It was close to a hundred degrees Friday afternoon in Davie, FL as the Dolphins took the field on the first day of training camp. Davone Bess was first to come out, thus bringing an end to what seemed like an infinite number of months waiting for football season to come back around. Last out was Brandon Marshall who received a warm welcome from the fans and generated more than his fair share of screams during practice.
Also present on the field was Ronnie Brown, despite not having a contract signed as of yet; a pleasant contrast to other players around the league who despite having a contract are not happy with their situation and have announced they will sit out of camp. Brown seemed pretty comfortable out on the field and there was no evidence of any problems with his foot, so hopefully we will see him on the field for every game this upcoming season. Ricky Williams was also out there and he looked pretty solid, but the RB who impressed me the most was Patrick Cobbs, he was running drills pretty smoothly and looked really confident when running the ball.
Notably absent from training camp was Pat White, who according to a report in the Sun Sentinel, seems to be dealing with issues of a personal nature that are set to keep him of the field at least in the short term. Chad Henne on the other hand was out there and seemed to be comfortable in his starting role. He exuded a confidence which I had never seen before and seems to be doing great in his leading role which might have been what was lacking a bit from him last season. Now when all the guys are huddled up and ready to line up his presence seems to command attention and everyone is waiting to listen and ready to follow, which is a clear sign of a team who is ready to play together and do whatever it takes to win, with Chad at the head.
The most closely followed and intense part of training camp though was clearly that of the WRs. Fans came in ready to see Marshall in action and he delivered, twice he managed to burn CB Sean Smith and the whole crowd erupted into cheers. For the first time in a long time we are seeing the posibility to get that chunk yardage and it is very exciting. As for Smith, I wouldn't be too worried, even as a rookie he showed to be pretty solid at the position when he got thrown into it and playing alongside Marshall will only help him get better, he seems to be a quick learner too because although Marshall left him completely in the dust in that first burn, he managed to stay close by during the second and the catch that Marshall made is something that only a hand full of WRs can make.
That wasn't the only action we saw from the WRs though, it is clear that Hartline, Camarillo and Bess are all competing for the starting spot opposite Marshall, and the competition in intense. Hartline seems at the moment to be edging out the others, running and catching with the confidence of someone who's been out there playing for years, but the other two don't need to worry because Camarillo is still delivering and will surely make his way to the roster and Bess seems to have done all he needs to secure his spot as the slot receiver.
Our newly drafted players were also out on the field and looked to fit in quite comfortably alongside the starting lineup. There was no easing into the teams for the rookies as all of them went out into practice and assumed starting roles. Jared Odrick, the first round pick lined up at right defensive end, and is expected to stay in that role after Philip Merling got sidelined due to an injury; while Koa Misi took his spot as OLB and John Jerry lined up at RG.
All in all, the first day of training camp was very successful. Fans got to get a little taste of what's to come and it looks as promising on the field as it looks on paper, now we just have to wait for the season to start to prove to everyone out there just how good we really are.

A week and a half has passed since LeBron James announced he would be joining Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami and immediately this new Miami Heat roster became one of the most talked about topics in the sports world. It is obvious that the Heat organization had one clear goal when headed into this offseason, and that goal was to win championships; not one, not two, not three… not eight as LeBron himself said. Yet, although there is no denying that these are three of the best players in the league, the general consensus among NBA analysts and fans alike seems to be that this team won’t win a championship during their first year.

I would consider this to be a valid argument if it was based on the fact that bringing superstars together is not enough to get you there, they need time to get to know each other, develop chemistry and become a team, but once they get to that point the championships will come. This could indeed be said about any team in a similar situation. The problem with making that argument about the Heat roster is that these guys have played together before, and it seems the argument is mostly being made based on the presumption that these superstars egos will get in the way of them ever becoming a team; Miami is after all Wade’s house, LeBron is the King and needs to have the spotlight, and Bossh will clearly get tired of living in their shadow.

There’s no point denying that some, if not most athletes do indeed have big egos, and I have argued many times before that having so many big egos in a locker room can be problematic for a team, it has been observed many times, in many teams, at different levels and across all sports. Most recently in basketball we saw it with Kobe and Shaq who were unable to work together in the Lakers, and in football we saw it with McNabb and TO in the Eagles. So it isn’t the argument itself that I have a problem with per say, it is when it is being used.

