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2037 AFC East Season Preview

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  • 2037 AFC East Season Preview

    *AFC East*
    2037 Preview

    This illustrious division sent the AFC representative to last year's Super Bowl, and not only that, all four teams finished with a winning record in '36, which would have been the only time that's ever been accomplished in league history....except the only league currently better than the AFC East did it too, in 2033, and they did it with only 10-win or better teams! (That would be the NFC East, of course).

    Without ado, then, and in order of last season's finishes...

    New York Jets (10-6)
    The league's 6th-rated roster in the preseason. The Jets are going to want to make up for their early exit in the playoffs after securing a bye last year, but they'll have to do it with a new quarterback. The early favorite appears to be veteran Dean Baruffi, who's won the praise of coaches and teammates to a stunning degree in a short amount of time.

    Baruffi has a checkered past, though, to say the least. After being traded from Tampa to Arizona last offseason, he threw 2 TDs and 10 picks in four games before being benched, and then released at the start of the offseason.

    Fortunately, he -- or fellow new arrival Jesse Wilson, perhaps -- will have a deep and well-stocked defense to lean upon. The Jets won the DT Toby Sheldon derby pre-camp (Sheldon being Atlanta's supremely talented cap casualty), which, as long as they're willing to play him out of position, gives them a full set of defensive linemen to go with a supremely talented LB group. With a group like that, it's a wonder why they play any Nickel at all, but they did.

    The Jets need secondary, and it looks like that's what they went right after in the first round of the draft. Scottie Komljenovich's going to be called right away, and he's going to be needed as a playmaker on that defense.

    prediction: 7-9 This year's Jets are going to find it tough to be competitive in a hell of a division. A solid RB and a passable set of receivers (headlined by the talented Jamie Parise) aren't going to be enough if they can't protect the QB. Baruffi has some serious pocket presence issues, and this line - tackle in particular - had better love him like nothin' they ever loved before, or the good Dean is going to outdo his 45-sack season from 2029. This team can compete, but this division is going to tear them up this year.

    New England (10-6)
    The Patriots losing to the Giants in the Super Bowl; so what else is new? Jimmie Matlock is the sherrif in this here town, and the Patriots did right by locking him up on a 6-year deal that'll cost just $10M in year one. Matlock was really setting the league on fire for a few years, but his injury-shortened 2036 was a serious setback. Not only did he look human, he looked absolutely pedestrian. What happened to throwing 50 TDs and pushing 5000 yards a year?

    New England's right behind the Jets with the #7-ranked preseason roster, but most importantly, have a stable situation at QB. Matlock has a set of considerable weapons in WR Casey Greer and TE Zach Ertz, and a line that (aside from one of the guard spots) looks capable of carrying this team into the playoffs.

    On defense, the Patriots run a 3-4 and already had a solid defensive line when they added Jon Welch at 1.31, who, if nothing else, is the right guy at the right time and a potential coup. Defensive ROY? Wouldn't be too far-fetched.

    N.E.'s got a real problem on their hands with the secondary, however. Can this group really challenge the league's best passing attacks? The Dallas Cowboys made a serious dent in an already challenged group by signing away Bobby Winters, and the Pats are going to need to rely on 2nd-round rookie Bart Stanton.

    prediction
    11-5 (Super Bowl) Last year, we didn't see any of the powerful passing attacks that Matlock himself used to generate. So maybe the Patriots get a break here. This is a strong locker room and a program with a winning tradition. They'll find a way to get into the playoffs, and from there...who knows? I'm going to predict that they won't be stopped until they meet the Eagles in February.

    Miami (9-7)
    The Dolphins boast the league's #2 roster rating, behind only Chicago...and what should be the most capable offense in the division. This offense has everything, but it's the same one they fielded last year and Emmitt Dayoc - heading into his 3rd season starting for Miami - was very underwhelming. Whether he can catch that spark is going to be the question of the year.

    This team has enough linebacking talent to run a 3-4, but their strength on the line is going to keep them in a 4-3. And that is some strength: Maurice Shea and Graham Decota are a pair of monster edge rushers, with DT Dontari Poe perhaps the best in the game at this point in time, at his position.

    The Dolphins have three corners and one stud safety. The other safety spot is a weak point, but that's a hole that won't be too hard to mask.

    This is looking like the best offensive line in the division so far, but for it to live up to that billing, rookie guard Sammie Collins (2nd round) is going to have to grow up quick.

    prediction 13-3 There's just going to be little getting in the way of the Dolphins this year, short of injuries. I think they'll take the division and the bye, but winning all three games against New England is just going to be too dicey a proposition. Just like last year, the Patriots and that locker room are going to run the gauntlet from the wildcard spot. The Dolphins are going to have a lot to enjoy about their regular season, but that's going to be little consolation for the team that came so close.

