Sunday 6-Pack of AFC East Thoughts and Notes, June 3 Edition

Tom Brady or Drew Brees?

Sometimes, someone comes to you with a question that makes you step back and really think.

For that, I thank Conner Tone Maybin (if that is your real name...) for one of the best questions I've ever received via Twitter.

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@ErikFrenz random question. Would you trade Brady for Brees?

— Conner Tone Maybin (@NYJET_Prime) May 30, 2012"

There was no way I could answer this one alone. The margin is so small between the two; Bleacher Report's Matt Miller had Brees as the third-best quarterback in the NFL this past season, with Brady ranked at No. 2 in the B/R 1,000.

In terms of age and mileage, Brees is 33 and Brady is 34. The Saints quarterback had reconstructive shoulder surgery in '05; the Patriots quarterback had reconstructive knee surgery in '08.

Brady is a perfect quarterback for what the Patriots do; Brees is a perfect quarterback for what the Saints do.

To initiate a trade, both sides would have to be heavily convinced that the other guy would bring them that much closer to a championship. I'm just not sure that there's enough distinction between them to pull the trigger on a trade that could shake the foundation of either franchise to its core.

From this perspective, that's not a risk worth taking.

Buffalo Bills' Battle for the No. 2 Receiver Spot

Injuries exposed a lack of depth on the offensive line, but the Bills lacked a deep threat at wide receiver even when fully healthy in 2011.

Kevin Fishbain of Pro Football Weekly examined the battle for the No. 2 spot at receiver in an article on Saturday. We know what wide receiver David Nelson brought to the offense, but the Bills would be much better off if they could get more production from an outside-the-numbers threat.

Fishbain lists Brad Smith, Donald Jones, Naaman Roosevelt, Derek Hagan, T.J. Graham and Marcus Easley as contenders for the spot.

Which of those is the front runner at this point is unclear, though Fishbain alludes that the team has confidence in Jones' ability to produce. While expectations should be fairly low for Graham, he could be helped by the fact that the Bills simply don't have another receiver with his speed.

One thing is clear: They would rather not rely on Stevie Johnson as heavily as they have. More viable options simply means more receivers for the defense to worry about. Johnson has accounted for nearly 25 percent of all receiving production on his own, and over 35 percent of the receiving touchdowns have been Johnson's.

Multiple Factors Could Make Fred Jackson a Risky Fantasy Back

Recently, I was asked whether I thought Fred Jackson was a risky fantasy running back. Originally I thought he'd be solid, but now I'm not so sure how I like him in fantasy. Of course he's risky, because every running back is risky, but Jackson is 31 years old, which is considered ancient for running backs.

He's also coming off a broken leg. In the time he was injured, C.J. Spiller emerged as a viable back in the Bills offense.

Not only might Jackson not be his old self, but he may also lose touches to Spiller's young legs.

The Bills had steadily increased Jackson's workload over the past four seasons and were looking to rely on him in 2011, giving him almost 90 percent of the snaps, but with how well Spiller played down the stretch, he may have earned himself serious consideration for an increased workload of his own.

There's still a chance he might not lose a step and he might not lose touches, but there is definitely some risk involved in him.

Comfort is the Overriding Theme in Dolphins Defense

Ben Volin of the Palm Beach Post has written two very insightful articles (here and here) about the new defensive scheme being implemented by defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle. In both columns, an overriding theme for the players is comfort.

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"I definitely feel at home in there, inside the tackle," said [defensive tackle Randy] Starks, who hopes to reach double digit sacks for the first time in his career.

"It's real simple," [cornerback Sean] Smith said of the new defense. "It allows guys to play fast. There's not too much thinking going on, so it lets guys run around and make plays. It's going to be good for us."

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It will be interesting to see how these players assimilate and how quickly that transition happens. It shouldn't take long, though, as many of the players on the defense are already adept with the scheme they'll be running.

Evan Silva of Pro Football Talk remarks:

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Outside linebacker Cameron Wake is now a Dwight Freeney-style right defensive end. Jared Odrick, a "five technique" end in Miami's old 3-4, is now a 4-3 left end who will likely kick to defensive tackle in sub-packages. Randy Starks and Tony McDaniel, formerly defensive ends, are now full-time defensive tackles.

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Mike Clay of Pro Football Focus breaks down the snap percentages for each defense in the NFL, and while the Dolphins were rarely lined up with four defensive linemen, they spent 57 percent of snaps in a line that featured three men and 29 percent in two-man lines. The Bengals, however, spent 97 percent of their defensive snaps in a four-man front, with 46 percent of those in a nickel package.

Many of the players have experience playing those fronts, but most of them haven't done it in awhile. The way the charts break down, though, it looks like they'll have plenty of opportunities to line up in a four-man front.

The flexibility and comfort of the Dolphins players will be an interesting thing to watch this season.

Jets 46 Defense

My excitement for the scheme-flexible Jets defense is no secret. And it could be one of the keys to their defensive turnaround.

But what I'm most interested to see is how the Jets line up their front. Defensive line coach Karl Dunbar has had success with a four-man front with the Minnesota Vikings, and the pieces he has with the Jets bear striking similarities.

Sione Pouha is similar to the gap-plugging Pat Williams, while Muhammad Wilkerson is a Kevin Williams-esque presence in the middle with the ability to hold his ground as a five-technique end or penetrate as a one-gap tackle. Quinton Coples could be a pseudo-Jared Allen off the edge, with the ability to rotate inside to create matchup problems for the offensive line.

Still, he loves the 46 defense and that will likely remain at the forefront of what the Jets do defensively this season. The Vikings had one of the best defensive lines in football for a few years, so the possibilities are exciting in and of themselves.

The Waterfall

1. Someone asked me today if I think the Patriots are still the AFC's front-runner for the Super Bowl. The easy answer is yes, considering all the improvements they made, but don't sleep on the Baltimore Ravens and the Houston Texans. Both teams have just the kind of defense that can carry a team through the postseason maelstrom.
2. Every time I turn on ESPN First Take, I always see Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith debating about Tim Tebow. There are a lot of things to talk about besides Tebow, right? And First Take covers all the sports, right?
3. I'm excited at the prospect of multiple AFC East teams making the playoffs, and there could legitimately be three to get there. If the Jets and Bills both play up to their full potential, both teams could easily break .500, which should be enough to put both into contention for a Wild Card spot if nothing else.
4. Shaved the beard. By mistake. Picture here. The sooner it's back, the happier I'll be.
5. All settled in at the new apartment, if anyone is wondering. Will be here until the end of the summer, then moving once again. This time, I'm moving in with a friend from high school. The last time I lived with real friends was the best roommate situation I've ever had. Hoping this one's even better.

Erik Frenz is the AFC East lead blogger for Bleacher Report. Be sure to follow Erik on Twitter and "like" the AFC East blog on Facebook to keep up with all the updates.