Giants, not Cowboys, favorites in NFC East
Source: Dallas Morning News
Things are so good with the Dallas Cowboys that minicamp gets canceled so the players can have a picnic. Things are so bad with the New York Giants that tight end Jeremy Shockey and general manager Jerry Reese scream at each other during a workout in which Shockey is boycotting.
Things are so good with the Cowboys that Terrell Owens is all smiles, a happy camper with a new, $34 million deal. Things are so bad with the Giants that wide receiver Plaxico Burress attends off-season workouts but refuses to participate because he's upset at making less than half of what Owens is getting. Things are so good with the Cowboys that Adam Jones is a new man, his troubled "Pacman" persona a thing of the past. Things are so bad with the Giants that they don't know who will start in place of their retired longtime Pro Bowl defensive end Michael Strahan.
Things are so good with the Cowboys that coach Wade Phillips thinks young wide receivers Miles Austin and Sam Hurd can fill the void if the team can't come to terms with Terry Glenn. Things are so bad with the Giants that one Super Bowl running back (Brandon Jacobs) wants a new contract while the other one (Ahmad Bradshaw) sits in a Virginia jail cell.
Can all of this really be true? Have the Cowboys honestly replaced the Super Bowl champions as NFC favorites? Well, it's true that much has happened this off-season to favor Dallas. The Giants did not add a player with the capacity to be as much of a playmaker as Jones, who can do it both at cornerback and as a punt returner when he can avoid his off-the-field problems. And New York is suffering the Super Bowl hangover that can infect a team sometimes for an entire season. It can happen anywhere, but when a team from New York wins something, there is a tendency to overdo it.
But the reality is that if the Giants have taken full advantage of the New York media market to capitalize on their Super Bowl, the status of their troubles is much exaggerated, too. And that's why they still go into the 2008 season as the favored team. Not the Cowboys according to Dallas Morning New columnist Tim Cowlishaw.
Things are so good with the Dallas Cowboys that minicamp gets canceled so the players can have a picnic. Things are so bad with the New York Giants that tight end Jeremy Shockey and general manager Jerry Reese scream at each other during a workout in which Shockey is boycotting.
Things are so good with the Cowboys that Terrell Owens is all smiles, a happy camper with a new, $34 million deal. Things are so bad with the Giants that wide receiver Plaxico Burress attends off-season workouts but refuses to participate because he's upset at making less than half of what Owens is getting. Things are so good with the Cowboys that Adam Jones is a new man, his troubled "Pacman" persona a thing of the past. Things are so bad with the Giants that they don't know who will start in place of their retired longtime Pro Bowl defensive end Michael Strahan.
Things are so good with the Cowboys that coach Wade Phillips thinks young wide receivers Miles Austin and Sam Hurd can fill the void if the team can't come to terms with Terry Glenn. Things are so bad with the Giants that one Super Bowl running back (Brandon Jacobs) wants a new contract while the other one (Ahmad Bradshaw) sits in a Virginia jail cell.
Can all of this really be true? Have the Cowboys honestly replaced the Super Bowl champions as NFC favorites? Well, it's true that much has happened this off-season to favor Dallas. The Giants did not add a player with the capacity to be as much of a playmaker as Jones, who can do it both at cornerback and as a punt returner when he can avoid his off-the-field problems. And New York is suffering the Super Bowl hangover that can infect a team sometimes for an entire season. It can happen anywhere, but when a team from New York wins something, there is a tendency to overdo it.
But the reality is that if the Giants have taken full advantage of the New York media market to capitalize on their Super Bowl, the status of their troubles is much exaggerated, too. And that's why they still go into the 2008 season as the favored team. Not the Cowboys according to Dallas Morning New columnist Tim Cowlishaw.
posted by The Gryphon at 10:26 AM
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