AFC East Preview

Other than the 2002 and 2008 season, QB Tom Brady
has been king of the AFC East.

Other than the Miami Dolphins winning the AFC East crown in 2008, when was the last time a team other than the New England Patriots won the division? You'll have to go back to 2002, when the New York Jets won the crown with a 9-7 record. Since QB Tom Brady has taken over for an injured QB Drew Bledsoe in the 2001 season, courtesy of the New York Jets, the Patriots have not looked back. When it comes to talking about who has a chance to win this division, the conversation usually starts and ends with the Patriots.

In the 2008 season, the Patriots were coming off of a perfect regular season and a loss to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl to end their perfection. Expectations were high going into the 2008 season. However, it took a turn for the worse when Kansas City Chiefs S Bernard Pollard, currently of the Baltimore Ravens, attempted to sack Brady at the knees, subsequently tearing his ACL. The Patriots still went 11-5 with QB Matt Cassel, but a couple of division losses at home to the Jets and Dolphins, two games they probably would win with Brady, cost them the division and a playoff berth.

DE Mario Williams signed with the Buffalo Bills for six years
and $100 million.

The other teams in the division have changed things up a bit in an attempt to remove the Patriots as the dominant force in the division. The Buffalo Bills signed DE Mario Williams to a $100 million contract, and were able to pry DE Mark Anderson away from the Patriots. They also retained their best offensive threat in WR Steve Johnson, and they just traded for QB Tarvaris Jackson. That resulted in the release of QB Vince Young, who had a horrible game this past weekend against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Jackson has been a starter in Minnesota and Seattle, so if incumbent starter QB Ryan Fitzpatrick doesn't get it right sooner than later, Jackson could be the starter sometime this season.

New Dolphins coach Joe Philbin
will start QB Ryan Tannehill right
away.

The Miami Dolphins used their #1 pick to draft Texas A&M QB Ryan Tannehill. They also hired Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin to be their new head coach. Philbin hired Mike Sherman, who was fired in the middle of a rough season at Texas A&M, to be the Dolphins offensive coordinator. This reunites Sherman with Tannehill, so the transition from college to the NFL could be a little easier for Tannehill. Tannehill won the job over QB Matt Moore, who rescued the Dolphins a bit after a horrible start under QB Chad Henne. However, like in Carolina, Moore loses his job to a rookie after doing a solid job the season before. In the 2010 season, the Panthers gave the job to QB Jimmy Clausen after Moore got off to a bad start. At the end of the 2009 season, Moore was excellent in the games he started, going 4-1.

The New York Jets made headlines by trading for QB Tim Tebow. Ever since then, he has been the dominating topic on all NFL shows. The Jets, however, had a lot more work to do to better a team that only went 8-8 with lofty expectations last season. QB Mark Sanchez had to repair his relationship with volatile WR Santonio Holmes. After not bringing back WR Plaxico Burress, the Jets had to draft a receiver, and did so in the second round by drafting WR Stephen Hill of Georgia Tech. The Jets used their first round pick on promising DE Quinton Coples of North Carolina. The year prior, the Jets used their first round pick on DE Muhammad Wilkerson, so developing a pass rush has been the focus for the Jets.

Will QB Tim Tebow become the starter sometime this
season?

The New England Patriots didn't need to make a lot of changes, but they did anyway. After losing offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien to Penn State, they hired Josh McDaniels to fill the role. McDaniels was their offensive coordinator in the 2007 and 2008 seasons. In the 2007 season, McDaniels guided the offense to record-setting numbers for QB Tom Brady and WR Randy Moss. They signed WR Brandon Lloyd, giving Brady a sure-handed receiver. However, the focus of the Patriots was to get better defensively. They used their two first round picks on DE Chandler Jones of Syracuse, and LB Donta Hightower of Alabama.

