Rings, Tuna, Santa, and NASCAR - History and Tradition of the NFC East

And for the final history/tradition breakdown, we may have saved the best for last. With 11 Super Bowl titles the AFC East may be the most historically rich division in the NFL.

NFC East

Dallas Cowboys - How bout them Cowboys? Boasting 5 Super Bowl Titles and claiming to be "America's Team", the Cowboys are a historical juggernaut. Like the Steelers and Packers, the Cowboys distinguish themselves by two dominant eras of football.

Though it's nearly impossible to believe now, the Tom Landry Cowboys of the 1960's were arguably the 2nd most popular team in Dallas behind the Texans. As the 70's came (and with Roger Staubach, Mike Ditka, and "Too Tall" Jones among others) that changed quickly. Dallas ended the 70s with 2 Super Bowl titles, nationwide popularity, and as the winningest team of the decade.

The 90's Cowboys may have been even more notorious, for the right and wrong reasons. The team won 3 NFL titles in the decade, but also earned a reputation for its off the field issues. Since their last title, the only constants in Dallas have been Jerry Jones and disappointing playoffs exits. Still, the Cowboys have been as dominant and competitive since inception as any other franchise.

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New York Giants - One of the dominant franchises of the pre-merger NFL, the Giants have 4 NFL titles before 1960 and 3 Super Bowl titles since. In the early-merger days, the Giants were repeatedly at the bottom of the standings, failing to make the playoffs until 1981. After Ray Perkins bolted to replace a football legend in Tuscaloosa, the Giants turned the reins over Bill Parcells.

During Parcells tenure, the Giants returned to the top of the NFL, winning 2 Super Bowl titles behind stars such as Phil Simms and Lawrence Taylor. After the two stars retired in 1993, the franchise struggled through the rest of the decade.

Despite advancing to the Super Bowl in 2000, it was really later in the decade until the Giants returned to prominence. After re-establishing itself as a contender, the Giants knocked off the undefeated Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, capturing the franchise's 3rd Super Bowl Title

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Philadelphia Eagles - All-out brawls? Check. Pelting Santa with snowballs? Check. In-stadium jail? Check. Forget the football, the best Eagles history is in the stands at the old Vet.

On the field, the Eagles best years were pre-1960, winning 3 NFL titles before the modern era. Since then, the team has struggled to get over the hump. Dick Vermeil's Eagles of the 70's/80's, the "Gang Green" teams of the 90's and Andy Reid's teams of recent have been playoff regulars, but managed only two Super Bowl appearances and zero titles.

While the fans' escapades are notorious, the product on the field hasn't stood out in nearly 50 years. Still, the team has been fairly competitive over the last 30.

7/20

Washington Redskins - After NFL titles in 1937 and 1942, the Resdkins struggled through the 50s and 60s. After a return to the playoffs in the 70s, the team entered the 80s hungry for a championship.

Joe Gibbs was hired to coach the team in 1981, and it wouldn't take long to establish himself as a legendary coach. Though they had stars such as Joe Theismann, John Riggins, and Art Monk, it was "The Hogs" on the O-line that set the tone for the team, leading them to their first Super Bowl win in 1982. The team returned to the Super Bowl the next year but came up short. However, the team would win its 2nd and 3rd Super Bowls in 1987 and 1991.

After Gibbs's left the NFL for NASCAR in 1993, the franchise has struggled to find a coach or consistency. Norv Turner, and Marty Schottenheimer, the Ole Ball Coach, and even Joe Gibbs himself have each taken turns at trying to return the team to a championship level, but have been unable to return the franchise to glory.

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