BREAKDOWN – AFC East

By Steve O’Reilly

There have been some big acquisitions in the AFC East this year and most notably at Wide Receiver. The Jets stud Cornerback Darrelle Revis is still holding out in hopes to become the highest paid Cornerback in the league, the Dolphins added a Beast of a Wide Receiver in Brandon Marshall, the Patriots had one return from a major injury as Wes Welker is back and ready to go and the Bills drafted a speed demon at Running Back who could be the next Chris Johnson.

Let’s take a look around the AFC East, we’ll note some of the changes and provide some predictions!!

Miami Dolphins – The Dolphins have added one of the biggest names this offseason with a Blockbuster trade with the Denver Broncos to acquire the big Wide Receiver that they’ve been looking for. Marshall adds a tremendous weapon for this team in the fact that Safeties are going to have to be honest and respect the fact that the Beast will beat Man coverage. This means that running lanes for Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams should open up. The Offense looks set with the big question riding on the shoulders of Chad Henne. Back in April, I had the good fortune to play a round of golf with Marshall and Henne. They built a nice relationship right off the bat and they both seemed very excited to be working with each other. Marshall like the strong arm of Henne and Henne likes the 6’5″ frame that Brandon provides. Defensively, the Phins need to see if Cameron Wake will provide the Pass Rush that they need off the edge of their 3-4 Defense. The only questions marks on this team are up the middle defensively, especially at Nose Tackle, and a proven Pass Rusher. They also could use a bit of an upgrade at Free Safety but we will have to see what Chris Clemons brings. Karlos Dansby was brought in from Arizona to start at Inside Linebacker next to Channing Crowder. The young Cornerback tandem in Sean Smith and Vontae Davis has a chance to be solid if not spectacular.

Player to watch – Cameron Wake – The 2nd year Outside Linebacker needs to show the Dolphins that he can be the pass rusher they envisioned when they signed him. In this tough AFC East, you need to be able to put pressure on the QB’s because this division boasts some great Wide Outs.

Schedule – Wins: Patriots, Jets, Bills, Bills, Titans, Bears, Browns, Lions, Raiders
Losses: Patriots, Jets, Packers
Could go either way: Steelers, Vikings, Bengals, Ravens

Prediction: 11-5 (1st AFC East)

The Skinny – The Dolphins have made some nice additions with Brandon Marshall and Karlos Dansby headlining those moves. The key to their season rests with Chad Henne but their Offense will still be predicated on the run with Playaction waiting in the wing. They need to be sure to get pressure on the QB’s or the Phins might have an early exit in the Playoffs but this team should be ready to make a move in the East!

New England Patriots – The Pats weren’t too busy in the offseason. They didn’t add that many huge names but filled some roster spots with draft picks Brandon Spikes and Devon McCourty. The Patriots have questions on both sides of the ball if we are talking strictly Super Bowl ready. They have to figure out who is going to be the Running Back to carry the load but more importantly the questions on Defense have to be concerning. In the 2009 Playoffs they were shredded by Ray Rice and the Baltimore Ravens and the 2010 Pats have done little to shore up that side of the ball. Leigh Bodden, their best Cornerback is out for the year with a torn Rotator Cuff and they still haven’t added a top of the line Pass Rusher. Vince Wilfork and Jerod Mayo will anchor the middle of the Defense but the edges appear to be the weak spots. On Offense, Tom Brady and Randy Moss will head into 2010 not knowing what their contractual future will be after this season. Brady, from multiple reports, wanted to get a deal done before the year began but as of yet it hasn’t happened. Moss is in the same boat but honestly the Patriots might be using this to their advantage. Guys tend to produce at a high level when they know those numbers are going to set the benchmark for their next deal. Incredibly, Moss is not going to be the only Pro Bowler at the Wide Receiver as the Patriots return Wes Welker from a major knee injury suffered in 2009. In less than a year, Welker is back and provides the Slot receiver that makes the Patriots offense so dangerous.

Player to watch – Rob Gronkowski – The rookie Tight End has earned Tom Brady’s trust and should be involved in the Patriots offense. He can block and catch the ball. Could surprise a lot of fans up in New England!

Schedule – Wins: Jets, Dolphins, Bills, Bills, Browns, Lions, Bears, Steelers
Loses: Jets, Dolphins, Vikings, Chargers
Could go either way: Bengals, Colts, Packers, Ravens

Prediction: 10-6 2nd in AFC East (WildCard Team)

The Skinny – The Patriots are always a tough team to beat as long as Brady, Moss and Welker are there. They need to have a bit more balance with the playcalling but after a year removed from Knee surgery, Tom Brady should be much better than he was in 2009. Tough Division but the Pats should be playoff bound again.

