How Do Patriots, Dolphins, Jets O-Lines Match Up with Re-Tooled Bills D-Line?

Do the Buffalo Bills have the best defensive line in football? That's a very distinct possibility, but whether or not they're worthy of such superlative is superficial. Regardless, their opponents will have their hands full trying to block the likes of Mario Williams, Marcell Dareus, Kyle Williams and Mark Anderson.

That's especially true of their AFC East opponents, who have the distinct pleasure of lining up across from those four potentates of pass rush twice in 2012.

How does each team stack up?

New England Patriots: Deep As the Ocean

Matt Light might retire. Dan Koppen might follow suit. Logan Mankins could miss part of the 2012 season—maybe even the first six weeks if he starts out on the PUP list. Yet somehow, some way, the Patriots are still well equipped to slow down the Bills' pass rush both inside and outside.

This is what happens when you draft well and have one of the best offensive line coaches in football in Dante Scarnecchia.

With the additions of Nate Solder and Marcus Cannon in the 2011 NFL Draft and the return of the versatile Dan Connolly and key 2011 free-agent addition Brian Waters, the Patriots have the talent to slow down the pass rush.

Solder and Cannon each played reasonably well last season, with Solder having his ups and downs as any rookie would, while Cannon missed much of the season on the PUP list. The future is bright for both, but they are still unfinished products.

The biggest issue that looms for the Patriots is their inexperience working together as a unit. One look at the starters from last year compared to projected starters for Week 1 of 2012 shows a good deal of turnover.

New York Jets: Hoping for a Rebound

The Jets have talent on the offensive line in D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Nick Mangold and Brandon Moore. 

The biggest problem was Wayne Hunter, who has been on the trading block with no suitors as of yet. He'll have a bull's-eye on his chest every time he's on the field, so expect the Bills to match up accordingly.

Although if Hunter's poor performance last year is any indication, it won't really matter who he's lined up against.

The Jets are a piece or two away from having a stellar starting offensive line across the board—one that can surely give the Bills all they can handle in the trenches. That being said, the Jets' biggest problem may come from Mark Sanchez holding the ball too long.

As noted in the stat chart above, the Jets had a pretty successful season on the offensive line apart from their sack rate. The burden of sack rate falls just as much on the quarterback as it does on the line, but with the numbers posted by the Jets in terms of adjusted line yards and stuff rate (per Football Outsiders), it's clear that the Jets struggled in pass protection, in large part due to the play from the quarterback position.

Miami Dolphins: No Chance

With two first-round picks on the offensive line in Mike Pouncey and Jake Long, the Dolphins have some building blocks in place. That being said, there's work to be done with average to above-average talent at the other three positions.

The Dolphins gave up sacks at a higher rate than any other team in the NFL last year; while sack rate is just as much a reflection on the quarterback as it is on the offensive line. 

They were average in other areas of offensive line play. In fact, the only player that finished with a positive grade from Pro Football Focus was Long. The future is bright for Pouncey, but he'll have his hands full dealing with a heavy dose of Dareus and Kyle Williams up the middle. 

One of the biggest question marks for the Dolphins is at right tackle. They had to know that Marc Colombo wouldn't be a long-term answer at the position, but they must have figured he'd at least give them something last season. Instead, according to PFF, he was responsible for nine sacks.

The Dolphins are a team in transition, and that includes the offensive line. That doesn't bode well for their chances at stopping the Bills' re-tooled defensive line.

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