There's no pressure like NFC East
Randy Hill
Special to FOXSports.com, Updated 36 minutes ago
In addition to violent collisions and tasty point spreads, pressure is one of the NFL's greatest selling points. Pressure, generated by the league's increasing popularity, can be observed in many different forms.
For example, many NFL teams feel the stress of wondering if their employees will be more competitive on Monday Night Football than they are during taped episodes of Cops.
Super Bowl MVP Peyton Manning probably feels the heat to flawlessly deliver his commercial lines in the fewest takes possible. There is pressure on the management crew at University of Phoenix Stadium to make sure the roof is closed and no fans are burned alive in September.
The Chicago Bears have the weekly concern of waiting to see if they'll be working with Rex or Wrecks. And, based on radio talk-show projections, most NFL coaches must prepare a game plan while realizing that thousands of fans know more about football than they do.
With such acute stress established, we're here to salute the division that faces more pressure than any other four-team party in professional football. Our runaway winner is the NFC East, which always seems to be on the verge of a complete meltdown. What follows is a team-by-team reminder of this year's pressure; the teams are listed in alphabetical order, but I expect fans of the Washington Redskins will feel slighted anyway.
Dallas Cowboys
Did you really think the absence of Bill Parcells would reduce the level of stress in Big D? If you do, then you've never been to Texas, where 67 percent of the front yards have horizontal chalk lines drawn at five-yard intervals.
The Cowboys are so popular in the Metroplex that a new 100,000-seat stadium is planned with zero concerns about local TV blackouts. The NBA Mavericks employ their league's Most Valuable Player, but pop-star hotties aren't dating Dirk Nowitzki; they're going out with a Cowboys quarterback who's had fewer starts than the Auto Club battery-jump guy makes in a typical evening.
The quarterback is Tony Romo, who rode a really nice five-game performance to a Pro Bowl berth and a judging gig for a beauty contest. At last report Tony was dating Carrie Underwood (PHOTOS), who doesn't seem to mind that Romo threw eight picks in 157 attempts last December.
Cowboy players, who felt the pressure of playing for Parcells, now seem stress free under new coach Wade Phillips. Wade steps in less than a year after Terrell Owens used his egomaniacal wiles to make the 2006 season a minor hell for Parcells.
Phillips seems prepared to allow T.O. to be T.O. If that doesn't suggest future pressure on everyone in Dallas, you haven't been paying attention.
But the greatest access to stress is provided by owner Jerry Jones.
Jerry is the guy who fired Tom Landry and alienated pal Jimmy Johnson enough to provoke Jimmy into walking away from a Super Bowl team. Jerry has turned to Phillips after bringing in untested Jason Garrett as the offensive coordinator and future head coach.
How's that for pressure, Wade?
New York Giants
I must admit that the Giants' off-season has been relatively free of stress. But that's relative to last season, when there was quite a roll call of players throwing coach Tom Coughlin under a downhill bus.
Ownership responded by keeping Coughlin around for another year.
Foremost among the missing is running back Tiki Barber, whose criticism of Coughlin will serve him well after Barber rises from field news reporter to in-studio talking head.
Without Tiki to hand the ball off to, Eli Manning faces considerable pressure in his third season as the starting quarterback. Existing as Peyton's kid brother is challenge enough, but working in a city with so many news outlets that never look for a positive spin can be very stressful.
There also is pressure on first-year coordinator Steve Spagnuolo to improve a defense that ranked last in the NFL for red-zone stinginess.
However, any talk of Giant pressure begins and ends with Coughlin. In addition to feeling pressure to win or get fired, Tom never has been accused of lowering the stress level of his players.
Coughlin is the kind of guy who appreciates a pizza that arrives on time, but refuses to tip the delivery boy if he's not five minutes early.
Eli Manning won't have Tiki Barber to hand off to anymore. (Doug Benc / Getty Images)
Philadelphia Eagles
Their quarterback had a marvelous season, leading the team into the second round of the NFC playoffs after a 5-6 start.
