By Derek Lofland. With the NFL draft in the archives and most of the free agency signings in the books, it's now time to preview the 2008 NFL divisions. While there are still a couple months until training camps, most of the rosters are complete.
There could be a few minor changes after some June 1 cuts. You could have a Ricky Williams-style retirement on the eve of camp. Brett Favre could decide to un-retire. Shaun Alexander and LaMont Jordan will likely find new teams to render their services to. However, with what we have in place as of today and unless there is a major injury, here is what I see taking place in 2008.
Some people will say it is way too early to start making predictions. My response to that would be that it is always too early to make predictions. How many people are going to hop off the Patriots bandwagon if they go 0-4 in preseason, barring a Tom Brady season ending injury? How many people are going to jump on the Dolphins bandwagon if they go 4-0?
If you think I am starting these too early leave a comment about what you think is going to change for your team between now and the start of the season, that I am not taking into account.
My plan is to focus on one division every week until the eight divisions in the NFL are completed. In my first installment I am starting with the AFC East which was by far the most lopsided division in 2007.
The Patriots won the division by nine games. While 16-0 helped create that lofty margin, the Bills didn’t do much to keep the division competitive, going 7-9 in second place. The Jets and Dolphins finished 4-12 and 1-15, respectively.
Here is how I see the 2008 season playing out in the AFC East.
1 New England Patriots
2007 Record: 16-0
Points Scored: 589 (1st)
Points Allowed: 274 (4th)
Playoff Result: Lost Super Bowl
2008 Strength of Schedule: 99-157 (.387) (32nd in NFL)
Strengths: When a team completes the first 16-0 season in NFL history, there aren't going to be a lot of weaknesses to look at. Bill Belichick has done a great job keeping the Patriots the most dominant team in the NFL since 2001. The strength of the team is their offense, and that offense broke NFL records that many thought were untouchable. Their 589 points scored in a single season demonstrates the ease with which this offense moved the ball.
The Patriots start with Tom Brady and Randy Moss. Tom Brady completed a historic NFL season, in which he won his first MVP award. The future Hall of Famer passed for 4,806 yards, 50 touchdowns, eight interceptions, and had a QB rating of 117.2.
The major benefactors of those big numbers were Randy Moss and Wes Welker. Moss had a record setting 23 touchdown receptions to go along with 98 catches and 1,493 yards. Wes Welker had 112 catches for 1175 yards and eight touchdowns.
The Patriots also had a very good running game. While injuries prevented one back from accumulating all the numbers, the Patriots as a team ranked a respectable 13th in rushing yards. Laurence Maroney is their most promising runner and if he can stay healthy he should be able to eclipse 1,000 yards.
The Patriots didn’t punt the ball a lot, and scoring touchdowns were so frequent that we didn’t get to see much in the way of their special teams. All in all their return units and kicking game was fairly strong and should continue to be that way in 2008.
Weaknesses:
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