AFC East Preview

Buffalo Bills

Last Season : 4 - 12



Players Drafted

1st Round - Marcell Dareus DT
2nd Round - Aaron Williams DB
3rd Round - Kelvin Sheppard LB
4th Round - Chris Hairston OL
5th Round - Johnny White RB
6th Round - Chris White LB
7th Round - Justin Rodgers DB
7th Round - Michael Jasper DT

Players in

Nick Barnett LB
Buster Davis WR
Lionel Dotson DT
Ruvell Martin WR
Kirk Morrison LB
Brad Smith WR
Tyler Thigpen QB

Players out

Brett Johnson DB
Aaron Myabin LB
Paul Posluszny LB
Jonathan Stuper TE
Lee Evans WR
Donte Whitner S
Aston Youboty CB

The Bills have a mountain to climb in this division.  They struggled last year, and have this year allowed some of their best players (LB Paul Posluszny, WR Lee Evans and S Donte Whitner) to leave the team.  Evans, now with the Ravens, was their only deep threat last year, and they don't seem to have replaced him with anybody at all.  This will allow defences to double cover their main WR Stevie Johnson.

The Bills do look better though on defence.  Their number 1 draft pick DT Marcell Dareus should help to clog up the holes, and hopefully provide a bit of interior pass rush.  In total 6 out of the Bills 8 drafted players were defensive players.  This may not be as useful as it sounds though, as LB Aaron Maybin, who was a 1st round draft choice of the Bills a couple of years back, has been released.  Lets hope their talent evaluation has improved.  I expect the LB's to be very good this year.  They have bought in Superbowl winner Nick Barnett from the Packers, and former Charger Shawn Merriman has shown flashes of past glories.  I think the defence is better, but they will still struggle to win many games.

Miami Dolphins

Last season : 7 - 9



Players drafted

1st Round - Mike Pouncey OL
2nd Round - Daniel Thomas RB
4th Round - Edmond Gates WR
6th Round - Charles Clay TE
7th Round - Frank Kearse DT
7th Round - Jimmy Wilson CB

Players in

Reggie Bush RB
Gerald Alexander S
Kevin Burnett LB
Marc Columbo OL
Ronald Fields DT
K.J Gerard DB
Marvin Mitchell LB
Matt Moore QB
David Nixon LB
Kevin O'Connell QB
Jason Taylor LB
Jason Trusnik LB
Ray Willis OT

Players out

Ronnie Brown RB
Patrick Cobbs RB
Tim Dobbins LB
Lionel Dotson DT
Al Harris CB
Terrail Lambert DB
Pat McQuiston OT
Tyler Thigpen QB
Ricky Williams RB

The Dolphins finished last year with a losing record, and will find it difficult to leap frog the Patriots and Jets in a very tough division.  On the offensive side of the ball, I am looking forward to seeing how the running game will work this year.  The Dolphins struggled slightly last year with ageing RB's Ronnie Brown (now with the Eagles) and Ricky Williams (now with the Ravens).  They have bought in the exciting Reggie Bush, and paired him with 2nd round pick Daniel Thomas.  Thomas will be the big heavy back, with Bush providing the quick, nippy option.  The Dolphins need these 2 to form a solid combo to help struggling QB Chad Henne.  Henne has received alot of stick over the off season, with many people saying he can never be a decent QB at this level.  I feel Chad is playing for his career as a starter this year, watch this space.

The Dolphins defence is a very talented, under rated group.  Last year was their first under DC Mike Nolan.  He had the Dolphins ranked 6th on that side of the ball, in the NFL.  With another year of teaching his system, and another years experience for all of the young players there, I believe they will e better again this year.  I think the Dolphins will be in many close games, can QB Chad Henne squeak out enough wins though, to challenge the Patriots and the Jets?

New England Patriots

Last season : 14 - 2



Players Drafted

1st Round - Nate Solder OT
2nd Round - Ras-I Dowling DB
2nd Round - Shane Vereen RB
3rd Round - Stevan Ridley RB
3rd Round - Ryan Mallett QB
5th Round - Marcus Cannon OL
5th Round - Lee Smith TE
6th Round - Markell Carter LB
7th Round - Malcolm Williams DB

Players in

Chad Ochocinco WR
Albert Haynesworth DT
Mark Anderson DE
Andre Carter LB
James Ihedigobo S
Niko Koutouvides LB
Chris Morris C

Players out

Tony Carter DB
Shayne Graham K
Quinn Ojinnaka G
Ty Warren DE

The Patriots have for many years been the class of this division.  They haven't loss any one of significance this off season, but they have bought in some very talented players.  WR Chad Ochocinco, and DT Albert Haynesworth were seen as risky pick ups by many, but I believe both wil work out well for the Pats. 
Chad Ochocinco knows that his career is coming towards its final years, and this will be his best opportunity to win a Superbowl.  Therefore look for alot less clowning around from Chad, (Belichick wouldn't stand for half of what hes done in the past) and look for him to become Tom Brady's favorite target.

