NFL: AFC East Overview

Buffalo Bills:

The Bills won eight out of ten down the stretch in ’04, then dumped Drew Bledsoe in the offseason. That puts the pressure squarely on second year QB JP Losman, who missed most of his rookie season with a broken leg, throwing only five pass attempts for the entire season.
The Bills drafted offense, despite the fact that they scored more points in the final seven games of last season than any Bills team in history, including the run-n-gun Jim Kelly era. Their top draft choice, second round WR Roscoe Parrish, has blazing speed to give the Bills a triple threat on the outside with Lee Evans and Eric Moulds. But their next pick, third round TE Kevin Everett, tore his ACL in mini-camp.

The Bills lost key contributors on both the offensive and defensive lines. Free agent signee Mike Gandy will likely replace offensive tackle Jonas Jennings. Another free agent signee, guard Bennie Anderson, also has the potential to move into the starting lineup. Defensive tackle Pat Williams was a force for the Bills in ’04, but management is confident that second year tackle Tim Anderson out of Ohio St can fill his shoes.

Miami Dolphins: The biggest news in Miami this offseason came from the coaching staff, as LSU’s Nick Saban stopped flirting with the NFL and finally committed to a long term relationship with the Dolphins. Big time college coaches haven’t enjoyed much success in the pros in recent decades, the last impact maker being Jimmy Johnson with the Cowboys back in the early `90s. In other words, don’t expect Saban to work miracles with a team that won only four games last year, especially considering the fact that the ‘Fins still don’t have an NFL caliber starting quarterback.
Dismal veteran Gus Frerrote outplayed dismal veteran AJ Feeley in mini-camp, giving Frerrote the edge heading into the fall. Saban reshuffled the coaching staff, retaining only three assistants from last year’s team. Frerrote has experience in new offensive coordinator Scott Linehan’s schemes, giving him an added edge.
As with most four win teams, Miami made a ton of offseason moves. They lost a pair of key contributors in their defensive backfield, trading CB Patrick Surtain and letting S Sammy Knight depart via free agency. But Saban brought in a host of bodies in the secondary, starting with CB Mario Edwards along with safeties Tebucky Jones and Travares Tillman.

Defensive linemen Kevin Carter and Vonnie Holiday should help take some pressure off the secondary by providing some semblance of a pass rush, along with second round draft choice Matt Roth from Iowa. First round pick Ronnie Brown has explosive speed at running back, but his durability may be a question mark if Ricky Williams does not return to the team.

New England Patriots:

No team in NFL history has ever won three consecutive Super Bowls. No team has ever won four Super Bowls in a five year span. The Pats enter 2005 trying to become the first team ever to accomplish those feats after proving to be a dynasty with yet another three point victory on the first Sunday of February this past season.

If they are going to make history, they’ll have to do it without the two best assistant coaches in the league over the past four years, as both offensive coordinator Charlie Weis and defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel have moved on to head coaching positions. No team was able to gameplan more effectively than the Pats in recent years, altering their philosophies dramatically from week to week depending on their opponent’s weaknesses. Eric Mangini is the new defensive coordinator, while Bill Belichick himself will be calling the plays on offense, although QB Tom Brady will have plenty of freedom to call audibles at the line of scrimmage.

The Pats suffered some significant offseason losses on both sides of the football. The biggest may be LB Tedy Bruschi, the heart and soul of their defense, who suffered an offseason stroke and is not expected to return to football. The Pats also lost CB Ty Law, WR David Patten, LB Roman Phifer and OG Joe Andruzzi, all of whom will be missed.

But Belichick has proven to be a master of personnel maneuvers, acquiring mini-camp stud LB Monty Beisel, LB Chad Brown, CB Chad Scott, CB Duane Starks and WR David Terrell to fill holes. First round draft choice Logan Mankins from Fresno St could step right into a starting role. Don’t forget about TE Ben Watson, S Gus Scott and DE Rodney Bailey, all of whom spent most of the 2004 season on injured reserve. Second year WR PK Sam was a mini-camp star, showing sure hands and great quickness.

New York Jets:

New York’s season came to a disappointing conclusion in the playoffs at Pittsburgh, thanks to a pair of crucial missed field goals from Doug Brien. Brien won’t be back, replaced by top draft choice Mike Nugent, from Ohio St. Nugent was virtually flawless in college, and has the potential to be an impact player for the Jets. Head Coach Herm Edwards also dumped punter Toby Gowan and traded return man Santana Moss. Rookie CB Justin Miller has been anointed as the new return specialist, while veteran Micah Knorr and Australian Rules newcomer Ben Graham will battle for the punting job.

New York suffered major free agent losses. TE Anthony Becht was replaced by Doug Jolley, acquired for the Jets #1 draft choice. Change of pace RB Lamont Jordan got big free agent dollars, but lower cost replacement Derrick Blaylock could fill his shoes behind Curtis Martin. LB Sam Cowart is gone, but Barry Gardner has arrived. New York traded Santana Moss for Laverneous Coles, who played extremely well here in his first few seasons in the league. Defensive tackle Jason Ferguson could be replaced by third rounder Sinoe Pouha or free agent signee Lance Lagree. However, the offensive line will be weaker after the loss of Kareem McKenzie at right tackle, especially with an aging group – three of the other four starters are well over 30 years old.

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Ted Sevransky