2010 NFL Previews - AFC East

"Dirty" Jack Ryan brings you the AFC East preview. My predictions can be found below.

The New York Jets are this years premature Super Bowl champs. With the show Hard Knocks and all the media hype it is hard to get away from it. Typically in the NFL if a team can make it to the conference championship game, they will be favored the next season, especially when they make positive offseason moves. It seems that the league has already forgotten about the New England Patriots after the Baltimore Ravens gave them a taste of they're own medicine in last years Wild Card round. Maybe its just me but I find it very strange to not be talking more about the Patriots one way or another, I mean they only dominated the AFC East for a whole decade. If the Beast of the East is really being laid to rest after nearly 10 years it should be a big deal. The young up and coming Miami Dolphins are flying under the radar with a new Chad at quarterback. The Dolphins offseason pick ups of Brandon Marshall and Karlos Dansby gives them a lot of hope for the 2010 season. Could it become another 2008 season for Miami, when they went 11-5? As for the Buffalo Bills this will be another season of them being counted out completely by most, with them seemingly being the weakest link in the division. If Trent Edwards can capture the magic he had at the start of the 2008 season again, who knows what this Chan Gailey led Bills team is capable of.

1. New England Patriots

2009 Record: 10-6, 1st place AFC East
Head Coach: Bill Belichick- 11th year with Patriots (record 112-48), 3 time Super Bowl winner
Key Additions: TE Alge Crumpler, DL Gerard Warren, Rookies: LB Brandon Spikes, TE Rob Gronkowski, CB Devin Mcourty
Key Losses: DL Jarvis Green, TE Benjamin Watson, OLB Adalius Thomas

2010 Outlook: When a team is led by Bill Belichick and QB Tom Brady a winning record should be automatic. Since the 2007 season, Tom Brady has had two seasons passing for over 4,000 yards and both Wes Welker and Randy Moss have had 3 seasons receiving for over 1,000 yards. The 2010 season may be the last season you get to see Brady throwing to his two favorite wideouts. The questions that lie with the Patriots this coming season is they're young, inexperienced defense and their inability to run the ball. Through the course of regular season those weaknesses wont hurt them much but as far as the playoffs it could be their demise. The formula for the Patriots success this season will be to score a lot and score quick. When teams are down, Bill Belichick can utilize his young, fast defenders to put pressure on the opposing quarterback. One key defender to keep an eye on this season is SS Brandon Meriweather. He has gotten a little better each season since starting for the Pats, and could have a breakout season. On the offensive side of the ball expect to see TE Rob Gronkowski step in immediately. With his size, speed, toughness and great hands this kid could become one of Tom Brady's favorite weapons on the field.

Prediction: 12-4, Division: 5-1

2. New York Jets

2009 record: 9-7, 2nd place AFC East
Head Coach: Rex Ryan- 2nd year with Jets (record 9-7)
Key Additions: RB Ladainian Tomlinson, WR Santonio Holmes, CB Antonio Cromartie, K Nick Folk, LB Jason Taylor, DB Brodney Pool, rookie CB Kyle Wilson
Key Losses: FS Kerry Rhodes, G Alan Faneca, RB Thomas Jones, RB Leon Washington, LB Marques Douglas, K Jay Feely

2010 Outlook: One thing we have learned about coach Rex Ryan through watching the hit show Hard Knocks is that he not only has a huge appetite for Snickers bars but also for hard-nosed football. It appears that with or without star cornerback Darrelle Revis the Jets still come into the 2010 season with the best defense in the league. With additions to the defense like pass rusher Jason Taylor, CB Antonio Cromartie as well as 1st round rookie CB Kyle Wilson, this Rex Ryan defense has the chance of being better than 2009's defense. Running the ball is another specialty this Jets team has, even without last seasons leading rusher Thomas Jones. They will be fine with Shonn Green and rejuvenated Ladainian Tomlinson. I could mention the pick up of wideout Santonio Holmes making a difference but he will be suspended the first four games of the season. He also has the misfortune of not having an accurate quarterback throwing him the ball, Mark Sanchez threw almost twice as many interceptions as touchdowns in his 2009 rookie season, and I don't see much of an improvement happening in the near future. Having a QB that is careless with the ball will definitely be the weaknesses of the Jets 2010 campaign. The Jets are a team that is built to win a Super Bowl now, but only if their still wet behind the ear quarterback can learn real quick and not make as many mistakes. I really believe this team is built to win playoff games right now instead of regular season games, the opposite of divisional rivals the Patriots. The player on the defensive side of the ball to check out this year Cromartie, expect a comeback season from him. Rex Ryan won't let him give up on plays like he did in San Diego. Shonn Greene will carry the load on offense and could end up being one of the top five RB's in the league.

