Buffalo Soldier's 3rd Annual AFC East Breakdown

[BuffaloSoldier2]

I've done this the past two years and it always good for conversation. Although I'm a Bills fan, I try my best to as unbiased as possible. A lot has changed in this division in the offseason and it appears to once again shaping into the best divisions in football. The rating work like this: 4 points for the best, 3 points for the 2nd best, and so on. So without further ado, here we go:

Quarterbacks
NE 4
NYJ 3
BUF 2
MIA 1

A week ago, this was just Tom Brady and a bunch of nobodies. Obviously, a whole lot has changed. Brady, as much as I hate to say it, is one of the greatest QBs to ever play. The Jets got themselves a HOFer who is coming off a great year. Of course, the previous 2 years, he threw 47 ints. Still, he is by far and away the 2nd best QB.

Now, here's where there will be some arguments. Pennington definitely is an upgrade over what the Fins have. He is a gamer and seems to always make the right decisions. However, I see Edwards a younger version of CP without the injuries. Additionlly in their only head to head meeting, TE outplayed CP. Thus, an emerging (hopefully) Edwards gets the nod over a declining CP by the slightest of margains.

Running Backs
BUF 4
NE 3
MIA 2
NYJ 1

This one is a very tough one because of a lot of uncertainty. Lynch proved to be a very tough runner and when he was injured, Fred Jackson stepped in and played very well. NE under used Maroney last year (not that it matter) and I think Lamont Jordan is a very solid under the radar pickup.

Miami's situation is a very tough one to rate. They very well could have the best backs in the division. But with Ronnie Brown coming back from knee injury and Ricky not really playing in years, their ranking is lowered. Thomas Jones is a decent back who runs hard but is nothing special. Washington is a very good change of pace back but doesn't get enough carries to be a major player.

Wide Receivers
NE 4
NYJ 3
BUF 2
MIA 1

Not even close. Moss and Welker (though overrated) are an awesome duo. Coles and Cotchery are a very solid duo in their own right, bt neither is a gamebreaker. Lee Evans is the 2nd best receiver in the division but he has had little help. Hardy could be a beast but he is still a rookie and has a lot to prove. Miami's receivers are shaky to say the least.

Tight Ends
NE 4
NYJ 3
BUF 2
MIA 1

Worst position by far in the division. Watson is pretty good but still drops a lot of balls. Between Keller, Franks, and Baker, the Jets have some solid players but no real stars (though Keller maybe). Buffalo's TEs are bad but Miami's are worst.

Offensive Line
NE 4
BUF 3
NYJ 2
MIA 1

This group has improved the most in the division. If you have a record setting offense, your oline gets a lot of credit. Miami and the Jets have improved a lot but have yet to play together. Chemistry takes time to develop. That's why I rate Buffalo's ahead of them both. But all 4 teams have the pieces for a very solid units.

Defensive Line
NE 4
BUF 3
NYJ 2
MIA 1

NE has one of the best d-lines in football, though age maybe catching up with them. The Bills have a pro bowler in Schobel; a former pro bowler in Stroud; and run 2 deep at every position. Jenkins, IMO, isn't what he used to be and is playing a new position. But he still is an upgrade though the rest of the d-line is pretty average. Jason Taylor alone drove down Miami's ranking.

Linebackers
NE 4
BUF 3
NYJ 2
MIA 1

This one is really close. NE gets the nod, though they are fading fast. Mayo probably will be a player, but they are very old every where else. Buffalo and NYJ are almost identical. I think Poz and Harris will both have really good careers. However, I like the experience of the Bills other LBs (Mitchell and Crowell) over the potential of the Jets. And I think Pace got paid way too much money when he was a borderline bust for most of his career. And honestly, I don't know much about Miami's LBs except that Crowder was one of the most overrated players ever on this board.

Secondary
NYJ 4
BUF 3
NE 2
MIA 1

Again, another very difficult group to rate. Neither of these groups are that impressive but there is a lot of potential. Buffalo and the Jets are basically even but I give the Jets the edge because I think Rhodes is the best d back in the division. The bills have a very young group that has a lot of potential. Samuel was a huge loss and Harrison is a year older. Jason Allen doesn't look like a total bust anymore.

