Sunday 6-Pack of AFC East News, Thoughts and Notes, May 6 Edition

Here's a nice, big greasy brunch full of stats and thoughts to help cure your Cinco de Mayo hangover.

Joseph Addai to New England Patriots Brings 2006 Draft Full Circle

Peyton Manning has broken a lot of records in his day, but has he ever broken a news story? If not, he made his first venture into sports reporting on Saturday when he told Mike Chappell of the Indianapolis Star that former Colts running back Joseph Addai had signed with the Patriots.

The first thought that came to the mind of this Patriots follower was the memory of Laurence Maroney, the Patriots' first-round pick in 2006 who was taken ahead of Addai but never lived up to the billing. 

Not unlike several other Patriots acquisitions in recent memory (see Wes Welker, Sammy Morris, Shaun Ellis), Addai has done his fair share of damage to New England's defense over the years, scoring four touchdowns (two rushing and two receiving) in five games against the Patriots. 

With Kevin Faulk still unsigned, the Patriots lacked a veteran presence in the backfield. Addai is 29 years old with six years of experience in the league. One drawback, though, is that he has had a hard time staying healthy throughout his career, missing 18 games in the past five seasons, and missed eight games in 2010. Still, Addai's role will likely be as a pass-catcher and blitz protector in the backfield, much like Faulk.

He has been productive for the Colts in the past and could be productive in a complementary role as a third-down back, which would likely be the case in New England. Remember, though, that the Colts drafted Donald Brown in the first round in 2009, not exactly a glowing endorsement for their feeling on the back.

Starting Quarterback in Miami Remains a Question Mark

We won't know who is the starting quarterback for the Dolphins likely until mid-August, but the speculation will inevitably swirl until we have an answer for certain one way or another.

Typically, a quarterback drafted in the top half of the first round, will at least be given a chance to start at some point in his rookie season. Typically, though, quarterbacks drafted that high started more than 19 games at the collegiate level. Many have experience running an NFL offense.

Well, Tannehill has read the playbook, and apparently, much of it is the same as the playbook at Texas A&M.

That's great for when he gets to make the inevitable transition to the NFL field, but should any familiarity with the playbook change our opinion on whether he's ready to start? Is the playbook really the only issue? 

I'm no expert on quarterback mechanics and fundamentals, but if those were a problem before the players were given the playbook, won't they still be a problem after the fact? 

I stand by my opinion in an earlier column: Let one of the veterans start this season and give Tannehill time to learn before throwing him to the wolves. As an added bonus, it gives the Dolphins the entire regular season to find out what they have on the roster and another offseason to add what they're missing.

Cameron Wake's Contract Extension Shows Dolphins Commitment to Building a Winning Team

Ending the holdout that was never really a holdout, the Dolphins signed Cameron Wake to a four-year deal worth $49 million, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. The Dolphins later confirmed the signing via the team's official Twitter account.

We all know how much Wake has meant to the Dolphins defense over the years.

If you don't, though, here's a chart that illustrates his impact.

The bottom line: Wake is one of the best pass-rushers in the league, let alone one of the most important players on the Dolphins roster. And if the Dolphins are committed to building a winning franchise, there was no other choice but to extend him.

Most importantly, though, this continues to feed into the positive vibes around Dolphins camp as of late. The team has been surrounded by good news as of late, and getting Wake signed only compounds that.

We'll wait and see if this all transitions into wins, or at least enough wins to avoid a third consecutive losing season for the most established team in South Beach.

Tony Sparano Is Excited for Offense, Mum on Wayne Hunter

I was under the impression that Tim Tebow was the only one who was allowed to be excited. Apparently, so is new offensive coordinator Tony Sparano.

While we may have differing viewpoints on several of the key players on offense, one we definitely agree on is Wayne Hunter.

When asked about Hunter and the right tackle spot, the first thing Sparano said was, "We obviously have a long time to go here before we get to opening day."

Not exactly the ringing endorsement Hunter may have hoped for, but Sparano eventually said, "Wayne has been tremendous here right now with us," and even went on to use the E word: "excited."

Bills Winning the AFC East Offseason

It's not a title that really means anything, but the AFC East offseason championship has to go to the Buffalo Bills. Almost every position of need has been aggressively addressed with two additions: defensive end, offensive tackle, cornerback and linebacker. 

The only one missing is wide receiver. While the team added T.J. Graham to their deep core of pass-catchers and re-signed Stevie Johnson, they haven't yet added the explosive threat they lacked last season. 

If Ryan Fitzpatrick is playing up to the level he showed in the early part of 2011, the Bills may not need a deep threat. He was one of the most efficient passers in the NFL before injuries left them thinner than a kiddie pool on the offensive line and subsequently left him with injured ribs.

Still, they'd probably like to get more than 10.8 yards per reception (28th in the NFL).

One-Liners

If Demario Davis is as athletic and as much of a leader as Rex Ryan makes him out to be, the Jets may have their defensive leader for the next decade.

Real interesting notes from Mike Reiss in his Sunday column, but one in particular struck me as surprising: For the first time since 2006, Bill Belichick and the Patriots didn't make a single trade that earned them a selection in the next year's draft.

With an extra $4 million on the table now that the Bills have cut Drayton Florence, Fred Jackson could be the next Bill to send a big bill to the Bills front office.

As pointed out by my good friend Jay, new Patriots wide receiver Jabar Gaffney had his best season in 2011, the only time he's been the true No. 1 option at wide receiver, meaning it was also the only time in his career he had consistently been covered by an opponent's best cornerback, which could bode well for his ability to get open against a team's second or third cornerback.

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