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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Miami Dolphins receiver Brandon Marshall is back in the lineup Sunday and will play against the New York Jets. Here are the inactives at the Meadowlands:

Miami Dolphins

• Tight end Mickey Shuler
• Right tackle Vernon Carey
• Tackle Matt Kopa
• Center Eric Ghiaciuc
• Defensive tackle Chris Baker
• Defensive end Ryan Baker
• Outside linebacker Ikaika Alama-Francis
• Cornerback Nate Ness

New York Jets

• Quarterback Kellen Clemens
• Tight end Matthew Mulligan
• Tight end Jeff Cumberland
• Guard Vladimir Ducasse
• Defensive tackle Marcus Dixon
• Linebacker Jamaal Westerman
• Cornerback Marquice Cole
• Safety James Ihedigbo

Two of the NFL's hottest rivalries will take center stage in Week 13. Lucky for us.

The Pittsburgh Steelers will visit the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night. The New York Jets then will visit the New England Patriots on Monday night. Combined record of the four teams: 34-10.

Millions of football fans will be tuned in to see both marquee matchups with superstars and storylines aplenty.

But which pairing represents the NFL's best divisional rivalry?

Each matchup has a history, quality quarterbacks and plenty at stake for the playoffs. A couple of feisty bloggers -- James Walker from the AFC North and Tim Graham from the AFC East -- will state a case for why his division has the better rivalry.

James Walker: Tim, I just want to apologize in advance, because I don’t think you have much of a leg to stand on comparing these two rivalries. Do you accept my apology?

Tim Graham: If that's really what you think, then the only thing to accept is your resignation. The Jets-Patriots rivalry goes back 50 years, showcases ESPN's team of the decade versus the biggest media sensation, involves espionage, features incredible player and coaching crossover and will generate significantly more attention this week than the Steelers and Ravens. Yet I don't have a leg to stand on? This should be amusing.

Walker: OK, let's get down to business. First, I'm going to tell you why the Jets-Patriots rivalry doesn't stack up to Ravens-Steelers. For starters, the Jets aren't even the Patriots’ biggest rival in the AFC. The Colts are. Indianapolis and New England have played eight straight years in much bigger games -- sometimes with the Super Bowl at stake.

Meanwhile, there is no debating the Steelers and Ravens are each other's biggest rival. Both teams have played on the biggest stages, including the AFC Championship Game in 2008, when the Steelers went on to win Super Bowl XLIII. Finally, here's another difference: Pittsburgh and Baltimore both have championships within the past decade. When both rivals are able to reach the pinnacle while beating up each other along the way, that's when a rivalry is truly special. The Ravens and Steelers have it. The Colts and Patriots have it. The Jets and Patriots? I don't think so.

Graham: Your opinion about the Colts representing a bigger rival than the Jets would be pertinent if the Patriots agreed with it. Tom Brady earlier this year declared "I hate the Jets," and he wasn't joking. The Patriots play the Jets twice a year. Division games are worth more than any other game in terms of importance. A Patriots-Colts game is more like a playoff exhibition.

You do make a good point about the Ravens and Steelers each winning a Super Bowl in the past decade. But recent titles don't necessarily make rivalries. If they did, then the Packers, Vikings and Bears don't have rivalries. Storylines and animus make rivalries. In that regard, Jets-Patriots is unsurpassed.

Walker: Brady says he hates the Jets, but a rivalry is a two-way street. How much hatred does New York really have for the Patriots? It can't be too deep-rooted. Most of New York's key people recently came from the AFC North and other teams, including head coach Rex Ryan. I'd be willing to bet Santonio Holmes hates the Ravens more than he hates the Patriots. I know Bart Scott hates the Steelers. We've talked about it several times while he was in Baltimore. Braylon Edwards? He hyped his return to Cleveland 10 times more than this week's game against New England. Do you really think key players like Edwards, LaDainian Tomlinson and Antonio Cromartie have a feel for the Jets-Patriots rivalry? I doubt it.

But there is legitimate, two-way hatred between the Steelers and Ravens. Hines Ward hates the Ravens. Ray Lewis hates the Steelers. The markets of Pittsburgh and Baltimore simply cannot drive the point home like bigger cities New York and Boston can. For example, Ravens defensive end Terrell Suggs basically told me he doesn't like the Steelers, either, which is similar to what Brady said about the Jets. Yet it didn't get any attention. The Jets-Patriots rivalry may be unsurpassed in hype. But the Ravens-Steelers rivalry is unsurpassed in substance.

Graham: Come on, James. You need to do more than take a glance at 2010 rosters to understand the Jets-Patriots rivalry. Every team has free agents who need to learn a rivalry. The point about Brady's hatred was that he never said that about the Colts, which you propose is a bigger rival for the Patriots than the Jets are.

