Why the NFC East will be the best division in 2012-2013

By: @CodyMack94

The day after the Super Bowl, the Giants are the Champions and stand head and shoulder above everyone else. But at the end of the day, that's the same team that lost to the Eagles led by Vince Young, and got swept by the lowly Redskins. Obviously they look powerful now, but there's a legitimate possibility that the Giants could finish anywhere from 1st to 3rd in the division next season.

When you compare the Cowboys, Eagles and Giants, the biggest difference was 4th quarter play. The Eagles and Cowboys consistently gave up big leads that would eventually kill there hopes of the postseason. The Giants, however won games late with the heroics of Eli Manning that propelled them on an unlikely Super Bowl win. Obviously the Cowboys fell apart late and that propelled the Giants into the postseason, while the Eagles started off horrible and couldn't catch back up. 

The entire division will be playing the AFC North next season (Steelers, Ravens, Browns, Bengals) as well as the NFC South (Saints, Falcons, Buccaneers, Panthers). The Giants have to play two extra difficult games for finishing in first place (Packers and 49'ers).  

I can realistically see the Cowboys, Eagles or Giants winning the division next year. Similar to this year, the division will probably be decided in the final weeks of the season. Should be an exciting season.

How the Dallas Cowboys Can Be Contenders

By: @CodyMack94

Most teams that get a lot of publicity are teams consistently reaching or getting close to the Super Bowl. Not so with the Dallas Cowboys, who seem to be the center of attention despite their consistent year in and year out short comings to reach the pinnacle. All is not lost however for this team. Outside of the offensive line, this team is loaded on offense.  They have three starting caliber wide receivers in Miles Austin, Dez Bryant and Laurent Robinson.  The running back position has two young talented players in DeMarco Murray and Felix Jones as well. And despite the general perception, Tony Romo was great last year.

The main needs for this team to be a contender is depth at the offensive line, secondary and another pass rusher to consistently bring pressure opposite DeMarcus Ware. I believe two can be solved through the draft, but not all three. This draft is loaded with defensive talent, and they can find a pass rusher and a starting corner in the first two rounds. Keep an eye on Dre Kirkpatrick (CB, Alabama), Janoris Jenkins (CB, North Alabama) and Quinton Coples (DE, UNC) for a first round selection. The big prize on the FA front is the guard from New Orleans, Carl Nicks. Sources say he wants to stay with the Saints, but at the right price, the Cowboys could snatch him away.

And that's another valid point, the Cowboys will have plenty of money to spend this off season. After expected cuts of veterans, most notably Terence Newman, Dallas will have upward towards close to $20 mil of available money.

Best course of action for the Cowboys will be to re-sign Anthony Spencer, draft a pass rusher in the 1st round and a corner in the 2nd. Obviously everyone wants to look at the secondary when it comes to the disappointments on that side of the ball last year. But consistently the Cowboys were unable to get to the quarterback, and corners can only cover for so long. The Cowboys should draft Quinton Coples out of UNC with the 14th overall pick. He's skilled enough to play end in the 4-3 or 3-4, which makes him valuable in Rob Ryan's scheme. If the Cowboys get lucky, they could snag Stephon Gilmore, cornerback out of South Carolina in the 2nd round. He's a big play corner who creates big turnovers, but also gives up some plays as well. Signing Carl Nicks would be an instant upgrade to an already explosive offense.

This team has pieces, they just need a few more to complete the puzzle. They can't withstand the mindset that plugging in an average Joe will fix the problem, they need game changers.

The New York Giant Story

Wow, what a finish. When a game is close, everyone is on the edge of their chairs, waiting for the clock to hit double zero and to see the result. But when a game is close in the Super Bowl, people are having mini-heart attacks between each play. One team will be cheering at the top of their lungs while the others will be wondering what went wrong. The Giants, who were once 6-6 looking like a team taking a nose dive, were the victors in the biggest game of them all. It all turned around in an action packed night in Dallas where one team needed just one win to clinch the division, and the other, the New York Giants. As Dan Bailey’s kick fell to the ground short after a Jason Pierre-Paul block, the fortune of the Giants would forever change. After that night in Dallas, the Giants would then be the hottest team in the NFL. They embarrassed the Jets. They killed the Cowboys. They ended the seasons of the Falcons, the 15-1 Packers and the surprise San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game. The team no one saw coming, the 9-7 Giants, would represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. They’d be playing a familiar foe, the New England Patriots. As the game began, it was clear that the crowd was pro-Giants from the start. Eli Manning had the sharpest performance in recent memory, hitting every receiver he needed to keep drives alive. No one thought they’d be in the playoffs, but they made it. No one thought they’d make it to the Super Bowl, but they made it. And no one could have predicted that they’d be in the exact same situation as the 2007 Super Bowl, but we were all witness. Eli Manning did what Eli Manning does best, make every Giants fans dreams come true, and every Patriots fans nightmares. Who knew the opening song for the Giants would tell the story of the Super Bowl, their destiny truly was “Written in the Stars.”