AFC East 2012 Predictions

New England Patriots
The Patriots will win this division. I do not believe they will go on to win, or even necessarily play in, the Super Bowl this year. Their offense, full of Brady, Lloyd, Welker and Gronkowski will blow people out of the water. However, I’m concerned about the running game. The leading career rusher on the roster right now is Tom Brady. Who is not a running quarterback. The defense should be better, but not great. It ranked 31st last year—people tend to forget that. There haven’t been too many changes either. Just the additions of Dont’a Hightower (LB) and Steve Gregory (FS). Kyle Arrington is also around, but how much playing time he’ll see is up for debate. A soft schedule should be kind to this unit. Playoffs for sure.

Buffalo Bills
Ryan Fitspatrick needs to return to the form of his first half season last year. The talent around him needs to help him once again rise—they need to be coherent as a unit. However, if Fred Jackson can stay healthy, I believe they have a shot to do just that. I believe in the Bills. I just do, for some reason I can’t even really put into words. A revamped defense, including Mario Williams, should help take some pressure off the offense. Is Mario Williams the Reggie White of today? Can his arrival change the outlook of a whole franchise? He will certainly help them in the division, containing Sanchez, Tebow and Tannehill. It’s the third year in the system—look for the Bills as a whole to put together some more consistent performances.

New York Jets
Honestly, I wish I had the guts to put the Jets in the bottom of this division. I really do, but I won’t. The defense will keep them afloat, in a manner of speaking. Tebow and Sanchez cannot co-exist. That was the one move this off-season that made no sense to me (for the Broncos it did). Sanchez will play badly because he has no receivers and very little running game and then the whole of New York will cry Tebow. Ryan probably won’t cave, but it certainly won’t help Sanchez’s confidence. The defense remains the same, however, with the exceptions of Laron Landry (SS) and Yeremiah Bell (FS) in the secondary. The hope is that second year player Muhammad Wiklerson matures to put some pressure on the opposing QBs. This ship is sinking fast, however.

Miami Dolphins
Can Joe Philbin lead this team back to a place of prominence in a city where the Heat also reside? We’ll see. However, people forget that though he was in the background in Green Bay, the players loved him. And players that love their coach are more likely to put more effort into making him look good. Soft spoken doesn’t always mean poor leadership. Speaking of leadership, Ryan Tannehill must take control of this team. He must instill a sense of hope in the players around him. A revamped offensive line hopes to keep him upright and able to find targets such as Reggie Bush and Davone Bess. The defense is nothing to write home about, but is home to several noteable players, such as Cameron Wake and Karlos Dansby, who might surprise. People hate the term rebuilding year, but this is certainly one for Miami.