There is no reason to believe anything will be different this upcoming season. The Jets simply need better production from QB Mark Sanchez to compete for a playoff spot and the division crown. The Jets also need to look for receiving weapons before the season starts. Simply put, the receivers have not been good at all this preseason. The Dolphins don't know what they'll get from Tannehill, but I have a hunch that it will not be pretty for the Dolphins. Tannehill has a ways to go before he is a solid quarterback in the NFL. He is still refining his mechanics, as he started his career at Texas A&M as a tight end.

The Bills have the players on both sides of the ball to compete and get their first playoff berth since 1999. Everything rests on one guy -- QB Ryan Fitzpatrick. He played very well at the start of the 2011 season that the Bills gave him a solid extension. After the extension, Fitzpatrick, along with the rest of the team, imploded. If Fitzpatrick gets off to a rough start, look for Chan Gailey to pull the plug and start Jackson.

It could be argued that the Patriots wins the Super Bowl if WR Wes Welker makes that catch in the fourth quarter. However, their defense simply needs to play better. The Patriots wouldn't have been in the Super Bowl in the first place if WR Lee Evans doesn't drop the touchdown pass, or if K Billy Cundiff forces overtime by making an easy field goal. QB Joe Flacco had one of the better games of his career, and that is simply unacceptable for the Patriots. Their schedule this year isn't as easy as it was last year, but it still fairly easy. Therefore, the Patriots will continue their dominance in the division.

Predictions

New England Patriots 12-4
Buffalo Bills 9-7
New York Jets 8-8
Miami Dolphins 5-11

A Jet-Like Situation

About 20 members of the New York Jets engaged in a
brawl that has made its rounds through the tabloids.

Jets' head coach Rex Ryan was not happy the fighting continued
the next day.

While there are many position battles going on across the NFL, the New York Jets seem to be the only team getting a lot of attention so far during training camp. A day after a brawl erupted involving at least 20 players, the Jets were at it again, with several near-fights and disagreements in camp today. It infuriated head coach Rex Ryan to the point he ordered the team to run punishment laps. Fans are already annoyed at the fact a team that finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs last season are getting so much attention.

The bickering and tension against one another may be a good thing or a bad thing as they prepare to rebound from their 2011 season after making it to the AFC Championship Game in 2009 and 2010. CB Antonio Cromartie was talking a little too much when he told ESPN’s First Take last week that he was the second best wide receiver on the team behind WR Santonio Holmes, despite not playing the position in the NFL. That did not sit well with the rest of the wide receiving group, and WR Chaz Schillens made his disagreements with the statement public.

After QB Tim Tebow was acquired from the Denver Broncos, the main story of the team was the upcoming quarterback battle between QB Mark Sanchez and Tebow. However, it has turned out that Tebow is working exclusively in Wildcat formations while Sanchez is taking the starter’s reps and running the normal offense. If Sanchez doesn’t play well in the first three or four games, will Sanchez be replaced by Tebow?

That could be a potential controversy, as it may be the case that some players may be against Tebow starting. Tebow is a poor throwing quarterback, which will result in a lot of offensive players seeing declining numbers. If Sanchez does poorly however, he won’t be received well by his teammates either. Sanchez has been in the league long enough to learn from his mistakes. Sanchez needs to go out and lead this team, or the Jets might need to look for another franchise quarterback sooner than later.

Retiring Right Away

QB Kyle Boller in a preseason game with the Oakland Raiders
against the Dallas Cowboys.

The San Diego Chargers found themselves in a little pickle once backup QB Charlie Whitehurst strained his MCL in the first day of training camp. The Chargers immediately took care of their pickle, by signing QB Kyle Boller. After one day of practicing in the Chargers’ training camp, Boller surprisingly and abruptly retired from football. He informed coach Norv Turner that he did not want to continue playing football, leaving the Chargers with two quarterbacks again.

