Eye On the Enemy: NFC East Roundup
For the next several Sundays, we’ll take a spin around the NFC East to check in on what’s going on with some of the Eagles’ division rivals.
DALLAS COWBOYS
Anthony Spencer expects to return to the field this year, Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports:
He said he could open training camp on the physically unable to perform list. Active/PUP would allow him to return to practice anytime before final cuts. Reserve/PUP would force him to miss the first six games.
One of Dallas’ most impressive players in OTAs, Terrell McClain, hasn’t started an NFL game in three years, writes David Moore of the Dallas Morning News:
“He’s not the typical zero nose tackle in a 3-4 defense where he just sits over the center and two-gaps,’’ Garrett said. “That hasn’t been his mode since he’s been playing. He’s always been a guy who has been on an edge, being able to play up field a little bit.
NEW YORK GIANTS
After Jon Beason hurt his foot this week, Jordan Raanan of NJ.com suggested five replacements for him:
Not having Beason will hurt. How important is the team’s signal-caller to the team?
“Very. Very important because of the nature of the player, the man, his attitude, what he brings to the table, his leadership skills,” coach Tom Coughlin said. “Very important.”
Last season backs up Coughlin’s claim. With Beason, he had a Top 10 defense. Without Beason, he had a bottom-half-of-the-league defense.
Eli Manning is rejuvenated by the Giants’ new offense, Kieran Darcy of ESPNNewYork.com says:
Manning also sounds rejuvenated by the process of learning a new offense under new coordinator Ben McAdoo.
“It is tough, it’s not easy, but it has definitely re-energized me and brought an urgency to this time of year,” Manning said Tuesday, on SiriusXM NFL Radio.
The two-time Super Bowl MVP is coming off arguably the poorest season of his career, if you toss out the nine games he played in his rookie season. Manning threw for just 18 touchdowns, with a league-high 27 interceptions, and a quarterback rating of just 69.4 in 2013.
WASHINGTON REDSKINS
Jason Reid of the Washington Post on Washington’s secondary woes:
For years, the Redskins have been unsettled at safety. The group is proof that lack of talent and poor decision-making is an awful combination. The fact that safety Brandon Meriweather still is on the roster, let alone expected to start again, best illustrates why the Redskins must lean on the front seven even more heavily than usual.
The Redskins are searching for their offensive identity, Rick Snider of the Washington Post notes:
Choosing an offensive identity isn’t going to be a quick decision for the Redskins. They’ve spent offseason camps trying to decide if they’re a passing team or a running team … or both.
“Coach says we’re going to huddle up and try to play smashmouth football and going to no-huddle and play smashmouth football,” quarterback Robert Griffin III said. “We’ll be multiple and see what we do best.”