Gladsadmad
Active Roster
My take..
NY Jets...Offense..Only starter lost was Curtis Conway, and he was replaced by a better WR in J. McCareins. If Pennington stays healthy, the Jets should have no problems scoring points.
Defense...If J.Abraham & D.Robertson don't bounce back in a big way and provide a strong pass rush, they are going to get into shootouts every week. They definitely added speed to their LB corps. Eric Barton & Jonathan Vilma are much more athletic than Mo Lewis & Marvin Jones. They will lose some leadership and veteran savvy because Vilma will probably make rookie mistakes, but overall they improved at the position. The secondary is where the Jets are going to get killed. Losing out on Antoine Winfield was a big blow. Donnie Abraham & David Barrett are mediocre at best. Reggie Tongue is only a slight upgrade over Sam Garnes.
STRENGTHS- Entire Offense
WEAKNESSES- Secondary, D-line (Robertson was a big disappointment)
Bills...Offense..Mike Malarkey's coaching will help more than any personnel moves here. Remember, he made Kordell Stewart look pretty good for a while. He is very creative, but fortunately for us Fin fans he still has the "living statue" Drew Bledsoe. That will hinder him. The biggest problem remains the o-line. They have 4 of 5 starters coming back. Villarreal is a nice upgrade over sluggish Ruben Brown, but is it enough?
Defense..Didn't change much, but didn't need to. I still think that Winfield's loss will be felt. Vincent has more experience, but Winfield was probably the best CB in the NFL against the run. Just ask Ricky. Vincent is on the way down.
STRENGTHS- Entire Defense
WEAKNESSES- O-Line, Immobile QB, WR besides Moulds
Patriots..Offense..Adding Dillon is a nice upgrade over Antowain Smith and will make a big impact when N.E. plays poor run defenses. However, I don't believe that his addition will have a great impact when the Pats play teams like Buffalo, Miami, Seattle, Pittsburgh and Baltimore. The loss of Woody should hurt. I know that they play well together, but Light, Hochstein, Koppen, Andruzzi, and Ashworth simply aren't THAT great. I know I'll catch flack for saying that, but these guys are overacheivers who play is helped greatly by Tom Brady. Brady gets rid of the ball so efficiently and quickly, his o-line doesn't have to hold their blocks very long. I truely believe that their o-line can be exposed in some games. (it's funny how so many people here compain about the lack of stars on the current Dolphins o-line when New England has a bunch of no-names and castoffs.)
Defense....I also think that losing Ted Washington will hurt alot. Traylor is now officially a journeyman. Wilfork should be good, but to expect him to adequately replace the best run-stuffer in the entire NFL as a rookie is a bit much. Don't get me wrong, they should still be an outstanding defense. Their preparation is second to none..thanks to Bilichick. However, I do wonder when age will catch up to this unit. I also wonder if other teams can replicate what the Carolina Panthers did in the SuperBowl. They went no-huddle most of the 2nd half and they simply torched them. New England wasn't allowed to do all of their substitutions and you saw the result. I hope that is the key to figuring them out, otherwise the Pats are going to roll again.
STRENGTHS- Passing game, Front 7
WEAKNESSESS- Not much on paper..just T. Poole & Eugene Wilson
Dolphins..now this is tough for me. It's difficult for me to be completely unbiased because I have such high hopes for the Fins. I'll do my best.
Offense...Feeley is the wild card. If he can show the ability to hit the deep ball, it will open up everything for the offense. He is said (by Spielman)to have a strong and accurate arm..we'll see. He doesn't have to put up pro-bowl numbers for Miami to be a playoff team..he just has to avoid costly mistakes in critical situations (hear that Jay?). David Boston is a HUGE upgrade over D.Thompson. In his career, he has shown the ability to get off bump-and-run coverage and he can stretch the defense just as well as Chambers. This should open up the underneath routes for McMichael. Unlike the Bills, the Fins completely overhauled their weak o-line. The status quo wasn't good enough. The new line will take time to gel, but they are physically stronger and quicker than last years group. I think Miami would be wise to employ a quick passing game to offset the inexperience of the new lineman. Having a coach like Mark Trestman should help in this area. The running game should be improved. These new starters are more athletic and should be able to pull & trap with more effectiveness which will allow Ricky more lanes to run through.
Defense..Despite Miami's outstanding pass-rush, they ranked 21st against the pass. The problems should be solved with improved speed in the secondary. Poole, Howard & Freeman are all faster than the players they're replacing. Howard, in particular is a solid addition. He is more fundamentally sound than Buckley..not to mention much younger. The front 7 returns intact and, barring injury, they should help the Fins stay near the top in the league in pts allowed.
