It has come to that time of the year when I have to make my official pick for the NFC East in terms of which team will rise to the top of the heap in 2015. Not that I am giving anything away, I honestly think that our beloved Birds have positioned themselves to go deep into the playoffs this season if all of their new moving parts come together and perform like a well-oiled team.
If you go back to the NFL labor situation heading into the 2011 regular season when a player's lockout delayed the start of free agency until the month of August, you might remember Eagles' owner Jeff Laurie opening-up the checkbook. The Eagles went on to sign a couple of high-profile and high-priced players that were brought in to tip the scales for a Super Bowl run following a 2010 season that ended with a heart-breaking 21-16 loss to Green Bay in the Wildcard Round. The Packers went on to win the Super Bowl that year. The plan failed miserably and the Eagles went 8-8 that year, which marked the beginning of the end for the Andy Reid era in Philadelphia.
Chip Kelly took Reid's place in 2013 and he promptly led the team to a 10-6 record and a NFC East title in his first season at the helm. Philly matched that win total last season, but it actually took a step backwards with a late season collapse in losses against Dallas and Washington that cost it the 2014 division title.
This past offseason, Kelly took matters into his own hands as the newly appointed director of player personnel and completely reshaped this team with an unprecedented number of major moves. Through two games of the preseason, things appear to be headed in the right direction with two lopsided victories over playoff contenders Indianapolis and Baltimore by a combined score of 76-27. Ironically enough, the Eagles will play Green Bay this Saturday night in Week 3 of the preseason and if they blow-out the Packers on the road then we might be on to something.
I am happy to report that I will once again be covering the NFC East on a weekly basis for Doc's Sports and to get things rolling I have created a link to my 2015 preview and picks for the division in an article that was posted earlier this week.
2015 NFC East Predictions with Betting Odds and Expert Picks
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