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Jim O'Connor-USA TODAY Sports

It should never be up to a rookie to replace a legend—not, at least, if the organization is doing business right.

Thankfully for Dee Milliner and the New York Jets, that's not the case with regards to filling the void left by Darrelle Revis.

Instead, everyone on the Jets depth chart at cornerback simply gets knocked up a wrung. Easier said than done, but the job may be safer and freer of scrutiny in the hands of veteran Antonio Cromartie, who admirably filled the role of No. 1 cornerback last year in the wake of Revis' season-ending ACL injury.

Even still, Milliner didn't have to wait more than two minutes to face "replace Revis" questions at his first press conference as a Jet.

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Rex Ryan is a brilliant football mind, but that doesn't mean his job is safe as head coach of the New York Jets.

There are very few NFL coaches who have year-in, year-out job security. Everyone else is coaching for their job just about every year to varying degrees depending on how their team has performed in recent years.

For Rex, the recent performances have not been great, and his seat as the Jets head coach is getting hotter. That being said, there are a few things he can do to turn the dial down a few notches.

Those things, however, may be easier said than done.

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I woke up, and Tim Tebow was still a New England Patriot.

Yes, that means we weren't dreaming when the Patriots announced the move on Monday.

Now, what crazy plan will head coach Bill Belichick dream up that can help Tebow revive his career?

There are only so many possibilities, and not all of them make sense. Tebow's versatility may be overstated at this point—he did a number of different things for the Jets in 2012, but didn't do many of them well. 

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"Who knows."

At this point, that's all you can say about Tim Tebow's role with the New England Patriots now that, according to ESPN, he has been signed by a team recently deemed one of the least likely teams to sign him

When you look at it, the Patriots were one of the more likely landing spots. Tebow's legend began when Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, then head coach of the Denver Broncos, drafted him in the first round. Tebow's stock has soared and subsequently plummeted since then.

Now, the Patriots will once again try to make treasure out of someone else's discarded trash, and no surprise, that trash comes from an AFC East rival. Go figure.

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Joel Auerbach/Getty Images

Plenty of statistics can measure a defense, and the Miami Dolphins defense was seventh-best in the league in the most important metric in football: points.

While the end result is desirable in that regard, head coach Joe Philbin wasn't necessarily happy with how they got there last year. He looked at two different statistics where the Dolphins need to improve.  

Philbin said, "Overall, defensively when we started the offseason plan we looked at a couple of different things that we wanted to do, primarily everything has been about limiting explosive pass plays and creating more takeaways.

"That was the overall theme of how we were going to improve our defensive football team, those were the two things that we did not do well enough to be a consistently winning football team on defense."

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Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

When it came to addressing their needs this offseason, the Miami Dolphins didn't throw darts at the board. They hit the dartboard with a BRINKS truck.

Mike Ginnitti of Spotrac tracks NFL contracts and salaries, and by his calculation, the Dolphins have spent nearly two times one year's salary cap. 

It should be noted, however, that these figures are projected, with roughly $29 million total to still be spent on rookies. As of right now, they have spent around $220 million total. So it seems C.R.E.A.M. may now officially stand for "Cash rules everything around Miami."

But which position ruled the spending spree for the Dolphins?

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Bill Belichick coaching up his defense on the sideline.
Jim Rogash/Getty Images

For years, expectations have been kept fairly low for the New England Patriots defense.

That's about to change.

For the first time in a long time, the defense actually looks better than the offense in practice. 

There are a few reasons not to read into that too much: For one, the Patriots have almost completely turned over the wide receiver position, while the starting secondary remains intact; the top two tight ends have been absent from practice, as well. 

Even if their performance at OTAs is no indication—for better or worse—as to this defense's ability, there are still some areas in which we know what to expect from this defense in 2013.

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Size and speed are the flashy measurables that often distinguish a "true" No. 1 wide receiver from a phony, in the eyes of many fans and analysts.

Bills wide receiver Stevie Johnson has made a big impact in the NFL over the past three years, despite an absence of either quality. Ever since his breakout campaign in 2010, he has done things few other receivers are doing, showing rare consistency with 76 catches, 1,000 yards and six touchdowns in each of the past three years. He is one of just three receivers who can claim such consistency.

Stats can be misleading, but in this case, they are indicative that Johnson isn't getting the attention he deserves. Now, we just have to find out why.

 

Getting Open

You can't quantify getting open with stats. You have to watch the games.

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The New York Jets are down to two true candidates for their starting job at quarterback. 

There are benefits and drawbacks to putting either Mark Sanchez or Geno Smith under center in Week 1. Some of those ingredients will spice up the competition more than others, but the real substance—the proverbial meat and potatoes—is the battle in training camp.

If Geno looks competent running the offense, he will likely earn the starting job. Rex Ryan was vocally disappointed with Sanchez's performance at OTAs, so perhaps Smith earns the starting nod simply by Sanchez proving his way out of the spot. 

While the performance at camp should carry the most weight, there are other factors at play.

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The Miami Dolphins showed a lot of faith in DE/OLB Dion Jordan by trading up to the No. 3 spot in this year's draft to get him.

The onus is now on Jordan to prove that their faith is well-founded, but it is also on the coaching staff to put his talents to good use.

There's no denying that Jordan is talented, but some players might crumble under that kind of pressure, while others will rise to the occasion. It also may not be a one-year process. For instance, Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill took steps toward proving that he wasn't a reach as the No. 8 overall pick in last year's draft, but there are still considerable question marks around his future.

The pressure will be similar for Jordan as it is for Tannehill, and while Jordan doesn't play the game's most important position, expectations around the Dolphins are considerably higher across the board than they were last year at this time.