But you want substance? How about Bill Parcells taking the Patriots to the Super Bowl and then leaving them for the Jets amid such controversial circumstances the NFL forced New York to send four draft picks to the Patriots over three years, including the first-round pick in 1999, as a penalty? How about the infamous Curtis Martin defection from the Patriots to the Jets and the infamous "poison pill" contract? How about Parcells abdicating his Jets job to Bill Belichick and then Belichick writing his resignation on a cocktail napkin moments before the Jets thought they were introducing him as their next head coach? How about the Jets blocking Belichick from joining the Patriots until he filed a federal lawsuit and then settling on the Patriots shipping five draft picks to the Jets over three years, including their 2000 first-rounder? How about Patriots defensive coordinator Eric Mangini departing to be Jets head coach and leaving the bridge in cinders? How about the Patriots filing tampering charges against the Jets on receiver Deion Branch? How about a little thing called Spygate? How about Damien Woody, Danny Woodhead, Ty Law, Vinny Testaverde, Roman Phifer, Larry Izzo, Hank Poteat and Chris Baker (among many other role players) wearing both uniforms within the past decade? Steelers-Ravens has nothing even remotely close to a third of that rundown.

Walker: Why you think playing for both teams makes it more of a rivalry is beyond me. I think it lessens your argument. I can't imagine Ed Reed or Lewis wearing a Steelers jersey. Ward would never sign a deal to play for the Ravens. Not in a million years. These two teams hate each other too much. Yet all these Jets and Patriots players simply flip-flop between teams at their leisure? That’s weak and not the sign of a hated rivalry, in my opinion.

Graham: That's rather Pollyanna to think Ravens would never go play for the Steelers or vice versa. Do you honestly believe if the Steelers had hired Ryan, then all of those players who followed him to the Jets wouldn't have gone to Pittsburgh? Please. Players pursue the best opportunity based on money, playing a system they love and a chance to win a title.

Here is how players switching teams make for a better rivalry: It thickens the plot. Fans who used to wear a player's jersey burn them. The expatriate player shares playbook secrets and other intelligence. That player has a chip on his shoulder and comes back to haunt his old team.

Walker: Moving onto quarterbacks. I think there are some similarities between the teams' four passers. Joe Flacco is the third-year upstart trying to get to the championship level of Ben Roethlisberger, who already has two rings. Much of Flacco's status eventually will be determined by how much success he has against Roethlisberger and the Steelers within his division. It seems the Ravens and Steelers are always in the way and have to go through each other to have a deep run in the playoffs and get to the Super Bowl. What dynamic do you see developing with Brady and a young Mark Sanchez?

Graham: I don't know if there's much of a quarterback comparison beyond the glamour element at this stage. Brady and Sanchez have a lot in common from an off-the-field standpoint. They sell a lot of jerseys, attract a lot of ladies, walk a lot of red carpets, appear in a lot of photo shoots and do a lot of cameos. But they're too far apart in experience to compare résumés.

I see the Jets and Patriots as more of a fan base and organizational rivalry: teams from two of the greatest sports markets, with two of the NFL's most influential owners, and two of the best defensive coaches in the game -- heck, two of the most controversial coaches of this generation. Ever since Ryan took over as Jets head coach, he has been tweaking Belichick. Some thought the rivalry would wane when the Jets fired Mangini, but Ryan -- a guy who helped build the Steelers-Ravens rivalry, by the way -- came along and made it juicier.

Walker: Now is our favorite part. It's prediction time. It's no secret the Steelers and Ravens are built and play similarly. So it's usually a close game. Baltimore is going for its first series sweep since 2006, but Roethlisberger didn't play in the first meeting because of a suspension. Now he's back and is 7-2 all-time against Baltimore. But I have a feeling this is the Ravens' week. They are healthier overall, 5-0 at home and appear to be peaking at the right time. The Steelers, on the other hand, have been up and down. Both teams usually bring out the best in each other, but I'm picking the Ravens to win, 20-17. So who are you picking between the Patriots and Jets, Tim? Don't chicken out.

Graham: I predict the loser of the Jets-Patriots game will have the same record as the team that wins the Ravens-Steelers game. Predicting a score has no bearing on our debate of which rivalry is better. But I will say the Jets and Patriots provide a rare showdown between teams with the NFL's best two records. This is only the fifth time in "Monday Night Football" history two clubs with records of 9-2 or better will play, and the first game under those circumstances that doesn't involve the Joe Montana-led San Francisco 49ers in Candlestick Park.

This is a special game befitting a special rivalry. Your game features clubs that needed overtime to beat the Buffalo Bills. I'll expect that resignation letter by kickoff.

The Miami Dolphins have a problem defending tight ends.