Special Teams
BUF 4
NYJ 3
MIA 2
NE 1

Buffalo has a good kicker, great punter, and really good returners. The Jets have a good return game and Nugent is a pretty good kicker. Ginn has a lot of potential and Feely is solid. NE can't dominate everywhere haha.

Obviously, this isn't an exact science but these are my final scores:
NE 30
BUF 26
NYJ 23
MIA 11

Again, this is just one man's opinion. The point isn't to bash other team but to make for an entertaining thread. In my opinion, this is how I believe the teams will finish in the division. I welcome any creative feedback and would appreciate filling me on any players you thinking I'm overlooking. I just am so excited that football is finally back. Enjoy the weekend!

[satz]

SOme contradictions

NE has one of the best d-lines in football, though age maybe catching up with them

Seymour - 29
Vince WIlfork - 26
Ty Warran -25
Backups
Jarvis green -28
Wright - 25
Smith -24

NE LB
Starting rotation for this year behing AD,vrable and Bru
Crable -23 OLB
Mayo - 22 ILB
Woods - 24 OLB
Guyton - 22 ILB

NE RB
How can you leave out faulk the one of the best 3rd down spl in the league
Maroney,Morris,Jordan,faulk

NE secondary
Hobbs -24yr old
whittle and wheatley are 22 and wheatley has been so impressive that is starting LCB in preseason
whittle is play slot
lewis and bryant are in the mix too. mike richardson 6th rounder from last year is also in rotation.alot of 22-24 yr old players with 2 veterans.

Safety- meriweather last year 1st rounder started in the playoffs and sanders is the SS of the future. when rodney was out he filled the spot .I think is most of the games harrison came into 3 safety rotation and played on the LOS matching on TE more as a HYbrid ILB/Safety .

TE matching hybrid Safety/ILB - only team to have 2 Jumbo safety who can shut down TE`s [see chris cooly,dallar clark and gates when harrison was matched 1 on 1 with them last year].this year tank willams is their. the only team to have TE matching specialists.

[djfresh47]

Originally Posted by satz

SOme contradictions

NE has one of the best d-lines in football, though age maybe catching up with them

Seymour - 29
Vince WIlfork - 26
Ty Warran -25
Backups
Jarvis green -28
Wright - 25
Smith -24

NE LB
Starting rotation for this year behing AD,vrable and Bru
Crable -23 OLB
Mayo - 22 ILB
Woods - 24 OLB
Guyton - 22 ILB

NE RB
How can you leave out marshall faulk the one of the best 3rd down spl in the league
Maroney,Morris,Jordan,faulk

NE secondary
Hobbs -24yr old
whittle and wheatley are 22 and wheatley has been so impressive that is starting LCB in preseason
whittle is play slot
lewis and bryant are in the mix too. mike richardson 6th rounder from last year is also in rotation.alot of 22-24 yr old players with 2 veterans.

Safety- meriweather last year 1st rounder started in the playoffs and sanders is the SS of the future. when rodney was out he filled the spot .I think is most of the games harrison came into 3 safety rotation and played on the LOS matching on TE more as a HYbrid ILB/Safety .

TE matching hybrid Safety/ILB - only team to have 2 Jumbo safety who can shut down TE`s [see chris cooly,dallar clark and gates when harrison was matched 1 on 1 with them last year].this year tank willams is their. the only team to have TE matching specialists.

They haven't done anything. Though I think Crable will be thought of as a steal in a couple years.

Unless Tom Brady goes down for an extended period of time New England is the best team. Buffalo and the Jets both had very good offseasons. The Marcus Stroud deal is being overlooked and I believe the Bills are being overlooked because of Favre. The one thing that I think will hold them back is Dick Jauron who I don't think is a good coach.

[WhiteShoeWillie]

Originally Posted by satz

NE RB
How can you leave out marshall faulk the one of the best 3rd down spl in the league
Maroney,Morris,Jordan,faulk

Marshall Faulk

[ih8brady]

Originally Posted by WhiteShoeWillie

Marshall Faulk

lol

[ih8brady]

Not bad, but the RBs ratings are off. I wouldnt say any of New England's are as talented or effective as RB or RW. And granted RB is a question mark right now in terms of health, but he proved to be an elite runningback. Also, RW looks to be back in form. Lynch is no doubt above average, but he still really hasn't proven to be the next coming of Edge (although he has the potential...maybe this season he will be?)

