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2006 AFC East Preview
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AFC East Preview
Rick Gagliano | 8/28/06
AFC East predicted order of finish
Miami Dolphins (11-5)
Miami is the class of this bunch as New England's dynasty days are behind them. The Bills are in their sixth straight rebuilding year and the Jets wonder who will eventually end up behind center and whether new head coach Eric Mangini has what it takes to win.
Miami Dolphins (11-5) - Under Nick Saban, the Dolphins improved to 9-7 last season and hopes are high on the team to make the playoffs this time around. With the off-season acquisition of QB Daunte Culpepper and the release of RB - and major distraction - Ricky Williams, the Dolphins appear poised to take the top spot in a watered-down division.
Culpepper will have plenty of targets, particularly WR Chris Chambers, who led the team with 82 receptions and 1118 yards. Chambers is on the verge of becoming a premiere wideout with Pro Bowl credentials. Marty Booker and Wes Welker will also make plenty of plays downfield.
Ronnie Brown could have cracked the 1000-yard rushing mark last season if he didn't share so much time in the backfield with Williams. As the #1 back, he'll should get nearly 300 carries and probably over 1200 yards.
Defensively, the Dolphins will be an improved unit, with Zach Thomas at MLB and a couple of Allens - Will at CB and Jason at FS - complementing a rebuilt secondary. Will Allen came over from the Giants and Jason Allen was Miami's top draft pick out of Tennessee. Both players will make immediate contributions.
The Dolphins will benefit from the energy Saban brings, plus, if Culpepper is injured, they have Joey Harrington as a backup. Even after a 9-7 season in which they won their last six games, the Dolphins may be the most improved team in the league.
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This season could develop in similar fashion, though they have the Bears, Jacksonville and an improved Miami team as 3 of their last 6 games, plus the Jags and Dolphins games are on the road. In the first half they have Denver, Indy, Minnesota and Cincinnati, all tough opponents with something to prove.
While the Pats may be in decline due to the departure of veterans Adam Vinatieri, David Givens and Willie McGinnest, the slumping signs were evident even last season when the Patriots ranked 25th in yards per play defensively and were a league worst 32nd against the pass.
The New England brass may have tried to address the situation, but selected all offensive players with their first four picks in the draft, and a kicker in the 5th round.
Tom Brady will benefit from having a healthy Corey Dillon at RB, plus top pick Laurence Maroney from Minnesota will add depth. Brady still has Deion Branch and Troy Brown at wide receiver, and rookie Chad Jackson (Florida) is expected to fit right in as a third option as Tim Dwight has also departed.
The Patriots have lots of questions to answer this season, but they don't look as good as in previous years and are not likely to make the playoffs in a conference full of solid teams.
Buffalo Bills (7-9) - The Bills hired Dick Jauron to replace Mike Mularkey as head coach after Buffalo slumped to 5-11 in 2005. Jauron inherits a team with more questions than answers, especially at quarterback. A three-way battle is underway in the pre-season between last year's incumbent, J. P. Losman, backup Kelly Holcomb and upcoming Craig Nall. As neither Losman nor Holcomb proved fully adequate last year, the door is open for Nall and he's looked well in practice and on-field appearances. Since the Bills will be losing with frequency early on, it's expected that all three will get a shot and that's a formula for disaster.
WR Eric Moulds left after a season of adversity - in which he was actually benched at one point - so the WR position is open for the likes of Peerless Price, Andre Davis and Josh Reed, one of whom will complement speedy Lee Evans who averaged 15.1 yards per catch and hauled in 7 TDs last season.
Willis McGahee will deliver from his tailback spot, but the quarterback carousel and the protection up front will limit the Bills production.
Buffalo is in pretty good shape on defense, but with the offense struggling, often spent too much time on the field. They'll also miss Lawyer Malloy in the secondary and Sam Adams as a force in the middle of the line.
Don't expect much from this bunch in 2006 unless the QB situation is settled early on. If anyone can get the ball out quickly and accurately, the Bills could have an explosive offense, though consistency will be challenging. They'll look spectacular at times, but over the course of the season, there will be more disappointments than celebrations.
New York Jets (5-11) - With quarterbacks dropping like bombs over Baghdad last year in Gotham, coach Herm Edwards was given his walking papers and he signed on with Kansas City. 1st year head coach Eric Mangani will have to decide between Chad Pennington, Brooks Bollinger, 2nd round pick Kellen Clemens and Patrick Ramsey as his primary signal-caller, none of whom have the prospect of being a future star, except possibly Bollinger, who stepped in under duress last season, or Clemens, who has the arm and maybe the talent to lead.
If Mangani takes the obvious route and opts for Pennington, he's asking for trouble. After two surgeries, Brad's arm strength - which was not so great even before - is a big detriment to the offense. Putting Clemens behind center is risky, but he could prove to be the future for the Jets, with Bollinger as a backup.
Whomever is chosen to play QB, he'll have plenty of weapons, including Laveranues Coles, Justin McCareins, Jerricho Cotchery and Tim Dwight (free agent from New England), as well as Curtis Martin and a host of wannabe running backs.
Defensively, the Jets are a touch above average, but with a new head coach, a likely QB controversy and the usual grousing from fans and the NY media, improvement to 6 or 7 wins would be an unquestioned success. Any more than that would be truly remarkable.
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