Division Talks
The NFL season is approaching rapidly, it is time to go through each division and break down the teams. I will go through divisions one by one in these coming days and weeks leading up to the season. I decided to start with the AFC East because it is not really up in the air as far as who will win the division but it is the other three spots in the standings that are question marks.
New England Patriots:
This is no longer the Patriots divison AND THAT IS OK you guys won six..... SIX Super Bowl rings over the last 20+ years it’s ok to be bad for a little bit. Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Peyton Manning combined have half the number of Super Bowls the Pats have had in the last 20+ years. That being said let’s get into it. I believe Bill Belichick will put a competitive team on the field mostly because it is his job. It is made a little easier because Mac Jones is a solid quarterback, the receivingcore is solid and the running backs are electric. The Patriots (like usual) will rely on their defense a lot of the season. Matthew Judon is an absolute stud and Christian Baremore should get some more snaps defensively this season to help out in the trenches but one signing going under the radar a bit is the signing of Jabrill Peppers. The Patriots have far removed from the defenses with Stephon Gilmore and the McCourty twins and need to replenish the secondary. Bringing in a player like Peppers not only brings physicality to the team but also ball skills to give Jones and the offense to do what they need to do. But no matter how much the Patriots improve from 2021 to 2022 the division belongs to a team that is a lot of people’s Super Bowl winner in 2022.
Buffalo Bills:
Do I really need to break this team down? Since I have to, I won’t make it too long. Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs, Gabriel Davis, Dawson Knox, Ed Oliver, Von Miller, Tremaine Edmunds, Tre’Davious White, Jordan Poyer and Michah Hyde. This team is absolutely loaded and is obviously going to win this division. The ONLY question surrounding this team is the running game. Devin Singletary is good though...right? With Kareem Hunt asking to be traded from the Browns and the Bills could be suitors. Hunt has proven he can still run the ball effectively during his time in Cleveland and the Bills could use his services in the playoffs.
New York Jets:
Here’s something you don’t hear every day; I think the Jets can actually be competitive this season. The Jets have been the laughing stock of the league for a while now but looking at the depth chart these guys got good pieces. Elijah Moore and Garrett Wilson are very good receivers to have outside the numbers and then they have Breece Hall as their every down back. I can already see the comments though, “ThEy StIlL hAvEzAcH wIlSoN uNdEr CeNtEr.” and you can shut up. Zach Wilson is the quarterback the Jets deserve. He’s young, he’s mobile and he’s handsome. Zach Wilson will return the Jets to greatness and all the haters will be sitting there regretting a lot of life decisions. HOWEVER, He won’t be that great this year. Losing starting left tackle Mekhi Becton to a knee injury makes life a little bit tougher for the young quarterback but the Jets brought in Duane Brown to fill that spot and Brown is a pro-bowler in his own right so who knows? The Jets’ offense has the pieces to be great they just have to put it together. The most exciting aspect of the Jets heading into the season is their defense. They have Solomon Thomas, Quinnen Williams, Quincey Williams, Sauce Gardner and one of the most underrated linebackers in the league, C.J. Mosley. This defense has everything to be terrifying. They have size, speed, skill and a coach who can scheme them to greatness. Robert Saleh is the current head coach for the Jets and was the mastermind behind the ferocious 2019 San Francisco 49ers defense. Obviously, two different teams and different players but if Quinnen Williams and the defense starts to get in a rhythm this season the Jets could easily put more wins in the win column. Will the make the playoffs? God no they are still the Jets I am just saying the Jets of old are no more and it should be exciting to see where they go this season.
Miami Dolphins:
Welp, we made it. I really do not want to talk about this team because there is really nothing to talk about. They fired Brian Flores who led the Dolphins to a WINNING RECORD after starting the season 1-7 because he apparently was clashing with management which..... How were they upset with his performance? He mainly clashed with management over the matter of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa which again... Could you blame Flores for pushing back on Tua based on what we saw? To replace him they hired *checks notes* Mike McDaniel? Then they get mixed up in a scandal for tampering because they wanted Sean Payton and Tom Brady which is another reason Flores was fired. Then they sold the farm to trade for Tyreek Hill and paid him with the money they got from selling the farm. That sounds like I do not like Tyreek Hill which is not true he is a great player and has earned his spot in the conversation (quick sidebar if you’re a grown man calling Tyreek Hill “Cheetah” unironically... STOP. It is weird.) I am just saying there is this weird hype the Dolphins are getting that makes my bones creak. Usually, it is the Browns getting hyped up like this and all the Dolphins did was add Tyreek to a team that already had a ton of speed. Jaylen Waddle, Raheem Mostert, Chase Edmonds and Cedrick Wilson Jr. Are all fairly fast players. Defensively it can be scary to match up against an offense like that but if you force them to play the short to medium passing game, I think you will have a good chance to beat the Dolphins. As far as the questions around Tua. This is it. If he does not get it together this year with that offensive line and the weapons, he has offensively it’s over. I hate saying that too because I think Tua is still a great player. The gruesome college injury did no favors for his career but now he has a formidable offensive line especially with Terron Armstead anchoring the left tackle position Tua could start to show his full potential. Defensively the Dolphins did not really change much but that is a good thing. Christian Wilkins Emmanuel Ogbah, Jerome Baker and of course Xavien Howard can give the Dolphins just enough to make this team successful but we will have to see what this offense brings to the table. Even McDaniel will be under a microscope this season because it was just such a wiring hiring. Like what universe does replacing Brian Flores with Mike McDaniel make sense to anyone? Let me say this McDaniel could make me eat my words I just don’t think it is likely and I talked all this trash just to say the Dolphins could finish second in the division.
Evan Hale - The Halftimers Pod - Olde City Sports Network
Bills Photo credit: (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
Patriots Photo credit: (Winslow Townson/AP Images for Panini)
Jets Photo credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Dolphins Photo credit: Michael Reaves/Getty Images
