AFC EAST 
Buffalo Bills – Many people have
an image of the 2007 Buffalo Bills facing off against the NFC powerhouse
Dallas Cowboys on the first Monday night game in Buffalo in years. And
the Bills damn near pulled off the upset! The defense swarmed; the special
teams excelled; the offense lurched. In the end, they couldn’t close
the deal.
That was mighty exciting – and an endearing memory – but the bottom
line is, this team was awful. The Bills had the 30th ranked offense
and 31st ranked defense. That is a COMMITMENT to sucking! Since the
team would be hard pressed to do worse in 2008, it’s safe to say… the
Bills will improve. However, it may not show up in the win column.
Buffalo will welcome to their starting lineup Paul Posluszny, the middle
linebacker who was lost for all of 2007 with an injury but enjoyed a
successful pre-season. He’s likely to be joined by a new cornerback,
1st-round selection Leodis McKelvin. Depth is finally coming to the
Bills, now three-deep at CB and DT, promising solid rotations and backstops
against injuries. At DT, the team picked up Marcus Stroud from the Jags
and Spencer Johnson from the Vikes… fine additions both. The linebackers
are still thin though, with the average Kawika Mitchell coming over
from the Giants. The young pair of safeties – Donte Whitner and Ko Simpson
– need to stay healthy for this team to creep into the top half of the
NFL’s defenses.
The Bills offense will once again ride the back of RB Marshawn Lynch
as long as he will carry them. He’s been promised a larger role in the
passing game, so from a fantasy perspective, Lynch – already a consistent
scorer – could become a real stud. However, the guy who clears a lot
of holes in the defense for him is in question. LT Jason Peters, a rising
star, has decided he’s worth more than the Bills are willing to pay,
and he’s missed quite a lot of training camp in a contract dispute.
There is almost no depth behind Peters, so this squad may collapse without
him. Young QB Trent Edwards really needs Peters’s protection to improve
upon 2007’s uninspiring campaign. Edwards was immobile, inaccurate and
risk averse. He needs to learn the Jake Delhomme Rule: “Just throw it
to your stud.” WR Lee Evans will need to be targeted much more often
for this offense to move. Rookie WR James Hardy hasn’t impressed in
camp enough to guarantee he’ll be able to help much this year, but he’s
got the physical tools to work with into the future. If WR Josh Reed
is called upon to once again line up with the starters, this offense
is in trouble.
In a conference that got to pick on the worst team in recent memory,
Buffalo cannot count on those two victories any more. Parcells won’t
have it. I expect much of the same from Buffalo – a lame offense and
a slightly-improved defense. Except you should see a split with the
Dolphins this year.
Strength: defensive back
Weakness: wide receiver
2008 MVP’s: Marshawn Lynch & Paul Posluszny
Unsung hero: John DiGiorgio
Record last year: 7-9
Record this year: 6-10
Miami Dolphins – I only stopped
laughing a few weeks ago. 1-15? Who the hell goes 1-15 this deep into
free agency? The word is ‘parity,’ not ‘parody!’ Sweet shit, how could
Cam Cameron screw up THIS badly?
Actually, the team lost quite a few close ones (6 games were lost by
3 points), so they’re not too far away from winning a few of those.
It’s certainly possible that Chad Pennington alone could be the difference.
He’s helped weak Jets teams get to the playoffs on a few occasions.
His accuracy is obvious to anyone who pays attention. Sure, the guy
has an arm like bad pasta, but he can still move the ball 10 yards at
a time, and that’s all this squad really needs. Until WR Ted Ginn learns
how to run routes other than deep outs, he and Pennington won’t be of
much use to each other. WR Derek Hagan, however, could have a breakout
season. The 3rd-year player seems to have finally shaken his insolent
ways, and he’s committed himself to being the athlete coaches always
thought he could be with a little dedication. Undrafted rookie WR Davone
Bess has really impressed coaches too, so look for him to be worked
into the rotation a bit too. At running back, there is currently a battle
between oft-injured Ronnie Brown and oft-stoned Ricky Williams for the
majority of carries. Even if they split the duties, they’ll both be
looking for rookie OT Jake Long to blow some holes in the line. Considering
the immediate impact that Joe Thomas had for the Browns last year, there
is even more pressure on Long to turn things around for his team NOW.
The depth along the Miami O-line is quite weak, so it will take an unusually
healthy stretch for this offense to improve significantly.
The Dolphins defense lost two of its leaders this off-season, with Zach
Thomas departing via free agency and Jason Taylor being traded. NT Jason
Ferguson and LB Akin Ayodele come over from the Cowboys, but they’re
hardly satisfying replacements. The team will lean on the pass-rush
of veteran Joey Porter, DE-turned-OLB Matt Roth and multi-team failure
Quentin Moses to keep offenses honest. The Dolphins spent a fair amount
of the draft addressing the D-line, with Phillip Merling, Kendall Langford
and Lionel Dotson joining the squad. Also, Titans free agent Randy Starks
further muddles the depth chart. The lone stand-out performance may
come from LB Channing Crowder, who will need to take on a much bigger
role in his 4th season.
There is simply no way the Dolphins will match their losses from last
season. Besides, they can’t afford to pay another #1 overall pick. For
the benefit of the salary cap, they need to win! And they should pick
up a few of those 3-point victories they missed out on last year.