Haynesworth talent is immense in the right system (3-4) which he showed to good effect in Tennessee.  The Redskins picked him up and gave him a MASSIVE contract, before deciding to go with the 4-3 defence.  Needless to say, 'Big Alb' wasn't happy, and the Redskins never saw the best of him.  Now back in a 3-4, with HC Bill Belichick devising ways to put him in the right positions, I think Haynesworth will be hungry for success, and dominant.  I also expect the young secondary to look better, with a further years experience under their belts.  I expect the Pats to win alot of games again this year, but just look out for teams that choose to blitz Brady alot.  The Jets proved in the playoffs last year that it can work, as did the Lions last week.

New York Jets

Last season : 11 - 5

Players Drafted

1st Round - Muhammed Wilkerson DT

3rd Round - Kendrick Ellis DL

4th Round - Bilal Powell RB

5th Round - Jeremy Kerley WR

7th Round - Greg McElroy QB
7th Round - Scotty McKnight WR

Players in

Derrick Mason WR
Plaxico Burress WR
Aaron Maybin LB
Donald Strickland DB

Players out

Braylon Edwards WR
Damien Woody T
Jason Taylor LB
Brad Smith WR
Steve Weatherford P
Vernon Gholdston LB
Drew Coleman S
Kris Jenkins DT

The Jets have reached the AFC championship game in the last 2 seasons, but still have yet to crack the Superbowl.  QB Mark Sanchez is improving year after year, and will need to, if the Jets are to overtake the Patriots in this tough division.  The Jets lost 2nd WR Braylon Edwards in free agency, but bought in veterans Derrick Mason (from Ravens) and Plaxico Burress (from prison).  I think these 2 will be adequate to replace Edwards.

The Jets have a very good defence on the whole.  CB Darrelle Revis is probably the best in the business, and his partner again this year will be Antonio Cromartie.  The Jets were going to allow Cromartie to leave, and bring in Nnamdi Asomugha from the Raiders.  But when Nnamdi joined the Eagles, the Jets asked Cromartie to come back, and he obliged.  The 2 CB's spent alot of last year in 1 on 1, man to man coverage, as the Jets blitzed alot.  A major reason for all this blitzing was their inability to get to the QB with their DL.  This is why their 1st and 2nd round draft picks were spent on DL (Wilkerson and Ellis).  If these players do manage to put alot of pressure onto the QB, allowing the Jets to only blitz as a surprise (and not every down) I believe this defence can challenge the Steelers, as the best defence in the NFL.  The Jets should win alot of games again this year, but I'm not convinced they will win the division over the Patriots.

Preseason Week 2 : Saturday Nights Games

Here are Saturdays highlights from the NFL preseason

Saints 14 Texans 27



Raiders 3 49'ers 17



Titans 16 Rams 17



Bills 10 Broncos 24



Vikings 20 Seahawks 7

The keys to Training Camp - AFC East

Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills have lots and lots of problems and decisions to make during their Training camp - starting on the 29th July.  The Bills finished last season with a 6 - 10 record, which left them at the bottom of this division.  Their star acquisition from last year WR Terrell Owens, has left, after not impressing much, and now looking at this roster, you start to wonder where, and how points are going to come about.  The Bills decided to take Clemson RB C.J Spiller as their 1st round draft pick.  This seemed a very strange decision to me at the time as they have no QB, no star WR, are completely changing their defence (from a 4 - 3 to a 3 - 4) and they decided to take a RB, a position of strength - probably their only position of strength.

Who will be the starting RB?

The Bills have 3 fantastic players that are able to take the RB role at the moment.  1st round draft pick C.J Spiller, Marshawn Lynch (pictured) and Fred Jackson will undoubtedly all see action, but what I want to know is who the Bills consider their best option.  It is now widespread around the NFL, that teams reqiure more than 1 capable RB, so that the one on the field is always fresh.  The Bills will use these players, probably as their whole offence (as they don't have much else).  I believe C.J Spiller will return kicks and punts, and get into the games in certain situations where his speed can produce game changing moments.  I believe that if Lynch stays around, he will be the main option, with Fred Jackson maybe as the goal line back.  Jackson had a great year last season, but I believe Lynch has more talent, and the Bills will want to get Spiller on the field.

