I would love to be able to participate in this ranking. I just don't think I can do a complete ranking, because my team, the Bills, are very much an unknown at this time. I agree that at QB Brady has to be considered the class of the division folled by Pennington. If Bledsoe plays like last year, he's last in the division, but Buffalo's brass obviously thinks he's got more than what he showed. If he does what he can in theory do, he's probably the third QB and could push for second.
Ricky Williams is probably still the best RB in the division, but his yards per carry suffered some last season, if I remember correctly. Corey Dillon has been very productive. He is 30 years old and with his troubles in Cincinnati last year his production dropped way off. It's been four years since he has had a season as productive as Travis Henry has had the last two years, and Travis Henry played hurt for a good part of last season. I think Buffalo is clearly number two at running back. Ricky needs to raise his yards per carry back up or his ranking is in jeopardy. Curtis Martin had a very good year for the Jets, but 30 years is pretty old for a running back.
Wide Receiver is really tough to rate. New England has no one who really stands out, yet they have the ability to get it done game after game. Givens really showed the ability to go toe to toe with Carolina's physical CBs in the Super Bowl this year. In that regard he's like Buffalo's Eric Moulds. Moulds had an off year last season due primarily to a lingering groin injury. When he's healthy, he probably should still be considered the #1 receiver in the division. I guess I would give it to NE on the basis of depth. Boston certainly has the tools to be dominant, but he's also got the baggage that could stand in the way of his dominance. In that regard he could be considered nearly as much of an unknown as Buffalo's first pick in the draft, Lee Evans. For that reason, I would probably have to consider Miami tied with Buffalo for second. Santana Moss is blazing fast and a great first receiver, and McCareins gives the Jets both speed and size in a number 2 receiver. Frankly, there is not a lot that separates any of these receiver corps. It's going to come down to who plays the best on the field.
Everyone's unanimous opinion is that Buffalo has the worst tight ends in the division. It's true that Mark Campbell is not going to stretch the field, but he's got excellent hands. He has plenty of size to catch balls that are out of reach of DBs, and he is a solid blocker. TRhe only thing he's not going to give you is yards after the catch. They got rid of Dave Moore and drafted Tim Euhus. It's true that everyone knew about Kellen Winslow Jr., Ben Watson, and Ben Troupe in the draft, but Tim Euhus was actually the most productive TE in college this past season. He has great hands, and a little more speed than Campbell. Then of course there is Jaso Peters, a tight end in an offensive lineman's body. Most Bills fans think he'll make the team and will line up in two tight end formations in short yardage and goal line situations. For a guy who's 6'4" and 320 lbs, he runs surprisingly well too, and has good hands to boot. Worst TE corps in the division? Maybe, then again if they give you everything you need from your TEs, how can you say that.
Offensive line: I frankly have not evaluated everyone very carefully. I've heard NE won't be as strong this year with the loss of Woody, but they'll still be pretty good. The Jets have plenty of experience on the left side of the line, not a lot of size apart from McKenzie at right tackle. With the Jets' passing game, the line doesn't need to pass block for a long time. Both are pretty solid lines and have to be ranked one and two. The line on Buffalo is they block well for the run and poorly for the pass. The thing is, Buffalo's braintrust made only one change in the offseason, cutting longtime vet, Ruben Brown and signing Chris Villarrial. Despite the fact that Brown has been a perenial pro bowler, Buffalo fans think that is an upgrade. The real issue is that Buffalo believes this is the makings of a great line and needed only better coaching to turn pass blocking into a strength. Enter Jim McNally, a Buffalo native, and with out a doubt one of the top three offensive line coaches in the league. He became available when the Giants cleaned house, Tom Coughlin wanting to bring in his own guy. It the team braintrust is right, the line could be pretty good in all phases, not just run blocking. Miami has their own questions on offensive line. For Miami, the questions center on personnel. They have some experience, but haven't played together. How long will it take to get some chemistry going?
