Oct 7, 2012; Columbus, OH, USA; Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill (17) throws a pass in the second quarter against the Miami Dolphins at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-US PRESSWIRE

Hello again football fans, in my sixth installment of breaking down the NFL, I will take a look at the AFC East.  I will analyze each teams offense, defense and give my predictions for how they will finish in the division.

Buffalo Bills:

Sep 16, 2012; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills running back C.J. Spiller (28) runs as Kansas City Chiefs free safety Abram Elam (27) pursues during the third quarter at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Bills beat the Chiefs 35-17. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-US PRESSWIRE

• Offense: EJ Manuel was drafted out of Florida State to eventually  lead the offense.  Kevin Kolb came in during the offseason to be the starter but that has a short shelf life.  They will compete throughout training camp and in the preseason.  The veteran will get the nod with the rookie taking over later in the season when he gets beat up trying to set up behind this offensive line.  CJ Spiller is an explosive playmaker at running back.  Fred Jackson will be coming off the bench to provide relief.  The Wide Receiver corps got an extreme makeover.  Robert Woods was drafted to go along with Stevie Johnson and TJ Graham.  Troubled  rookie Da’Rick Rogers was also signed as an undrafted free agent to provide some depth at receiver.  This kid screams potential, hopefully, he will not act like a knucklehead so he can realize it.
• Defense:  Mario Williams is coming back for his second year with the team.   Expect quarterbacks on the Bills schedule to be constantly checking their rearview mirrors for this monster.  Mark Anderson will be on the other side.  Marcell Dareus and Kyle Williams will man the middle of the line. The linebackers will probably be a combination of Manny Lawson, Nigel Bradham, and  Kiko Alonso.  Lawson can also drop down to the line to help provide help with the pass rush.  Stephon Gilmore will be at one corner, with probably Leodis Mckelvin on the other side.  Jarius Byrd and Da’Norris Searcy will be the safeties.  Byrd is going through a contract squabble so that bears watching.

Miami Dolphins:

• Offense:  Ryan Tannehill returns for his second season, after throwing for 3,294 yards with 12 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.  Tannehill will have the services of Lamar Miller and Daniel Thomas in the backfield.  At wide receiver, he will have Brian Hartline and Mike Wallace.  Wallace will be counted on the make the  big plays in the passing game, provided the Dolphins can keep Tannehill upright. Dustin Keller, formerly with the Jets, will be at tightend.  He could be a great security blanket over the middle if he stays healthy.
• Defense:  The Dolphins will probably start up front with rookie Dion Jordan at one end and Cameron Wake on the other side.  Randy Starks and Paul Soliai will be at the tackles.  The linebackers will be made up of Koa Msi, Dannell Ellerbee, and Philip Wheeler.  The team brought Brent Grimes on to help with play making in the secondary.  He will be teaming up with Jamar Taylor at the other corner, with Reshad Jones and Chris Clemons at the safeties.

New England Patriots:

Jan 13, 2013; Foxboro, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) throws a pass against the Houston Texans in the AFC Divisional Round playoff game at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots defeated the Texans 41-28. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports

• Offense: One begins to wonder when there will be a drop off in production from Tom Brady because of the group of pass catchers he is given from year to year.  The Patriots will probably have Danny Amendola and Aaron Dobson out wide with Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez at the tight end positions.  Gronkowski will be returning from offseason surgeries to his forearm and back.  The Patriots will counter with Stevan Ridley and LeGarrette Blount at running back.
• Defense:  The Pats run a multiple front defense alternating from a 4-3 to 3-4.  Upfront will be a combination of Vince Wilfork, Tommy Kelly, Chandler Jones and Rob Ninkovich.  The linebacker will have Jerod Mayo, Brandon Spikes, and Dont’a Hightower.  The secondary looks like it will be Alfonzo Dennard and Aquib Talib at the corners with Devin McCourty and Adrian Wilson at the safeties.

