Will Pennington Lead The Dolphins To Another Title?

The AFC East was anything but usual last season. One star quarterback came in, while one was lost after only 8 minutes of play. Another quarterback won the Comeback Player of the Year Award for the second time in his career. That’s right, the Patriots did not win the AFC East last season. They didn’t even make the playoffs in 2008. Chad Pennington and the Dolphins took full advantage of Tom Brady’s injury and went 11-5. The Pats, who also went 11-5, lost the tie-breaker to the Dolphins and finished in 2nd place. Even though Tom Brady went down early, Matt Cassel stepped in and played his way to a big contract with the Chiefs. Behind Brett Favre, the Jets looked strong early but went only 1-4 down the stretch. The Jets finished 9-7, but were only able to finish 3rd in the division. The Bills started strong as well, but couldn’t manage a win in their own division. Despite the struggle within the division, the Bills still managed to win 7 games. The Pats dynasty may have lost the battle last season, but the war is far from over. Can the Patriots reclaim the division title, or will Chad Pennington lead the Dolphins to glory again?

Buffalo Bills

Key Additions- DE Aaron Maybin (draft), WR Terrell Owens, QB Ryan Fitzpatrick

Key Subtractions- TE Robert Royal, OT Jason Peters

Talk About Boring, Dick Jauron Is Still The Coach Of The Bills

The Buffalo Bills, for years, have been one of the most boring team in the NFL. This off-season, they decided to spice things up by signing WR Terrell Owens. Owens, however, isn’t getting any younger. Last season, Owens struggled against press coverage. If that trend continues, Owens may not help Buffalo as much as some people expect. The addition of Owens should benefit Lee Evans, who won’t have to battle against constant double teams anymore. The Bills are also spicing things up this season by bringing back the no-huddle offense. Even though the pieces aren’t the same as they were in the 90s, the no-huddle looked interesting in the pre-season to say the least. Marshawn Lynch had an interesting off-season as well, and finds himself suspended for the first three games of the season. The O-Line remains a major weak point of this team. The Bills addressed their O-Line issues in free agency and in the draft, but may regret trading away OT Jason Peters in the off-season. Marcus Stroud and Kyle Williams did a great job of clogging the lane against the run last season. The team was able to accumulate 10 sacks in the 5 games Aaron Schobel played. However, they only were able to add 14 with Schobel out of the line up. CB Terrance McGee struggled against elite competition last season, and Leodis McKelvin is athletic but raw.

Fantasy Sleeper- WR Lee Evans

The addition of TO takes a lot of pressure off Evans. With Owens running primarily short routes, Evans should be able to go deep a little more often. Add in the fact that Evans should be facing less double teams, and he could have that big year that analysts have been predicting for years.

Miami Dolphins

Key Additions- CB Vontae Davis and QB Pat White (draft), C Jake Grove, LB Jason Taylor

Key Subtractions- QB John Beck

Williams And Brown Were A Force In 2008

The Dolphins were one of the biggest surprises of the 2008 NFL season. The additions of Chad Pennington and Jake Long were two of the main reasons for Miami’s success. There was also the Wildcat formation…you may have heard a lot about that. Both Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams put up good numbers despite sharing a fair amount of the carries. While none of the Dolphins’ WRs are elite, Davone Bess had a great 2008 considering he was an un-drafted rookie. WR Tedd Ginn is one of the fastest players in the NFL, but remains raw as a receiver. Chad Pennington is efficient when healthy, but that isn’t all that often. Should he go down, Chad Henne, the Dolphins QB of the future, would take over. Vernon Carey and Jake Long should anchor the O-Line at both ends this season. Joey Porter, and his 17.5 sacks, should continue to wreck havoc on opposing quarterbacks. A big question mark this season will be Cameron Wake. The two time CFL Defensive Player of the Year, was given $4.9 million to prove he can succeed in the NFL. In the secondary, Gibril Wilson and Yeremiah Bell should be involved in a number of plays. CB Vontae Davis is a freak athlete, but facing TO and Randy Moss might be a little too much to ask of the rookie.

