NFC East Roundup: 'Boys and Eagles Win, Giants Struggle

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys made their preseason opener against the Denver Broncos as about exciting as possible, winning the game on a touchdown and two point conversion with fifteen seconds left.  Quarterback Stephen McGee was probably the Cowboys top performer, passing for three touchdowns, an interception, and over 200 yards in the air.  Another impressive performer was rookie wide receiver Dwayne Harris out of East Carolina. Harris, who will likely help to replace Roy Williams, caught two touchdown passes and gained 127 yards. 

Injuries: Most notably Tashard Choice and rookie running back DeMarco Murray have been banged up all training camp. Jon Kitna, Andre Gurode, Jay Ratliff, Mike Jenkins, Josh Thomas, and several others have also missed time.

Rookie Report: Harris was by far the most impressive rookie in last Thursday’s game. Number nine overall pick, Tyron Smith, looked solid in his first game. He did play some matador defense in the 2^nd quarter that got QB Stephen McGee crushed. David Arkin was also a pleasant surprise for Cowboys fans starting at Left Guard Thursday.

New York Giants

The Giants training camp has been more about the distraction of Osi Umenyiora, and losing Steve Smith and Kevin Boss than the team that took the field and lost 20-10 Saturday night versus the Panthers. Eli Manning and the Giants first team offense looked really out of rhythm and they really weren’t able to move the ball in the five series they appeared in. The Giants offense only generated three points the whole game.

Injuries: Top pick, Prince Amukamara is out indefinitely at this point with a broken foot.  Beyond that, kicker Lawrence Tynes is banged up after getting hit in the game Saturday.

Rookie Report: The Giants have a lot of interesting rookies, but not many things stood out to me on Saturday. They seem to be more of a work in progress then I first thought. Marvin Austin and Mark Herzlich did both register two tackles. Herzlich also forced a fumble.

Philadelphia Eagles

We all know the theme to the Eagles offseason in adding several high profile free agents, but there are also some other interesting things going on in America’s armpit. First off, no one can figure out what the hell is going on with WR Jeremy Maclin. Maclin was first said to have been diagnosed with mononucleosis, but now he’s visited a specialist in St. Louis and some think he may be in some sort of dire condition. Even DeSean Jackson said the Steve Smith signing was "insurance" for Maclin, strange stuff…

The Eagles won their preseason opener over the Ravens 13-6 last Thursday night. Michael Vick looked very sharp going four for six with 76 yards and a touchdown pass to Brent Celek. Vince Young also looked decent in limited time, using his athleticism to get out of some jams. Many of the Eagles high profile offseason pick ups did not play in this game.

Injuries: Obviously Jeremy Maclin is the premier injury story. The only other story besides usually training camp dings is that Mike Patterson has been cleared to return for conditioning after his scary incident a couple of weeks ago.

Rookie Report: Rookie safety Jaiquawn Jarrett made the biggest impact last week. The former Temple Owl and second round pick intercepted a pass in his debut.  Dion Lewis was the other rookie bright spot, looking good in the running game.  Also rookie kicker Alex Henery was two for two, with a long of 35 yards.