Words with Frenz: AFC East Mailbag, 7/20 Edition

Friday means mailbag day. 

This is a welcome exercise every week, but especially having been gone for a week in Bermuda, as it allows me to reconnect with some people I haven't talked to in awhile.

Thanks for some good questions pertaining to Ryan Tannehill's contract status, Ryan Mallett's status as the future of the franchise or future trade bait and the roles of some of the AFC East's key players and newest additions.

Let's get right to the questions.

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@ErikFrenz What makes Stevie Johnson a No. 1 receiver? As well as a bonus question: Those reading this article, why aren't you following me?

— Eli Nachmany (@EliNachmany) July 20, 2012"

It depends on what you define as a No. 1 receiver. Johnson is the No. 1 target in the Bills' offense because he's their best receiver.

By traditional definition, however, he isn't a No. 1 receiver that's going to command double-teams thanks to his long speed and ability to stretch a defense vertically.

In the pass-happy NFL of today, though, he has the tools to be a successful top option in the passing game. His skill set as a quick, sure-handed receiver (five drops on 132 targets) are great tools in the spread, where the Bills will likely look to do most of their damage, as well as in the hurry-up, which the Bills may look to employ more heavily in 2012.

In the current NFL, your No. 1 target doesn't need to be a "true" No. 1 receiver, and you don't necessarily even need a "true" No. 1 to field a solid offense, but the Bills clearly aren't happy with the lack of big plays that plagued them down the stretch in 2011. To remedy that, they added T.J. Graham in the third round of April's draft.

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@ErikFrenz How will Landry do as deep center fielder? He's had tendencies to roam in career.

— Alen Dumonjic (@Dumonjic_Alen) July 20, 2012"

An X's and O's question coming from a guy who used to have "XnOs" in his Twitter handle. Hopefully I do you proud, Alen.

Landry is a big question mark simply because of the nature of his injury, and the length of time he's played with that injury. He chose to play through it instead of having season-ending surgery, which adds another layer to the fog of what to expect from Landry this coming season. The Patriots were so unsure of how he would hold up, they didn't even extend him an offer when he visited Foxborough in March.

Nearly everyone with a Jets opinion has come out to say that adding Landry won't fix the Jets' coverage problems. He was never renowned for his coverage ability, but more for his big hits and his ability to play solid run defense. He was always at his best with a solid cover safety (namely Sean Taylor, R.I.P.) next to him, but it doesn't appear as though he'll have that in New York.

Josh Bush looks like the better candidate to be the deep center fielder, as he is the faster and better cover safety of the two. 

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@ErikFrenz It appears Ryan Tannehill could be holding out for some time. How long until it becomes a real issue in Miami? #WordsWithFrenz

— Zach Bahner (@ZachBahner) July 20, 2012"

Thanks, Zach. For now, I wouldn't worry about it. The "offset language" is really the hang-up, according to Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, who called the issue "silly," and at this stage, with Tannehill primed to be the No. 3 quarterback, it won't affect their ability to prepare for the season.

Also, the Dolphins might feel a bit more inclined to dig in on the terms of the deal since they're not in dire need of him to get camp started. It should be noted, also, that no other rookie to sign a deal so far has had any sort of offset language in their contract.

However, we've seen before what missed time can do to a quarterback. JaMarcus Russell and Matt Leinart may be extreme cases, but each missed much of their rookie training camps due to holdouts and both are still feeling the ripple effects. 

Not only could he lose valuable coaching time as a result, but he could also serve to alienate his teammates from day one; players likely understand the business side of things, but for a rookie who has never taken a snap to be making demands is tough ground to stand on.

Put plainly, a lengthy holdout can only mean bad things, and if the rookie is bent on making more money, he should take after his veteran counterparts and wait until he's performed and then threaten to hold out if the team doesn't restructure.

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@ErikFrenz Ryan Mallett. Trade bait, legit back up, or starter of the future - GO!

— Rhodri Williams (@VoyezLesprit) July 20, 2012"

He's not as ready to start as Brian Hoyer right now. But this isn't about who's ready now. It's about who has the most potential down the road.

That, to me, is Mallett. He has the bigger arm and he's younger. With Josh McDaniels back coaching the offense, the implication is that Mallett will be under McDaniels' tutelage, and he could be molded into the quarterback the Patriots will need him to be when it's time for him to start.

That being said, look no further than McDaniels' time as Broncos head coach for evidence that he'll take a sound veteran quarterback over a hot young prospect if need be. With at least a couple of years before the Patriots have to get serious about life after Brady, they can safely take their time with Mallett.

Hoyer, on the other hand, could be trade bait if a quarterback-needy team comes along; that being said, nothing has happened yet, so perhaps the league's perception of Hoyer as a quarterback isn't quite up to the Patriots' perception of his value to the team.

Got room for one more.

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@ErikFrenz I’m deciding on a destination game - Seahawks or Titans?

— Kristina(@kristinah1977) July 20, 2012"

Never been either place, Kristina, but I would go with Tennessee based on personal preference (I'm a food-and-nice-weather guy on my vacations). I hear the food is great, and although it'll still be hot in September, you'll be thankful for the sunny experience as opposed to Seattle where, I can assure you, it will probably be raining. 

As for Seattle, while a visit to Pike Place is on my very-early bucket list, there are other, sunnier locales I'd sooner like to visit.

That'll do it for this week. Thanks for the questions! Be sure to follow me on Twitter if you want to get your questions into the mailbag.

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.