I don't disagree withe the Dolphins ranking, my problem is with Patriots, can someone explain what they did to have a "good offseason" Gaffney?
Jets didn't have a better offseason that Dolphins.
pats got brandon lloyd...and he's got more in the tank than ocho did when he got there...they got a poor mans jpp talent in chandler jones...and frankly as long as tom brady is healthy and up right anyones had a great offseason
I thought the Pats got 2nd ranking because they cornered the market on TEs ... I think they signed just about every FA TE floating around. :d-day:
On a more serious not, I read the original article which featured the Bills (it was the only one I could see since I don't get ESPN Insider), and I wouldn't get too upset that the writer gave the Fins a C-. I thought his eval of the Bills was very superficial, and that he was enamored by big names, ie Vince Young. Don't be surprised if Vince Young does NOT even make the Bills.
I do NOT see how you can evaluate the off-season without including coaching changes, and the author didn't include any of those. All of the AFCE teams had significant coaching changes. Philbin as the new HC in Miami is a biggie. The Bills have Wannstadt as their new DC, the Pats have McDaniels back as their OC, and the Jets have Sparano now at OC.
Certainly adding Garrard was a plus. If his back is really healed, then he seems like an excellent WCO style QB, and he doesn't bring controversy the way Tebow will to the Jets.
I think that it's likely the Marshall trade could be a short-term loss for the Fins, but if one or both of those draft picks work out, then it will be a gain. I can see why there would be concern about stretching the field with Marshall gone. I had the same concerns in 2011 for the Bills after they traded Lee Evans, but until injuries decimated the offense, their young collection of unknown WRs did just fine. With the right offensive scheme and a decent QB, even modest receivers can have success (see Wes Welker).
I think the secret to keeping the defense honest is to have a QB who is willing to throw downfield when he sees the opportunity, and I think Garrard and Moore will both do that.
Finally, I think the author's evaluation also ignored how well teams filled their needs in the offense. The Bills, Pats, and Fins all attempted to shore up their areas of need in FA and the draft while the Jets seemed to largely ignore their needs to make their strength even stronger. It will be interesting to see if that was a stroke of genius or a disaster.
