2005 AFC East Football Preview

In the AFC East I expect to see the Patriots drop off a bit, but not much, the reason for the projected drop off is mainly due to the fact that the Patriots will be without the services of offensive coordinator Charlie Weis and defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel, both have moved on to head coaching positions, Weis with Notre Dame and Crennel with the Cleveland Browns. Eric Mangini is the new defensive coordinator, while Bill Belichick will be calling the plays on offense himself.

The Patriots play seven games this season against 2004 playoff teams and four of those affairs will take place on the road, the Patriots also lost a lot of talent such as WR David Patton, OG Joe Andruzzi, and CB Ty Law via free agency and very well could be without their defensive leader LB Tedy Bruschi whose status is uncertain following an off season stroke, then there is the matter of the Patriots winning three of the past four Super Bowls, meaning that the Patriots have played nine post season games above and beyond the normal sixteen game regular season schedule over the past four years and have had to deal with all of the off season commitments and hoopla that come with winning the big game, also, don't forget that the team that wins the Super Bowl is in the least best position come draft time, meaning that the "Fresh Blood" talent pool on the Patriots has depleted due to their success.

The saving grace for the Patriots in the AFC East comes from the fact that the Jets did not help themselves a whole lot in the draft other than taking Kicker Mike Nugent out of Ohio State with their top selection, like the Patriots, the Jets also lost a lot of talent via free agency with the departure of starters WR Santana Moss, TE Anthony Becht, RT Kareem McKenzie, and DT Jason Ferguson, however, the greatest loss to free agency for the Jets may turn out to be RB Lamont Jordan who could have stepped in quite nicely if 32 year old RB Cutis Martin goes down to injury.

However, the Jets were smart enough to pick up former Dolphin QB Jay Fiedler to back up starting QB Chad Pennington who has been injury prone as of late, Jet HC Herm Edwards replaced his offensive coordinator Paul Hackett with former Titan offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger which will be interesting because Heimerdinger likes to throw the deep ball, meanwhile, Pennington is fresh off shoulder surgery and is better suited for the west coast style of short ball passing.

Buffalo finished the 2004 season strong down the stretch in winning 8 of 9 games before losing their final game of the season at home to the Steelers, however, that season ending loss to Pittsburgh was costly as it proved to be a difference maker in deciding who went to the playoffs and who stayed at home, the Bills are indeed a team on the rise with a really good defense and excellent special teams, however, they probably booted QB Drew Bledsoe out of town a year too early and will be starting last years #1 draft pick JP Losman in his place which of course means some growing pains this season for the young QB.

Miami finished the 2004 season with a shoddy 4-12 record but like Buffalo looks to be a team on the rise in the AFC East, I won't be foolhardy enough to predict a playoff berth after a four win season but I do see major improvement for the Dolphins this season and think a seven or eight win season is not out of the realm of possibility when considering that the Dolphins now have Nick Saban at the helm as their new HC.

Unlike Steve Spurrier when he made his NFL debut with the Skins, Nick Saban was smart enough to go out and get experienced NFL assistants, Saban brought in former Viking offensive coordinator Scott Linehan to run the offense and former Charger coach Hudson Houck to run the defense, Saban also engineered one of the best drafts of any team in the league, look for former Auburn RB Ronnie Brown to make an immediate impact.

In closing, the Patriots finished up 2004 with an impressive 13-5-1 ATS mark on the heels of posting a 14-4-1 ATS mark in 2003, can New England once again dominate the spread wars in 2005? Probably so, but not to the extent of the past couple of seasons, you see my friend "Joe Public" type bettors will in all likelihood view the Patriots as a "Go against" team in 2005 due to the loss of Weis and Crennel, however, Belichick is still the HC and Tom Brady is still the QB under center.

With that being said I would recommend making a play on the Patriots whenever they are receiving points in a doggie role, not much value will be had this season with the Jets, meanwhile, both Buffalo and Miami will be unpredictable during the first eight weeks of the season due to the fact that both teams will have new starting QB's under center and both teams have weaknesses up front on the offensive line, in Miami's case their players have to learn new schemes on both sides of the ball due to a whole new coaching staff.