[WhiteShoeWillie]

I want to play - just my biased opinion.

Quarterbacks
NE 4
NYJ 3
BUF 2
MIA 2
Tie for last.

Running Backs
MIA 4
BUF 3
NE 2
NYJ 2

Wide Receivers
NE 4
NYJ 3
BUF 2
MIA 1

This is the easiest one to rate.

Tight Ends
NYJ 4
NE 3
BUF 2
MIA 1

Offensive Line
NE 4
BUF 3
NYJ 3
MIA 3

Defensive Line
NE 4
BUF 3
NYJ 2
MIA 2

Linebackers
NYJ 4
NE 3
BUF 3
MIA 2

Secondary
NYJ 4
BUF 3
MIA 2
NE 1

Special Teams
BUF 4
NYJ 3
MIA 2
NE 2

[satz]

Originally Posted by ih8brady

lol

LOL Me bad

[Jetsfan0099]

Yea the Jets definitely have a better LB core then the Bills. Comparing Paul to Harris?? Harris was dominant last year, and Paul was alright in a few games, but didn't play much that season due to injury.
Calvin Pace is a stud, like it or not, it was a risk to pay him the money, but watching him in training camp and preseason, hes a stud. You'll see, last season wasn't a fluke for Pace.

[feelthepain]

I can't wait for another season of Bill fan excuses when they figure there just isn't the talent they've convinced themselves there is in Buffalo. Remember all the love Miami would get just a few short seasons ago from the media? At least we would field a top 5 defense and a top 15 offense and be coming off at least a winnig season. Bill fans would tell us the media was nuts....remember? Now all of a sudden the Bills are coming back to back losing seasons with the 31st ranked defense and the 30th ranked offense and a HC that's been in Buffalo for 2 years and is not only a losing HC overall, but is 4 games below 500 as the Bills HC and suddenly the Bills are better then everyone but NE in the division according to their fans. Anyone here wonder how that happened?

I mean, because Miami and NY had bad seasons and the Bills finished second in the divison cause they won 7 whole games, for of which came against the Jets and Dolphins leaving just three other wins against the Bengals, Ravens and Redskins. Not exactly a list of superstar teams. I know I'll get the"yeah, but the Bills were injured BS, but we weren't? The Bills were almsot exclusively injured on the defensive side of the ball. Miami laost starters all over the team and not second year players who've yet to prove their worth or rokkies who have played in a handful of games. Miami lost players that had probowl resume's and were verteran starters like Zach, Ronnie, Trent, Yeremiah and Chris Chambers.

But the Bills get this magical exception cause they lost players like Yuboty and Posluzny, players that have done nothing in the NFL. Seriously Bill fans come here and try to pass off this illusion of their greatness and that team helthy, unhealthy, have not done a damn thing in 9 years. The last time they were just 1 game above 500. MM was their HC. I just love how some fans can walk around thinking their team is this talented team that's better then other teams in the division that not only have upgraded nearly every coaching position but, got rid of players that were aging or had no heart. Look at the upgrades the Dolphins and Jets have made then look what the Bills did thids off season. Miami and the Jets....BY FAR made a lot more changes to their roster then the Bills. And look at how Bill fans rank the QB position, Trent Edwards is better then Chad Pennington? On what planet, cause it aint this one, get that weak **** out of here, come tell me how great your Bills team is when they actually prove it and not by finishing second in the division with a losing record.

[Crisis]

i hear the same thing every year from FTP. nowhere to be found in the regular season when his useless yardage stats mean nothing and the bills destroy miami again. what is it 6-1 in the last 7 with the only miami win being the fluke comeback game?

tell me how great miami is for winning one game (in overtime) over a whole YEAR. when miami gets destroyed by buffalo (again), you'll go back into your hole until the offseason and then you'll talk next year about how miami was better even though they lost both games because their offense is ranked 2 spots higher in yardage stats than buffalo.

dwell on your yardage stats, they mean nothing when the games played.

