Things to Watch for in the AFC East
The American Football Conference’s East division has long been associated with the dominance of the New England Patriots. The Patriots are now showing some chinks in their armour and other division rivals have strengthened up their rosters immensely. Here are the things and players to watch for in the AFC East:
Wes Welker:
The New England Patriots relied in Welker a lot more than anyone possibly realized. When Welker’s knee got injured last season, the Patriots suffered heavily. Welker was adequately replaced by Julian Edelman for a stretch of the season. However, the thorough dismantling of the Patriots at the hands of the New York Jets in week 2 and the bashing the Baltimore Ravens inflicted in the playoffs showed just how badly New England needed a healthy Welker.
Randy Moss is the guaranteed one spot receiver, but Welker’s position is uncertain. The Patriots brought in Torry Holt to temporarily fill and subsequently compete for the second receiver slot, and it’ll be interesting to see when Welker can recover and how he will return.
Welker has returned to non-contact organized team activities in a limited fashion, and there is no certainty if Welker will be ready to start the season.
Quarterback Competition in Buffalo:
The Buffalo Bills have had a very depressing streak of missing the playoffs since 1999. Newly appointed head coach Chan Gailey hopes that through competition between quarterbacks Brian Brohm, Trent Edwards, and Ryan Fitzpatrick he will be able to find the man to end this streak.
Gailey said the competition is close and no choice has been made. Trent Edwards is the most veteran, and historically has been the most complete, of the three quarterbacks and has the best chance of getting the job. Brohm has struggled with mentality issues before and will have to overcome that if he is to steal the starting gig from Edwards. Harvard alum Fitzpatrick has generally shown himself to have the brain, but not the arm, of a quarterback.
Edwards may be the most complete and veteran of the three, but anything is possible, and that makes for exciting football.
Miami’s New Linebacker Duo:
The Miami Dolphins let veteran defensive tackles Joey Porter and Jason Taylor leave during this offseason. Miami wants to start developing young talent and will attempt to fill the vacant slots with Koa Misi and Cameron Wake.
Misi was selected in the second round of this year’s draft and has already been established as strong-side outside backer for the start of the season. Misi was dominant throughout his collegiate career for Utah and it will be interesting to see how he handles himself in the professional ranks.
Cameron Wake is making his return after his first proper National Football League season last year. Wake had 5 ½ sacks in his limited playing time for the Dolphins but is unproven in anything besides the pass-rush. Charlie Anderson has had the slight edge over Wake in training camp due to his greater defensive knowledge, but Wake’s pure athleticism could make the position his as soon as he has the mental parts down.
Vladimir Ducasse:
When the Jets got rid of veteran guard Alan Faneca, it was uncertain who would fill the position. Now, rookie Ducasse seems to be the selection over second-year player Matt Slauson.
Ducasse’s postion is not certain and he needs to perform to keep it. During his time at the University of Massachusetts (UMass), he never played offensive tackle rather than guard, but he has the size and athleticism to easily succeed. The real question is if this potential is realized. Ducasse has never faced really tough competition at Division 1 UMass, and Slauson will be waiting to fill in if any errors occur.
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