QB Philip Rivers, the clear starter, and undrafted QB Jarrett Lee of LSU are the only remaining quarterbacks on the roster, a major concern for Turner. The Chargers will once again be looking to sign a backup quarterback. The thought of Lee being the quarterback if Rivers gets hurt definitely should scare Turner and Chargers’ fans. Lee only played for LSU once incumbent starter QB Jordan Jefferson was suspended for an off-campus incident.

Lee lost his job again when he struggled in LSU’s first matchup against Alabama. When Jefferson struggled against Alabama in the BCS National Championship Game, most people thought coach Les Miles would bring in Lee to give the team a spark. Miles never brought Lee in the game, and LSU was shutout. Rivers has been pretty durable, even playing in the 2007 AFC Championship Game a several days after having his knee operated on after tearing his ACL.

However, the Chargers are trying to get back to the level of football that had them as championship contenders for several years. They will have to compete with the Denver Broncos in the AFC West, who won the division last year. They have acquired future Hall of Famer QB Peyton Manning and are expected to be much better than what they were last season. Without a decent backup quarterback, an injury to Rivers can be disastrous for the Chargers. The Indianapolis Colts, Manning’s former team, knows this too well.

Boller was an on and off starter for the Baltimore Ravens, the team that drafted him back in 2003. He was one of the string of quarterback the Ravens had who struggled to be a consistent starter before QB Joe Flacco was drafted. Boller never panned out to be the quarterback he was expected to be as a first-round pick. Only Boller knows what he wants to do after retirement. Whatever that is, he’ll probably be better at it than he was at football.  

Training Camp Begins

New York Jets QB Tim Tebow talks with special teams
coordinator Mike Westhoff.

Pittsburgh Steelers WR Mike Wallace is a holdout of training
camp.

All 32 NFL teams have started their training camp, and as usual, there are camp holdouts and position battles that will grab the attention of NFL fans. As for holdouts, Pittsburgh Steelers WR Mike Wallace, Kansas City Chiefs WR Dwayne Bowe, and Jacksonville Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew are just a few players who have decided to hold out of training camp so far. Wallace and Bowe want long-term deals instead of the franchise tender they are being offered. Jones-Drew believes he should be paid more for being the one productive piece of their offense.

Wallace just watched the Steelers give WR Antonio Brown a five-year deal worth $42 million. Apparently, this deal was being negotiated without any fanfare and no drama since not many people thought Brown was going to receive an extension now. The Steelers have been negotiating with Wallace and his agent as well. However, the Steelers have said that they have stopped negotiating with Wallace and will start negotiations again once he comes into training camp. For Wallace to come to camp, he has to sign the one-year tender, worth $2.7 million.

Position battles are also brewing, as is the case every training camp. The Miami Dolphins have a quarterback competition going with former Jaguars QB David Garrard and QB Matt Moore, who took over for QB Chad Henne when he got injured last season. The Dolphins would also love to throw in rookie QB Ryan Tannehill but he is a camp holdout as he and his agent negotiate his rookie contract. Tannehill is already looked at as a project instead of NFL ready, so his time away from camp isn’t doing him any favors. He does benefit from the fact that he has Mike Sherman as the offensive coordinator. Sherman was also his head coach at Texas A&M.

The Arizona Cardinals also have a quarterback battle between QB John Skelton and QB Kevin Kolb. Skelton came in for Kolb last season and did a good job as the Cardinals finished the season somewhat strong. Kolb struggled last season with his new team, especially after receiving a $60 million extension. Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt isn’t going to let Kolb’s contract affect his decision. If Kolb cannot outplay Skelton and win the starting job, this will be a wasted investment. The Cardinals drafted WR Michael Floyd from Notre Dame with their first round pick, so that can only help their offense. WR Larry Fitzgerald approved of the decision, citing the need for receiver help opposite him to make the offense more explosive and to relieve pressure and double teams off of him.