Ever since the NFL free agency period started Rex Ryan and the New York Jets started collecting big name players and talks of the Jets being a powerhouse in the NFL this season, and the team to beat in the AFC East haven’t stopped. The Jets seem to be among all the NFL analyst’s top teams, and many believe they are legitimate Super Bowl contenders. They even came in at number four on Sports Center’s Ultimate NFL Team Rankings list, ahead of current Super Bowl Champions, the New Orleans Saints who were ranked at number five; and the only criticism I’ve heard mentioned to be working against them is the fact that they are still counting on second year quarterback Mark Sanchez who is still unproven. No mention has been made of the fact that the only reason they ever made it to the AFC Championship game was that the Colts handed them a playoff berth and then came back and crushed them the next time around and even more disconcerting for me, not one person has stood to question whether or not they can actually perform as a team, which is insane considering that this new team has not taken to the field together as of yet and there’s so many egos in that team right now, it is hard to imagine them fitting in one locker room.

So, can someone explain to me the discrepancy when it comes to talking about egos and how they’ll play a part in the performance of these two teams? Because in my opinion they got this completely backwards!

On one side you have Wade, LeBron and Bosh; three guys who have a great friendship off the court, a relationship that developed as a result of the chemistry they found on the court while playing on the US Olympic basketball team in 2008. Yet, for some reason 2 years later, their egos seem to have grown so much that they won’t be able to work together and share the spotlight? And yes, the spotlight can indeed be shared, as they proved with that Olympic team were Wade averaged more PPG, while LeBron averaged more minutes on the court and Bosh averaged more RPG.

These three guys who have already proved they are great players on their own right and have built an empire for themselves all gave up a lot of money to play together because they want to build a legacy and win championships are going to have a problem with their egos getting in the way? I just don’t see it.

And then on the other side you have Antonio Cromartie, LT, Santonio Holmes, Darrell Revis, Rex Ryan you can even throw Jason Taylor in there. No doubt these players want to win championships, all athletes do, but they also have something to prove individually. Cromartie had a breakout season in 2007, but hasn’t done much of anything the past two seasons, some people attributed this to the fact that maybe QBs avoided throwing down his side of the field, but now that he is coupled with Revis that won’t be an excuse anymore so he will be forced to step up his game and prove that he still has it; and is he really going to want to play second to Revis, or will he want to have the island renamed to Cromartie Island? LT is facing the same dilemma as he also has something to prove himself; ever since his injury he hasn’t been able to perform at the level expected and for a guy who is nearing the end of his career making it this season has to be a top priority for him. Santonio Holmes has a history of getting into trouble, not only is he facing a five game suspension for violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy, but he is also facing a lawsuit in Florida; this could all be attributed to immaturity or it could be a result of him thinking he is above authority, either way it could represent big issues when dealing with his persona. Even Taylor who is one of my favorite players has something to prove, I’m sure he’ll want to show the Dolphins’ front office that they made a big mistake by letting him go, and as good as he was to the Dolphins during all those years, he was somewhat of a nightmare for the Redskins when he was there, refusing to participate in training camp in Washington and wanting to bend the rules to favor him.

So now you have all these big name players, with their big egos and each with their own personal agenda if you will, coming in to a young team all at once and no one thinks there might be a problem? Training camp hasn’t even started and we already see the cracks with Revis sitting out until a new contract gets worked out because he is worth more! You signed a contract and you expected to get paid whatever amount of money you agreed to because that’s what you thought you were worth at that point, if it had turned out that you couldn’t play at that level you still would’ve gotten paid, but now you believe you are the best corner in the NFL, which you very well may be so your ego says you will get more money or screw the team? I guess that’s the way it works.

It is difficult to say what will happen until both teams take to the court and field respectively but I will say, if any team is going to crumble due to egos in the locker room this season it will definitely be the Jets, YOU CAN TAKE THAT TO THE BANK.

Being a Miami fan in general is a tough thing, there are a lot of up and downs and generally a lot of heartbreak involved, but over the last couple of months being a Miami fan has been good, great actually.