New York Jets – This is the media darling so far in 2010 but I’m not quite buying it. Not to say they aren’t going to be good, they will be, but the key here is the growth of 2nd Year QB Mark Sanchez and whether or not they work out a deal with All Pro cornerback Darrelle Revis. The Jets face a host of teams with great Wide Receivers and they could really use Revis’ services. They did go out and draft a good one in Kyle Wilson and added former Pro Bowler Antonio Cromartie from the Chargers. The biggest acquisition has to be Santonio Holmes who they nabbed for a mere 5th Round pick from Pittsburgh. They also picked up future Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson to spell new starter Shonn Greene. On Defense, the return of Nose Tackle Kris Jenkins can’t be understated. This Defense was the best in the league a year ago and the return of Jenkins from injury makes them only that much better. The biggest issue with the Jets is I don’t believe they got better at Running Back and I think they got a bit older on Defense. Thomas Jones is gone and it’s yet to be seen if Greene and Tomlinson can be the work horse backs that the Jets like. The Jets kind of backed into the playoffs in 2009 by facing two teams who had packed it in at the end. They did get hot and rode that momentum to the Championship game but if they don’t have Revis back to cover Moss, Marshall, Boldin and a host of other guys it could be a long year for the J-E-T-S!

Player to watch – Kyle Wilson – With the Revis situation on the top of all the Jets fans minds, Wilson will have to step in and be ready to carry the torch. That’s asking a lot for a rookie Corner but Wilson is technically sound and with the way the Jets blitz he won’t have to cover guys for longer than 4-5 seconds anyway!

Schedule – Wins: Patriots, Bills, Bills, Dolphins, Broncos, Lions, Browns,
Loses: Ravens, Patriots, Dolphins, Vikings, Packers
Could go either way: Texans, Steelers, Bears, Bengals

Prediction: 9-7 (No Playoffs)

The Skinny – The Jets have too many question marks for my liking to have them winning 10 games. Not saying it can’t happen, because it definitely can but I think the Jets try to open up the offense more and we have to wait and see if Sanchez’s decision making is top shelf. If Revis does sit out for any amount of time than this defense will not be the same. The East has gotten better and I’m not so sure the Jets have kept pace.

Buffalo Bills – The Bills are the team that everyone is counting out and I have to admit I’m in that boat myself. While I absolutely love the draft selection of CJ Spiller they didn’t do enough to shore up their Passing game. This includes the Offensive Line and Wide Receivers. They no longer have Terrell Owens and they recently released James Hardy. The team is trying to settle on a QB, Trent Edwards seems to have settled into that role, they are trying to learn a new Defensive Scheme, switching to the 3-4, and trying to get the Offense Line ready to compete with some great Defenses that they will face in 2010. The bright spot for the Bills is their ball hawking secondary. They’ve been outstanding in creating turnovers, led by 2nd year Free Safety Jarius Byrd. Terrance McGee and Leodis McKelvin at Cornerback provide a solid secondary. Questions at Outside Linebacker and along the Front 7 still remain and learning a new scheme in one year isn’t easy but it’s the task at hand for Chan Gailey’s Defense. They brought in Andra Davis from Denver to man one Inside Linebacker position and while he may not be a burner he is definitely a leader and will help keep guys lined up properly. Aaron Schobel retired and Aaron Maybin and Chris Kelsay are learning new positions. It could be a few weeks before this unit jells and the Offense isn’t exactly built to carry the load.

Schedule – Wins: Jaguars, Browns, Bears, Chiefs
Losses: Dolphins, Dolphins, Jets, Jets, Patriots, Patriots, Ravens, Bengals, Vikings,
Could go either way: Lions, Bears, Steelers, Browns, Jaguars

Prediction: 4-12 (No Playoffs)

The Skinny – Too many variables for this team. Questions along the O-Line, at QB and only a good but not a dominant Wide Receiver leaves this team one dimensional. The Defense is going to be a work in progress but the secondary should be ball hawking which might keep them in games. If the O-Line is as bad as it was in 2009 than you can expect Trent Edwards to be in the Cold Tub for an extended period of time. CJ Spiller will provide a spark of hope for the Bills but this Division is loaded with teams that are thinking Super Bowl and the Bills are in rebuild mode.