AFC EAST 2009 Season Preview

By Adam Barone

This is still the Patriots’ division, and despite the age of some of their players, will be for the foreseeable future. Tom Brady is back, and they won 11 games last season without him. The Jets need someone to step up as their quarterback, and then could have a chance to compete in the conference. The Dolphins and Bills could struggle, but both made significant additions in the offseason. No one other than Bills fans will be surprised when this happens:

1. New England Patriots (12-4): Star quarterback Tom Brady missed all but the first quarter of the first game of last season, but is expected to be healthy to start the season. Former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is now the head coach of the Broncos, so Bill Belichick will take over the play calling. Running back Fred Taylor and receiver Joey Galloway were signed to add depth to the offense, and both should have an immediate impact.
Linebacker Adalius Thomas is back from a forearm injury, and will team with budding star Jerod Mayo as the driving force of one of the most talented defenses in the AFC. Mayo played in all 16 games last season as a rookie, and made 128 tackles. He had no sacks, no interceptions, and just one forced fumble though, so there’s plenty of room for improvement.
The offense may be a bit different without McDaniels at the helm, and taking Belichick’s attention away from the defense might not be a great idea, but the Pats are still one of the most talented teams in the league. Last season they became just the second team ever to miss the playoffs with 11 wins, but aren’t likely to be in that predicament this season.

2. New York Jets (9-7): Former Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan takes over for Eric Mangini as Jets head coach, and will bring a more aggressive scheme. They run a 3-4 scheme, just like the Ravens, with nose tackle Chris Jenkins in the middle. Linebacker Bart Scott and safety Jim Leonard, former Ravens, were signed along with cornerback Lito Sheppard, and could make this one of the league’s most dominant units.
The offense lost Brett Favre, and Laveranues Coles was released. Rookie Mark Sanchez will battle with Kellen Clemens for the starting quarterback job, but the attack will be based on the running game. Tailback Thomas Jones is coming off a fantastic season in which he carried 290 times for 1,312 yards, the second most of his career, and scored a career high 13 touchdowns. Former kick returner Leon Washington and rookie back Shonn Greene will have significant roles in the offense, so Jones isn’t likely to repeat his career season.
The Jets have the potential to make a big leap this season if Sanchez can have an affect similar to the one the Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco had last season.

3. Miami Dolphins (6-10): Okay, so yeah. The “Wildcat”. That’s what the Dolphins do. Ugh. It doesn’t seem like a good idea, but somehow it worked. It worked over and over again. To be clear, it’s a formation, not an offense. Really, the offense is very conservative because it’s one of the least talented in the NFL. Chad Pennington is still keeping the seat warm for Chad Henne, and the weapons include Ronnie Brown, Ted Ginn, Davone Bess, Greg Camarillo, and Anthony Fasano. Rookie quarterback Pat White will be involved in running the “Wildcat” as well. One would have to think that eventually the “Wildcat” would stop being effective and the Dolphins would struggle, but it didn’t happen last season.
Linebacker and former CFL Defensive Player of the Year Cameron Wake, safety Gabril Wilson, and end Jason Taylor were signed to improve the 18th ranked defense in the league.
The Dolphins simply don’t have the talent to compete with the Patriots and Jets, despite having narrowly won the division last season. They’re likely to come back down to earth this year.

4. Buffalo Bills (4-12): No, the addition of Terrell Owens does not suddenly make the Bills a contender. Actually, they’re worse now. They lost 60 percent of their starting offensive line, and Marshawn Lynch will miss the first three games of the season with a suspension. Quarterback Trent Edwards is simply not very good. He threw just 11 touchdowns last season, and ranked 17th in the league with an 85.4 quarterback rating. Owens, Lee Evans, James Hardy, and Josh Reed are all quality targets, but they can’t make a quarterback better.
Along with the deficiencies on offense, the defense has no discerning qualities. They accumulated just 24 sacks last season, 28th in the league. Two seasons ago the Bills ranked 31st in the league in overall defense, and there’s a good chance that they’ll be closer to that than their 14th ranking from last season now that Tom Brady is back for the Pats. The personnel is essentially the same, but rookie end Aaron Maybin was added. His addition and the return of end Aaron Schobel could be a positive, but the competition in the division is likely to be too much.

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