Who is the QB?

 Before the Bills begin to worry to much about their RB, they need to sort out a more pressing problem - Just who is their QB?  QB now is the most important position in the league.  The best teams in the league, i.e teams making playoff and Superbowl apperences, always have a solid, if not elite, QB.  Looking at the Bills QB options - they have niether.  This point was proved when last year, even with the superstar WR that is T.O, the Bills still only came in 30th in passing yards per game.  Trent Edwards (pictured) seems to have the job at the moment.  But when this team starts to struggle, the only options they have are Ryan Fitzpatrick and Brian Brohm.  Good luck Buffalo!!!  Just a quick question - Why didn't you take Jimmy Clausen again?


How does the '4 - 3' to '3 - 4' transition go?

One thing that did run quite well for the Bills last year was their defence.  Infact their pass defence actually came in 2nd in the whole NFL.  The only problem was, their run defence - ranked 30th.  This year the new head coach Chan Gailey has decided to move the Bills to a more athletic 3 - 4 defence.  This is the trend in the league now, as lots of teams move to this scheme.  The only problem is, as we saw with the Packers last year, it takes time.  This is not something the Bills have.  They now have a struggling offence, with a pretty good defence struggling to adapt to the new system.  I don't think this was a good call by the Bills, and I think they are in for a long season.



Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins took a step backwards last year, making the playoffs in 2008, to a 7 - 9 record in 2009.  They have lost a few key players on defence - Joey Porter, Jason Taylor, Jason Ferguson, so it will be interesting to see how new Defensive co-ordinator Mike Nolan decides to play.  The offence has all its big players back, and one big name new addition - WR Brandon Marshall.

What will the new defence look like?

The Dolphins have taken on former 49'er head coach Mike Nolan as their Defensive co-ordinator and he is determind to improve the 22nd rank defence form last year.  The quotes coming out of Miami are all along the track of 'We are going to get more offensive - defensivly!'  What this means is the Dolphins are going to get after teams more, and try and create turnovers.  A major part of this new defence will be new recruit, LB Karlos Dansby (pictured).  You may remember Karlos running back the pick 6 for the Cardinals to beat the Packers in the playoffs last year.  The major worry about this though is that the Dolphins no longer have the fantastic pass rushing abilities of either Jason Taylor, or Joey Porter.  This could be a major problem for a team that is looking to pressure oppenents into mistakes.  It will be interesting to see how players like Cameron Wake and Charlie Anderson can step into this vital role.

Will Chad Henne continue to improve?

At the begining of last season Chad Pennington was the QB in Miami, and was seen as a very capable stop gap, until Chad Henne (pictured) was ready.  Unfortunatly, due to a week 3 shoulder injury in San Diego, Pennington was out, and Henne was in.  Although Henne would probably have chosen to sit out the year and learn, the learning he did on the field should stand him in good stead.  He had an average first year as a starting QB, throwing for 2,878 yards and 12 TD's, but he was helped tremendasly by the fantastic Miami running attack.  Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams really helped take the pressure off the young QB, and have allowed him to grow into the game slowly.  This will also be the case this year, the question is - Will Henne be able to take the next step?

How will Brandon Marshall change the offence?

For many years now, the Miami Dolphins have not had a star WR.  They took Ted Ginn with a 1st round pick, and that didn't work out.  Now though, the Dolphins have finally got themselves a big time play maker at WR.  The addition of Marshall means that teams can no longer go out against the Dolphins, and be determind to stop the run game because they now have a genuine pass option.  This should open up the game for Ronnie and Ricky, and will undoubtedly help improve young QB Chad Henne.   If all goes as expected, this move should dramatically improve the Dolphins offence - watch this space!

New England Patriots

The Patriots (participators in last years NFL London game) finished last year with a 10 - 6, division winning, record.  The Patriots have dominated this division over recent years, but will they continue to do so??  As the Jets and Dophins have improved, training camp will help us see wether the Patriots have or not.


How healthy is Tom Brady?

T

Tom Brady is without doubt one of the elite QB's in the NFL.  His ability to make plays over the years has been a major factor in the Patriots dynasty.  After his horrific leg injury on opening day 2008, which kept him out for the rest of the season, he is yet to convince everyone that he is playing at full tilt.  The most obvious signs of this were in the playoff game last year against the Ravens.  We all know how good the Ravens defence is, and how much they love getting after the QB.  They did this all day and Brady was not at all comfortable.  If he is jittery like that this year, I belive the Pats will struggle to make a deep playoff push.


How much will Wes Welkers injury affect the offence?

