Patriots Will Dictate AFC East

Heading into the 2009 season, it looks like once again the AFC East could be one of the leagues strongest divisions, headed by the New England Patriots.  While the New York Jets hope their key offseason acquisitions can finally catapult them past their division rival Patriots, a team with Tom Brady at quarterback and Bill Belichick at head coach is simply scary. 

With the return of Brady who missed 15 games last season with a knee injury, and is now feeling better than ever, the Patriots look to match their gaudy 16-0 record of two years ago. 

Wide receiver Randy Moss believes the sky is the limit for this offense, one that may be better than the undefeated Patriots of '07.  The Patriots went 11-5 last year without their star quarterback, and have only added new weapons to his arsenal.

The Patriots traded a 2009 draft pick for Philadelphia WR Greg Lewis, who never panned out to be McNabb's No. 1 target as expected. 

The addition of free agent WR Joey Galloway, who when healthy has proven to be a prominent deep threat, could make this receiving corps the leagues best. Let's not forget that Brady still has one of the best slot receivers in the league in the form of 5'9" Wes Welker, who plays bigger than his size. 

The Patriots continued to fill key voids, with veteran leaders such as RB Fred Taylor to their backfield. The team found similar success with the addition of RB Corey Dillon a few years back. 

Cornerback Shawn Springs hopes to bring veteran leadership to a secondary that lost Pro Bowl CB Asante Samuel to the Eagles last summer.

Another AFC East team making a big splash in the free agent market in the 2009 offseason was the Buffalo Bills.  If a team wants to draw the media's spotlight, no addition is more fitting than WR Terrell Owens.

While Owens can instantly improve any team, he can destroy them just as quickly.  History shows that T.O. cannot get along with his quarterbacks, as was evident in his relationships with Jeff Garcia, Donovan McNabb, and Tony Romo, all whom he eventually threw under the bus. 

With a developing quarterback in Trent Edwards, a chirping T.O. in the huddle could easily be a recipe for disaster and hinder the development of the young QB.

The Bills also filled a gaping hole with the signing of RB Dominic Rhodes, expected to plug in nicely for RB Marshawn Lynch, who was suspended by the NFL for the first three games of the upcoming season for personal conduct.

Buffalo can contend in this division, and will if they are able to maintain strong play all season.  However the past two seasons the team has crumbled down the stretch, leading to a 7-9 record last season after a 4-0 start.

The surprising division winner, the Miami Dolphins, once again hope to find themselves in the thick of things.  After a horrific 1-15 season in 2007, the Miami Dolphins found themselves in the playoffs in 2008. 

A large part of their success can be attributed to football mastermind Bill Parcells, the team's executive vice president of football operations. The Dolphins have had a fairly quiet offseason, not filling their need at WR, which many thought they would. 

Wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. had a breakout year in his second season, but mediocre armed Chad Pennington could certainly use more help.  This was evident in the AFC Divisional Playoffs when Pennington threw four interceptions after folding to a smothering Baltimore Ravens defense.

Tight end Greg Camarillo was a great surprise in 2008, snagging 55 receptions for 613 yards. The Dolphins also brought back veteran DE Jason Taylor, who spent 11 years with the organization before a disappointing one-year stint with the Washington Redskins.

Certainly with the defensive mad scientist Rex Ryan the Jets may have a legitimate argument that their defense may be the strongest in division.  However their questions at receiver and quarterback will dictate the teams success.  

Whomever is quarterbacking the Jets in September—Kellen Clemens or Mark Sanchez— the team's defense will need to shut down big-play receivers like Moss and Owens if the team wants a chance at competing for the division title.