2018 Season NFL Preview : AFC East

The 2018 NFL season is upon us in a few weeks. It is time to see the strength and weakness of each team. The first division to preview is the AFC East. The AFC East has for years been a one team show, with the mighty New England Patriots dominating this division. Tom Brady is getting older and defensive guru Matt Patricia has left the Patriots. Could this be the year another team takes over New England? I highly doubt it, but never say never.

New England Patriots

The Patriots best player Tom Brady is getting older with each year. There was no defensive coordinator hired by the Patriots to replace Matt Patricia. The Patriots best wide receiver is out for the start of the season. These stories sound normal for the Patriots. Another year with many questions and concerns, yet it will be tough for the other divisional teams to dethrone the Patriots.

Strengths: The strengths for the Patriots lie in the combo of Brady and Belichick. They both have been familiar faces for the Patriots for years. As a duo, they have represented the AFC 7 times and won 4 of those Super Bowls for the Patriots. Rob Gronkowski is still a highly skilled tight end as long as he stays healthy over the course of the season. Having Dwayne Allen as the second tight end will help the Patriots develop another dual threat for the red zone. The offensive architect Josh McDaniels is still with the Patriots and will be able to take Brady and the Patriots offence to the levels it needs to be successful. The backfield approach is a stable mixture of different types of backs. Sony Michel, James White and Rex Burkhead are just a few backs that the Patriots have. They provide different situational needs to the backfield. Adding pounding backs like Jeremy Hill and possibly Mike Gillisee provide the Patriots with different looks at all times.

Weakness: We could say that Tom Brady's age is a weakness, but year after year Brady proves us wrong. At the age Brady is at, most quarterbacks tend to decline at a rapid pace, and their body doesn't respond as it did earlier in their careers. Other teams will take advantage of the Patriots weak defence; most game days will require the Patriots to outscore opponents to win. The Patriots did not hire a defensive coordinator this year when Matt Patricia left to become a head coach. Linebackers coach Brian Flores will be calling the plays on defence for the Patriots this year. People will question the management of the Patriots if the protection struggles on why there is no defence coordinator. Wide receiver Julian Edelman is going to miss the first four games of the regular season due to a suspension. With Edelman losing the beginning of the season, who will take on the load. The Patriots will heavily rely on Chris Hogan while Edelman is out. After Hogan, the wide receivers have not shown enough that they are still useful in today's league. Eric Decker, Kenny Britt, Cordale Patterson, and Philip Dorsett round out a pretty average receiving core.

Players to Watch: Sony Michel (RB), James White (RB), Danny Shelton (DT), and Eric Decker (WR)

Buffalo Bills

LeSean McCoy

The Buffalo Bills finally ended the playoff drought. The Bills had finally made the playoffs again since 1999. The Bills had many things fall the right way last year to get into the playoffs. The Bills have had quarterback issues since Jim Kelly retired many moons ago. The Bills had quarterback issues last year. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor just wasn't the guy for the Bills and head coach Sean McDermott. In the summer Buffalo moved up to select a strong-armed quarterback from Wyoming. Wyoming product Josh Allen was chosen to be the future of the Bills. With the future in mind, the Bills don't need to rush Allen to be the starting signal caller right away. To have Allen sit and learn the Bills signed veteran quarterback A.J. McCarron. The Bills also still have 2nd-year signal caller Nathan Peterman from last year on the roster. These two quarterbacks provide depth at the position for the Bills so Allen won't rush into the starting role. The Bills again moved up a 2nd time in the 1st round of the NFL draft to get the player they badly needed. Head Coach McDermott wanted a Luke Kuechly mould type linebacker as he had in Carolina. That man became Virginia Tech stud Tremaine Edmunds and will start as the middle linebacker right away for the Bills. The Bills best player and the most dangerous weapon is running back LeSean McCoy. Wide receiver Kelvin " I don't like Cam Newton" Benjamin needs to stay healthy for a full season. Will the Bills make the playoffs again this year? Probably not! Many things still will need to fall in place for the Bills to make it.

Strengths: LeSean McCoy is the biggest strength that the Bills have. At his age, most running backs are declining their production seems to drop year after year. McCoy keeps defying those naysayers that he is too old to succeed. McCoy should still have a right amount of carries this year even with the addition of Chris Ivory in the backfield. The Bills defence stacked with good players. The Bills secondary was one of the best in the NFL last year. This year should be no different. The Bills added veteran Vontae Davis to go along with White, Poyer, and Hyde in the secondary making it even more solidified. Their starting front four is pretty impressive with Free Agent pickups in Trent Murphy, Star Lotulelei joining Kyle Williams and Jerry Hughes.