STRENGTHS- Entire defense, running game, WR's
WEAKNESSES- Pass Blocking, inconsistent QB play
NY Jets...Offense..Only starter lost was Curtis Conway, and he was replaced by a better WR in J. McCareins. If Pennington stays healthy, the Jets should have no problems scoring points.
Defense...If J.Abraham & D.Robertson don't bounce back in a big way and provide a strong pass rush, they are going to get into shootouts every week. They definitely added speed to their LB corps. Eric Barton & Jonathan Vilma are much more athletic than Mo Lewis & Marvin Jones. They will lose some leadership and veteran savvy because Vilma will probably make rookie mistakes, but overall they improved at the position. The secondary is where the Jets are going to get killed. Losing out on Antoine Winfield was a big blow. Donnie Abraham & David Barrett are mediocre at best. Reggie Tongue is only a slight upgrade over Sam Garnes.
STRENGTHS- Entire Offense
WEAKNESSES- Secondary, D-line (Robertson was a big disappointment)
Bills...Offense..Mike Malarkey's coaching will help more than any personnel moves here. Remember, he made Kordell Stewart look pretty good for a while. He is very creative, but fortunately for us Fin fans he still has the "living statue" Drew Bledsoe. That will hinder him. The biggest problem remains the o-line. They have 4 of 5 starters coming back. Villarreal is a nice upgrade over sluggish Ruben Brown, but is it enough?
Defense..Didn't change much, but didn't need to. I still think that Winfield's loss will be felt. Vincent has more experience, but Winfield was probably the best CB in the NFL against the run. Just ask Ricky. Vincent is on the way down.
STRENGTHS- Entire Defense
WEAKNESSES- O-Line, Immobile QB, WR besides Moulds
Patriots..Offense..Adding Dillon is a nice upgrade over Antowain Smith and will make a big impact when N.E. plays poor run defenses. However, I don't believe that his addition will have a great impact when the Pats play teams like Buffalo, Miami, Seattle, Pittsburgh and Baltimore. The loss of Woody should hurt. I know that they play well together, but Light, Hochstein, Koppen, Andruzzi, and Ashworth simply aren't THAT great. I know I'll catch flack for saying that, but these guys are overacheivers who play is helped greatly by Tom Brady. Brady gets rid of the ball so efficiently and quickly, his o-line doesn't have to hold their blocks very long. I truely believe that their o-line can be exposed in some games. (it's funny how so many people here compain about the lack of stars on the current Dolphins o-line when New England has a bunch of no-names and castoffs.)
Defense....I also think that losing Ted Washington will hurt alot. Traylor is now officially a journeyman. Wilfork should be good, but to expect him to adequately replace the best run-stuffer in the entire NFL as a rookie is a bit much. Don't get me wrong, they should still be an outstanding defense. Their preparation is second to none..thanks to Bilichick. However, I do wonder when age will catch up to this unit. I also wonder if other teams can replicate what the Carolina Panthers did in the SuperBowl. They went no-huddle most of the 2nd half and they simply torched them. New England wasn't allowed to do all of their substitutions and you saw the result. I hope that is the key to figuring them out, otherwise the Pats are going to roll again.
STRENGTHS- Passing game, Front 7
WEAKNESSESS- Not much on paper..just T. Poole & Eugene Wilson
Dolphins..now this is tough for me. It's difficult for me to be completely unbiased because I have such high hopes for the Fins. I'll do my best.
Offense...Feeley is the wild card. If he can show the ability to hit the deep ball, it will open up everything for the offense. He is said (by Spielman)to have a strong and accurate arm..we'll see. He doesn't have to put up pro-bowl numbers for Miami to be a playoff team..he just has to avoid costly mistakes in critical situations (hear that Jay?). David Boston is a HUGE upgrade over D.Thompson. In his career, he has shown the ability to get off bump-and-run coverage and he can stretch the defense just as well as Chambers. This should open up the underneath routes for McMichael. Unlike the Bills, the Fins completely overhauled their weak o-line. The status quo wasn't good enough. The new line will take time to gel, but they are physically stronger and quicker than last years group. I think Miami would be wise to employ a quick passing game to offset the inexperience of the new lineman. Having a coach like Mark Trestman should help in this area. The running game should be improved. These new starters are more athletic and should be able to pull & trap with more effectiveness which will allow Ricky more lanes to run through.
Defense..Despite Miami's outstanding pass-rush, they ranked 21st against the pass. The problems should be solved with improved speed in the secondary. Poole, Howard & Freeman are all faster than the players they're replacing. Howard, in particular is a solid addition. He is more fundamentally sound than Buckley..not to mention much younger. The front 7 returns intact and, barring injury, they should help the Fins stay near the top in the league in pts allowed.
STRENGTHS- Entire defense, running game, WR's
WEAKNESSES- Pass Blocking, inconsistent QB play
