The trend du jour in the NFL this year during the preseason was for teams to rest their stars for most of the 3-game schedule to preserve them for the 17 game, 18 week grind that starts in 10 days.
In that regard, the Giants were an outlier.
Brian Daboll's club used all four quarterbacks----Tommy DeVito, Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston, & rookie Jaxson Dart----in each game, as Big Blue rolled to a 3-0 record, all against AFC East teams. The real fun begins in 2 weeks when the Giants open with a 2 game road trip at Washington & Dallas. Apparently, there is speculation DeVito, who became a fan favorite two years ago, could be gone by the time final roster cuts are made Tuesday afternoon, leaving Winston & Dart to battle for playing time behind Wilson, who will be the starter on opening day.
In contrast, the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles won only one game, beating the Jests on Friday, and the Giants will see them in week 3 (September 21).
The Eagles know all too well how difficult it is to repeat, but they did add some extra offense, bringing in John Metchie III (Houston) to back up AJ Brown & Jahan Dotson, and heisted defensive lineman Azeez Ojulari and DB Adoree Jackson from the Giants as free agents. Otherwise, the same cast is back for another round. Washington went winless in the preseason, which begs to ask if they'll actually contend. Dallas' offense finally showed up in a Friday win over Atlanta, but QB Joe Milton, who New England stupidly let go after his rookie season, might not make the final roster, despite his ginormous talent. Brian Schottenheimer replaces Mike McCarthy as coach, but as long as he can keep Dak Prescott away from his Sleep Number bed, he should be okay. However, defensive star Micah Parsons wants out because of the way owner-GM-professional idiot Jerry Jones wants to conduct negotiations. The other teams in the division would love to have him. Jones refuses to hire a GM, but he needs to, after 36 years of owning the team has shown he's lost his touch.
Projected order of finish:
1. Philadelphia.
2. Giants.
3. Dallas.
4. Washington.
Of course, I could be wrong.
Part 2 features the AFC East, coming on Tuesday.
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