Three days ago I woke up to some great news, not only would Dwayne Wade be returning to play in his house, but he was also bringing Chris Bosh with him. All day I kept telling people in Orlando that LeBron James would be next, yet 36 hours later, as I was driving through Fort Lauderdale on my way to Miami listening to ‘The Decision” special I can honestly say I was genuinely surprised to hear him say he “would be bringing his talent to South Beach to join the Miami Heat.”

Wade, LeBron and Bosh are already considered a dream team despite the fact that basketball is a game played with five players and the Heat roster currently consists of only four players (Mario Chalmers is the fourth guy in the roster). There is no denying that a trio of players of that caliber all playing in the same team will make an immediate impact in the NBA. It is something that has never been done before, and it is something that Pat Riley found a way to do because he had one specific goal in mind, and that goal is to win championships; not one but many. Pat Riley wanted to give Miami a team that would be not only a championship caliber team, but a dynasty and that is what I am the most excited about.

Making the same kind of immediate impact in a football team is a lot harder, yet I believe Bill Parcels approached this offseason with the same winning mentality that Pat Riley dd. For the first time in a long time the Miami Dolphins went out there and put down the money they needed to get the big name key players needed to build a winning team. Brandon Marshall and Karlos Dansby are the Dolphins equivalent of the Heat’s LeBron and Bosh and although you could argue that it is a lot more difficult for two players to make an impact in a football team than it is in a basketball team, you also have to remember that the Dolphins were not a four man roster, they actually have more than one “Wade.” The Dolphins also have a great group of young players that will only continue to get better by virtue of playing with the best and knowing who they are playing against in the division. But more importantly, both, the Dolphins and the Heat’s front offices have send their players and their fans one clear message during their offseasons and that message is that they are looking forward to not only competing but to winning, and that is the one thing we have all been anxious to see.

Miami is not the first city that comes to mind when talking about sports, and that’s because Miami has never been close hosting teams of the caliber of the teams in cities like Boston or New York in any sport other than football. Out of our three main local teams, the Dolphins are the only team to ever have reached a dynasty status. They had their first great run from 1971 through 1974. Not only did they win the division four consecutive times, but they also became AFC Champions three consecutive years and one back to back Super Bowls; the first of which came as the perfect conclusion to an undefeated season, a feat which was never been achieved before then and has never been achieved since.

The second great run for the Dolphins came in the 80s during the Marino years. Although not as successful as the first run since it didn’t produce any Super Bowls, the team still nominated the league for most of the decade, winning the division five times, playing in the AFC Championship game three times and enjoying back to back Super Bowl appearances. There’s no denying the Dolphins are Miami’s greatest franchise, however, the last time the Dolphins made it to the Championship game I was 10 years old, and the last time they made it to the Super Bowl I was 2 so needless to say, their success seems like a distant memory at times.

On the other side, we have two teams who have enjoyed success more recently, but whose success has been followed by unprecedented failure. The Miami Heat are Miami’s most recent champions, bringing home the title in 2006 (first and only in franchise history) and although the title was preceded by a Conference Championship appearance in 2005, it was followed by disaster. In 2007, the Heat struggled to make the playoffs; once there the suffered the franchise’s first and only sweep in a playoff series when they faced the Bulls in the first round. Things didn’t get any better the following season; the Heat ended their 2008 season with a 15-67 record, the worst record in the history of the NBA.

The Florida Marlins, Miami’s youngest team, has also enjoyed success, twice they have won the World Series and both times the wins have been followed by disappointment. The Marlins were established in 1993 and won their first World Series in 1997, establishing a record for the fastest franchise to win a World Series (this record would later be beat by the Arizona Diamondbacks who won the World Series in 2001 after only four seasons). During the offseason following that win the team got dismantled and in 1998 the Marlins became the only team ever to lose 100 games after the World Series.

History would repeat itself after their second World Series win in 2003, although not in such dramatic fashion. After the win, the fans biggest worry was that they would see their team dismantled again, and this time, although it didn’t all happen during that first offseason, it did happen again eventually. Since winning their last World Series, the Marlins have only made it to the playoffs twice.