So the Eagles left him walk away. They waved bye-bye to Jeff Garcia because the franchise QB is Donovan McNabb and Donovan was ready to return from yet another injury. That's a nice slice of pressure.
But it gets better. With no first-round pick on the table, the Eagles used their second-round selection to choose some kid from Houston named Kevin Kolb. Kevin is a quarterback.
Now we have rampaging pressure in a city where the fans have much bigger chips on their shoulders than anyone in New York. And reporters seem to share this edginess.
It also doesn't help that wide receiver Donte Stallworth now works for the New England Patriots, although Reggie Brown's emergence eases that loss.
More stress can be found on the schedule, where — from Nov. 25 to Dec. 23 — the Eagles are listed as going to New England, taking on Seattle and the New York Giants in Philly, then visiting Dallas and New Orleans.
Another level of stress may be reached by coach Andy Reid, who will be closely scrutinized after an off-season of dealing with family crises.
Washington Redskins
This team is owned by Daniel Snyder. End of column.
OK, if you want more signs of stress, please note that Coach Joe Gibbs seems to be on the hot seat after struggling in the shadow of ... Joe Gibbs.
Gibbs, whose power running game seems to be in fine shape, must reach a happy medium with second-year offensive mastermind Al Saunders. Al, who likes to throw, is working with a young quarterback not named Jay Cutler, Matt Leinart or Vince Young.
Gibbs and Saunders also must find ways to make last year's signings of Antwaan Randle El and Brandon Lloyd not look like a two-year waste of money. If they don't produce, Snyder may injure his rotator cuff while throwing a tantrum.
More pressure: the defense was the NFL's worst in 2006. It was suggested that the drafting of rookie safety LaRon Landry would help the Redskins give up less than the 6.91 yards per pass play they surrendered last year.
It may work out, but please note that Landry was wounded in a paint-ball incident.
In closing, please note that NFC East teams and fans are long-standing rivals who really do despise each other. They're like family and what can be more pressure-packed than that?
Special to FOXSports.com, Updated 36 minutes ago
In addition to violent collisions and tasty point spreads, pressure is one of the NFL's greatest selling points. Pressure, generated by the league's increasing popularity, can be observed in many different forms.
For example, many NFL teams feel the stress of wondering if their employees will be more competitive on Monday Night Football than they are during taped episodes of Cops.
Super Bowl MVP Peyton Manning probably feels the heat to flawlessly deliver his commercial lines in the fewest takes possible. There is pressure on the management crew at University of Phoenix Stadium to make sure the roof is closed and no fans are burned alive in September.
The Chicago Bears have the weekly concern of waiting to see if they'll be working with Rex or Wrecks. And, based on radio talk-show projections, most NFL coaches must prepare a game plan while realizing that thousands of fans know more about football than they do.
With such acute stress established, we're here to salute the division that faces more pressure than any other four-team party in professional football. Our runaway winner is the NFC East, which always seems to be on the verge of a complete meltdown. What follows is a team-by-team reminder of this year's pressure; the teams are listed in alphabetical order, but I expect fans of the Washington Redskins will feel slighted anyway.
Dallas Cowboys
Did you really think the absence of Bill Parcells would reduce the level of stress in Big D? If you do, then you've never been to Texas, where 67 percent of the front yards have horizontal chalk lines drawn at five-yard intervals.
The Cowboys are so popular in the Metroplex that a new 100,000-seat stadium is planned with zero concerns about local TV blackouts. The NBA Mavericks employ their league's Most Valuable Player, but pop-star hotties aren't dating Dirk Nowitzki; they're going out with a Cowboys quarterback who's had fewer starts than the Auto Club battery-jump guy makes in a typical evening.
The quarterback is Tony Romo, who rode a really nice five-game performance to a Pro Bowl berth and a judging gig for a beauty contest. At last report Tony was dating Carrie Underwood (PHOTOS), who doesn't seem to mind that Romo threw eight picks in 157 attempts last December.
