2008 NFL Preview: AFC East

You may or may not have heard, but an AFC East team got themselves a shiny new quarterback recently.

And I, for one, think Chad Pennington is exactly the sort of player the Dolphins need as they look to rebuild.

(Don't worry, we'll get around to talking about the other new QB in the division since ESPN and the other sports networks have barely mentioned the poor guy.)

AFC East

1. New England Patriots (14-2)
2. New York Jets (8-8)
3. Buffalo Bills (7-9)
4. Miami Dolphins (4-12)

New England Patriots: Sure, their old defense is another year older and it lost, probably, its best player in Asante Samuel to free agency (though they added highly-regarded rookie linebacker Jerrod Mayo thanks to their preposterously high first round draft pick). But this squad is still (mostly) the same group of players who set about destroying the rest of the NFL for much of last season.

While I'm not really expecting Tom Brady to throw 50 TD passes again or Randy Moss (pictured, right, with Brady) to break the receiving touchdown record, I can't fully rule it out either. Last year, the players seemed determined to prove they didn't need video cameras to win games (except for Super Bowls). This year, after coming up a game short of the greatest single season of all time, I expect them to be more motivated than they'd be if they'd won it all.

I also expect them to drop a game relatively early on in the season (maybe even on purpose) so they don't have to suffer though the intense pressure of being perfect and we don't have to suffer the intense irritation of more interviews with members of the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins team.

New York Jets: Before they acquired Brett Favre (pictured, left), I expected the Jets to finish second in their division and miss the playoffs. Now, I expect them to finish second in their division, miss the playoffs, but do so with a LOT more cameras around.

To be fair, I also expect them to have a better record with Favre (I had them around 6 or 7 before his Brettness got there). But despite an aggressive offseason which saw them retool their offensive line (which I like a lot) I just don't see them being quite good enough to grab one of the two wild card spots. (And they ARE playing for a wild card spot thanks to the Pats).

I like what Favre brings to the offense (particularly deep threats Laveranues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery) and I like what he'll do for Thomas Jones and the Jets running game.

However, I'm still not really thrilled with Favre himself. Yeah, yeah, I know he's not exactly crying in a corner over reading that I'm not thrilled with him (though even if he WERE crying, how would we know he meant it?).

WAY too many words have been written about the Favre/Packers saga (which was pretty much COMPLETELY botched by both parties), so I won't get too much into it.

I'll just reiterate what I said last year when I blasted the guy — if any other athlete tried to pull off the crap that Favre has done (seriously, I suggest you read up on it and listen to his interviews) he'd be absolutely crushed by the media and fans. It's not about being wishy-washy about retirement (I totally get that), it's holding up the franchise you claim to love, trying to dictate to people where you're going to go, etc. Other (and, yes, blacker) athletes have been KILLED in the media for the exact same stuff. Instead, most sports writers can't shake off their sickening man-crush on the guy to write objectively on the matter.

I also don't get the feeling he's super-thrilled to be playing in New York/New Jersey and I feel like he's giving off an "it is what it is" vibe. Welcome to the Favre era in New York!

Buffalo/Toronto Bills: I honestly have no idea how this team played as well as it did last year with virtually no offensive weapons other than standout rookie running back Marshawn Lynch.

Well actually, I do have an idea and it's the oldest adage in football — they ran the ball and played decent defense. They also played HARD for their coach Dick Jauron, who they love.

They addressed some needs by adding former Jaguars defensive tackle Marcus Stroud to their D-line and spent a high draft pick on receiver James Hardy.

Unfortunately, their quarterback situation still, for lack of a better term, sucks. Former starter J.P. Losman is still on the team, but he's been a disappointment and will likely be backing up second year man Trent Edwards, who "solidified" the starting spot after coming in last year and throwing 7 TDs and 8 INT (the Edwards/Losman duo had 11 TDs and 14 INTs combined).

If they can somehow get solid play out of Edwards (pictured, right, though, be honest - you would have no idea if I put a random guy's picture up there), I like the team's chances of making a playoff push. However, if you glanced at my projected record for the Bills I don't expect them to get solid play out of Edwards. In fact, he might end up being a contender for the "Alex Smith Worst Starting QB in the League Award." I think he and this team are still a year away after overachieving last year.

At least they get to play in Canada for one game this year. That's fun, right?

Miami Dolphins: After a 1-15 season, there's nowhere to go but up, right? Right?!

I'd like to think so, but I just don't know. Their running back situation is uncertain — with Ronnie Brown coming off a serious injury, they'll have to rely on Ricky Williams (pictured, left). I'll say again, THEY'LL HAVE TO RELY ON RICKY WILLIAMS. This from the guy who made his triumphant return last year — and got hurt after just one game, six carries and 15 yards. Hopefully, he'll be able to pull himself away from seeing "Pineapple Express" for a sixth time to contribute.

They don't have any potent weapons on offense (I like Pennington, but he doesn't count; Ted Ginn Jr. doesn't count yet) and Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells, their new vice president of football operations, decided it would be a good idea to alienate the team's best defensive player (actually the team's best player, period) Jason Taylor.

I know Parcells has a reputation for turning teams around in a big way and in a hurry, but I just don't see it happening this year, not in this division and not in this conference. Also, not under a rookie head coach in Tony Sparano (Parcells himself coached those other turnarounds). They'll play a lot harder this year and be more competitive, but they'll still be really bad.