NESO'S TAKE ON SPORTS

Patriots fans have sat and watched the Jets obtain LaDanian Tomlinson, Antonio Cromartie, and Santonio Holmes, while the Dolphins picked up Karlos Dansby and now Brandon Marshall.

As a Pats fan, I must admit that I was frustrated. I mean, a fifth rounder for Santonio Holmes? Considering New England needs a wide out, he could be useful, even if suspended for four games.

But, are the Pats actually the third best team in their division? Let me just say that it is too early to tell. The Patriots have 12 draft picks, and Bill Belichick  has hinted at trading up, potentially spending one of his three second rounders.

Also, before we write the Jets a ticket to the Super Bowl, let’s remember that they lost their best RB from last season, and while they do have LT, Shonn Greene and Leon Wahington, they lost the RB who led the NFL in yards last year.

Plus, they have Mark Sanchez at the helm. I think Sanchez will be a good QB in the NFL, but Sanchez threw 20 picks last year, and was near the bottom of the league in passer rating. If the Jets want to make the Super Bowl, or utilize the weapons they have at the receiver position, Sanchez will have to be better.

Also, the Jets have a very volatile locker room, and while talented, if the team morale drops, the team’s stats will too. Look at the Broncos last season, after starting of 6-0, they went on a stretch of losing.

After losing one game, they were unable to prevent it from snowballing, and I think part of the problem was a lack of trust in their coach (locker room problem). Josh McDaniels was calling out players left and right.

All I’m saying is that locker room problems cannot be underrated. If the Jets get off to a slow start, they may not be able to dig themselves out of the ditch, with multiple locker room distractions.

The Dolphins are seemingly just as talented, but their once strong running game has become inconsistent, with Ricky Williams a year older and Ronnie Brown unable to stay healthy.

The addition of Karlos Dansby will help tremendously, cementing a poor run defense, and the Jets were able to acquire their biggest need, an offensive play-maker in Brandon Marshall.

The ‘Phins gave up little of their “future”, by trading two second rounders over the next two years.

To me, the Jets and Dolphins are both as good if not better than the Pats on paper, but let’s remember how the Patriots won their first Super Bowl.

A superb defense and an above average offense.

The Pats definitely have the latter, even without Wes Welker, and the Pats have 12 draft picks (the majority of them hopefully addressing defense) to bolster their defensive unit.

If the Pats can address the pass rush effectively, the secondary will inherently become better, and Darius Butler certainly has great potential, showing great cover skills last season.

I still have the Pats winning the division, partly because I think with Sebastian Vollmer playing tackle instead of Kaczur the Pats will be able to deal with blitzes (especially against the Jets) much more effectively.

You look at what both Miami and New York have done, add talent at the expense of locker room composure.

What am I saying?

The AFC East is finally a three team division, one of the strongest in the league.

New York and Miami have both improved vastly, but do not discount the team’s losses, or what they’ve given up. The Patriots have lost little from last season, while adding back-ups and depth.

It’s too early to decide who will ultimately have the upper hand, because the draft can change the outlook of any team; for better or for worse.

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