NE - 12-4
NYJ - 8-8
Buf - 8-8
Mia - 6-10
NE will not duplicate the success that they had last season. Like any QB, Tom Brady struggles under pressure, and every team the Pats face next season will bring it. They didn't do much in the offseason but they did resign Moss, and he's an important piece of the equation. I expect there defense to get a little younger through the draft, but everyone else in the division has closed the gap a bit in my mind. The pressure from spygate continues, and if you believe in karma it sure as hell caught up with them at the end of the season. Bottom line? Another year and another division title for the Pats.
The Jets lost a lot of close games last season and blew a lot of leads. The QB shuffle didn't help matters much but it wouldn't have mattered who we had back there, the OL was that bad. The addition of Faneca and Woody instantly upgrades the Jets line and should pave the way for a much improved ground game next season. On the DL the Jets added Jenkins, a sorely needed big man in the middle. No guarantee he'll live up to expectations but if he does, the Jets will see more 2nd and 3rd and longs on D. This would be huge as the only team that had more running plays against last season was the Phins. The Jets also need to get some pressure on QB's, and are hoping that the Pace signing can aid in that department.
The Bills were in the playoff hunt until the last few weeks of the season. Nobody expected that, and given the amount of injuries and the QB situation it was pretty impressive. Granted 4 of the 7 wins came against the Jets and the Phins, but nonetheless it was a pretty good run. They have a game managing type QB, the good young RB, and a pretty solid OL to work with. The addition of Stroude and Mitchell should help a defense that ranked 15th against the rush last season. The road through the division will not be as easy as last season though, and the Bills seem to have issues when it comes time to turn the corner.
Like the Jets, the Phins were in a lot of games last season. You are what your record says you are, but on a game to game basis it wasn't quite as bad as that record indicated. The Phins already look very different. No big time flashy signings but nobody should have expected that in the first place. Smiley is a good addition to an OL that already has a solid center in Satele. Like the Jets though, the Phins have a big question mark at QB (what else is new). The D finally seemed to break down and the O was equally as bad. With Parcells running the show I'd expect the D to be on the rise sooner then the O, and the team as a whole to be back in the thick of things in a couple seasons. Not very familiar with Sporano but he's a first year HC I believe, so I expect him and the team to experience some growing pains.
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