Jim Campbell is one of the nations most respected Sports Handicappers, he specializes in College and Pro Football, you can visit Jim at his website located at footballforecastor.com for all of your handicapping needs including free play selections, College and NFL stats, trends and award winning analysis on upcoming games.

With over 30 plus years experience in the handicapping profession Jim has built a solid reputation, his web based handicapping service at footballforecastor.com as been in existence since 1997 and year after year proves to be one of the very best handicapping services in America.

---

Craps Online Betting

This short article aims to quickly cover some of the... Read More

How to Master Low Limit Texas Holdem, Part 2 - The Online Poker Game

I continue my articles about learning to master online poker... Read More

What You Need to Know About - Native Americans and Gambling

The term 'Gambling' is synonymous to 'Gaming'. Gaming or Gambling... Read More

American Gambling Basics

Casinos have always been a destination for the wealthy and... Read More

Why Use an Internet Sports Book to Make Wagers?

Although I started using online sportsbooks almost ten years ago,... Read More

College Football Betting - Point Spreads

But, in the college ranks, you see those types of... Read More

Martingale Betting System - Are You SURE?

Very common and popular system among newbies who like roulette,... Read More

How To Choose A Reputable Online Casino

With literally thousands of online casinos on the internet, it... Read More

Gambling Superstitions

Many times while gambling, I've found myself searching for subtle... Read More

Avoiding Tilt While Playing Online Poker

As many experts have said, poker is a game that... Read More

Slot Machines - The Basics

Slot machines are by far the easiest - and one... Read More

Compulsive Gambler Shares His Recovery Story About Gamblers Anonymous Now That He Stopped

A compulsive gambler who participated in Gamblers Anonymous program shared... Read More

Slot Machines - Good and Bad Locations

Although no one will ever truly know where the casinos... Read More

Online Poker Satellites - How to Turn as Little as $1 into Millions

What do Dr. Vic Fey, an obstetrician from Clinton, Oklahoma,... Read More

My Official Cheapskate Guide to Las Vegas

TRAVEL- The following is my penny pinchers guide to Las... Read More

College Football Betting - Trends and Rivalry Games

In college they have trends and in the pros they... Read More

YOUR Advantage With Online Poker Table Notes

The importance of taking notes on your opponents can't be... Read More

The Secrets of Martingale Systems

Pssst...! Wanna know a secret?How about the secret of Martingale... Read More

Learn to Play Poker Online in Order to Make Money - Pot Odds

For most people, there are only two real reasons to... Read More

Money Management: The Real Smart Money

Money Management: Picking "your" spotI'm sure we've all talked about... Read More

The Dangers of Bingo

Let's face it; bingo is hardly going to arouse a... Read More

As Poker Goes Hollywood Hansen is Seen as Icon

In People magazine's December 2004 issue, Gus Hansen was voted... Read More

Compulsive Gamblers Struggle To Stop Gambling Even Though They Know They Have A Problem Gambling

Every compulsive gambler has uttered the words "Please help me... Read More

Handicapping the NFL Pre-season

It never ceases to amaze me just how many sports... Read More

How To Avoid The 3 Destructive Traits Of Traditional Gambling / Lottery Systems

There is over $120,000,000,000 spent on lottery systems along across... Read More

The Fine Print Behind Online Gambling Bonus Offers

If you have never opened an account with an online... Read More

Halftime Betting for Football

There are several different ways bettors use the halftime wager,... Read More

Gender Differences in Gambling

Being a fairly regular gambler, I have noticed a few... Read More

Roulette - How to Bet

Betting is very simple in roulette if you follow these... Read More

Greyhound Racing Basics

In Egypt the greyhounds were mummified and buried with their... Read More

6-max Texas Limit Holdem: Pre-Flop Play

Position is even more important in 6-max play than in... Read More

The Secret of Pushing the Pass Line

Pssst...! Wanna know a secret?How about the secret of Pushing... Read More

Just The Best Online Gambling, Casinos, Poker, Sports Book

BlackJack, Slots, Roulette, Video Poker, Bonus Slots, Stud Poker, Texas... Read More