Around the NFL: AFC East

[MTK]

Let's break down a division per day, we'll start with the AFC East.

2004 standings:
Patriots 14-2: Super Bowl Champs
NY Jets 10-6: Lost to the Steelers in 2nd round
Bills 9-7: Bledsoe out, Losman in.
Dolphins 4-12: Ricky's back minus about 15 pounds. See what not having the munchies does for you?

My 2005 crystal ball says:

Patriots 11-5: Losing their coordinators will have an impact, and they are due to fall off a bit, but not too far... they're still the cream of the crop in this division.

Jets 9-7: Love their D but I'm not convinced Pennington will be able to bounce back strong from offseason shoulder surgery. Martin had a career year last season, he could be due for a decline. Coles is back but he's not the same WR that left the Jets in 2003. They'll battle for a wild card.

Bills 8-8: Their season hinges on Losman. They have a strong D and running game, but teams are going to make Losman beat them. If he can't keep the heat off the running game they could really struggle.

Dolphins 7-9: They really weren't as bad as their record indicated in 2004. They played alot of close games and if Ricky didn't punk out on them they very well could have won 8 or 9 games in my opinion. If they can get decent production out of former headbanger Gus Frerotte, they could be a darkhorse, they should have a solid D and running game, but I don't see them making the playoffs this year.