2010 NFL Preview: AFC East
The AFC East will be a very exciting division to watch. The Patriots and Jets, two teams that both have a shot at making the playoffs and winning some postseason games, will be fighting all season for the division championship. The Dolphins are a great team, but a brutal schedule will kill them early in the season. The Bills? They can probably scrap out a few wins in the final weeks. But if the Dolphins had an easier schedule, and if the Bills had made some smarter off-season decisions over the past few season, we would be looking at one of the greatest divisions in NFL history.
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1st Place: New York Jets
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2009 Record (Div. Place): 9-7 (2nd)
2010 Predicted Record (Div. Place): 13-3 (1st)
Major Additions: Antonio Cromartie (CB), LaDanian Tomlinson (HB), Santonio Holmes (WR)
Major Losses: Thomas Jones (HB), Jay Feely (K), Alan Faneca (G)
Key Players (Off.): Nick Mangold (C), LaDanian Tomlinson (HB), Shonn Green (HB)
Key Players (Def.): Darelle Revis (CB), Kris Jenkins (DT), David Harris (MLB)
The Jets, a wild-card team who made a surprising run to the AFC Championship game last season, look to build on their late-season success in '09 with a Superbowl championship in '10. Offensively, the loss of Thomas Jones (cut) hurts, but the addition of Tomlinson and the improvement of Shonn Green should make up for his loss. Mark Sanchez is still raw, but with a season under his belt, 2010 should be his best season yet. On the defensive side of the ball, They have done nothing but improve; Darelle Revis proved to be the top corner in the NFL, and the addition of Antonio Cromartie should make passing the ball hell for opposing teams.
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2nd Place: New England Patriots
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2009 Record (Div. Place): 10-6 (1st)
2010 Predicted Record (Div. Place): 10-6 (2nd)
Major Additions: Alge Crumpler (TE), Torry Holt (WR)
Major Losses: None
Key Players (Off.): Tom Brady (QB), Logan Mankins (LG), Randy Moss (WR)
Key Players (Def.): Vince Wilfolk (DT), Ty Warren (LE), Jerod Mayo (MLB)
Since the Patriots made no significant off-season moves, I can't see them doing any better than last season. While other teams have either improved (New York Jets) or gotten worse (Pittsburgh Steelers), the Patriots have stayed at the same level. My biggest question is how well the Pats defense can hold up. Without any big-name stars, it's up to younger and less experienced players to lead the Patriots back to the Superbowl. Their biggest concern on that side of the ball, in my opinion, is the cornerbacks. Their best CB is Leigh Bodden--who?--, who has an 82 overall. New England appears to be a team that will need to score 35 or 40 points a game to win.
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3rd Place: Miami Dolphins
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2009 Record (Div. Place): 7-9 (3rd)
2010 Predicted Record (Div. Place): 6-10 (3rd)
Major Additions: Brandon Marshall (WR),
Major Losses: Jason Taylor (LB/DE), Joey Porter (LB)
Key Players (Off.): Ronnie Brown (HB), Brandon Marshall (WR), Jake Long (LT)
Key Players (Def.): Karlos Dansby (MLB), Randy Starks (DT), Vontae Davis (CB)
The Dolphins, in my opinion, aren't a terrible team, but their daunting early-season schedule will be tough to overcome; they face the Vikings, Jets, Patriots, Packers, Steelers, Bengals, and Ravens in consecutive games. They are expected to lose all of those games--except maybe the Steelers game--which will all but knock them out of playoff contention. However, this team will still be exciting to watch, thanks to their great implementation of the Wildcat, a college-friendly playbook that works to some degree in the NFL.
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4th Place: Buffalo Bills
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2009 Record (Div. Place): 6-10 (4th)
2010 Predicted Record (Div. Place): 5-11 (4th)
Major Additions: C.J. Spiller (HB)
Major Losses: Terrell Owens (WR)
Key Players (Off.): Fred Jackson (HB), Brian Moorman (P), Lee Evans (WR)
Key Players (Def.): Terrance McGee (CB), Jairus Byrd (FS), Marcus Stroud (LE)
The Bills are getting worse every season. The Bills haven't made the playoffs since 1999 (doesn't seem long ago? Their starting quarterback that season was Doug Flutie), which is losing them fans and making the few loyal people who go to every game antsy. If Bills fans are thinking that this is finally the year they will do well, they are wrong. They have made absolutely no off-season moves of any importance, leaving C.J. Spiller (their 1st round draft pick) the only incoming player to watch out for. The loss of Terrell Owens actually isn't a "Major Loss" because it will help the team in the long run, but in the meantime they have no major wide receiver apart from Lee Evans. All-in-all, this will be one of the most boring teams in the NFL to watch; I would avoid them at all costs.