On defensive line, Miami is clearly #1 mostly on the strength of their ends. It's not that Chester and Bowens aren't good, they just don't stand out like the ends. New England is probably second. I think they are going to run a 3-4 this year. Traylor is a downgrade from Washington, and they are playing two former college defensive tackles at end. That means they are big and strong, but not terribly fast. The Jets have fast defensive ends, but Robertson was a disappointment last season at tackle. Buffalo's tackles are pretty old, but it didn't show in their play on the field. Schobel is a solid RDE. He's probably underrated but his sack total last season was in the top ten in the league among RDEs. Left defensive end is where the questions all lie. Most Buffalo fans would like to run Ryan Denney out of town. He's OK at stopping the run, but offers nothing in the pass rush. My guess is he'll play run downs this season while Chris Kelsay rotates in on passing downs. You didn't see much of Kelsay last season, but he might turn out to be pretty good.
At linebacker, the Jets are at the bottom. After that it gets muddy. Buffalo has a solid corps in Spikes, London and Posey, though Buffalo hoped to get more out of Posey than they got last season. New England is solid all the way around, and hoping for great things from Roosevelt Colvin. Miami's Zack Thomas and Junior Seau are like Buffalo's defensive tackles, old enough that they could slow down any time, but haven't really shown it yet. I don't know who is best in that bunch.
As other have suggested Vincent for Winfield was a lateral move for Buffalo. Milloy ought to be better with a full training camp under his belt in the Buffalo system. Coy Wire is a great young athlete who presents a puzzle to Buffalo. How do you get him on the field. He's not a natural free safety, yet that is where his best opportunity is to play. Izell Reese played there last season, and was competent but unspectacular, just like he's been in the past. Prioleau has played FS, but that probably is not his best position either. Again, I think the Jets are the consensus worst in the division. I think probably NE is first. Both Miami and Buffalo have minor questions at safety which put us both in the middle.
I wouldn't even try to rate special teams. Buffalo has a new special teams coach. Both philosophy and personnel could change radically.
In coaching, New England has to get the nod until someone shows they can out coach Belichick. Edwards dumped his defensive coordinator, Ted Cottrell for Donnie Henderson. He's a question mark and with personnel that doesn't match up particularly well compared to the rest of the AFC East the Jets could be in for a long season on defence. Buffalo has a brand new staff, but it is pretty well regarded and has some experience. Dave Wannstedt has done nothing to instill confidence in fans and with some turnover in staff this offseason, there are lots of questions.
Ricky Williams is probably still the best RB in the division, but his yards per carry suffered some last season, if I remember correctly. Corey Dillon has been very productive. He is 30 years old and with his troubles in Cincinnati last year his production dropped way off. It's been four years since he has had a season as productive as Travis Henry has had the last two years, and Travis Henry played hurt for a good part of last season. I think Buffalo is clearly number two at running back. Ricky needs to raise his yards per carry back up or his ranking is in jeopardy. Curtis Martin had a very good year for the Jets, but 30 years is pretty old for a running back.
Wide Receiver is really tough to rate. New England has no one who really stands out, yet they have the ability to get it done game after game. Givens really showed the ability to go toe to toe with Carolina's physical CBs in the Super Bowl this year. In that regard he's like Buffalo's Eric Moulds. Moulds had an off year last season due primarily to a lingering groin injury. When he's healthy, he probably should still be considered the #1 receiver in the division. I guess I would give it to NE on the basis of depth. Boston certainly has the tools to be dominant, but he's also got the baggage that could stand in the way of his dominance. In that regard he could be considered nearly as much of an unknown as Buffalo's first pick in the draft, Lee Evans. For that reason, I would probably have to consider Miami tied with Buffalo for second. Santana Moss is blazing fast and a great first receiver, and McCareins gives the Jets both speed and size in a number 2 receiver. Frankly, there is not a lot that separates any of these receiver corps. It's going to come down to who plays the best on the field.