[Crisis]

Originally Posted by feelthepain

I can't wait for another season of Bill fan excuses when they figure there just isn't the talent they've convinced themselves there is in Buffalo. Remember all the love Miami would get just a few short seasons ago from the media? At least we would field a top 5 defense and a top 15 offense and be coming off at least a winnig season. Bill fans would tell us the media was nuts....remember? Now all of a sudden the Bills are coming back to back losing seasons with the 31st ranked defense and the 30th ranked offense and a HC that's been in Buffalo for 2 years and is not only a losing HC overall, but is 4 games below 500 as the Bills HC and suddenly the Bills are better then everyone but NE in the division according to their fans. Anyone here wonder how that happened?

I mean, because Miami and NY had bad seasons and the Bills finished second in the divison cause they won 7 whole games, for of which came against the Jets and Dolphins leaving just three other wins against the Bengals, Ravens and Redskins. Not exactly a list of superstar teams. I know I'll get the"yeah, but the Bills were injured BS, but we weren't? The Bills were almsot exclusively injured on the defensive side of the ball. Miami laost starters all over the team and not second year players who've yet to prove their worth or rokkies who have played in a handful of games. Miami lost players that had probowl resume's and were verteran starters like Zach, Ronnie, Trent, Yeremiah and Chris Chambers.

But the Bills get this magical exception cause they lost players like Yuboty and Posluzny, players that have done nothing in the NFL. Seriously Bill fans come here and try to pass off this illusion of their greatness and that team helthy, unhealthy, have not done a damn thing in 9 years. The last time they were just 1 game above 500. MM was their HC. I just love how some fans can walk around thinking their team is this talented team that's better then other teams in the division that not only have upgraded nearly every coaching position but, got rid of players that were aging or had no heart. Look at the upgrades the Dolphins and Jets have made then look what the Bills did thids off season. Miami and the Jets....BY FAR made a lot more changes to their roster then the Bills. And look at how Bill fans rank the QB position, Trent Edwards is better then Chad Pennington? On what planet, cause it aint this one, get that weak **** out of here, come tell me how great your Bills team is when they actually prove it and not by finishing second in the division with a losing record.

Originally Posted by feelthepain

I guess anytime the Bills add or lose a player it's always a guarantee it's an instant improvement before they even play a down. Sure!!!

way to contradict yourself there buddy

http://www.billszone.com/fanzone/sho...4&postcount=14

[Crisis]

Originally Posted by feelthepain

How do you consider the Bills 28th overall Offense with no key injuries, better then Miami's 20th overall offense, with their backup QB who was with the team all of 6 months and had very few snaps with the first team in camp? I mean seriously, you consider the Bills offense better, but Miami gave up less sacks with Oline injuries then a healthy Bills Oline. Miami has a new HC/OC yes, but they also have plenty of experience in the coaching staff with HC experience in Dom Capers.

Cam won't have anything to do with the Defense that will be Doms job so all Cam has to do is what he's been doing for the last few years, coach the offense. You also act as if changing HC is a guarantee a teams will not succeed. I think thats been proven wrong many times over. New HC's and schemes can be very successful in their first year. To be honest I think the reason the Dolphins are better on offense is because the only thing Miami has been missing to succeed on offense has been playcalling. Maimi has been way to conservative over the past 8 years, we have always played things close to the vest and let our Defense win games.

The one year we had Scott Linehan we opened up the offense and we won our last six games. Chris Chambers made the probowl and Miami had some balance. Cam is the same verticle open things up kinda coach. Maimi will stretch the field vertically that will open up the rushing lanes and Miami will have more options. All Miami needs is a top 15 offense to make the playoffs, if we can finish 20th overall with what we had last year there is no reason we can't imporve 5 spots with what we have now.

same song and dance every offseason from you. and you always end up wrong.

http://www.billszone.com/fanzone/sho...0&postcount=15

keep comparing meaningless stats, because it means nothing.

[feelthepain]

Originally Posted by Crisis

same song and dance every offseason from you. and you always end up wrong.

http://www.billszone.com/fanzone/sho...0&postcount=15

keep comparing meaningless stats, because it means nothing.

Uh huh, whens the last time the Bills were as good as the Bills fans claim they are now??? You and other Bill fans tell us every year how you're a playoff team, and I'm signing the same ol song and dance? Frikin classic.