The Mock: AFC East

The AFC East last year was the division that had all the whacky results that not even the top analysts could foresee. The Miami Dolphins took their previous 1-15 season and flipped some numbers around to make an astounding run at the playoffs with a 11-5 regular season record. Within one #1 overall draft pick, the team went from worst to division champions. For the New England Patriots, it was their first time missing the playoffs since 2002. With the quarterback shuffle after Tom Brady went down, Matt Cassell just couldn't do enough for the team to make a return to the Super Bowl for a second straight season. The Jets went through a little pre season drama as they brought in Brett Favre but the decision quickly payed off as the season kicked off on a good note. Regardless, the team missed the playoffs by a win or two. The Buffalo Bills never made much noise in the ESPN headliners or in any other sporting news but the Bills silently made their own efforts as they went 7-9. A playoff appearance could be very near for this young team.

Terrell Owens is the fresh new face in the AFC
and he is ready to add another chapter
to his never ending soap opera. He'll
catch a couple touchdowns too.

Buffalo

The biggest move for the Bills during this off season was the arrival of drama king Terrell Owens. A well known elite receiver who has been up and around the league these past few years, TO has found a new location; this time it's the AFC. Could this be a positive impact for the slowly risen Bills, or could this just ruin any chance of a future here in Buffalo?

Trent Edwards will get the unanimous decision as this team's starting quarterback and with a pretty solid group of receivers running the routes in Buffalo, a strong passing game could be in the making. With Terrell Owens' newly made presence, Lee Evans and Roscoe Parrish could be finding some unusual success. Marshawn Lynch will sit in the backfield as he will look to rush the ball behind a steady offensive line that is still looking for a few final touches to make it consistent. Overall, the offense is quite young and the blossoming could be happening soon. Buffalo fans may have to be patient though.

Terrence McGee will have plenty of responsibilities
in his hands as he leads a young defense and
looks to make a couple of highlights with the
returning game.

A fresh defense that is led by Marcus Stroud has future potential pro bowlers in youngsters such as Donte Whitner, Paul Posluszney, and some others. The front line trenches has some veteran leadership and that will be the core of this team's defense. A lot of learning is still left to be done to connect all the pieces in this defense but patience pays off. Let's just hope the fans don't run out of it soon. It's been a while. Cornerback Terrence McGee is a little undersized, but he has speed that can't be taught. Expect him to be a pest on the secondary of the defense. On the special teams plays, McGee will be hungry to return some kick returns for big yards. One of the top returners for this season is McGee and he will be willing to prove it.

The 7-9 record from last year could easily be improved to 9-7 this year or even more but the likelihood of a 5-11 record or even worse is just as probable. Expect these guys to experiment a lot and make a couple changes throughout the season.

Miami

The Dolphins were the ultimate surprise last season as they took the #1 overall pick in Jake Long and never looked back. Of course, this rookie wasn't the only reason for the club's success but something had to have clicked for a 1-15 team to improve their following season by 10 wins. Whatever they did, it worked. Keep it up and we may see a 19-0 season for this team. Yeah right...

A repeat of last season seems unlikely, but a healthy Chad Pennington and Ronnie Brown could be very dangerous when utilized in the right way. They don't have a big time wide receiver in their aerial assault but the four year man, Ted Ginn Jr is a freak athlete that can do some damage when healthy. Expect him to be the go to guy for Pennington this season if everything goes smoothly. We may even see him run a few punts or kickoffs all the way to the end zone. Some big yardage will be made up through him. Second round pick, Pat White may also be experimented with. The young man out of West Virginia packs a lot of speed and played quarterback in college so we may see some trickery or who knows what. With Anthony Fasano and David Martin working the tight end position, we could see some good blocking and short yardage receiving for the Dolphins. Miami also displays pretty young offensive line that could mean a bright future for a Dolphins team that has already tasted playoff experience with the lineup.

Cornerback Will Allen will have to push for more
this season as he looks to work alongside Joey
Porter and a very young defense.

The one name that stands out in this defense is veteran linebacker Joey Porter. On the line, their isn't much stardom to boast about, but the young talent in Matt Roth is something to look forward to if you're a Dolphins fan. Along with Randy Starks and Philip Merling, Roth could be the guy that gets 10 sacks this season for a "rebuilding" Miami defense. The secondary is the most experienced part of this defense and is probably the strongest part of this defense. Add in this year's first round draft pick, Vontae Davis, and we may see a potential future pro bowler. Probably not, but he will definitely see some time on the field early on. With Will Allen present in the corner spot, you may see a few challenging defensive plays. He isn't a future hall of famer, but he is definitely a defender you don't test your throwing arm with.

The Dolphins won't be winning the division for a second straight year, but a 1-15 season is definitely not looking like it's going to happen either so don't worry, Miami fans. A few impressive wins will be present in this season but a couple embarassing losses are definitely in the near future. A 9-7 record could be a successful one to some perspectives for this season. Let's go with that number.














Ted Ginn Jr alone could be the difference maker
on the number of wins or losses. The God given
athleticism that he owns is something that most
receivers work very hard for.