Everyone's unanimous opinion is that Buffalo has the worst tight ends in the division. It's true that Mark Campbell is not going to stretch the field, but he's got excellent hands. He has plenty of size to catch balls that are out of reach of DBs, and he is a solid blocker. TRhe only thing he's not going to give you is yards after the catch. They got rid of Dave Moore and drafted Tim Euhus. It's true that everyone knew about Kellen Winslow Jr., Ben Watson, and Ben Troupe in the draft, but Tim Euhus was actually the most productive TE in college this past season. He has great hands, and a little more speed than Campbell. Then of course there is Jaso Peters, a tight end in an offensive lineman's body. Most Bills fans think he'll make the team and will line up in two tight end formations in short yardage and goal line situations. For a guy who's 6'4" and 320 lbs, he runs surprisingly well too, and has good hands to boot. Worst TE corps in the division? Maybe, then again if they give you everything you need from your TEs, how can you say that.
Offensive line: I frankly have not evaluated everyone very carefully. I've heard NE won't be as strong this year with the loss of Woody, but they'll still be pretty good. The Jets have plenty of experience on the left side of the line, not a lot of size apart from McKenzie at right tackle. With the Jets' passing game, the line doesn't need to pass block for a long time. Both are pretty solid lines and have to be ranked one and two. The line on Buffalo is they block well for the run and poorly for the pass. The thing is, Buffalo's braintrust made only one change in the offseason, cutting longtime vet, Ruben Brown and signing Chris Villarrial. Despite the fact that Brown has been a perenial pro bowler, Buffalo fans think that is an upgrade. The real issue is that Buffalo believes this is the makings of a great line and needed only better coaching to turn pass blocking into a strength. Enter Jim McNally, a Buffalo native, and with out a doubt one of the top three offensive line coaches in the league. He became available when the Giants cleaned house, Tom Coughlin wanting to bring in his own guy. It the team braintrust is right, the line could be pretty good in all phases, not just run blocking. Miami has their own questions on offensive line. For Miami, the questions center on personnel. They have some experience, but haven't played together. How long will it take to get some chemistry going?
On defensive line, Miami is clearly #1 mostly on the strength of their ends. It's not that Chester and Bowens aren't good, they just don't stand out like the ends. New England is probably second. I think they are going to run a 3-4 this year. Traylor is a downgrade from Washington, and they are playing two former college defensive tackles at end. That means they are big and strong, but not terribly fast. The Jets have fast defensive ends, but Robertson was a disappointment last season at tackle. Buffalo's tackles are pretty old, but it didn't show in their play on the field. Schobel is a solid RDE. He's probably underrated but his sack total last season was in the top ten in the league among RDEs. Left defensive end is where the questions all lie. Most Buffalo fans would like to run Ryan Denney out of town. He's OK at stopping the run, but offers nothing in the pass rush. My guess is he'll play run downs this season while Chris Kelsay rotates in on passing downs. You didn't see much of Kelsay last season, but he might turn out to be pretty good.
At linebacker, the Jets are at the bottom. After that it gets muddy. Buffalo has a solid corps in Spikes, London and Posey, though Buffalo hoped to get more out of Posey than they got last season. New England is solid all the way around, and hoping for great things from Roosevelt Colvin. Miami's Zack Thomas and Junior Seau are like Buffalo's defensive tackles, old enough that they could slow down any time, but haven't really shown it yet. I don't know who is best in that bunch.
As other have suggested Vincent for Winfield was a lateral move for Buffalo. Milloy ought to be better with a full training camp under his belt in the Buffalo system. Coy Wire is a great young athlete who presents a puzzle to Buffalo. How do you get him on the field. He's not a natural free safety, yet that is where his best opportunity is to play. Izell Reese played there last season, and was competent but unspectacular, just like he's been in the past. Prioleau has played FS, but that probably is not his best position either. Again, I think the Jets are the consensus worst in the division. I think probably NE is first. Both Miami and Buffalo have minor questions at safety which put us both in the middle.
I wouldn't even try to rate special teams. Buffalo has a new special teams coach. Both philosophy and personnel could change radically.
In coaching, New England has to get the nod until someone shows they can out coach Belichick. Edwards dumped his defensive coordinator, Ted Cottrell for Donnie Henderson. He's a question mark and with personnel that doesn't match up particularly well compared to the rest of the AFC East the Jets could be in for a long season on defence. Buffalo has a brand new staff, but it is pretty well regarded and has some experience. Dave Wannstedt has done nothing to instill confidence in fans and with some turnover in staff this offseason, there are lots of questions.
