(Photo by Rick Stewart/Getty Images)
When looking at the running game, the Jets ranked 9th in the league, and have added a beast of a running back in Shonn Greene out of Iowa. I expect Greene to combine with Thomas Jones to form one of the leagues most dominant rushing attacks.
This will have to be the focus of the Jets offense if they want to succeed in 2009. Ball control will be key, with a focus on the rushing game and an emphasis on taking care of the ball for the quarterback.
The Jets will also have to improve on the defensive side of the ball if they want to succeed in 2009. They finished 16th and 18th in total defense and scoring defense, respectively. Defensive problems contributed largely to their late season collapse, as they only held one opponent to under 20 points in their final five games.
New York was able to stop the run, as they finished ninth in the league in rushing defense, but they gave up an average of 234.5 yards per game through the air, a total of 3,752 yards, and good for fourth worst in the league.
The Jets have not done much to address their issues in the secondary and will have to see significant improvement from the players that they had if they want to have a better defensive season.
With a young and unproven quarterback under center, a new coach at the helm, and a suspect defense, I expect the Jets to fall to the basement of the division in 2009. It will be a rebuilding and learning year, and I give them 5-7 wins.
We finally arrive at last year's fourth place finishers in the division, the Buffalo Bills. With a good draft, an experienced coach, and Trent Edwards in his second year as a starter, look for the Bills to be moving up.
Trent Edwards performed well at the beginning of the 2008 season, but his performance declined as the season went on, and he suffered injury in weeks 15 and 16. He should be more comfortable this year as a starter, and I expect his performance to improve, but his consistency and durability will remain a question mark until we see more of him.
The addition of Terrell Owens will help Edwards out tremendously, and will take some of the focus off of Lee Evans, allowing him to see loosened coverage by the defense.
The addition of TE Shawn Nelson will also help Edwards, as he likes to throw to his tight ends, and Eric Wood and Andy Levitre will provide some much needed depth and protection on the offensive line.
The Bills had a mediocre defense in 2008, and they spent five of their eight draft picks on defensive players. They gave up 5.4 yards per play which will have to improve.
The addition of four defensive backs in the draft, most natably CB Jairus Byrd, will give some help to Terrance McGee, Ashton Youboty, and Donte Whitner, who had to shoulder the load for the secondary last year.
The Bills had a great third down defense in 2008, finishing ninth in the league in that category. The addition of first round pick Aaron Maybin will help in the pass rushing game, and should take some of the focus off of Aaron Schobel, which will allow this category to improve significantly.
The pass rush will help the Bills improve their overall pass defense as well, which finished a modest 13th in the league last year.
Buffalo should be much improved in 2009, and fans should see the development of some good young players. I expect anywhere from 9 to 11 wins for this team, and they will compete for a playoff berth.
The AFC East will be perhaps the toughest division in the conference, with at least three teams being legitimate playoff contenders.
I see New England as the clear-cut favorites, and the competition within the division will make it tougher on Miami and Buffalo to make that run. It is doable for both teams however, and whatever happens in 2009 it will certainly keep AFC East fans entertained.
We're going to send you the most entertaining NFL articles, videos, and podcasts from around the web.
1 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete