AFC- East Predictions

[Kentucky Jet]

AFC East Predictions

by Patrick Mitchell Contributor Written on May 19, 2010

Who Will Win the AFC East

New York Jets New England Patriots Miami Dolphins Buffalo Bills vote to see results The AFC East might very well be the most competitive division in the NFL next year. The division has 3 potential playoff teams (and then the Bills).

To start lets look at last years winners, the New England Patriots.

Tom Brady is back, and the Golden Boy at least has a few more years left in him. Some people are questioning his "edge" because of the time he is splitting between NE and Cali. Lets face it, the guy is a first ballot hall of famer, he has 3 rings and knows what he is doing. If he wants to spend some time with his wife (lets face it, most guys would) and his kids, let him. He will still come and show up to work. When it comes time to play, Tom Brady will show up and be on top of his game. I believe Brady has earned the right to spend some time with his family.

If Welker is healthy, the Patriots will have a much stronger chance to compete in the AFC. The WR's of the Patriots are always fun to watch, (unless of course they are playing the NY Jets and Revis just takes out Randy Moss) and throw in Tory Holt, the Patriots have a solid core. Moss seems dedicated to playing, and has only made a few comments about how this might be his last year in NE.

In the draft, the Patriots made moves to improve their defense, with Devin McCourty the CB from Rutgers, Brandon Spikes the LB from Florida, and Jermaine Cunningham the DE from Florida. I belive Spikes can help Mayo out with the LBs. Also, the signing of Gerard Warren and re-signing of Derrick Burgess should help add depth to the DL.

With all that being said, I see the Patriots going 10-6 or 11-5, but ending second in the AFC East

Since the Patriots are second who is first? I think it has to be the team that made the most noise last season, and got further than the Patriots in the playoffs. The New York Jets.

Sanchez has another year under his belt, which is going to help. He will not be making the same rookie mistakes he made last year (at least not as many of them). I doubt we will see any more clips of him spitting his mouth piece out while calling the play. He has shown that he has potential to be a good QB in the league. And his new "toys" can't hurt either. I look forward to seeing the numbers he puts up this year.

One of the biggest moves the Jets made this season was the trade for Santonio Holmes. Holmes, the Super Bowl 43 MVP, for a fifth round pick. Just based on his production this is a shock. But factor in the fact that the Steelers were ready to cut him, and his off the field problems, its one of those low risk high reward plays. If Holmes is matured when he gets back from his 4 game suspension, the WR core of the NY Jets is going to be one that is tough to cover. Braylon Edwards, Santonio Holmes, and Jerricho Cotchery are all solid WR's and will help out Sanchez when he needs somebody. They will be tough for any team to really match up with.

Now how do you make the #1 defense even better? Well lets start by having the DT Kris Jenkins return. That will help, then lets add help from Jason Taylor, Antonio Cromartie, and rookie Kyle Wilson. Cromartie and Wilson will be playing with one of the best (if not the best) CB in the league in Revis. Taylor and Jenkins returning will help the pass rush of the Jets improve. I believe the Jets defense will remain #1 in the 2010 season.

The only part of the Jets offseason that I am a little unsure about are the moves of the players they got rid of.

First, I will start with Thomas Jones. Now, I know Greene showed a lot of promise, but how do you part with a guy who had 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns, averaging 4.2 yards a carry? Well of course this is a business and I guess there were money benefits to parting with Thomas Jones. But then the Jets go out and sign LT? As a Raider fan, I have seen enough of LT from the Chargers. His production has decreased, but with the line that the Jets had, and the fact that he will not be expected to carry the load, he can have a solid year. I do love the pick of Joe McKnight in the 4th round. I think the Jets have potential to have a better three-headed-monster than the NY Giants did in their Super Bowl run.

I see the Jets Winning the AFC East, but they will not be able to rest the players because the Patriots will be right there at their heels. I expect a 12-4 or 13-3 run from the NY Jets.

3rd place in the AFC East can still end with a 10 win season (I don't count on it), and have a better record than some other teams that do make the playoffs. No, I am not talking about the Buffalo Bills, I am talking about the Miami Dolphins.

The Dolphins got two of the biggest prizes in this offseason. WR Brandon Marshall, and LB Karlos Dansby. The Dolphins finally have a huge Playmaker in Brandon Marshall and that will cause teams to game plan around him instead of just focusing on the running game. Henne is going to have a weapon that makes every QB look better. Just look at the plays Marshall made last year for the Broncos and how great he made Kyle Orton look (no offense to Orton I like him, but I think Marshall helped a lot there). Expect Marshall to have another 1,000 yard season and possibly another 100 catches.

Now Karlos Dansby was a huge steal for the Dolphins. He will take some pressure off of Chowder, and will help the Dolphins on their Defense. He will be a leader of that defense and help the Dolphins have a solid season.

Also, having Ronnie Brown coming back healthy and Ricky Williams in the backfield signals that the WildCat will contniue to be a threat. The run game of the Dolphins finished fourth in the league last year, and I expect that to be a huge factor in how the Dolphins play this year.

With all that being said, I think the Dolphins will improve from last year and end up either 9-7 or 8-8. If they get off to a quick start they can end up at 10-6 and fight for a playoff spot this season.

After all the is said and done, it brings me to the Buffalo Bills.

This franchise just made me scratch my head during the draft. I like CJ Spiller, but I think there were other picks that could of helped out, such as an offensive linemen. CJ Spiller will make an impact in the return game and in the run game, but the Bills still have QB issues and that worries me.

Last year, the Bills had no established QB and that made things harder on the WR's. Now the Bills lost TO, and before people say he didn't really do much, I am going to mention that teams have to account for him, which made things easier on Lee Evans.

In the draft, I expected the Bills to take Clausen in the first, and when they took Spiller I was surprised

[ZachEY]

Patrick Mitchell is an idiot!

Wait, he picked the Jets?

Patrick Mitchell is a genius!