With Brees or Culpepper Miami will be the AFC East pick for most

[PatsRI]

Looking at the moves made already and barring a surprise "big" signing from the Pats I can already see all the preseason publications picking the Dolphins to win the AFC East with the Pats being a wild card. I guess if you factor in that Miami finished only a game behind NE last year they will be justified. Of course they'd never take into account the injuries for NE last year.

 

[Pats726]

I think so..Saban..the new BB..and such..of course they will look for the upstart dump NE..I will not at all be surprised...

 

[smg93]

I really like Brees but from an objective point of view, it's too difficult not to install the Pats as early favorites as long as Brady, Branch, Bruschi and Seymour are still around. Thats a championship nucleus that just isn't made overnight. As pointed out in other threads, The Pats, Steelers, and Colts haven't done much during this first week of free agency.

In my opinion, with QB's like Brady, Roethlisberger, and Manning, there really is no reason to be aggressive in the first week. The second and third weeks is really the time when teams with strong cores are able to surround those guys with talent to carry them into the playoffs. To annoint Miami so early would be one of those pre-season titles borne out of name recognition rather than true team cohesion, the real secret to winning football games.