Ranking the Most Optimistic Fanbases in the AFC East

The AFC East has long been the domain of the New England Patriots.

Their fanbase has come to expect division championships and playoff appearances as a matter of course. Successful seasons are measured by Super Bowl titles.

Prior to the start of the season, there was a feeling a change might be in the offing. The Buffalo Bills were coming off a 9-7 season, while the Dolphins had been 8-8. Meanwhile, the Pats appeared to have a Deflategate-related suspension of Tom Brady to contend with as well as key defensive personnel losses in Darrelle Revis and Vince Wilfork.

Brady's suspension was overturned in federal court, and the Pats have come out of the gate rolling at 3-0. Meanwhile, the Bills and New York Jets are 2-1, and the Dolphins are a disappointing 1-2.

New England fans are once again expecting another title, but Bills and Jets fans have high hopes. Those backing the Dolphins are wondering what has happened to their team after a 1-2 start.

4. Miami Dolphins

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The Miami Dolphins were loaded with confidence this summer, and so was their fanbase.

After last year's team finished the year with a .500 record, there was a thought the Dolphins could compete with the Patriots and possibly overtake them. After all, the Dolphins had beaten Bill Belichick's team once last year, and the team had made a huge move in the offseason by signing free-agent defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.

The Dolphins already had two prime pass-rushing studs in defensive ends Cameron Wake and Olivier Vernon, and the thought was Suh would dramatically improve the interior defensive line, which would improve the pass rush.

However, after just three games, much of that optimism has faded. The Dolphins needed a fourth-quarter punt return for a touchdown to beat the lowly Washington Redskins in the season opener, and they followed that mediocre performance with back-to-back losses at Jacksonville and at home to the Bills.

The combination of low-key Joe Philbin at head coach and an inconsistent Ryan Tannehill at quarterback may be the biggest part of the problem, and Dolphins fans vented their frustrations after the Week 3 loss to the Bills on Reddit.

Three games is not the end of the world, but Dolphins fans don't have the optimism at this point that the other three teams in the division have.

3. New York Jets

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Ryan Fitzpatrick

Many Jets fans were saddened when former head coach Rex Ryan was let go at the end of the 2014 season.

However, they knew his reign as the Jets' boisterous leader had to come to an end. After a promising first two years, the Jets became a stumbling, bumbling team that could not compete for a division title or a playoff spot.

The Jets hired no-nonsense Todd Bowles to take over as head coach, and the new head coach had earned his bones as the defensive coordinator of the Arizona Cardinals. 

Nobody expected miracles right away, but when the Jets were able to bring Darrelle Revis back to the fold as a free agent in the offseason, the mood grew considerably brighter. Not only was the game's best cover corner returning, but he was also leaving the defending Super Bowl champion Patriots.

The team suffered growing pains in the summer, not the least of which was quarterback Geno Smith suffering a broken jaw after getting punched by a backup linebacker who would be released the next day. 

The loss of Smith was welcomed by some fans. Joe Giglio of NJ.com ran a column of fan reaction quotes after the incident, and many of them made light of Smith's fight. "I heard Geno Smith threw the first punch, and it was intercepted."

The Jets had signed Ryan Fitzpatrick as a backup quarterback in the offseason, and he came in and led the Jets to two wins in the first two games. Bowles named him the starter even when Smith returns.

When the Jets lost in Week 3 to the Eagles, Bowles reiterated Fitzpatrick would remain the starter.

Jets fans also remained optimistic after the defeat, taking to Reddit to say it's just one loss and the team remains on track.

As long as the Jets win more games than they lose this year, the fanbase should remain optimistic.

2. Buffalo Bills

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The Bills have two impressive victories to their credit over the Indianapolis Colts and the Dolphins through their first three weeks, and there is a feeling around the league the Bills are stepping up and growing even though they got hammered by the Patriots in their only loss.

The Bills appear to have talent up and down the lineup, and new quarterback Tyrod Taylor has completed better than 70 percent of his passes through the first three games. He is throwing the ball like no Buffalo quarterback since Jim Kelly was under center.

The Bills brought in an outsized coach in Rex Ryan to steer the ship, and while nobody doubts his enthusiasm or his ability to put a solid defense together, Bills fans know building an offense is not his strength.

That's why the play of Taylor has been so vital. The Bills may have stumbled onto a quarterback who can help them compete in the division and possibly earn a playoff spot.

Bills fans are optimistic about Taylor, and veteran sportswriter Sal Maiorana of the Democrat & Chronicle explained why in a September column. "Taylor has won me over because of one thing: He's not a running quarterback, he's a quarterback who can run."

Taylor has earned respect with his early-season performance, and he and his teammates will get even more if they continue to win games.

1. New England Patriots

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Bill Belichick is challenging the late Red Auerbach for coaching superiority in Boston.

When Auerbach led the Celtics, they won 11 NBA titles in a 13-season span from 1956-57 through 1968-69 (two of those championships were coached by Bill Russell).  

Belichick has won only four Super Bowl titles in a 14-year span, but his team has been in the postseason 12 times during that run, and it has had a winning record every year.

That remarkable showing has given Patriots fans tremendous confidence in their team.

They know their team will win, and they know it will be in the playoffs. The only questions are whether the team will make it to the Super Bowl and whether it will win it after it gets there.

The Patriots are 4-2 in the Super Bowl under Belichick, and the defending Super Bowl champions have blown out three opponents in a row to start the season. Optimism among Patriots fans is as high as it has ever been.

Belichick tends to downplay his team's achievements so he can keep his players focused on the next game, and that's one of the keys to his remarkable success.

However, Patriots fans are more than optimistic about their team. They are convinced Patriots success can only continue, as evidenced by this Reddit thread.

Some would call it arrogance, but when a team has had 14 straight winning seasons and is well on its way to a 15th, it is hard to be humble.