A fairytale quarterback battle might be the one between QB Mark Sanchez and QB Tim Tebow of the New York Jets. Tebow was excellent in the fourth quarter of games last season with the Denver Broncos, as the Broncos stunned almost everyone by winning the AFC West. However, Tebow was traded once the Broncos acquired QB Peyton Manning. Sanchez struggled with the Jets at times, but he didn’t have much competition at the position to lose his job. Tebow can now provide that competition and make Sanchez work for what he wants. However, it isn’t quite clear if the Jets ever plan on using Tebow as the backup. Offensive coordinator seems to have plans on using Tebow in certain offensive packages, and the Jets have stated in the past that Tebow will play special teams, a rarity for a quarterback.

While NFL fans get excited for training camps to start, many can’t wait for the regular season to start in September. The regular season and the postseason last year turned out to be an exciting one, and surprising on some occasions. We can only wait to see what the 2012 NFL season has in store for us.

 

Calling It Quits Early

Cincinnati Bengals OL Jacob Bell has called it quits
after the death of Junior Seau.

Cincinnati Bengals newly-signed OL Jacob Bell has decided to retire, only a month after signing a one-year deal with the Bengals. Bell says the decision was easy. Preserving his health and quality of life was more important than the six to seven-figure salaries being made yearly. Bell also stated the recent death of Junior Seau certainly played a part in his decision to call it quits.

Seau's death of a suicide has raised many questions lately as to how the NFL and its players deal with the injuries that are affecting players after their careers are over. New York Giants DE Osi Umenyiora said earlier this week that he knows he'll be in a wheelchair by age 45, but it is worth it. Other players have also come out and say that even if they deal with health problems by the time they're 50, the journey and the career will be worth it. 

Seau wasn't the only one who committed suicide recently. Ray Easterling, who was a defensive back for the Atlanta Falcons in the '70s, committed suicide on April 19, claiming his life at the age of 62. Easterling was one of the retired players who filed a lawsuit against the NFL last year in Philadelphia. Other players who have committed suicide in recent years include Dave Duerson and Andre Waters, among others.

Is it truly worth it to make millions of dollars but jeopardize your long-term health? It takes money to receive quality health care. When you're retired, surgeries and other medical procedures are no longer taken care of by the team. It has to come from your pocket if you do not have quality health care. That could be millions of dollars if you need multiple surgeries to save your legs, or a hip replacement. 

When talking about head injuries, there isn't a corrective procedure to help you get your memory back after numerous blows to the head. CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy, has been discovered in the brains of Waters, Duerson, and Chris Henry, the 26-year old wide receiver from the Cincinnati Bengals who died when he fell out of the bed of a pickup truck his fiancee was driving. He is the youngest known athlete to have shown signs of CTE. 

Former Bengals LB Reggie Williams played with the Bengals from 1976 to 1989, helping the Bengals get to two Super Bowls, losing both to the San Francisco 49ers. However, the longevity and physical demands of his career took a toll on his knees, with both of them being amputated. Williams had a total of 18 surgeries on both knees, which resulted in a failure for both of them to be saved. Is this kind of pain and sacrifice of limbs and other body parts worth the paycheck?

The more interesting part will be how the NFL goes forward with these retired players suffering so much. How will the NFL be in 25 years? How will the current players in their 20s be when they're in their 40s? That remains to be seen. 

How Did Suggs Do It?

Baltimore Ravens LB Terrell Suggs may miss the
entire upcoming season with a torn Achilles.

ESPN and other sports media outlets reported on Thursday that Baltimore Ravens LB Terrell Suggs would miss the 2012 season with a torn Achilles tendon. It wasn't reported initially how he got the injury but there were rumors that he injured his Achilles tendon playing basketball. Suggs quickly negated that notion, saying he injured himself during a conditioning test. The Baltimore Ravens or anyone else have not quite confirmed if the injury happened that way, but Suggs will have his hands full going forward.