Weakness: Can I say quarterback is a weakness every year? This year is no different with unproven players all competing for starting the job. Nathan Peterman, A.J. McCarron and Josh Allen are all unproven quarterbacks in this league, and one will get a chance to prove that they belong. The quarterback's names for the Bills don't impress much not to consider it is a weakness. Josh Allen is the future, and it suits him well to sit and learn from the other two quarterbacks. The list of names for the Bills at wide receiver has a lot to desire. Kelvin Benjamin is finally healthy and ready to show why he is a number 1 receiver. After Benjamin, though the names don't strike you with fear. Zay Jones, Corey Coleman, Jeremy Kerley, Andre Holmes, Rod Streater don't put fear into opposing defences. New offensive coordinator Brian Daboll comes fresh from a national championship as an OC in Alabama. It will take some time to place his proper schemes in, and not having a quarterback that he can rely on week after week will hinder the progress. The schedule for the Bills does not help them get back in the playoffs this year. The Bills start the season on the road in Baltimore, then play home against the Chargers which is followed by two road games in Minnesota and Green Bay. That schedule is tight and could put the Bills 0-4 to start the season.

Players to Watch: Corey Coleman (WR), Tremaine Edmunds (LB), Nathan Peterman (QB), and Matt Milano (LB)

Miami Dolphins

Ryan Tannehill

The Miami Dolphins are the team you don't know what your getting. Ryan Tannehill is back from injury, but is he the right quarterback for this team? Tannehill is a not great quarterback, but he isn't a bad one either. The Dolphins have added some beef with Robert Quinn coming over and joining Cameron Wake on defence. Dolphins still have some decent playmakers in Kenny Stills and Kenyon Drake. The team that might struggle to find it's identity and take the whole season to figure it out.

Strengths: Secondary rookie Minkah Fitzpatrick will help the secondary right away. Fitzpatrick's addition will have a massive impact on the Dolphins. On offence rookie, Matt Gesicki could become Tannehill's security blanket at tight end. Finally, the front four lead by Wake and Quinn should be decent.

Weakness: Tight end is weak for the Dolphins because after rookie Matt Gesicki there isn't much on the shelf. Dolphins would be wise to carry a veteran tight end that has played at a high level. Veteran Kiko Alonzo is a solid linebacker, but the rest of the linebackers on the Dolphins are not close to the pedigree of the division. The Dolphins special teams are relying on a rookie kicker and a 2nd-year punter.

Players to Watch: Minkah Fitzpatrick (S), Matt Gesicki (TE), Kenyon Drake (RB), and Stephone Anthony (LB)

New York Jets

Sam Darnold

The future is here for the New York Jets, but it won't start right away. Sam Darnold looks to be the future face of the New York Jets, but Josh McCown looks like the face for now. Josh McCown will be a great tutor for Darnold. It allows the Jets to sit Darnold and let him learn from the highly engaging vet McCown. Even having Teddy Bridgewater, will teach Darnold how much strength it takes to be a pro. Bridgewater's return on the field after his injury is aspiring and should be to Darnold as well. The Dolphins also brought in linebacker Avery Williamson to solidify and captain the defence. The future looks bright for the Jets. Finally, they can look forward, only a few more years of struggle left.

Strengths: Quarterbacks! Josh McCown is a capable starter that doesn't make mistakes, and he controls the situations on the field well. McCown is a team player and also a great teacher and could one day become a coach in the NFL. Teddy Bridgewater also brings the same characteristics as McCown. Bridgewater was on his way to become a legitimate quarterback until his injury hampered that journey. Bridgewater's determination attitude to make it back on the field will have a significant effect on Sam Darnold. This duo in front of Darnold is the perfect scenario for Darnold to one day become the next Jets quarterback. The Jets starting four wide receivers are players that won't be hyped up, but they are a lot better than you think. Robbie Anderson, Terrelle Pryor, Jermaine Kearse, and Quincy Enunwa are names that will surprise a lot of fans and teams with their production and consistency. The Jets foursome will be challenging to match up for opposing teams. New incoming veterans Trumaine Johnson and Avery Williamson will help the young studs Jamal Adams, and Leonard Williams become better players on defence.

Weakness: The running backs on the Jets offence didn't do it. Isiah Crowell, Elijah McGuire, Bilal Powell, and Thomas Rawls are not the running backs that you would expect to be successful in the NFL. They probably should try to get a Demarco Murray out of retirement to solidify the backfield. Avery Williamson is a standout linebacker, but the rest of the group of linebackers leaves a lot to be desired.

Players to Watch: Robbie Anderson (WR), Jamal Adams (S), Terrelle Pryor (WR), and Jordan Leggett (TE)