By Josh Taylor / Sports Columnist
The Meridian Star
MERIDIAN —
Every good story needs a little comic relief. The AFC East more than fits the bill. From Spygate to Mark Sanchez’s sideline hot dog eating to Bill Belichick’s cutoff hoodies, the AFC East is the Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis of the NFL. There will likely be a changing of the guard in this season’s AFC East. Move over New England, here comes Fireman Ed and the J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets!
New England Patriots
The Patriots have clearly been the top dog in the AFC East over the past decade. They have won seven of the last 10 division titles, including three Super Bowls. No other AFC East team has won a Super Bowl since Richard Nixon was in the White House.
Can the Patriots continue to dominate in the AFC East? Not likely. Tom Brady continues to be one of the top quarterbacks in the league. He threw for more yards in 2009 than Drew Brees, Philip Rivers or Brett Favre. Despite that, Brady and wide out Wes Welker have both been dealing with injuries over the last few seasons. Wide receiver Randy Moss is getting older every day. The Patriots’ ground game in 2009 centered on Laurence Maroney, the 27th-best running back in the league. For those of you that can’t read between the lines, that’s not good.
New England’s defense found itself outside of the top 10 in 2009. Most of the all-stars that brought three Lombardi trophies to Foxboro have moved on. Defensive end Richard Seymour is now a Raider, linebacker Mike Vrabel is in Kansas City, linebacker Tedy Bruschi is working for ESPN and safety Rodney Harrison is an analyst at NBC.
There is hope in New England. The Patriots have burned draft picks on Brandon Spikes and Jerod Mayo over the last two years. Both of these guys have the potential to be defensive leaders.
New York Jets
The Jets’ last Super Bowl victory came in 1968. Some of you Crimson Tide fans out there might remember the quarterback on that team, some guy named Joe. Hang tight Jets fans, the good times could be right around the corner.
The Jets finished No. 1 in the most important statistical category in 2009: total defense. They gave up 500 fewer yards the next best defense, the Green Bay Packers. I’m a firm believer that defense wins championships. My guess is that head coach Rex Ryan would agree.
It’s not just about defense in East Rutherford. The Jets put together the league’s No. 1 rushing attack in 2009 on the legs of Thomas Jones. Jones has moved on, but second-year back Shonn Grenne and veteran LaDainian Tomlinson look poised to keep continue the charge. Second-year quarterback Mark Sanchez should in improve. The addition of free agent Santonio Holmes will help. If this young team can find their footing, they could be very dangerous.
Miami Dolphins
I’m not sure what to make of the Miami Dolphins. They finished 2007 at 1-15, the worst record in the NFL. By 2008, Bill Parcells was running the show and the ’Fins finished 11-5 and won the AFC East. By 2009, Miami was back below .500, finishing the season at 7-9 overall.
Their starting quarterback, Chad Henne, finished 2009 with a QB rating somewhere between Matt Ryan and Matt Cassel. The Dolphins backfield consists of a guy who recently got popped for a DUI, Ronnie Brown, and a guy who regularly has trouble passing NFL drug tests, Ricky Williams. The ’Fins did pick up Brandon Marshall at wide receiver, but Marshall has had his own issues in the past.
Like I said, I just don’t know what to make of these guys. If Henne improves and finds some chemistry with Marshall and Williams has another strong season, the Dolphins could have a lot of success. Realistically, an 8-8 season is more likely.
Buffalo Bills
The last time the Bills won the AFC East was 1995. They haven’t been to the playoffs in more than a decade. Their last Super Bowl victory was never. The Bills are probably best known for being the only team to make it to four straight Super Bowls. Unfortunately, they are also the only team to lose four straight Super Bowls. Interestingly, the Bills are the only NFL team that actually plays their home games in the state of New York.
Can you name the Bills’ starting quarterback? Unfortunately, neither can the Bills. They’ve got Ryan Fitzpatrick and Brian Brohm on the roster. Brohm have been in the league for only two years and Fitzpatrick came from Harvard. Enough said.
The one saving grace for the Bills this year could be the hiring of Chan Galey as head coach combined with the drafting of Clemson’s C.J. Spiller at tailback. Spiller averaged almost 6 yards per carry through his college career. For those of you that don’t know, that’s pretty good. That’s a first down every two carries. There’s lots of questions in Buffalo this season, but watching Spiller should be a bright spot.
Agree/disagree? Email sports@themeridianstar and let us know your thoughts. Next week we’ll take a look at the AFC West, soon to be known as Tebowland.
