Parity Will Return To AFC East In 2009

The AFC East has a reputation for consistently being one of the most competitive divisions in the NFL. This notion has become somewhat of a misnomer recently, with the New England Patriots winning the division in six of the last eight seasons (not to mention three Super Bowl titles).

The 2008 season brought us back to reality a little bit, with the Miami Dolphins shocking the league with a division title after finishing 1-15 in 2007. The Dolphins were able to take advantage of complete collapses by both the New York Jets and the Buffalo Bills, and also outlasted the Brady-less Patriots.

Ah, but 2009 is here; the Bills have T.O., the Jets sent Favre packing and drafted Mark Sanchez, and the Patriots have Tom Brady back. Certainly 2009 will give us the AFC East parity we have come to know and love.

The Miami Dolphins surpassed even their own expectations last year by winning the division with an 11-5 record. Despite their success, you have to believe this team will finish towards the bottom in 2009.

The wild cat phenomenon, led by Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, contributed greatly in the team’s two upset victories against the Patriots, success that will not be easily matched in 2009.

Former Jets quarterback Chad Pennington had an MVP-type season, providing veteran leadership to a young club. Despite Pennington’s play, the team has been vocal about top draft pick Chad Henne taking the reigns in 2010. Expect Henne to get a lot of snaps in training camp and throughout the preseason.

If Pennington and the Dolphins don’t get off to a hot start in 2009, we will be seeing a lot of Chad Henne toward the end of the season.

The New York Jets have made a lot of changes during the offseason, most notably at head coach and quarterback. While the Brett Favre experiment can’t be classified as a complete failure, it did end with the Jets losing four of their last five games, relinquishing the AFC East crown to the Dolphins, and finishing third in the division. 

Since then, Eric Mangini has been shown the door, Rex Ryan has installed a new defensive philosophy for the team, Brett Favre has retired (kind of), and the team drafted their quarterback of the future—Mark Sanchez.

It’s still unclear whether or not Sanchez will get the starting job over Kellen Clemens, but we should expect to see him at some point during the season. The offense will continue to focus on the running game, so expect to see either Sanchez or Clemens turning around and handing the ball off a lot.

After a breakout 2008 season, Leon Washington is ready to go with a new contract, while Thomas Jones is still looking for more money. Either way, the ball should be in their hands quite a bit. If the transition to Rex Ryan’s new philosophy goes smoothly then we can expect at least a run at a wild card spot from the Jets.

The 2008 season was one of the most disappointing in recent memory for Buffalo Bills fans. The team started out 5-1 and looked poised for a playoff run until a 2-8 stretch run left the team looking for answers.

Certainly the Bills need to perform better in the AFC East. They finished 0-6 against their division opponents, abysmal numbers they hope never to repeat.

Uncharacteristically, the team went out and signed big name free agent Terrell Owens in the offseason. It’s uncertain how Owens will perform in the wintry Buffalo climate, or how he will respond to third year quarterback Trent Edwards, who is looking to have a bounce back season after a Week Five concussion derailed him in 2008.

It will also be interesting to see how the team responds to missing running back Marshawn Lynch for the first three games of the season after he was issued a suspension by Commissioner Roger Goodell following a February arrest on gun charges.  

The moves made by the team in the offseason suggest that they want to win this year. Anything less than a deep playoffs run will be a disappointment for everyone in Buffalo. Expect this team to earn a wild card spot but don’t count them out of the race for the division crown just yet.

All seemed lost for the Patriots after Tom Brady’s season-ending knee injury in Week One against the Kansas City Chiefs last season. Once again, however, the team showed why they are considered to be one of the best in sports.

Instead of signing a veteran free agent quarterback to replace Brady, Bill Belichick inserted Matt Cassel to take the snaps. Elevating himself from obscurity, Cassel finished the season with over 3,500 yards passing, and a touchdown to interception ratio of better than 2 to 1.

Cassel was able to lead the team to an 11-5 record, tying them with the Dolphins for top spot in the AFC East. However, they would finish runners up to Miami based on tie-breakers.

Alas, Tom Brady is back and appears as healthy as he’s ever been for 2009. His return alone elevates the Patriots to clear cut favorite to win the AFC East and, perhaps, the front runner to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.