Fisherman’s Crystal Ball for the AFC East

S/R Staff class="post-date-wrap left relative post-date-mob">

August 17, 2013

Commentary
The Fisherman’s Crystal Football

Ah the wonderment of pre-season. Dreams are built out of speculation.
Who will fall? Who will rise? It is time to start the prognosticating! Let’s roll out the Fisherman’s Crystal Football, shall we?

New England Patriots:
All the DOOM and Gloom! “Old man Tom Brady can’t keep up the pace”. “He has no one to catch the ball”. “Bill Belichick has let the game pass him by”. And on and on… Realistically, No one team in the AFCE is able to topple the King on the mountain.
Tom Brady and Co. can make the hot dog vender into a star receiver. Their defense is tough. This team hasn’t seen a sub 10 win season in over 10 years and won’t see it this year either.
The Crystal Ball says; 12-4

Buffalo Bills:
Last year’s “sleeper” is this year’s winner. Being led by EJ Manuel(with Kolb as backup), great running game, and a solid defense, this is the rising star. CJ Spiller will run his guts out. Fred Jackson will be on fire as well. First year (NFL) coach Doug Marrone brings a transfusion of new blood to a bleeding franchise.
The Crystal Ball says: 10-6

Miami Dolphins:
The “Paper Dolphins”. After last season’s dismal run, (7-9) one can only hope.
Jigsaw puzzles are made of paper as well. Spending truck loads of money to shore up an offense that lacked luster is a tall order. Not putting the right pieces in the right place will not make it look better. Ryan Tannehill has the tools he needs to succeed. But having all the tools does not make you a mechanic. The offensive line is a sieve. The pieces don’t fit. The defense is solid. Cameron Wake is a monster. He will again pressure QBs into taking chances. The secondary will have to step up their game. They need to complete the puzzle. “Wishing upon a star will not get you very far”
The Crystal ball says: 9-7

New York Jets:
They are not rebuilding! Stop it! Until they clean house, they cannot start fresh.
Sanchez will be their $8M starter. Santonio Holmes will still miss the first 4 regular season games. They really have no threat on offense this season. The absence of Tebow and Sparano will help immensely though. The new GM can only hold things together for a clean slate next season. The defense will keep them in games but not enough.
The Crystal Ball says: 6-10

Keep fishing. The fun has just begun.
RCR