AFC East Predictions 2013

1. New England Patriots
Is there any other choice in this division besides the Patriots? Even given their rare off-season problems and drama, the team still has many key pieces. They lost Hernandez, Lloyd, Welker, Woodhead and Chung, and injuries are threatening to hurt them -- especially the one to Gronkowski. Most importantly, they still have Belichick leading them. With Tom Brady, he is the glue that makes the Patriots a force every year. The team is fading, and I don't see a Super Bowl run in their future. I don't see another Super Bowl for the Patriots in the Brady/Belichick era, but they will win the division.

2. Miami Dolphins
I don't have much reason to put the Dolphins here, except for the fact that both the Jets and Bills are in shambles. The Dolphins are on an upward trend and showed promise many times last year. They've made some interesting additions to help Tannehill -- Gibson, Wallace and Keller, though Keller has been knocked out in the preseason. On the defense they added Ellerbe and Grimes, which should help sure it up a little bit, though not enough to control Tom Brady and company. The loss of Bush, Long and Dansby hurts, but some of the important faces, like Wake remain. If Tannehill continues to develop, they should see improvement to at least a .500 record.

3. New York Jets
The New York Jets are a show. That's about it. There is major debate about whether Rex Ryan has already lost control of this team...before the year has even started! I believe he has. With the way the Jets have spiraled down in the last two years, I think he is a coach on the hot seat. There needs to be improvement this year, but there won't be. The losses are heavy, including major hits in the secondary -- Bell, Reviws and Landry. They haven't brought in anyone of note, except for Geno Smith, who has looked mostly lack luster in practice and in games. But now with Sanchez injured, they may not have a choice but to start Smith in the first game. And you all know my feelings on Sanchez anyway, no great loss. Rex Ryan is probably relieved that he doesn't have another decision to screw up.

4. Buffalo Bills
If the Jets quarterback sitution is bad, then the Bills is worse. If that's possible. Kolb has yet another concussion and EJ Manuel, their quarterback of the future just had minor knee surgery. They are left with undrafted free agent Jeff Tuel, though they signed Matt Leinart. If Tuel starts week one, he will make history and be the first undrafted rookie free agent quarterback to start a game on week one. It's not even worth mentioning much more about the Bills team because there's really not much to say, sadly. New head coach Doug Marrone has his work cut out for him. 

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.