Prediction: 10-6, Division: 5-1

3. Miami Dolphins

2009 Record: 7-9, 3rd place AFC East
Head Coach: Tony Sparano- 3rd season as head coach in Miam ( record: 18-14)
Key Additions: LB Karlos Dansby, LB Tim Dobbins, G Richie Incognito, WR Brandon Marshall, Rookies: DE Jared Odrick, LB Koa Misi
Key Losses: LB Akin Ayodele, WR Ted Gin Jr, S Nate Jones, LB Joey Porter, G Justin Smiley, LB, Jason Taylor, LB Reggie Torber, S Gibril Wilson, WR Greg Camarillo

2010 Outlook: The big question for the Dolphins going into the new season is Chad Henne ready to be the Capo of Tony Sparano's Miami football family? The answer to that is yes, this young quarterback was making weapons of wideouts Davone Bess and Brian Hartline. One thing I liked about Miami's offseason was they let go of average talent and picked up high caliber players like WR Brandon Marshall and LB Karlos Dansby. Only problem is with all the talent Miami let go it has hurt their depth. For the Fins to have any success this season they need to have a healthy offensive backfield and utilize both Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams the same way they did in 2008. The problem I see with the Miami defense is that they lost a lot of starters during the offseason and didn't do enough to replace most of the them. Especially with the losses of Jason Taylor and Gibril Wilson. The Dolphins could turn some heads but it is not likely with the AFC East becoming stronger and having a pretty tough schedule. Some players to look watch this season are of course a much improved Chad Henne and I can see CB Vontae Davis having a Pro Bowl year.

Prediction: 7-9, Division: 2-4

4. Buffalo Bills

2009 Record: 6-10, last place AFC East
Head Coach: Chan Gailey 1st year in Buffalo
Key Additions: LB Andra Davis, DE Dwan Edwards, DT Marlon Favorite, OT Cornell Green, Rookie: RB CJ Spiller
Key Losses: WR Terrell Owens, DE Ryan Denney, G Richie Incognito, WR Josh Reed, OT Jonathan Scott, LB Chris Draft

2010 Outlook: With the firing of head coach Dick Jauron comes a new era in Buffalo led by Chan Gailey. Gailey brought in new offensive and defensive coordinators whose names aren't worth mentioning since you wouldn't have heard of them. If I were a Bills fan you better believe I would not be excited about my new head coach being one who lost his job instead of being promoted. Gailey's last gig was with the Kansas City Chiefs as an Offensive Coordinator in 2008 until losing his job just three preseason games into 2009. QB Trent Edwards showed us early on in the 2008 season a glimpse of great potential until he became concussed later that season and since has played like he's scared. The 2010 Buffalo Bills offense looks more like its built to run the ball with its now crowded back field and new Offensive Coordinator whose previous job was as a RB coach for the Arizona Cardinals. On the defensive side of the ball the Bills led the AFC in 2009 in interceptions. So don't get me wrong, Buffalo definitely has talented players but as far as them all coming together with this new coaching staff to win games, I don't see it. On the bright side Buffalo may be able to keep the fans attention with Rookie RB CJ Spiller, who could end up being one of the most electrifying players of 2010. With all the hype going around about the possibility of the New York Jets having the best cornerback tandem in Revis and Cromartie nobody is paying attention to Buffalo. Keep a look out for CB's Terrence Mcgee and Drayton Florence this season.

Prediction: 4-12, Division 0-6

Chris' AFC East Predictions:

1. New York Jets, 11-5
2. New England Patriots, 10-6
3. Miami Dolphins, 9-7
4. Buffalo Bills, 5-11