Strength: uhh….. climate?
Weakness: wide receivers
2008 MVP’s: Chad Pennington & Channing Crowder
Unsung hero: Randy Starks
Record last year: 1-15
Record this year: 5-11
New England Patriots – I read
an article a while back about a Giants fan who – upon hearing that the
t-shirts printed up to commemorate the Patriots' “perfect season” had
been shipped to clothe the poor of Central America – got on a bus and
rode down to Nicaragua to try to find a few items. Now THAT is funny!
I’m sure the NFL would have preferred the legend of 19-0 and the charismatic
Tom Brady to hoist that Lombardi Trophy one more time. But alas – David
Tyree just can’t be stopped!
Some people have wondered how hard this team would take such a devastating
loss. My guess? Not much. It’s not the mindset of the Pats to get too
high or too low. QB Tom Brady temporarily ended the “Brady vs. Manning”
debate about the best QB in the league. Now, we have to wonder which
Manning we were arguing about in the first place. I’m sure Brady won’t
be topping the records he set last year, but for the life of me, I can’t
think of too many reasons why he can’t threaten them. WRs Randy Moss
and Wes Welker are still developing chemistry with Brady, and journeyman
Jabar Gaffney is likely to move into the role vacated by free agent
Donte Stallworth. The team has high hopes for 2006 draft pick Chad Jackson
too. The offensive line is as stable as ever, and the depth has improved
thanks to a few free agent additions. At running back, Laurence Maroney
showed his talents late in the season, and was a key to getting the
team back to the Super Bowl. Sammy Morris may return from injury and
make free agent addition LaMont Jordan unnecessary. And while Tom Brady
may be one of the Iron Men of the NFL, the Patriots are taking a stupid
risk by not backing him up with a quality #2 QB. Pats fans should pray
every night for Brady's health.
The Pats defense has long been considered ‘over the hill,’ but they
still rank among the very best. Rodney Harrison, Tedy Bruschi and Mike
Vrabel may be hanging up their leather helmets soon, but they’ll have
to be anchors of this D once again. The young defensive backs need Harrison’s
tutelage. Ellis Hobbs, James Sanders, Brandon Merriweather and rookie
Terrence Wheatley may form the future of this team, but they still need
grooming. 1st round selection Jerod Mayo will be thrown directly into
the starting lineup, and he’s in a position to lead the team in tackles
right away.
The days of "perfect seasons" and "running the table"
are likely over. Those sort of seasons come along once in a generation.
But there's no doubt the Patriots are still far and away the class of
this division.
Strength: wide receiver
Weakness: defensive back
2008 MVP’s: Tom Brady & Tedy Bruschi
Unsung hero: Brandon Merriweather
Record last year: 16-0 (playoffs)
Record this year: 13-3 (playoffs)
New York Jets – Brett Favre.
Alan Faneca. Vernon Gholston. Kris Jenkins. Calvin Pace. The Jets may
be the team most improved in this division. Since they’re only two years
removed from a playoff season, there’s obviously some talent to work
with already on the roster. It’s not quite time to break out The Mangenious
Boogie yet, but a radical improvement is not out of the question.
It all starts with Brett Favre, doesn’t it? In his 85th season, Favre
showed he was still sharp. Now 10 years later, he’s still got most of
his trademark power and unpredictability (and a subscription to AARP
Magazine!). His presence elevates the games of both WRs Jerricho Cotchery
and Laveranues Coles. Especially Cotchery. Look for the 5th year man
out of North Carolina State to become a 100+ reception man this season.
The Jets are also blessed with some serious competition at the TE spot:
incumbent Chris Baker spent part of his off-season bitching about his
contract while the team brought in fellow Packer Bubba Franks and rookie
1st rounder Dustin Keller. And Brett loves his tight ends! The key to
this team’s success though is up front. OT D’Brickashaw Ferguson will
have a new neighbor brushing up against his shoulder. Guard Alan Faneca,
one of the NFL’s best, will be helping protect Favre’s blind side and
opening holes for the running back team of Thomas Jones and Leon Washington.
Linebacker David Harris absolutely exploded on the scene last year.
Being 8th in the league with 127 tackles as a rookie is sick. Doing
it in only 9 starts is sickity
sick! Patrick Willis, watch your back! Harris will line up with the
strong group of Eric Barton, Bryan Thomas and new addition Calvin Pace
from the Cardinals. Pace has only had one stellar season, so we may
be in for one of those post-contract-year letdowns. Two of the hottest
young defensive backs will be behind them: Kerry Rhodes and Darrelle
Revis. Revis really came on late in the 2007 campaign. Rhodes signed
a meaty contract in April to stay in New York.
Brett Favre has only endured one losing season as a starting quarterback,
and I don’t think he’s going to pick up his second. However, the strength
of the AFC may prevent the Jets from making the playoffs this year.
The team will be hoping Brett comes back to them in 2009 (after he retires,
of course).
Strength: linebacker
Weakness: defensive line
2008 MVP’s: Jerricho Cotchery & David Harris
Unsung hero: Leon Washington
Record last year: 4-12
Record this year: 8-8
- Uncle Scurvy - RotoKingdom Staff Writer