This disappointment is something that all Miami fans have come to know and accept. Yet, now, for the first time ever, Miami fans are watching two of their teams make a legitimate push to win. The Dolphins and the Heat have both bet it all with big time moves this offseason in an attempt to bring home the ultimate prize, a Championship win and a Super Bowl, and I can’t help but think that the Marlins will probably make a similar push in the next two offseasons as well, they do, after all, have to be looking forward to building a stronger team to kick off their 2012 season in their brand new stadium.

So move over Boston and New York, Miami is now looking to make their impression in the sports world and I love the attitude change. Let’s build teams that are strong enough not only to win one title but multiple titles. Miami fans are among the most loyal fans out there and now the time has finally come when being a Miami fan is better than ever.

I think all football fans will agree with me when I say there is no better day than game day, and the one thing that makes any game day better is having the chance to experience the game right in the stadium surrounded by fans. During those Sundays (or sometimes Mondays or even Thursdays) it is more than just the game that we look forward to, it’s the whole experience. You get up early in the morning, put on your Dolphins’ gear and drive down to the stadium ready for some action. The action is not limited to what goes down on the field though, there is the tailgating, trying to catch a glimpse of the players as they arrive at the stadium and getting to meet some amazing fans; all that before you have even had a chance to walk through the stadium gates. Once inside, you quickly become acquainted with all the people sitting near you and join the crowd in the chants all in an effort to get your team going, to let them know you are behind them and doing everything you can to help them earn that win.

Writing that just made me realize that if I could be anywhere right now there is nowhere else I’d rather be. If you have had the opportunity to go to a game, I’m sure you will agree, and any Dolphins’ fan who hasn’t had a chance to go definitely should. For those that don’t live in South Florida, making the trip down south is probably difficult, yet I am sure they would love to get a chance to get that Dolphins’ game day experience. Bringing that experience to fans in different cities is what Bill has been doing with his Phinvaders Project.

The idea for Phinvaders came about when after moving to Chattanooga in October 2008, Bill noticed just how many Dolphins’ fans there were, so he decided to start a club. By the end of the 2008 season, they had their own location and were 40 strong. Club members started asking about getting a group together for the Falcons’ game, he was expecting to get a group of 25-30 club members to go, yet wound up with only 20… plus another 85 thanks to some internet promoting. After that, what started out as the ‘Chattanooga Dolfans Club’ became the ‘Phinvaders’.

Getting the Phinvaders name out there and being able to promote the events has definitely been easier now that it would’ve been a few years ago thanks to the internet, mainly Facebook. Being able to reach out to so many fans is what made that first Phinvader event in Atlanta “legendary” as Bill puts it. And this season, although he is looking forward to both planned Phinvaders’ events, he is especially looking forward to the one in Cincinnati where they have planned a Halloween party for the night before the game, in which they’ll even have a costume contest, which is sure to add to all the excitement.

Getting these Phinvasions organized is not easy; it can be very stressful and takes a lot of time to plan but getting the opportunity to meet other Dolfans and to share that Dolphins game day experience make it not only worth organizing but also worth attending. What started out as a plan to get 25-30 Dolfans to go to an away game together has turned into a dream of filling out an entire section in an away game, with the ultimate dream being to be able to do so in a Jets game; and although that particular Phinvasion is not on the books for this upcoming season, there are two others planned. Tickets are on sale for the Raiders and Bengals Phinvasions and they can be found, along with additional information under the upcoming events tab at http://www.phinvaders.com. So if you’re a Dolfan who lives anywhere near Oakland or Cincinnati get your tickets soon, as I expect to see you make your presence known in those stands. And like Bill I am especially looking forward to that Cincinnati game, but in my case it is for selfish reasons, I want to get a super special Dolphins’ win for my birthday, and I’m sure your presence will help get the team there.

Dolphins’ fans are easily some of the most loyal fans in the NFL. They celebrate the good times with the team and always try to see the positive when the times get rough (after the necessary venting, of course). Yet, just because they stand behind the team every step of the way, it doesn’t mean they do so blindly.


Like every other fan of any other team or even other sports, they have opinions and usually the more loyal the fan, the stronger those opinions are, and more often than not, this sets the stage for great debates. These debates are a major part of the whole football experience and without them the experience wouldn’t be the same. Talking about a game, a player, the draft… that’s what gets most of us through the days when we don’t have the opportunity to turn on the TV and watch the team play.

