Today, let’s discuss the AFC East...

AFC EAST

1. New England Patriots  12-4   Easiest AFC pick for division winner. The one component missing in the Pats offense last year was a WR that can stretch the field. Enter Brandon Lloyd , who adds to an already potent offense with weapons like Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez and Wes Welker patrolling the short and intermediate areas. If the defense is even moderately improved {ranked 31^stlast year} and it should be, they dedicated the first 6 picks in the draft to that side of the ball, the Pats are legit Super Bowl contenders again. A word of caution, since Matt light’s retirement, the LT spot has looked real shaky in the pre-season, Pats fans should be fearful of Brady taking one too many shots, a severe injury to him radically alters their season.
2. Buffalo Bills  9-7   In order to compete for a Super Bowl you must throw the ball effectively and attack the opposing Qb. Bills fans won’t have to worry about the ladder. Buffalo might have the best d-line in the NFL. They signed free agent Mario Williams, the premier pass rusher in the league. Then, a week later, they inked DE Mark Anderson, who registered 10 sacks last year. They join a group that already features Marcell Dareus and Kyle Williams. New Defensive coordinator Dave Wannestadt should dramatically increase last years sack total of 29. The big question is does Buffalo return to the playoffs for the first time since 1999? It depends on which QB shows up. The good Ryan Fitzpatrick  threw 14 tds and 7 ints  and the Bills were 5-2, he signed a new deal and then Mr. Hyde had 10 tds and 16 ints and the team lost 8 of the last 9 games. Bottom Line: The defense will be much improved from the unit that last year was ranked 30^thin scoring and 26^thin yards given up, if Fitzpatrick is consistent, they’ll be partying in Buffalo like it’s 1999.
3. New York Jets  8-8  The Jets offense is a disaster waiting to happen. Mark Sanchez regressed last year, and now will be walking on eggshells with the world’s most famous backup QB Tim Tebow waiting in the wings. When Sanchez is yanked for poor performance, and he will get benched, this will cause a division in the locker room. New offensive coordinator Tony Sparano was hired to return the Jets to a “ground and pound” attack, the problem is that the team doesn’t have the talent upfront to execute it. It seems like square pegs and round holes to me. I understand their desire to run it because they also lack playmakers at the WR position. If the Jets do fall short once again, it won’t be the defenses’ fault. Last year the unit finished in the top 5 in yards allowed, and might improve with the acquisition of DE Quinton Coples, who has looked like a disruptive force in the preseason.
4. Miami Dolphins  6-10  Head coach Joe Philbin has his work cut out for him. He starts a rookie QB, Ryan Tannehill, behind a leaky o-line that gave up 52 sacks last year, throwing to a pedestrian WR corps. If that isn’t bad enough, they must also transition from a 3-4 to a 4-3 defense. Rebuilding year for the fish.