 Wes Welker is a huge part of the potent pats offence.  With Brady throwing the football, and Randy Moss demanding double coverage, Welker is the beneficery, and he certainly doesnt disappoint.  Last year Welker had 15 TD's and when he got injured in the final regular season game last year there was panic in New England.  How would the Pats replace him?  Well the answer is that they can't replace Welker.  Julian Edleman will probably start in place of Wes, but to be honest, he is no Wes Welker.  The Patriots are hopeful that he may be ready for the opening game of the year against the Bengals.  That though seems like a prayer to me, by a team that is afraid of losing its grip on what is becoming a very competitive divison.


Who will pressure the QB?

A major defensive problem for the Pats last year was their inability to pressure the opponents QB.  This lead to the secondary giving up big plays quite regulary.  The problems arose when they traded Richard Seymour to the Raiders, and have also allowed Jarvis Green to leave.  Alot of the responsibility will now fall on Tully Banta Cain (pictured) who had 10 sacks last year.  That is a OLB on one side, but who is on the other?  It will be a battle in training camp between Derrick Burgess, Pierre Woods, Jermaine Cunningham and Gary Guyton.  One of these players has to step up to help the Pats this year, if they are to win the division.

New York Jets

 The Jets finished 2009 with a 9 - 7 record, which gave them second place in the division, but also gave the a playoff berth.  The Jets made the most of this oppotunity, making a run all the way to the Conference championship game, before falling short against the Colts.  During the offseason they have added plenty of elite talent, that they hope will push them over the top.  So what are the key points to watch for at Jets camp?

Can the run game be as effective?

 A big question that needs to be answered is, are L.T (pictured) and Joe McKnight as effective as Thomas Jones and Leon Washington?  Last year Jones, Washington and Greene were the best running attack in the league, can Greene, McKnight, and L.T replicate this?  The mix that the Jets managed to acheive last year, tough defence, good run game, and decent young QB, all need to be at the same level, if not better, if the Jets want to acheive their goal of the Superbowl this year.  My major question about the RB position is why allow Thomas Jones to leave for L.T?  L.T has been a fantastic player in the league, and will be in the H.O.F one day, but has he got the legs to push the Jets to a Championship?  I am a HUGE Thomas Jones fan, and I just hope the Jets have made the right decision.

How good can this defence be?

The Jets defence is one of the things I am most looking forwrd to seeing in 2010.  The pressure that the unit creates is amazing.  The reason that the Jets can blitz as often as they do (highest count of blitz plays in the league) is the play of CB Darrelle Revis (pictured).  Revis is the best CB in the world.  'Revis-island' can match up against any WR one on one and take them completley out of the game.  This frees up other players in the defence to pile on the pressure.  Now Rex Ryan has bought in CB Antonio Cromartie, to play opposite Revis.  Cromartie is also very talented as a CB, and is going to be asked to match up one on one.  If he is capable of this, the Jets have another 'spare man'.  One of these man can also be considered as being Jason Taylor.  Taylor has made a career off pressuring the QB.  This defence is going to be soooooo good.

Will they live up to the hype?

 This Jets team has the look of a Superbowl winning team.  Fantastic defence, great run game and a very talented, young up and coming QB.  Add to that the super confident head coach Rex Ryan (pictured), and the beast that is the New York media, and they will have you handing out the Lombardi Trophy right now.  But the Jets have not won it all since Superbowl 3 in 1969.  How will they handle the pressure of being favorites?  Last season they were runners up to the Patriots in their division and went to the playoffs as a wildcard.  This underdog mentality will have taken all the pressure off them, and allowed them to play well.  This time they are top dog - there to be shot at, how will they cope?  I personally believe that the confidence of coach Ryan and the pure ability of the team will overcome this pressure.  Look forward to a very good year 'Gang Green'.

Check back tomorrow for a look at the AFC North.

Draft Previews

Buffalo Bills


Last year - 6 - 10 in the AFC East


Team needs - Pretty much everything!


Players in - Chad Jackson WR, Andra Davis ILB, Dwan Edwards DE, Cornell Green T.


Players out - Richie Incognito G, Jonathan Scott T.


Draft Positions :


1st Round : 9th pick
2nd Round : 9th pick
3rd Round : 8th pick
4th Round : 9th pick
5th Round : 9th pick
6th Round : 9th pick, 23rd pick
7th Round : 2nd pick, 9th pick


Total : 9 picks


There is basically only one direction that I can see the Bills going with this 9th pick in the draft, and that is Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen.  I believe Jimmy is going to have a very good NFL career, and this franchise is in desperate need of a decent QB.  The other options available to the Bills at this spot would be to improve that OL.  Rutgers T Anthony Davis and Idaho G Mike Iupati are the best available.  This would usually be the direction I would think would be best for a franchise to build, but for this QB staved City, Clausen HAS to be the choice.  

