Writing Another Chapter In NFC's East Side Story

A Lot of Talk Precedes Loaded Division's Marquee Matchup

The trash-talking began well before the season did.

Calls and text messages were exchanged between Washington, Dallas, New York and Philadelphia throughout the summer, with players in each city boasting that they had the best team in the NFC East. All could agree on one thing -- that after years of mediocrity, this was the most competitive division in the NFL. Nearly everything else was open to debate.

Washington Redskins defensive lineman Renaldo Wynn could tell from the area code alone which provocateur was on the line. Former teammate LaVar Arrington, fresh from a nasty divorce from Washington, was adamant that his new club, the New York Giants, would clobber the Redskins twice this season. Jeremiah Trotter, another former Redskin and an eager agitator, checked in frequently from Philadelphia to inform Wynn that after a one-year hiatus in the basement of the NFC East, the Eagles would rule again in 2006.

Even a youngster who had yet to play his first NFL game -- Sam Hurd, Wynn's nephew and an undrafted free agent wide receiver on the Dallas Cowboys -- got in some verbal shots at the Redskins' expense. It was a bold salvo for a rookie that, Wynn suspects, was made at the behest of Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens.

Beginning today, months of rhetoric will be put to the test, with the NFC East opening its divisional schedule with several teams having struggled in Week 1. By the time the Redskins (0-1) meet their arch-rival Cowboys (0-1) at Texas Stadium tonight, the Eagles (1-0) and Giants (0-1) will already have played.

Half the division could remain winless entering the third week of the season. The Redskins and Cowboys have additional pride at stake, renewing a 46-year feud before a national television audience.

"Our guys get revved up talking to the guys on the other teams," Wynn said. "They all think they're the team to beat, and we feel that we're the team to beat. I always talk to LaVar, and he swears not only are they going to win the division, but they're going to whip the crap out of us, too. Trot, in Philadelphia, they feel they're healthy again and heading in the right direction and they're coming for us. And my nephew, he's with T.O. a lot, so that rubs off on him, and now my whole family is trash-talking, too.

"I love it. That all just gets me pumped up, and however you get that extra motivation you thrive off that. Everyone has a different perspective; everyone thinks they're the guy. So we've got to take care of business when we play in the division."

The Redskins, who lost 19-16 to Minnesota last week, set spending records on acquiring players and coaches during the offseason, revamping the offense. Dallas beefed up its defense and added Owens, one of the league's premier athletes and sideshows. Philadelphia replaced Owens with wide receiver Donte Stallworth. The Giants, who handed Washington its lone NFC East loss with a 36-0 thumping in 2005, added Arrington and retooled a spotty secondary.

"No one sat on their hands in this division," said Joe Bugel, the Redskins assistant head coach-offense whose days in the division go back more than 20 years. "The NFC East is back, man. It's like it was back in the 80s."

NFC East teams compiled 36 wins last season, tied with the AFC West for the most in football. Within the NFC, the East dominated, going 16-8 outside the division. New York, the reigning division champions, and Washington won 10 games apiece and the Cowboys won nine. The Redskins caused the most havoc in the division, going 5-1 against NFC East opponents, with decisive victories over the three other teams down the stretch to clinch their first playoff appearance since 1999.

"It lets you know you can play with those guys," said running back Rock Cartwright, a 2002 draft pick. "Early on when I was here, we were just one of those teams that kind of knew we weren't going to do anything in this division."