With the football season right around the corner and training camps starting to get into full swing I’m going to be taking a look at every team division by division over the next few weeks, breaking down off-season moves, making predictions about final records, and predicting who will be coming out of each division. I’m going to start with the AFC East.

New England Patriots: 2010 Record: 14-2 Divisional Finish: 1^st Playoff finish: Lost in Divisional Round to New York Jets

Key Off-season acquisitions:

WR Chad Ochocinco (Trade with Bengals)

DT Albert Haynesworth (Trade with Redskins)

G Logan Mankins (Franchise)

T Matt Light (Resign)

RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis(Resign)

DE Shaun Ellis (Free Agency)

Key Off-season Losses:

DE Ty Warren (Denver)

K Shayne Graham (Washington)

The Pats didn’t sign any top notch free agents this off-season, but leave it up to Bill Belichick and company to make a splash anyways. Trading for pro-bowlers WR Chad Ochocinco and DT Albert Haynesworth the Patriots were able to improve their roster.

Ochocinco represents a significant upgrade at WR and gives Tom Brady the big (much taller at 6’1” than Welker and Branch at 5’9”) number 1 target the Patriots have been missing since Randy Moss’s departure at the beginning of last season. Haynesworth, though unproductive recently is a pro-bowl caliber tackle that with Vince Wilfork will provide significant size in the middle of the D-line.

Add these to the resigning of key lineman Logan Mankins and Matt Light along with stealing Shaun Ellis from the Jets and the Patriots have had quite the off-season. The Patriots look well equipped to make another run at a Super Bowl.

Record Prediction: 12-4

New York Jets: 2010 Record: 11-5 Divisional Finish: 2^nd Playoff Finish: Lost in AFC Championship to Pittsburgh Steelers

Key Off-season acquisitions:

WR Santonio Holmes (Resign)

CB Antonio Cromartie (Resign)

WR Plaxico Burress (Free Agency)

S Eric Smith (Resign)

S Brodney Pool (Resign)

WR Derek Mason (Free Agency)

Key Off-season Losses:

WR Jerricho Cotchery (Released)

WR Braylon Edwards (San Francisco)

WR Brad Smith (Buffalo)

DE Shaun Ellis (New England)

CD Drew Coleman (Jacksonville)

The Jets started this off-season by resigning the best WR available Santonio Holmes. After the Nnamdi snub the Jets went to work resigning CB Antonio Cromartie, and Safeties Eric Smith and Brodney Pool to sure up there secondary behind ‘All-Universe’ corner Darrelle Revis.

The big question for the Jets is how big of a step will QB Mark Sanchez take and they’re taking a risk getting rid of WR’s Braylon Edwards and Jerricho Cotchery whom Sanchez has developed with over the past two years in favor of fresh out of prison Plaxico Burress who hasn’t played in two years and veteran Derek Mason from Baltimore. By not resigning Shaun Ellis they’re also putting a lot of pressure on 1^st round draft pick Muhammad Wilkerson to step up into a starting role instead of learning and developing behind a solid veteran.

The Jets are definitely taking a ‘win now’ approach and with most of the team that made it to the AFC Championship last year still in place they should be poised for another Super Bowl run. The question becomes whether newly named captain Mark Sanchez will step up and propel this team to the next level.

Record Prediction: 12-4

Miami Dolphins: 2010 Record: 7-9 Divisional Finish: 3^rd Playoff Finish: Did not make playoffs

Key Off-season acquisitions:

QB Matt Moore (Free Agency)

RB Reggie Bush (Trade)

T Marc Colombo (Free Agency)

OLB Jason Taylor (Free Agency)

Key Off-season Losses:

RB Ronnie Brown (Philadelphia)

ILB Channing Crowder (Released)

CB Al Harris (St.Louis)

RB Ricky Williams (Baltimore)

Miami hasn’t had the greatest off-season. With many key pieces leaving in free agency Miami let go of their RB’s Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams as well as ILB Channing Crowder.

Looking to upgrade at QB Miami struck out on the bigger name free agents, but were able to sign Matt Moore from Carolina which should represent an upgrade from Chad Henne. Miami was able to trade New Orleans for explosive yet injury prone RB Reggie Bush which should help fill the void left by Brown and Williams, but doesn’t offer a number one option at RB should they not sign anyone else.

Jason Taylor resigned with Miami after his one year hiatus with the nemesis New York Jets which should help Miami’s D and pass rush. There have been rumors about a possible Brett Farve return to the Dolphins but is simply speculation for now.

Overall the Dolphins have taken a step back this off-season, though a little one, but being in same division as the Patriots and Jets who always seem to be contending for a Super Bowl doesn’t help either. The Dolphins will more than likely miss the playoffs as there are just too many strong teams right now in the AFC.

Record Prediction: 8-8

Buffalo Bills: 2010 Record: 4-12 Divisional Finish: 4^th Playoff Finish: Did not make playoffs

Key Off-season acquisitions:

ILB Nick Barnett (Free Agency)

WR Brad Smith (Free Agency)

QB Tyler Thigpen (Free Agency)

ILB Sean Merrimen (Resign)

Key Off-season Losses:

DL Marcus Stroud (Released)

ILB Paul Posluszny (Jacksonville)

FS Donte Whitner (San Francisco)

The Bills have had a so-so off-season losing some pieces, but filling the voids with decent replacements. The signings of Nick Barnett and Sean Merrimen should help to fill Paul Posluszny’s spot, as he was lost a lot to injuries and now to free agency.

The big signing for the Bills comes with being able to pull away multifaceted WR Brad Smith from divisional rivals the New York Jets. The Bills haven’t really upgraded or lost anything from a team that was dead last in the AFC East and one of the worse teams in the league.

It’s already looking like another long season for Bills fans as being in one of the toughest if not the toughest division in football is not helping anything. The bills will again miss the playoffs and struggle to win games all season due to a tough schedule.

Record Prediction: 4-12

AFC East Prediction: The Patriots will defend their divisional title again this year slightly edging out the Jets again. With the Dolphins and the Bills being non factors the Patriots with their off-season moves as well as still having Belichick and Tom Brady should be able to beat out Mark Sanchez and the Jets.

Even if Sanchez improves greatly Brady should still be able to lead his team to another divisional title and potentially a 1 or 2 seed in the playoffs. Look for the Jets and the Patriots to potentially meet again in the playoffs for a repeat of last years divisional round showdown.

Stay tuned for my next preview as I will take a look at the AFC North.

Walter G Arce / Shutterstock.com

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About the author

Jonathan Ellish
My name is Jonathan Ellish and I'm a recent graduate of URI. I'm a sports fanatic and love New York sports especially. I extensively follow the Jets, Mets, and Knicks.

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