NFL Season Preview: AFC East

Added on Aug 11, 2010 by Eric Galko in

NFL

In one of the most improved divisions in the NFL, the top three teams in the AFC East (New England, New York, and Miami) have made moves to give their fan base legitimate hope to go deep into the playoffs.

With the conference having those three teams nearly all make the playoffs and having the Jets just one win away from the Super Bowl, there is no question that most of the tough games these teams play will be in conference.

Last Year’s Final Standings
New England Patriots – 10-6
New York Jets – 9-7
Miami Dolphins – 7-9
Buffalo Bills – 6-10

Top Newcomers:
Brandon Marshall to Miami
The Dolphins were in the process of finishing up the masterful rebuilding process that Bill Parcels orchestrated leading up to the 2010 NFL Draft. However, when they traded for Brandon Marshall for two 2nd round picks, that instantly took them from rebuilding to playoff contender.

Marshall is one of the most talented receivers in the league, and now strong armed quarterback Chad Henne goes from having a receiving corps featuring many situational and number two or three receivers to having one of the deepest in the league that is built around that Henne to Marshall connection.

Santonio Holmes, Antonio Cromartie, Jason Taylor to New York
After the Brett Favre era in New York (which lasted only one year), it looked as though the Jets would have to attempt to rebuild for a few years before they can get back to the playoffs. But the hiring of Rex Ryan and the commitment to winning by management and ownership has taken this team from 2nd in New York to 2nd in the AFC last season.

To go along with last year’s additions of Bart Scott, Braylon Edwards and others, the Jets went out and got the hero of the 2008 Super Bowl, Santonio Holmes, to lineup along side Edwards, an All-Pro cornerback (from 2007) Antonio Cromartie, and future Hall of Fame pass rusher Jason Taylor. The Jets are committed to winning this year and in the future, and their aggressive moves show that without question.

CJ Spiller, Devin McCourtey, Rob Gronkowski, Kyle Wilson to NFL
While I won’t list every rookie that these three teams drafted this past April, it is important to note the likely starters for these teams, as they could pay dividends early in their career. CJ Spiller likely won’t be a starter to start the season, but because he’s on a team with no Pro-Bowl weapons on offense, he’s probably already the face of that team.

Devin McCourtey and Rob Gronkowski of New England both should start either opening day or by mid-season at cornerback and tight end, respectively. McCourtey and Coach Belichek really meshed in their meetings early on, and because his game is NFL ready for the most part, he should play early. Gronkowski will likely start out of a lack of solid tight ends on roster.

Kyle Wilson likely to be at worst the starting nickel cornerback for this team and possible kick returner to start the season. However, with the Darrelle Revis situation (see later), he could start the beginning of the season and longer at the cornerback spot. He has the talent to.

Top Storylines:
Revis vs. New York Jets Contract Battle
While I’ll discuss this situation in much more detail in another article, the main point of the story is that Darrelle Revis is playing out his rookie contract, which is only a million dollars this season, when it’s obvious he deserves much more.

Revis is expecting Nnamdi Asomugha of the Raiders type of money, in which he received a 3 year, roughly 45 million dollar deal. While the situation for both players is different, one can understand that Revis has a point in wanting as much or more (Rex Ryan called him the best defensive player in the NFL last season), and the Jets have a point in not wanting to pay a cornerback that much. He deserves a raise, and it’s less of a matter of when and more of a matter of how much.

Tom Brady New Contract
A near non-story, a lot has been made of Tom Brady wanting a new contract with the Patriots, as he is in the last year of his contract. However, the odds of Tom Brady leaving the Patriots after this season are worse than the odds on the Rams winning the Super Bowl next season. He’s not going anywhere.

The problem is more of a matter of how much is he going to get. Look no further than a contract signed mere weeks ago: Sam Bradford. With 50 million guaranteed for an unproven quarterback, you have to believe that Brady’s camp will want a lot more than that. He’ll get this done very soon, and Peyton Manning should be soon to follow.

Chad Henne and Brandon Marshall Chemistry
As discussed before, the addition of Brandon Marshall in Miami makes the world of difference…on paper. Sure, it’s easy to say that Marshall’s off the field issues will stay in the high altitude of Denver, but it’s not that easy. It’s the same reason why Terrell Owens found it hard to find a job: team’s do not want to deal with it.

However, TO’s and Marshall’s situation is a bit different. Marshall is an elite level receiver who is just in his prime, and he’ll be going to a team that is anticipating a playoff run. If the strong armed Henne can begin to mesh and gain some chemistry with the immensely talented Marshall, both players could be poised for a Pro Bowl and Super Bowl run.

Quarterback and Left Tackle Battles to Forget in Buffalo
The Buffalo Bills are in a state of disarray when it comes to the offensive side of the ball. Last year’s left tackle, Brad Butler, who was very mediocre, suddenly retired this past season, and they refused to address it until late in the draft on Ed Wang, who has now gotten injured. So they will be forced to find a person who can slightly ressemble a left tackle, and it’s almost unfair to whoever wins, as they likely won’t have the talent to play well at all.

And quarterback isn’t much better. They had the chance to draft Jimmy Clausen TWICE, and yet passed, despite Clausen saying he would be happy in Buffalo and many Bills fans likely hoping they would take the player viewed by some as the top quarterback in last year’s draft. Now, Brian Brohm, former Packer who was cut, is their hoped quarterback of the future, while Trent Edwards is the starter for now and Ryan Fitzpatrick. Ouch Bills fans.

Projected Final Standings:
New England Patriots – 11-5
Tom Brady and the Patriots saw the other two top NFL offenses in the Super Bowl last year, and you know they’ll be hungry for redemption. Now two years removed from his knee injury, Brady has his health and tons of weapons at receiver to use. The defense needs to improve, but I wouldn’t against a Belichek-lead team after a season where they were one and done in the playoffs.

New York Jets – 10-6
The Jets have made tons of moves thus far, and I have to give them credit, as all the players they’ve added over the past two years have short and long term potential. The running game looks solid with Shonn Greene and LT, and the receiving corps is one of the deepest in the AFC. Plus, the defense should be Top 5 at least this season lead by Rex Ryan. The biggest question marks are the lack of depth on the offensive line and the still young Mark Sanchez. One injury on the line or a few bad games for Sanchez could really set this team back.

Miami Dolphins – 10-6
One of the youngest and most talented offensive lines in the AFC and a gunslinging quarterback with weapons at receiver and running back means this offense should be extremely impressive this year. A lot is, again, banking on the fact that Henne and Marshall will be a top-notch duo, but I don’t doubt that at all. The defense is still young, and coach Tony Sparano will need to hold this defense together to hang with the other big boys of the AFC East.

Buffalo Bills – 3-13
The bottom feeders of this conference most seasons over the past 5-10 years, the future for the Bills looks bleak. They lack a good NFL quarterback and a good NFL left tackle, the two most important positions on the field. They have some talent on defense, but not nearly enough depth or consistency to make up for the offense. It should be a long year for Bills fans, and their only hope is that CJ Spiller is the second coming of Chris Johnson, and even that might only mean 7-9 or 8-8.