Jacksonville Jaguars


Last season - 7 - 9 4th in AFC South


Team needs - Everything except RB and TE!


Players in - Aaron Kampman DE, Kassim Osgood WR.


Players out - Nobody.


Draft positions :


1st Round : 10th pick
3rd Round : 10th pick
4th Round : 10th pick
5th Round : 12th pick
6th Round : 11th pick, 34th pick

Total - 6 picks.


This will be a very interesting pick for the Jags.  This is a team that is in desperate need of excitement.  They struggle to sell tickets for the games, and there are constant rumours that the team will up and leave Jacksonville (look out LA).  There has being rumours since all the draft talk began that the Jags would love to get local boy Florida's QB Tim Tebow.  I've got to be honest, I think this is such a reach at this point in the draft.  Tebow has hardly blown people away at the workouts and combines and although there seems to be constant attention payed to him, I don't believe he could be taken here.  To me he is more of a 2nd round player, the only problem with that - the Jags don't have a 2nd round pick!  Another exciting play-maker they could look at is Clemson RB C.J Spiller.  He is the best RB in the draft this year and is very explosive.  The problem with this pick up though on a team with so many needs, do you really want to take a complimentary player??  Because Spiller is not going to start over 'pocket rocket' MJD.  So after making excuses why they shouldn't take the 2 exciting players, who does the team need.  DE seems to be a position of need for the Jags, even though they added Aaron Kampman.  Last year the Jags really struggled getting pressure onto the QB.  This brings into play South Florida's Jason Pierre-Paul, and Georgia Tech's Derrick Morgan.  Either of these players would complement Kampman very well, and would certainly give the Jags a great 1 - 2 punch in an area of real need.  But will this excite the fans enough??  So as you can see this is a very difficult pick to make.  If I was pushed to make a decision on what the Jags will do, I suspect C.J Spiller may be returning the 1st kick off of the new season in Jacksonville.

Jets 19 Bills 13

This game went pretty much to plan. The Jets got the win to improve to 6 – 6, and just about keep alive their slim playoff hopes. Mark Sanchez had 104 yards and a TD before leaving the game with a knee injury. As expected though it was not the Jets passing game that won them this game. Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene had huge games on the ground. Jones had 109 yards and Greene had 59 yards. Their TD did come in the passing game though as Sanchez found Braylon Edwards, who showed an amazing amount of determination and balance to leap forward, and break the plain. This was a bright spot in a frustrating pass game for the Jets. What just about summed up the Jets passing performance was in the 1st quarter. The Bills completely lost track of Braylon Edwards as he ran a streak down the field, Sanchez put the ball right on him, literally. The long bomb came down, hit Edwards in the facemask, and bounced to the floor. This lack of a passing game was the reason behind the Jets having to settle for 4 FG’s. This poor offensive efficiency will stop the Jets from making a playoff run. Another reason that they won this game was the performance of the defence. The Jets D allowed just 194 yards total to the Bills. A major reason why was the performance of Darrelle Revis. He followed TO all over the field and, as expected, shut him down. TO had just 3 catches for 31 yards ( 1 for 15 when Revis was not on him) This was another great performance by the best Corner Back in the league. Important win for the Jets, but I think it is too little too late.

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Thursday Night Football

New York Jets @ Buffalo Bills

The Thursday night football this week is a AFC East clash between the 5 – 6 Jets and the 4 – 7 Bills in Toronto. If the Jets are to keep hold of any playoff hopes they must win here. The Bills, coming off a win against division rival Dolphins, will look to play spoiler again here. If the Bills are to win, they will need to get pressure onto Mark Sanchez, as we know this rookie can be prone to mistakes. This may be lethal here against the opportunistic Bills secondary, that rank 7th in the NFL against the pass. I think that the Jets will try to establish the run, against this last ranked Bills rush defence. This should be a good strategy, as Jones and Greene should get this 2nd ranked rush attack on top. If they get this rush game going, they may be able to use Sanchez in play action situations. If the Bills are to score enough points they will need Ryan Fitzpatrick to find TO. This seems to be a trend since Fitzpatrick took over at QB, as Owens’s numbers have increased dramatically. TO will defiantly have his hands full though, as I imagine Darrelle Revis (the best corner in the game in my opinion) will be tracking him all over the field. I believe that the Bills are improving under Perry Fewell, but they will not have enough to see off the Jets here.

Lee’s Prediction: Jets 21 Bills 10