Providing a place where the fans can really express their opinion without being over moderated is what Phinzrage is all about. Steven and Ken who are both long time Dolphins’ fans had funded a site with the same idea, unfortunately, things went sour with a third partner. Instead of engaging in legal procedures and trying to fight for a site which in their opinion had been tainted, they decided to start a new site. The two of them, along with Brian, Mark and Phinvader Bill, who some of you may know from Phinvaders, all help run the site, so it truly is a site from the fans for the fans.

The unique thing about Phinzrage is that it is a site that doesn’t necessarily suit the masses. In the forums, people are free to express their opinion and some of the debates get very heated, so if you are a fan who get easily offended by things such as language or are a member of the younger fan base, this site might not be one for you as it is better suited for those people who want to express their feelings without a moderator trying to censor them. As Steven told me when I interviewed him “getting our name out there wasn’t really hard, but we don’t market ourselves to the masses because we don’t want to be a message board for everybody so I guess those who want to find us eventually will.”

Everyone at Phinzrage is very proud of the space they have created and they feel like the best is still to come. They are especially looking forward to all the debates that will surely take place in their message boards, so make sure you stop by and engage in some of them since they do make for a fun time and keep in mind that Phinzrage was not a site created with the intention to make an impact, but rather, a site that was created for fans to enjoy. So take a chance to look around and share your thoughts with them, I’m sure they’ll love hearing what you have to say.

The Miami Dolphins, more so than any other team in Florida have a fairly large and loyal following. We all know at least a handful of people who wear their Dolphins gear proud, not only when going to the games or even on game day but on a regular basis, and we see thousands of cars and even houses adorned with Dolphins flags and stickers.
In the past few months since I started this blog I have had the opportunity to meet a lot of fans and not only have I confirmed how large the community support for the team is, but I have also learned what kind of fans Dolphins fans are, and simply saying they are the best fans there is doesn’t even begin to describe it.
Amongst these fans there is a special few which the word “fan” doesn’t even begin to describe, they are what I like to refer to as “super fans.” These are the people to whom supporting the team everyday is not enough; they go above and beyond, each in their own way to find ways to enhance our experience as diehard fans, and they do it because they love it.
I admire these people and what they do and am honored by all the support they have given me personally, but mostly I am thankful for everything they do for us as fans; that’s why I have decided to do a series of posts in the next few weeks highlighting some of these people and giving them a chance to tell their story.

THE DOLFAN BANDITS


I seriously don’t know a single person who watches Dolphins’ football and doesn’t know who the Bandits are, sure some of them might not know what they are called, but they all know that any time there is a home game those crazy painted up guys will show up in the screen at some point. People go crazy when they see them at the stadium or at events and during tailgate hundreds of fans swing by where they are to take pictures with them and meet them, being around them just makes you feel like you belong to the team.
These guys are the most approachable, fun to be around guys in the whole stadium; yet if you asked them today if they ever thought this is where their once crazy idea would take them, they would tell you they never imagined it would be so rewarding.

The Dolfan Badits are made up of four members, Mike Rodriguez, Jose Ortiz, Manny Lopez and Shane Meyers. They are long time season holders that were inspired by the superb transformation the Dolphins made in 2008; after finishing the previous season with a 1-15 record, the Dolphins restructured and made it to the playoffs. In honor of this transformation and as a way to show the team their gratitude, they decided to revamp the Dolfans look and spice things up a little bit by attending the playoff game against the Ravens with their bodies decorated with the team logo and their faces painted in a menacing way as a way of showing that the fans meant business as well. “Although the Dolphins may have lost that day, the team and it’s fans won in the NFL community by proving that the Dolphins may have been down, but they were far from out.”
The goal they set out to achieve that day was a simple one, they just wanted to get the fans more involved and to show the world what kind of “hardcore super fans” the Miami Dolphins have. Their goal has pretty much remained the same ever since, the Dolphins’ following continues to grow and Dolfans around the country and even abroad are getting more geared up for the games and making their presence more known when attending games.

I had the opportunity to talk to them and ask them some questions that I’m sure some of you might be curious about as well so I’ll share those with you.