    Buffalo (9-7)
    The Bills made a huge trade to kick off this offseason, sending all-league WR Roosevelt Bailey to Tennessee for an incredible bevy of draft picks which included the 1.4. However, while that move may have powered up the Titans (who also secured a monster pass rusher with the 1.1 overall they also held), the Bills' only year-one return is 1.4 RB Preston Money.

    In the Year of the RB, Preston Money looks extremely ordinary and has been viewed as a pretty freakish athlete who's struggled picking up the game. Early returns are early returns, but Money looks like maybe the 5th-best back in the first round at this time, and that has to hurt, especially when the Bills already return a 1000-yard rusher in Keith Rivers.

    In Robbie Rayburn and Greg Emerson, Buffalo boasts a 2-TE attack probably unlike the league has seen in a long time, but an already thin WR corps got wiped out in the Bailey trade. The Bills have an offensive line that blows Miami's out of the water, with what has to be by far the league's best tackle tandem, and maybe even the best line in the league, period...but all of this and Bailey wasn't enough to raise quarterback Ryan Mallet's QBR above 80.0 last season.

    Preston Money's going to have to be a real difference maker, or the Bills are going to have to keep their eye on the future, where they do have a 1, two 2s, and a 3 still left in the stockpile from the Bailey deal.

    The Bills' defensive front seven is solid, if not spectacular. Low on depth and lacking a top-tier difference maker, but the top two DEs and the NT are more than capable guys to start. If Carlton McAddley spends any time at WLB, that's a good pass rush Buffalo would have, with the only problem being the lack of true linebackers to cover. Still, McAddley's a real difference-maker and with him coming off the edge, the Bills could probably find somebody or something to cover what really amounts to just one hole at LB, considering the time most teams spend in the Nickel anyway, and stalwart Edward Velevis roaming the middle.

    Terry Gomez and Jerome Holliman do more than hold down the fort at safety, and -- for the third time now -- Buffalo boasts what has to be a top-3 pair of starting CBs in the league in Norman Villanueva and Alvin Fulton.

    All things considered, this looks like a team that, while it had some weaknesses here and there, was poised to make some big noise this year up until the Bailey trade. Now Buffalo is going to have to hope that talent they have now sticks around long enough for their draft picks next year to come in and turn this thing around, but with the age on some of those guys...not sure it happens. From this standpoint, it is awful tough to see how the WR-for-RB swap is going to do anything but set this team back in year one, unless Money is as good as his name and really knocks it out of the park.

    prediction: 6-10 Despite the league's #4 roster rating, the Bills are just not going to have enough going on on offense to win too many games this year. A stronger pass rush would have made this defense deadly, and it's still a pretty competitive unit, but unless they figure out a way to really get the ball to the tight ends, the lack of explosiveness on offense is going to have Buffalo settling for last place this year. But, buck up, Bills fans: the future is bright.



    Well, that's it for this year's AFC East Preview! Yeah, I got way into it...it was going to be a lot shorter, but I'm still feeling my way around this league and it was good to get to know some of the teams in the other conference. Hope you enjoyed! and hope my predictions turn out to be better than that Bill Walsh guy...let's check back in at the end of the year and review
    Last edited by Red Zone; 10-29-2013, 07:00 PM.
    OSFL commissioner and ex-Eagles of the FFL GM

  • #2
    Dude, Awesome write up. Very in depth. Now I don't want to do one. LOL. Mine will not be as good.

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    • #3
      Haha, I'm just long-winded, that's all. Here's the color code templates I used, which I posted for convenience: http://www.fof-ffl.com/foffflco_foru...Code-Templates

      I think the goal was just to throw out a record prediction and a rough justification of why, but I got a little carried away :P Probably won't be as in depth in the future.
      OSFL commissioner and ex-Eagles of the FFL GM

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      • #4
        Thanks Aston. Last year was hard to explain the lack of passing success we had. I'd expect those numbers if Greer wasn't healthy but I think he played almost every game. Losing CB CB Jimmy Smith was a major **** up and is going to be our biggest question mark this season. I guess the upside is we'll be involved in a lot of shootouts this season.

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        • #5
          Aston, outstanding article!!! Thanks for the detailed analysis. Now you have really inspired me best your prediction of the Jets' season.
          Franchise Bowl Champions 2030, 2038, 2041, 2043, 2045-2048, 2050, 2053, 2057-2059, 2061, 2063
          AC Champions 2031, 2032, 2040, 2044, 2049, 2051-2052, 2062
          AC East Champions 2030-2032, 2036, 2038, 2040-2044, 2046-2063
          Regular Season Record: 436-105-3
          Post Season Record: 68-18

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          • #6
            Nice write up... But Im hoping to prove you wrong


            FFL
            AFC EAST Champions 2007,2009,2012,2015

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