NFL 2000 Preview - AFC East

The NFL's AFC Eastern Division should be an interesting battle this season... for second place. It appears that the youthful Indianapolis Colts are poised to make a run at the Super Bowl this year and everyone else will battle it out for the runner-up spot.

The Colts return one of the most dangerous offensive trios in the league in Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison, and Edgerrin James. This is a group that is reminiscent of the trio of Aikman, Smith, and Irvin that won three Super Bowls in four years for the Dallas Cowboys. The future for the Colt's offense looks very promising since all three of these players are under contract for the next four years.

And with an offense that looks as good as Indianapolis's, all you need is an above average defense, right? Well it may not be that simple, but the Colts are returning all but one starters from a defense that was above average last season. They have a good young nucleus on the defensive side of the ball also, with only one starter over 30 years old. This is a very solid club that has no glaring holes or weaknesses and they will easily win the division.

Like I said, everyone else will battle it out for second place, but don't look for any other team in the division to finish better than 8-8. The other four teams in the league have some mighty big "ifs", and if any of them can provide the answers needed they will probably end up taking the second slot.

I'm not going to even try to predict which order these last four teams will finish, but I will tell you why I think each one will not finish in second place.

The Bills were a strong team in 1999, but there have been numerous defections by many of their veteran leaders. Bruce Smith, Andre Reed and Thurman Thomas, the last remaining connections to the Bills' Super Bowl appearances, have all departed via free agency. Also, the defense took a major hit in the offseason with the losses of Thomas Smith, Kurt Schulz, Bruce Smith, and Gabe Northern. There will also be a major quarterback controversy the first time Rob Johnson struggles, adding to the turmoil caused by the turnover in player personel.

The Jets may have a little better shot at a winning record, but don't go betting the farm on any playoff berths. Quarterback Vinny Testeverde is coming off an achilles tendon injury that ended his season prematurely last season, and a series of minor injuries has kept him off the field, for the most part, during the preseason. Combine that with the fact that his number-one receiver was traded during the offseason and you have the makings of a struggling passing game. With Keyshawn Johnson out of the picture Wayne Chrebet becomes the featured receiver, but after Chrebet the talent gets mighty thin at wide receiver for the Jets. Of course you can't overlook the loss of Bill Parcells either. Tuna brought something to the Jets that they hadn't had for some time... a winning attitude. That attitude will be severly tested this year.

The New England Patriots will go only as far as Drew Bledsoe and the offense will take them. If the preseason is any indication then that won't be very far at all. Bledsoe has showed little sign of shaking the slump he suffered through last season, and if he doesn't it will be a long season for the Patriots. Even if Bledsoe brushes the cob webs off and returns to playing up to his potential, there is no guarantee that the rest of the offense will follow suit. The Patriots offensive line is suspect and the running back and wide receiver positions are very thin. New England will have a tough time scoring this season which will lead to a season below .500.

In Miami, Jimmy Johnson has walked away leaving the controls to the ship in the hands of Dave Wannstedt. If you want a good reason why the Dolphins will slip near the bottom of the division this year, then just talk to any Chicago Bears' fan. If Wannstedt's track record in Chicago is any indication of how he will fare in Miami, then Dolphin fans better get use to finishing at the bottom. Wannstedt proved over and over that he was not good at evaluating and developing younger players, therefore his talent pool got weaker and weaker every year. Look for the overall talent level on this squad to drop significantly in the near future.

How do you think the AFC Eastern Division will pan out. Post your opinions on the Pro Football Forum, and cast you vote in the poll below.

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