Q.- What is the best thing that has come from this whole experience?
A.- The kids/fans that smile with us and take pics, some yell hey we saw them on TV, can we get a autograph? That always blows us away, as we are just fans like them. Supporting the team, meeting the players, coaches, owner, cheerleaders. This all has been a experience we could have never imagined so we are grateful for the massive support. We love you Dolfan nation. Go Finsss!

Q.- Do you have a favorite memory?
A.- Yes in 2009 when we played the Bucs at home Channing came by and threw us some game used gloves, a lil’ youg dolfan asked us how we got them, and if we knew Channing, So during the game we gave him a glove, a few moments later his mom and dad came to us thanking us and mom was crying of joy, that touched us in many ways and u don’t expect that in a game..

Q.- When did you realize you had made an impact?
A.- The first time we got painted up during the Ravens game, we came out in tons of pics, blogs, articles, the jumbotron. It was an incredible response, Loius Oliver saw us, took a pic and said he wish we were around in his time, and thanked us for what we do… I knew at that moment that we had made a Splashhhhh!!!

Q.- Is there anything you look forward to doing in the future?
A.- Yes we are looking to expand our group and create a section of wild geared up Dolfans! We have a few names that we are looking into for that section. We have a line of clothes that we are working on..


Q.- What game are you looking forward to the most this season and why?
A.- Always the J-E-T-S suck suck suck!!! Due to bad blood with the players, fans, JT going to the Jest and the media Hex Rex hype!!


By just reading the answers to these questions, it is easy to see that these guys are really just what they say they are, fans like the rest of us, they’ve just had an incredible opportunity to share their love for the team with the rest of the fans and it has only made the team and the gameday experience better. But as if that wasn’t enough, the Bandits have also inspired many of us to give back to the community as they have been involved in many groups, such as the Ricky Williams Foundation, Dolfans Give Back, the Tyler Foundation, the Twan Russell Foundation, the Dolphins Haiti Relief Efforts, and the Shawn Woodsen Boys/Girls Club.

To learn more about the Bandits or simply to show them your support, take the time to visit their website www.dolfanbandits.com , follow them on twitter or join them on Facebook!


Something else that I think is worth mentioning, is the fact that the Bandits attend all home games and try to make it to as many away games as they can because they would like to bring that Dolfan experience to every fan attending every game. If you or your company may be interested in helping them achieve this goal, you can contact them directly at dolfanbandits@aol.com or you can contact me at phins2phins@gmail.com for more information on sponsorships and donations.

