AFC East could be best in conference

Jan 14, 2015; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan speaks during a press conference at ADPRO Sports Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

Buffalo Bills

Like the Jets, the Bills made a change at head coach and it could pay off for them as well. Rex Ryan is a loudmouth but he can transform a defense and the Bills have a good one. With Ryan’s fiery personality and the Bills in need of an attitude the Bills may have the right coach to change the losing mentality in Buffalo.

While the Jets went with defense the Bills tried to overhaul a poor offense. They made a trade with the Eagles to start the league new year for LeSean McCoy at running back. He will share his carries with Fred Jackson. The Bills also added talented but way underperforming Percy Harvin to go with Sammy Watkins and Robert Wood. This move may not be a great move for the Bills but it could also pay off. With Rex Ryan’s attitude and Percy Harvin’s attitude it’s either going to gel or explode.

Buffalo tapped into two former Dolphins as well. Richie Incognito is back in the NFL and Ryan is giving him a shot but the real prize for Ryan and the Bills was tight-end Charles Clay. The Bills gave Clay a very big contract and expect him to become one of the top offensive performers this season. The Bills however may have hurt themselves in this process. The contract is large and could hurt the team down the road. They released productive tight-end Scott Chandler in favor of the promising Clay.

Not to be outdone by the Jets, the Bills traded for Matt Cassel. Cassel a former starter for the Patriots, Chiefs, and Vikings has done little since his 2008 campaign in New England. Cassel led the Patriots to a tie for first place with Miami but hasn’t performed well enough to stick in any of his other stops. The Bills will rely on the journeyman QB to right a ship that has been falling apart. Cassel won’t be handed the job however, he will need to beat out incumbent E.J. Manuel who has done very little in his career…except beat Miami.

It’s too hard to say the Bills will turnaround this year as they need improvement in other areas but they are a team with a lot of talent and previously a lack of coaching. The onus of a successful season will fall on the shoulders of Rex Ryan. Was Ryan the right coach in a bad position in New York or was he simply a bad coach? In Buffalo we will find out sooner rather than later.

New England Patriots

The Patriots lost Darrel Revis and that is really the only major change to the team. It’s hard one to replace. The Patriots are a solid defensive team but no one singularly stands out. The bread and butter has always been Tom Brady. The addition of Scott Chandler at tight-end will help the Patriots in two tight-end sets opposite Rob Gronkowski and Chandler is more than capable of taking over for Gronk if he gets injured.

The team will live and die however by Tom Brady. Julian Edelman will return as one of Brady’s top targets and the Patriots signed free agent and former Dolphins slot receiver Brandon Gibson. They also brought back youngster Brian Tyms and have Aaron Dobson returning as well. The biggest question is can the Patriots succeed in the first four weeks of the season if Tom Brady, suspended by the NFL, is indeed absent those games? Second year QB Jimmy Garoppolo will likely take the lead with Matt Flynn the former Packer in reserve.

The team is still coached by Bill Belichick obviously and the Patriots have been very good at getting the best production out of players who would normally be back-ups on other teams but this year the team lost some key contributors that could be hard to replace.

Running back Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley are both gone. Guard Dan Connolly has retired and three of last years corners are gone including Revis. The team also lost NT Vince Wilfork and DE/OLB Akeem Ayers and inside backer Jonathan Casillas and Chris White. In most seasons changes to the Patriots haven’t been huge but this years crop of departed players could leave a void that will be hard to replace.

Next up the Miami Dolphins and early predictions.