Suggs vowed to return during the season as opposed to missing the entire season. That remains to be seen. If Suggs misses the entire season, or a significant portion of the season, it could have a significant impact. The Ravens drafted Alabama LB Courtney Upshaw in the second round and they still have pass rushing LB Sergio Kindle. There's opportunity there for players to step up in Suggs' absence, so it remains to be seen whether his injury will be a major blow.

Suggs won the AFC Defensive Player of the Year award, but he won it in a conference that didn't have any clear dominant defensive players. Suggs did have 14 sacks, but there were numerous NFC defensive players with better production overall. The Ravens schedule will not be easy either, having to play the NFC East. So it'll be clear whether Suggs injury will be a blow.

The Ravens were 12-4 last year and won the AFC North division. While many expect them to do the same this year and compete for a championship, many shouldn't be overly optimistic. The Ravens do have a more difficult schedule this upcoming season, and it is not clear if QB Joe Flacco will make the necessary improvements needed for the Ravens to be a title contender. A lot of analysts looked at his performance in the AFC Championship Game against the New England Patriots and thought he turned the corner.

If you think back a week earlier, Flacco looked pathetic against the Houston Texans. During the regular season, bad losses to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Seattle Seahawks were solely because of his performance. I'm not entirely convinced he has turned the corner just because he did well against a bad defense statistically. I am interested to see if Flacco can elevate his game consistently. I also definitely want to see if Suggs' absence affects their vaunted defense.

Seau's Death

Former NFL LB Junior Seau dies at 43.

Former San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots LB Junior Seau claimed his life in his home in Oceanside, CA Wednesday morning at the young age of 43, bringing up questions on concussions among football players once again. Seau decided to shoot himself in the chest instead of the head, which is identical to the course of action former Chicago Bears S Dave Duerson took when he killed himself. Duerson left a note asking for his brain to be examined.

There was no note left by Seau, but he most likely shot himself in the chest because he wants his brain examined as well. This piece of information can be used against the NFL in the lawsuits former players are filing against the NFL. Everyone will be searching for answers in the next couple of days, and Sports Illustrated's Peter King already reported Boston University wants to research his brain. Answers will be coming soon in that event.

However, for the city of San Diego, they only have two sports heroes. That would be Junior Seau and Tony Gwynn. With Seau's death, this hits Chargers fans and the city of San Diego very hard. Seau has been in California for the majority of his life, growing up in Oceanside and attending USC before playing with the Chargers for 12 seasons. To the Southern half of California, Seau's death stings as well.

The grief and dismay his mother displayed was very real, and it's something no parent wants to deal with ever in life. The problem remains, where does the sport of football go from here? Of course, the NFL will thrive in the foreseeable future. What if suicides from retired players continue to occur? There are many players currently playing who are saying they know the game is violent and know the consequences they may have to suffer when their careers are over.

With this lawsuit from retired players coming to mind, how did they not know the dangers of crashing into each other numerous times a game? Why did they believe that returning to the game with a concussion wouldn't have possible long-term effects on the brain? A concussion is an injury that occurs from blow that causes the brain to move. I'm pretty sure doctors and medical personnel knew that back then. Why weren't the players proactive back then in making sure they were doing the right thing for their health?

The retired players have no one to blame but themselves. Sure, the NFL could've been much better in educating the players on concussion and other head injuries. The NFL also should've been much more supportive of these players in their retirement, as opposed to having them attempt to find their way when their careers are over. These players, however, should've known that constant blows to the head would have an effect on their livelihood.

As for Seau, his death should encourage retired players to talk with as many people as possible if they are depressed or going through problems. Marcellus Wiley, former teammate of Seau in San Diego who's an NFL analyst on ESPN now, said Seau had too much pride during his playing days and even in retirement. It appeared no one knew Seau was going through problems. Obviously he was, and it's simply an awful and devastating time for his family and friends. Many others can certainly learn from this and make sure their loved ones are okay.