The NFC East has long be considered to be the toughest division in the NFL, in eight of the past ten seasons, a team from that division has earned a wildcard spot; two of those seasons actually saw both wildcard spots in the NFC go to a team in that division. This year will be no different when it comes to predicting who will win that division, since there is more than one team with the potential to do so, and not many people would be surprised to see that the winner of that division will not even be known until week 17.
Yet, this season, it is another division that seems to be attracting all the attention, and that is the AFC East. It has been a long time since we have heard of the possibility of any team other than the New England Patriots being considered as the true contender in that division, yet during this offseason, that same argument has been made for not only the Patriots, but also the Jets and the Dolphins. Of course all these arguments are just that, arguments, and in reality they are biased by the opinions of the person writing them, but they are still enjoyable to read, and I would love to take the time to make mine.
So the question is: What team is most likely to win the division? And as many of you would suspect by now, my answer to that is that in my opinion the Dolphins have a pretty good shot and in the end it could be their division to lose, and I’ll explain what I mean by that later in this article, but first I want to take a chance to look at what our competition in that division is.
Let’s start off with the Buffalo Bills, they ended last season with a 6-10 record last season, which in reality represents only a one game difference between them and Miami, still, they are clearly the weakest team in the division. While other teams in the division have strengthened their roster this offseason, the Bills seem to have done the opposite, they let go of two of their receivers, Terrell Owens and Josh Reed and did nothing to strengthen their offensive line or improve their quarterback position. Unless C.J. Spiller can singlehandedly run them into winning games, I don’t see how they have a shot of winning the division. That’s not to say that we should underestimate them, we did that last year when we went to play them at Buffalo and that could very well be the game that cost us a ticket to the playoffs. A divisional opponent is always tough because they know your team best, but in the long run, I don’t think Buffalo has the pieces necessary to win the division.
The New England Patriots on the other hand are the team that has dominated the division for almost a decade, they have won the division seven out of the last nine seasons, and their most recent loss came on the season when Tom Brady was out due to injury. There is no doubt that Brady is one of the best QBs in the league, or that Bellichick is one of the best coaches either, but the team is getting older and it is not yet known when Wes Welker will be able to play again, or even if he’ll be able to play during the regular season at all and that is something that will hurt them. We all saw the beating that the Patriots took in the playoffs when facing the Ravens, and although they have the time to work on alternatives and correct all the mistakes that were made during that game, the team is definitely not the dynasty it used to be. That being said, the Patriots are still the team that I believe represents the biggest threat to us in the division, Bellichick is a smart guy and they did manage to keep the guys they wanted on the team on, as well as adding new key pieces through the draft.
The New York Jets have been one of the most talked about teams, there has been a lot of buzz surrounding their big name signings and all the moves they managed to make this offseason, and sitting here and saying they don’t represent a threat would be a lie because I believe they are, but by the same token I believe they are easily the most overrated team as of now. It is a fact that the Jets have the strongest defense in the NFL, and if you believe that defense wins championships then the Jets should’ve won it all, but the thing is it takes an offense as well, which is precisely why they didn’t. Mark Sanchez has yet to prove that he is as good as they think he is, now he will have an opportunity to show if he has it in him, since the tools were provided to him. In last year’s playoffs, the Jets had one decent game, and that was against the Colts who still managed to easily beat them; it was a little bit of luck and a couple of teams who benched their players who got them there. Still, that was last year and the games we played against them were very tough, this year, they have added new players, they have a new stadium and there’s a lot of hype surrounding them so they are under a lot of pressure to perform. This season is “make it or break it” for the Jets, either they live up to the expectations or they turn out to be this season’s biggest disappointment.
Finally, we have the Miami Dolphins; Miami made a big move to improve their offense with the acquisition of Brandon Marshall, not only is Marshall the guy that can tremendously improve the passing game by adding significantly in yards after the catch which is one of the areas in which we have struggled, but he is a tool for Henne to grow into his full capacity as a QB and he is also key in stretching the field which gives rise to improving the performance of the rest of the receivers which come from having just had a good season. Incognito brings with him the attitude that could make our offensive line more aggressive, and Dansby along with the guys drafted strengthen our defense significantly despite the losses that we saw. The Dolphins might be a little over looked by some but they have what it takes to win the division, and they got lucky enough with the schedule to take that lead quickly, which I believe will be the key in the end.
During the first four weeks of the 2010 season, all teams in the AFC East will play each of their divisional opponents once. I honestly believe that the standing at the end of these four weeks will be indicative of which team has the better shot at winning the division. Leading the division going into the bye week, which for Miami is indeed week 5, has the added benefit of putting the players in a great mental state to play each of the games that follows and would leave all the other teams in the division playing catch up to the Dolphins, and this is why I say this could possibly be in the end our division to lose.
Out of all the teams in the division, the Dolphins have the better chance of being 4-0 overall, or at least 3-0 in the division than any other team, and here is why. All four teams in the AFC East have 2 home games and 2 away games during those first four weeks, the Patriots play the Bengals and the Bills at home and Miami and the Jets away, making two of their toughest games road games; the Jets play the Ravens and the Patriots at home and Buffalo and Miami away, which means they have the advantage over the Patriots of having two of their toughest games at home, finally Miami plays the Bills and the Vikings away, and the Patriots and the Jets at home, again two of their toughest games are played at home which gives them the advantage, the greatest advantage though is being able to face the Jets at home, which should be enough to give us the edge if we do intend to win it all this season. Miami might also have a slight advantage when it comes to that non divisional game that will take place because the rumors as of now are Favre is not coming back, and while we all know that nothing is certain when it comes to Favre, if this does turn out to be the season when he does decide to retire, we would be facing the Vikings early enough that it could give the team an advantage over one of the teams I consider to be one of the toughest in the schedule.
Now I understand that the season is 17 weeks long and it might be unfair to think that a division can be decided in the first few weeks of playing, what fun would that be? But if the top spot for the division is going to be so hard to conquer, wouldn’t you rather be defending it than making a push for it in the end?