Fantasy Sleeper- Ted Ginn

You may not realize it from the traditional stats, but Ted Ginn improved quite a bit in his sophomore season. His catch percentage rose from 48% to 60% and his YPC jumped to 14.1. Ginn is still pretty raw and doesn’t run the prettiest routes (although they are improving), but Ginn is also entering his “magical” third year.

New England Patriots

Key Additions- TE Chris Baker, WR Joey Gallaway, RB Fred Taylor

Key Subtractions- QB Matt Cassel, WR Jabar Gaffney, RB LaMont Jordan

Expect These Guys To Hook Up A Lot In 2009

Not even an injury to QB Tom Brady could destroy the Patriots dynasty. Matt Cassel stepped in and played well in his first season as a starter. Tom Brady returns this season with a similar cast of characters. While Brady probably won’t be throwing 50 TDs again, he should pick up where he left off in 2007. Randy Moss is an elite WR when he is motivated, and he should be able to run more deep routes with Brady back under center. Wes Welker should continue to rack up catches, but should see the end zone more often in 2009. RB Fred Taylor was brought over from Jacksonville, and should be another cog in the running game. The O-Line is solid, but unspectacular. The defense is aging, and has quite a few question marks. Last season, Miami exposed the Patriots poor run defense. While Mike Vrabel and Tedy Bruschi were declining, their losses will hurt the team. The trade of Richard Seymour will also hurt the defense. Vince Wilfork and Jered Mayo both played well last season, and should return to form this season. CBs Shawn Springs and Leigh Bodden are veterans castoffs that have played very well in the past. Bill Belichick will need both players to return to form in 2009. Then again, Belichick has succeeded with questionable talent in the secondary.

Fantasy Sleeper- WR Wes Welker

Welker isn’t really a sleeper, he has been a fantasy starter since 2007. However, Welker was only able to get into the end zone 3 times in 2008. With Brady back in the fold, expect Welker to reach his 2007 numbers. Pay for the 2008 version of Welker, expect to get the 2007 version.

New York Jets

Key Additions- QB Mark Sanchez and RB Shonn Greene (draft), LB Bart Scott, CB Lito Shepard

Key Subtractions- QB Brett Favre, WR Laveranues Coles, TE Chris Baker

With Sanchez At QB, Jones Should Carry The Load Again

Even though the New York Jets finished 9-7 in 2008, Rex Ryan has a lot of work to do to match that record in 2009.  After Brett Favre’s “retirement,” the team traded up to draft USC QB Mark Sanchez. Sanchez is a bit of an enigma. While he played well in college, he only started one season. His lack of experience could hurt him initially. Thomas Jones had a career year in 2008, but he probably won’t score 15 touchdowns again. Both Leon Washington and rookie Shonn Greene should cut into his playing time. Dustin Keller broke out last season and heads into this season as Sanchez’s top target. It’s amazing what you can buy when you have the money. The Jets spending spree on Alan Faneca and Damien Woody paid off last season. They are the anchors of a pretty strong offensive line. On defense, the story is the same for Kris Jenkins. When healthy, he’s as dominant as they come. However, he doesn’t stay healthy for long. CB Darelle Revis is the star of this secondary, and should continue to be a solid number 1. Lito Shepard comes over from Philadelphia to try and man the other side of the field. A change of scenery could help with his consistency.

Fantasy Sleeper- TE Dustin Keller

Keller had a tremendous rookie season in 2008. He returns to the Jets in 2009 as the most dangerous receiving threat on the team. Keller isn’t much of a blocker, but has tremendous speed and size for a Tight End. He create match up problems for defenses much like Dallas Clark. Rookie Quarterbacks like to rely on big, sure-handed targets, Keller fits that mold.

2009 Projections

1. New England Patriots 12-4

2.Miami Dolphins 7-9

3. Buffalo Bills 6-10

4. New York Jets 6-10