The AFC East is a division in The National Football League that has seen
some great rivalries over the years. In the 70s, The Miami Dolphins and
Baltimore Colts were going at it every year with each team winning at
least one Super Bowl Title in the decade. In the 80s, The Dolphins main
competition was The Buffalo Bills. The Bills dominated this division in
the early 90s as they made an unprecedented four consecutive Super Bowl
appearances. Since 1996, The New England Patriots have won The AFC East
on 11 occasions and their eyes are set on number 12 this season. The
main question for 2012 will be what team will finish second behind The
Patriots in The AFC East.
New England Patriots (13-3)
said and done Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom
Brady might be the best head coach/quarterback combo in NFL history.
Belichick and Brady have won 124 regular season games together, 16
playoff games, and they have appeared in five Super Bowls together, all
of which are NFL records. Brady and Belichik were denied their fourth
Super Bowl Title on two occasions by those pesky New York Giants, but
that won’t stop them from giving it the old college try in 2012.
Bowl tight end Rob Gronkowski is a fantasy football team owner’s dream
as he hauled in 17 touchdowns last season. If opposing defenses want to
double “Gronk”, then they must tango with tight end Aaron Hernandez who
falls into that hybrid H-back/tight end role. Wide receivers Juilan
Edelman, Wes Welker, and Deion Branch have all been in The Patriots
system for awhile and thus they have the ability to complete Brady’s
sentences for him. The acquisition of former St. Louis Rams wide
receiver Brandon Lloyd will only bolster the unit and New England’s
high-pace offense.
the days of Willie McGinest. Belichick loaded up in the first round of
April’s NFL Draft by selecting linebacker Dont’a Hightower and defensive
end Chandler Jones. Belichick envisions using both players in multiple
spots in his defense which will allow him to mix up his coverages.
season as New England has their eyes set on Super Bowl 47 in New
Orleans.
New York for The Bills, but I am not ready to drink the kool-aid as of
yet. The Bills were the talk of The NFL to start the season in 2011 as
they came out of the gates with a record of 5-2. The Bills faltered in
the second half of the season to finish a disappointing 6-10. Bills head
coach Chan Gailey believes that quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick is the guy
to lead this team to a championship, but they will need a better effort
from Fitzpatrick. Last season, Fitzpatrick threw 23 interceptions and
he was sacked 22 times. Wide receiver Steve Johnson has flashed
potential at times, but for The Bills to compete for a playoff spot,
they will need Johnson to harness his ability for all 16 games.
Texans defensive end Mario Williams to a six-year, $100 million deal
with $50 million guaranteed. The Bills were 26th in total defense last
season and they only had 23 sacks on defense which was last in the
league. Williams has a total of 53 career sacks since The Texans
selected him with the first overall pick of The NFL Draft in 2006 so
this could be a match made in heaven.
still waiting to see this team make the playoffs for the first time
since 1999 which is currently to longest active streak in the league.
Jets, they will always have a media circus around them. In his three
years in The Big Apple, Ryan has failed to meet a camera that he didn’t
like. Ryan’s Jets made it to The AFC Championship Game in his first two
seasons, but they stumbled last season and failed to qualify for the
postseason. Ryan wants to go back to basics this season which means a
power running attack and a staunch defense. The Jets were 22nd in
rushing last season which in uncharacteristic for a Rex Ryan team.
coach Tony Sparano and his shades to be the team’s new offensive
coordinator. Prior to becoming the head coach for The Dolphins, Sparano
was the offensive line coach of The Dallas Cowboys for five seasons, but
he doesn’t have any experience as a coordinator in The NFL. The Jets
want to focus on the ground game this season. Running back Shonn Greene
has seen an increase in his carries and rushing yards in each of his
three seasons in The NFL as he went over the 1,000 yard rushing mark for
the first time in his career last season with 1,054 rushing yards.
Make no bones about it, The Jets need better production from the
quarterback position. Mark Sanchez is the incumbent although The Jets
traded for Tim Tebow. Sanchez threw a career-high 26 touchdowns in
2011, but it was a shaky year for the former USC Trojan as he is not at
his best when he is asked to throw the football 40 times or more in a
game. Tebow was brought in the run the “wildcat” package only, even
though he led The Denver Broncos to The AFC West Title last season and a
playoff victory over The Pittsburgh Steelers. If Sanchez struggles in
his first few games, the fans in New York will be clamoring for Tebow.
The Jets might have one of the best secondaries in The AFC after they
signed safeties Yeremiah Bell and LaRon Landry to team with cornerbacks
Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie. Revis has yet to meet a wide
receiver that he can’t shut down which shortens the field for The Jets
defensively.
For The Jets to be successful in 2012, they are going to have to win
games ugly which Ryan won’t complain about, but against the heavyweights
of The AFC such as The Patriots and Steelers, it will be tough
sledding.
Miami Dolphins (3-13)
This is going to be a long
season in South Florida for The Dolphins and their fans. New Dolphins
head coach Joe Philbin drafted Texas A&M quarterback Ryan Tannehill
in the first round of The NFL Draft, but Tannehill is struggling with
formations where he is asked to line up under center because that is
something that he wasn’t asked to do in college. Tannehill is also
trying to fill the shoes of Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino. Since
Marino retired in 1999, The Dolphins have used 16 different starting
quarterbacks and Tannehill will now be number 17, so it is fitting that
is his jersey number as well. The Dolphins do not have a ton of talent
after they traded wide receiver Brandon Marshall to The Chicago Bears.
Philbin is trying to establish his system in Miami and it will take some
time, but The Dolphin fans are tired of hearing about rebuilding which
is unfortunate for a team that has made five appearances in The Super
Bowl.
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