausen not getting drafted and Tebow goin to the Broncos. Their all so frigging lazy!!
And the NFL Network whores are trying to seel you Verizon phones like every chance they get.. Hey buy this phone..you can watch the draft in Uraguay..Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha were so cool..be like us and buy stupid shit..Now back to you rat-face Deion Sanders and crack pipe, ho slapping Michael Irvin..Ha-Ha were NFL Network..I swear I have to shower after I watch it.
Okay anyone who is saying they are not afraid of the cowboys with Dez Bryant is just crazy. You should be afraid of what they can do to us WITHOUT him (see last years games) I think the eagles saw these games and saw they couldnt get any pressure on romo even when they blitz. With Dez Bryant to takes pressure off Miles Austin now I look for him to have a monster season. Im taking him in my fantasy league no doubt.
Hate to say this but the Cowboys. They got a top 5 talent in Dez Bryant. He’s huge at 6’2 and 225. We don’t have a corner or safety that can run or match with him. Better get Taylor Mays to knock someone out.
If KC takes Mays, be prepared to hear “With the 37th pick in the draft, the Philadelphia Eagles take Jimmy Clausen”
Huh. There must be a reason we don’t know about for Mays to fall so far.
We get Nate Allen. So far this draft is some what of a joke. We get another undersized safety who cant hit. You get rid of Sean Jones and sign a guy just like him. I cant understand this front office. you had Earl Thomas and Taylor Mays right there and pass on both.. SMH.
G, whats the rationale of not posting threads during the draft dude? Not enough time in between picks?
Viricchini – Slow your roll. Dawkins was an ‘undersized’ safety. Like him? Check out http://www.scoutsnotebook.com – they say Nate Allen is a sure tackler, good hitter and strong against the run. You saw a few bad opinions and you’re jumping to conclusions. Chill bro
Tony Pauline said Allen was the best DB on the board in 2nd round period. Gotta like that.
WTF!! Why on Earth do we insist on helping our enemies??!!