Cowboy players, who felt the pressure of playing for Parcells, now seem stress free under new coach Wade Phillips. Wade steps in less than a year after Terrell Owens used his egomaniacal wiles to make the 2006 season a minor hell for Parcells.
Phillips seems prepared to allow T.O. to be T.O. If that doesn't suggest future pressure on everyone in Dallas, you haven't been paying attention.
But the greatest access to stress is provided by owner Jerry Jones.
Jerry is the guy who fired Tom Landry and alienated pal Jimmy Johnson enough to provoke Jimmy into walking away from a Super Bowl team. Jerry has turned to Phillips after bringing in untested Jason Garrett as the offensive coordinator and future head coach.
How's that for pressure, Wade?
New York Giants
I must admit that the Giants' off-season has been relatively free of stress. But that's relative to last season, when there was quite a roll call of players throwing coach Tom Coughlin under a downhill bus.
Ownership responded by keeping Coughlin around for another year.
Foremost among the missing is running back Tiki Barber, whose criticism of Coughlin will serve him well after Barber rises from field news reporter to in-studio talking head.
Without Tiki to hand the ball off to, Eli Manning faces considerable pressure in his third season as the starting quarterback. Existing as Peyton's kid brother is challenge enough, but working in a city with so many news outlets that never look for a positive spin can be very stressful.
There also is pressure on first-year coordinator Steve Spagnuolo to improve a defense that ranked last in the NFL for red-zone stinginess.
However, any talk of Giant pressure begins and ends with Coughlin. In addition to feeling pressure to win or get fired, Tom never has been accused of lowering the stress level of his players.
Coughlin is the kind of guy who appreciates a pizza that arrives on time, but refuses to tip the delivery boy if he's not five minutes early.
Eli Manning won't have Tiki Barber to hand off to anymore. (Doug Benc / Getty Images)
Philadelphia Eagles
Their quarterback had a marvelous season, leading the team into the second round of the NFC playoffs after a 5-6 start.
So the Eagles left him walk away. They waved bye-bye to Jeff Garcia because the franchise QB is Donovan McNabb and Donovan was ready to return from yet another injury. That's a nice slice of pressure.
But it gets better. With no first-round pick on the table, the Eagles used their second-round selection to choose some kid from Houston named Kevin Kolb. Kevin is a quarterback.
Now we have rampaging pressure in a city where the fans have much bigger chips on their shoulders than anyone in New York. And reporters seem to share this edginess.
It also doesn't help that wide receiver Donte Stallworth now works for the New England Patriots, although Reggie Brown's emergence eases that loss.
More stress can be found on the schedule, where — from Nov. 25 to Dec. 23 — the Eagles are listed as going to New England, taking on Seattle and the New York Giants in Philly, then visiting Dallas and New Orleans.
Another level of stress may be reached by coach Andy Reid, who will be closely scrutinized after an off-season of dealing with family crises.
Washington Redskins
This team is owned by Daniel Snyder. End of column.
OK, if you want more signs of stress, please note that Coach Joe Gibbs seems to be on the hot seat after struggling in the shadow of ... Joe Gibbs.
Gibbs, whose power running game seems to be in fine shape, must reach a happy medium with second-year offensive mastermind Al Saunders. Al, who likes to throw, is working with a young quarterback not named Jay Cutler, Matt Leinart or Vince Young.
Gibbs and Saunders also must find ways to make last year's signings of Antwaan Randle El and Brandon Lloyd not look like a two-year waste of money. If they don't produce, Snyder may injure his rotator cuff while throwing a tantrum.
More pressure: the defense was the NFL's worst in 2006. It was suggested that the drafting of rookie safety LaRon Landry would help the Redskins give up less than the 6.91 yards per pass play they surrendered last year.
It may work out, but please note that Landry was wounded in a paint-ball incident.
In closing, please note that NFC East teams and fans are long-standing rivals who really do despise each other. They're like family and what can be more pressure-packed than that?
posted by The Gryphon at 7:15 PM
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