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For the past several years, the AFC East has been dominated by the New England Patriots. However, the Miami Dolphins won the division last year and proved they can compete with some of the best teams in the league.
2009 should be the year that the AFC East finally demands respect from around the league. Here I'll discuss each team's offseason transactions, including rookies taken in the draft. I will also take a look at each team's success last year and try to determine if that will translate over to 2009. I will give each team a grade and compare the division to the rest of the top divisions in the NFL.
The Bills made one of the most talked about transactions of the offseason with the acquisition of Terrell Owens. Owens will line up opposite Lee Evans, giving Evans a lot more room to operate downfield and go against single coverages. This will also spread the field for running backs Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson to catch balls out of the backfield.
Trent Edwards is entering his third season in the NFL. The Stanford graduate still has a lot of room for improvement and the addition of Owens will only help. One of Edward's biggest problems last year was his offensive line. They hardly gave him much time to make decisions in the pocket. By trading their best offensive lineman from last year, Jason Peters, they will continue to struggle blocking for him. If the offensive line can step up this year and let Edwards make some accurate throws in the pocket, he could be in line for a sleeper year.
The Bills' defense raises a lot of concerns. They made a good pick in the draft by selecting the defensive end out of Penn State, Aaron Maybin. He should be able to add much-needed pressure from the outside. He's not known for his success against the run and the Bills linebacker core isn't either.
Depending on the status of safeties, Donte Whitner and Ko Simpson, the Bills could actually field a very underrated secondary this year. Terrence McGee and Leodis McKelvin are solid corner backs and Ashton Youboty is a young, talented back up.
Last year, the Bills finished the season 7-9. Their notable wins were against the San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos. The Bills started off the season with a 4-0 record, leading many to believe this was their year to finally make the playoffs.
I am giving the Buffalo Bills a C. Although they will field a better team then they did last year, their schedule is much tougher. They will keep a lot of games close, but I only see them winning five or six games this year.
The New York Jets had an amazing offseason. Drafting Mark Sanchez number five overall was a great move. I don't think Sanchez is as good as Matt Ryan was last year coming out of college, but he should have a quality season. He ran an NFL-style offense at USC and played against NFL-caliber defenders. He has tremendous accuracy on the run, which will help him progress quickly in the big leagues.
The Jets' key loss was wide receiver, Laveranues Coles. Chansi Stuckey is currently the Jets' number two wideout, with Brad Smith and David Clowney third and fourth. They also lost their second tight end, Dustin Baker. This won't help Sanchez along with his development. I expect to see them utilize their strong running game, led by Thomas Jones, Leon Washington, and rookie Shonn Greene.
Their offensive line is big, fast, and powerful. Ferguson, Faneca, and Mangold will manhandle opposing defenses on the left side. Brandon Moore and Damiem Woody will hold their own on the right side.
They also just added blocking specialist Tony Richardson. He helped Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson run for crazy yardage totals back in Kansas City. His presence will be big.
The Jets finished last season with a 9-7 record, with Brett Favre completely falling apart at the end. It's hard to predict how much better Sanchez will do, but I see them producing a similar record this year. Their schedule isn't too hard. I give the New York Jets a B, and predict they will win ten games this season.
Miami Dolphins
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