With Brady out, who's the favorite in the AFC East?

2008-12-08T14:14:32-05:00

2008-09-08T15:26:15-04:00

2008-09-10T06:39:47-04:00

2008-09-15T07:58:11-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/520/327/thumb/history_roh_landry.jpg 4 MA

bigant the cowboyfan

West Springfield 520767

1 pats still should be on top of the afc even those tom brady is out.. I dont think TOM will be out long...what up? what do u think 2741274

2008-09-10T00:29:02-04:00

jmchapman43

Hendersonville 520269

Call me crazy but I have to say the Tennessee Titans. I would rather have a stellar defense and a mediocre QB than the other way around. Defense wins championships! Who knows? Maybe losing Vince Young is a good thing for the Titans... 2707003

2008-09-10T00:26:43-04:00

jmchapman43

Hendersonville 520269

Call me crazy but I say the Tennessee Titans. I would rather have a stellar defense and a mediocre QB. Defense wins championships! Who knows? Losing Vince Young might actually be a GOOD thing for the Titans... 2706970

2008-09-09T22:31:08-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/140/357/thumb/footer-logo.jpg 27 NJ

Stephen (JETS!)

Randolph 140657

Jets... and we will prove this out on Sunday. and that will end this conversation.. maybe :) 2706642

2008-09-09T21:38:39-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/403/327/thumb/Hank_Stram.jpg 84 MO

conman33

Kansas City 403767

The stars are aligned! The Bills - Lions Super Bowl matchup I've been dreaming of will finally happen! HAHA 2706255

2008-09-09T17:20:51-04:00

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Random Caribou

Pittsburgh 435567

i dont know about the AFC East, but now that the Patriots are down, the colts are down, the chargers are down, the jaguars are down, and the browns are down, the STEELERS will be AFC champions, no doubt in my mind 2704551

2008-09-09T16:56:30-04:00

ebatchelor

Acton 495934

As a Bostonian and a Patriots fan - I have no problem saying the Pats will be lucky to finish in second place in the AFC East - with Buffalo and NYJ looking solid - I'd be happy with a 9-7 season. 2704304

2008-09-09T16:15:23-04:00

Steelers fan in NYC

New York 519744

While I totally understand the blind-faith of most Patriot's fans, the reality is that usually when you lose a "franchise-player" like Brady, you can kiss the season good-bye?! It would be the same if it were Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, LT, etc...I think the Pats will be lucky to finish 8-8. Timing is just as much a variable as injuries and schedule in the NFL. The Jet's just got a huge break (no pun intended) in their young season. If the o-line can protect Farve, then I've no doubt the legendary gunslinger will do his thing. I'm not a big fan of the Seahawks, so too early to tell if the Bills are for real. They're a team on the rise, but to me Farve means a 10-6 season to the Jet or better. And this is coming from a Steelers fan. Lol. 2703868

2008-09-09T14:08:33-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/946/82/thumb/image002.jpg 447 NY

jaysweet

Rochester 94982

Vincenzo did not actually see the Buffalo game, I can tell. Just based on the box score, I agree, it's Week 1, who really knows. But if you watched the game, their defense made a definitive statement. Any team with a less-than-perfect O-line is going to have a lot of trouble with the Bills this season. I won't say whether I think they are the best in the AFC East -- too many unknowns to rule out anybody except the Dolphins. But to say they haven't proved anything, to say they haven't made great offseason moves (Marcus Stroud?!?), to say they didn't have a good draft (you don't know yet, everyone said at the time that their 2006 and 2007 drafts sucked, but Whitner and Poluszny are now two of the best young defensive players in the division), well, I smell some bias here. Anyway, my wife says that if Buffalo wins the division title this year, she'll stop making fun of me for being loyal to a struggling team. Woo hoo! Go Bills! 2702249

2008-09-09T13:26:51-04:00

vincenzo

Olathe 110094

I'll take the Jets as the new favorite only because of the following reasons: The Patriots are by far the favorite with Brady, but now they are exposed and beatable more than they ever have been before. Their whole team is upgraded when he is in the lineup. He is their leader and most talented player, in my opninon, the assistant head coach. Without Brady, the Patriots seem to be a lost on that field. The Jets are like a train right now, they will start slow off the tracks because, remember, this is a new team, they have so many new additions on all sides of the ball. Its just a matter of time before the chemistry clicks and their wheels get to rollin. They have an admirable running game and now a threat at the deep pass, they will continue to stretch the field on defenses, including the aging patriots. The Bills are yet to prove ANYTHING. All the "top-tier" football teams got beat this weekend by underdogs, in my opninon, flukes. I agree that it is too early to tell anything, but what gives anybody the notion that this Bills team is now playoff contender with no great offseason moves or even a great draft. I think that Buffalo is just hyped they beat a better team by a lot, don't get too excited, it wont happen next week. 2701593

It's official: Tom Brady will have surgery on his left knee, <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/football/nfl/09/08/brady.ap/index.html" target="_blank">ending his 2008 season</a>. Coach Bill Belichick said the Patriots will put the QB on injured reserve and prepare to play without the reigning league MVP.The question: Where does this leave the Patriots? New England was everybody's favorite to win the AFC East before the season, but the Brady injury certainly adds a wrinkle. With the Bills and Jets winning in Week 1, and the Dolphins putting up a good fight in a close loss, suddenly the Brady-less Pats may not be the sure thing they were at this time last week.Our questions to you: Who will win the AFC East now? How many wins do you see the Patriots having without Brady? Share your thoughts in the comments below. 2166

The SI Staff

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