But don't be fooled. The two best teams in the NFC are the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles as the 80-player rosters gather for minicamps and the off-season programs in May.

Only three teams finished in the NFL's top 10 in both offense and defense last season - the New England Patriots, Giants and Eagles. All have improved this off-season. So pencil in the Patriots with a healthy Tom Brady as the favorite in the AFC and the Giants and Eagles as the teams to beat in the NFC.

As I build my fall travel schedule, the first two dates I've circled on the calendar are Nov. 1 and Dec. 13. The Giants visit Philadelphia on Nov. 1, and the Eagles travel up the New Jersey Turnpike for the rematch Dec. 13.

Once you figure out the best team in the East, you'll figure out the best team in the NFC.

Giant additions

The Giants blew through the regular season with an NFC-best 12-4 record in 2008 despite the absence of their best defender, Pro Bowl pass rusher Osi Umenyiora, who missed the season with a knee injury.

Now Umenyiora is back. He bolsters a defensive front seven that finished in the NFL's top 10 in both run defense and sacks. New York also added three veteran starters up front in Free Agency: end Chris Canty, tackle Rocky Bernard and linebacker Michael Boley.

The Giants have long subscribed to the theory that you win games up front. They again have the deepest, most talented front seven in the NFL. That front became even deeper on draft day when the Giants selected elite college pass rusher Clint Sintim of Virginia in the second round.

The one offensive starter gone from 2008 is wide receiver Plaxico Burress. The Giants filled that void with two draft picks - Hakeem Nicks in the first round and Ramses Barden in the third.

Nicks was the most polished receiver in this draft, leaving North Carolina as the school's all-time leading receiver. His skill level does not match that of Michael Crabtree or Jeremy Maclin, but Nicks comes out of a pro-style attack at North Carolina and was viewed by talent evaluators as the wide receiver who could have the quickest and biggest impact in this draft.

The Giants aren't building this team for the future - they are building for now. Nicks gives them now on the flank. And Barden gives them size. He was the biggest receiver in this draft at 6-6 - size that will help New York replace the 6-5 Burress in the red zone.

Eagles flying high

The Eagles started building on the foundation of a 9-6-1 wild-card team with the off-season trade for Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters from the Bills. With DeMarcus Ware, Umenyiora and now Brian Orakpo roaring off the weak side on the pass rush, you need a quality left tackle to survive in the NFC East. The Eagles now have one of the best.

Philadelphia acquired cornerback Ellis Hobbs from the New England Patriots in a draft-day deal. The Eagles traded disenchanted Lito Sheppard this off-season, so Hobbs slides right in at nickel cornerback. Andy Reid took offensive weapons with his first three picks of the draft - Maclin in the first round, running back LeSean McCoy in the second and tight end Cornelius Ingram in the fifth. Maclin pencils in as a starter opposite DeSean Jackson, and Donovan McNabb has two dangerous downfield weapons.

McCoy was a superb selection because he's a pocket Brian Westbrook - the same style of player in the same type of body. When the Eagles substituted Correll Buckhalter for Westbrook, the offense had to change to accommodate Buckhalter's more physical rushing style. That won't happen with McCoy.

The departure of the oft-injured L.J. Smith in Free Agency created a void at tight end, and Ingram can help fill that. Ingram has the size (6-4, 245) and speed (4.69 40), and NFL talent evaluators touted him as having a huge upside.

Rest of the NFC East

So where do the Cowboys and Redskins fit in?

Both Dallas and Washington fielded top-10 defenses in 2008. But Washington's will be markedly better in 2009 with $100 million free-agent tackle Albert Haynesworth clogging the middle and first-round draft pick Orakpo bringing his speed off the edge in the pass rush.

The Cowboys have a better offense than Washington, but how much better without lead receiver Terrell Owens and his 10 touchdowns? With the Cowboys moving into a billion-dollar palace in 2009, I thought Jerry Jones would make a dramatic move to excite ticket buyers.

But the only drama thus far has been the signing of a run-playing defensive end (Igor Olshansky) and the decision by Jones to sit out the first day of the draft.