New England

The disappointment in the AFC last season was when future hall of famer, Tom Brady went down on a season ending injury early on in the season. #12 should be good to go for 16 regular season games as he recently took off his brace during a non-contact practice, so a signs pointing upward for the Patriots season.

The offense isn't the greatest offense the team has had in the last decade but it's quite a fearsome lineup. With el capitan leading the pack with his pocket presence, he will have the air covered from left to right as he has size in his receivers (Randy Moss) and speed as well (Wes Welker). Don't forget veteran receivers (Joey Galloway). To only add on to his aerial firepower, Ben Watson brings in a short game for the passing offense at tight end as well as a good blocking game. Matt Light leads a strong offensive line as the Left Tackle will likely be the area that Lawrence Maroney looks towards the most when the running game is in use. With veteran Fred Taylor active as more of a safety running back for the young Lawrence Maroney, we will also likely see some combination running and tiring out the running back position will not even be a concern for Coach Belichick.

Ellis Hobbs has a bigger role than ever before and
the Pats need him more than ever. His time in New
Englad hasn't been too long but his time to rise
has come earlier than expected. Look for #27 on
special teams as well as his primary corner
position.

The defense, in my opinion, is the strongest part of this team. A 3-4 base will probably be the formation that we see on the field most of the times and it will be a very good one. The line is stacked with Vince Wilfork packing the middle and the ends, Ty Warren and Richard Seymour flooding the ends. Opposing quarterbacks won't have much time to throw and runnings backs will have to make their own holes because they won't be finding many against this defensive front. To back up a powerful line, the linebacker crew displays a mighty Tedi Bruschi and a hard hitting Adalius Thomas that racked up 25 tackles and 5 sacks in just half a season. He will be excited to play a full season and will make good use of the time. The secondary may be questionable this year for the Patriots as they will make use of a lot of young talent. Luckily for these guys, they have a strong front that won't make many mistakes. Expect Belichick to work this secondary into a strong group throughout the season. These guys could mold together very soon.

This team has been the most dominant franchise since the new millenium and doesn't seem to want to slow down. Another run at the Super Bowl could be very possible this season, but the rest of the AFC won't make it easy on them. Tom Brady will definitely have to be healthy and the special teams will have to do their share of work. 11 wins in the regular season and the AFC division champions.

New York (Jets)

Brett gave his run at it with the Jets but now it is up to a new guy to take control in the pocket. The draft definitely helped out the team in trying to answer a few questions on offense. If this team can work out some kinks, a possible regular season divisional championship is looking good for these guys.

The offense is no big threat in any sort of way but the players that are displayed in this lineup offer up some heavy damage when they are feeling it. The quarterback carousel is the biggest issue for the team, going into the opening week of the season. Kellen Clemons is a candidate at the starting spot but the Jets also have rookie Matt Sanchez who was selected with the 5th overall pick in this year's draft. I don't see why a team would select a quarterback early in the first round and not expose him from the get go. I'm sure the coaching staff knows what they're doing but come on, start Sanchez. I'm sure a lot of Jets fans are thinking the same. Shonn Greene, an All-American running back last year was a huge steal for the Jets in the third round of the draft. I don't think the young man is ready to start over the veteran Thomas Jones just yet, but Jones is slowly running out of fuel as age is definitely a factor. I'd like to see a two running back system as Jones takes about 65% of the ground plays and Greene takes 35%. That's just me. Leon Washington might not see a lot of action for the running game, but he will have plenty of opportunities to shine in special teams as he looks to run down some yards into the stat book. No more Laveranues Coles in the passing game means Jericho Cotchery will have to step it up a few notches for the air game to be successful. Luckily for this dilemma of an offense, they have a strong offensive line that will open up holes and find time for these new guys to be successful.

All Sanchez wants is a chance.
Let's see him get that start!

The defense won't be a problem for the Jets as they can rant about how many great athletes they have ranging from veteran leaders to young studs that are ready to be exposed to the nation. Shaun Ellis and Kris Jenkins pack a large punch in the trenches and they will help display one of the strongest three-man fronts in the entire league. Eric Barton will be the impact guy in the strong group of linebackers as second year Vernon Gholston will not start but see plenty of action at the outside positions. Darrelle Revis and Dwight Lowerey are probably the youngest starting corner combo in the league, but they're in there for a reason. If trouble lurks them, veteran pro bowler Ty Law will be present on the field to increase the depth of this defense. A lot of youth in this secondary, but it will be one that is effective early on out. This could be one of the top defenses in the entire league this season.

This team has the potential to be a power in the AFC. A couple of decisions will have to be made with starters on the offensive side but if the right decisions are made, an instant presence in the league will be most certain for the Jets. Let's just hope Matt Sanchez doesn't go to waste in the early part of his career (Brady Quinn). A couple of key decisions could take this team to 12-4 but a 6-10 record isn't out of the mix. This is one team that could be a 2 win team to a 14 win team. I like 10-6.

With Ty Law on the "enemy" side, the Patriots Jets
rivalry will only get sweeter.

Patriots 11-5
Jets 10-6
Dolphins 9-7
Bills 6-10

A part of me hopes that I'm completely wrong and that the Bills will find great success. Personally, I'd like to see the Jets pull away with the division title, but you can't go against what is given to you. The Patriots are still the best in the AFC East.

-Jason C