New York Jets:

Sept 9, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez (6) throws a pass during the first half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-US PRESSWIRE

• Offense: Mark Sanchez is battling 2nd round draft pick Gino Smith for the right to start at quarterback.  Whoever starts, the offense will be going back to a ground and pound simplified attack with a manager at quarterback.  We will probably see Jeremy Kerley and Santonio Holmes out wide with Stephen Hill coming off the bench at wide receiver.  The tight end will be Jeff Cumberland.  At running back, will be Chris Ivory.  The Jets quarterback situation is going to be watched all preseason to see who emerges as the starter.
• Defense:  This is the best side of the ball for the Jets.  They will again be running a 3-4 defense with Kenrick Ellis at nose, and Sheldon Richardson and Muhammad Wilkerson at the ends.  Richardson was one of the top defensive tackles available in the draft.  The pass rushers will be Quinton Coples and Antwan Barnes.  The team is depending on some dramatic improvement by Coples after he had 5.5 sacks last year.  Inside will be David Harris and Demario Davis.  Harris was the teams’ leading tackler last year.  In the secondary, will be Antonio Cromartie and 1st round pick Dee Milliner at the corners, with Josh Bush and Dawan Landry at the safeties.

My picks for the order of finish for the AFC east division are:

1.  New England Patriots

2.  Miami Dolphins

3.  Buffalo Bills

4.  NY Jets

Agree or disagree, as always let us know in the comments section.

Boy, that didn’t last long.

“Raw” rookie Stephen Hill had a 33-yard TD reception in the second quarter and added a 17-yard TD in the third. QB Mark Sanchez has thrown 3 TD passes vs one interception and actually looks like he belongs on the field.

Bills RB C.J. Spiller had the Bills’ lone TD on a breakaway 56-yard touchdown run, nearly equaling QB Ryan Fitzpatrick’s passing yardage total of 75 up to this point. Fitzpatrick has completed only 11 passes in the game so far and a TD. That’s the good news.

The bad news? Three of those completions were to the Jets defenders. To be fair, the Jets’ offense has scored “only” 34 of the points. Antonio Cromartie returned one of Fitzpatrick’s “completions” 40 yards in a pick-6 to open the second half scoring.

Truly, when the Jets get the lead, their defense can REALLY pin their ears back and go after the QB. If early returns are any indication, the Bills will be in the market for a new QB this offseason.

If the Miami Dolphins were ever serious about trading Matt Moore, the Bills might look for him now. More likely, the Bills would be picking up a David Garrard off waivers to push Fitzgerald. I doubt the Dolphins want to trade Moore now, given rookie Ryan Tannehill’s 3 INTs so far against Houston and Pat Devlin is still a developmental guy albeit with quite some talent.

I know it’s only one game, but Buffalo spent $100 million on ONE player – defensive end Mario Williams – so it would appear the owner wants to win, and win now.

Fitzgerald has been the Bills’ starting QB for years now…mostly because everyone they bring in to challenge him isn’t up to the task. Ask a J.P. Losman about that one?

Whatever the case is, it does appear that the Bills picked up right where they left off last season. Losing games big.

So much for the rumblings of the fans about his inaccuracy and/or looking lost. I’m certain he still has a lot to learn and that the plays he ran were scripted/inserted because they’re the ones he knows best at this point, but the future in Washington looks bright if his performance last night is any indication.

The Redskins won the contest against the Buffalo Bills, 7-6.

August 9, 2012; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick (7) throws a pass against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-US PRESSWIRE

In other games, the Philadelphia Eagles stormed back after a lethargic first half to defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-23. With the death of Head Coach Andy Reid’s son fresh in their minds, Eagles’ players had some extra fight in them in their first preseason game – at least, after what probably was a good dressing-down at halftime by that same coach because of their play in the first half. All 24 points came after intermission.

After going 4/6 for a whopping 6 yards, Vick went to the sidelines in obvious pain after his last pass attempt of the contest. His throwing motion and Eagles center Jason Kelce converged as Kelce was slide-blocking a defender across Vick’s path and Vick’s follow-though wound up thumping his hand on the back of Kelce’s helmet. It was a case of “nobody’s fault – it happens” but when you consider Vick’s importance to the team, it sure put a scare into their fans, players, and coaches alike.

X-rays on his throwing-hand thumb at halftime were negative, but x-rays alone do not easily show soft-tissue damage. Despite the good news that no breaks were seen, the situation bears keeping an eye on.