They struggled throughout 2009 to contain them, and they're off to a rougher start this season.

Tight ends accumulated a nice stat line against Miami last year: 68 receptions for 993 yards and four touchdowns.

Through three games, even with the Buffalo Bills not throwing a single pass to their tight ends on opening day, that position is on pace to catch 69 passes for 1,099 yards and 11 touchdowns against the Dolphins.

That's an All-Pro campaign.

"We've got to do a little bit better job," Dolphins coach Tony Sparano said.

Next up are a pair of rookies who've already established themselves as dangerous targets.

The Dolphins will have difficult matchups Monday night with New England Patriots tight ends Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski.

Each is capable to doing damage.

Hernandez is more of a pure receiver, averaging 70.3 receiving yards per game. That ranks him fourth among all tight ends behind only Jermichael Finley, Antonio Gates and Dustin Keller and ahead of Dallas Clark.

Gronkowksi is the bigger red-zone threat. He has a pair of touchdowns, tying him for third in the league. On the Patriots, he has one fewer touchdown than Randy Moss and Wes Welker.

"They've done a very good job," Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said. "Both are very young in age. I think one of them is 20 (Hernandez) and one just turned 21 (Gronkowski). So for young players, it's pretty neat to find them playing such a great role on our offense.

"With each week, I think they are gaining a little more confidence in what they're doing through the experience that they're having, and we're relying on them every week to be playmakers for us."

The Patriots were one of the few teams who didn't get in on the tight end passing party last year.

As gaudy as the aforementioned 2009 tight end stats versus the Dolphins looked, the Patriots actually improved the averages. Benjamin Watson and Chris Baker combined for only five receptions and 55 yards in two games against Miami.

Tight ends tearing apart the Dolphins in the middle of the field -- think of Clark's seven-catch, 183-yard night -- were a major reason they made so many offseason defensive changes. The Dolphins fired coordinator Paul Pasqualoni. They released linebackers Akin Ayodele and Reggie Torbor and safety Gibril Wilson because they were responsible for so many big plays.

Keller exploited the Dolphins on Sunday night. He helped the Jets post a big road victory with six catches for 98 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. The Dolphins did shut him out after the intermission, but that wasn't soon enough.

Sparano knows he'll have problems again Monday night.

"It's difficult, no question about it," Sparano said of Hernandez and Gronkowski. "I think you can try a lot of ways, but with the Patriots you've got to kind of pick your poison a little bit. You can go out there and maybe try to double one of those guys, but then you could expose yourself with Randy or with Wes or with any of those people. You've got to be a little bit careful."

Football Outsiders managing editor Bill Barnwell and I pick over or under for three players from each AFC East team, using 2010 statistical projections from ESPN.com's fantasy analysts.

It's time to bring you the New England Patriots.

Quarterback Tom Brady, 30 touchdowns

Barnwell's take: OVER, but only slightly. If you plug Brady's historical touchdown rate (5.3 percent) into last year's total of 565 pass attempts, you get ... 30.1 touchdowns. I don't know if that's necessarily the right figure to use, though. Brady had 50 touchdowns in his legendary 2007 season. In 2009, Brady saw each of his top receivers get hurt, and his third guy was Sam Aiken for a good portion of the year. I think Julian Edelman and/or Torry Holt should be an upgrade as the third receiver. It might only be 32 or 33 touchdowns, but that would still be over.

My take: UNDER. Brady has surpassed 28 touchdowns in a season exactly once. Sure, Brady was transcendent in 2007. But he, Randy Moss and Wes Welker have accumulated a lot of scars since then. Nobody knows when Welker will return to form after knee and shoulder surgeries. Moss is 33 years old and has been slowed by injuries. Brady, a year after he tossed seven touchdown passes to tight ends Benjamin Watson and Chris Baker, will be throwing to rookies Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. With all those variables, I have little reason to trust Brady will throw for more touchdowns in 2010 than he has in seven of his eight full seasons.

Receiver Randy Moss, 93 catches

Barnwell's take: UNDER. Even though I think Brady will hit the over on touchdowns, this is a really high total for a player that's struggled with minor injuries throughout his time in New England (even if those injuries have been swept under the rug at times). The Pats should also have more in the way of options for Brady, which should allow him to spread the ball out to a wider group of targets.

My take: UNDER. I agree with Bill. This number seems irrationally high to me. Perhaps the belief is that he'll pick up some slack while Welker recovers. But Moss has surpassed 83 passes just once in his past six seasons. He has shown signs of wear, playing a good portion of last season with a separated shoulder, a league source told ESPNBoston.com's Mike Reiss after the Patriots were eliminated from the playoffs.

Receiver Wes Welker, 89 receptions

Barnwell's take: UNDER. This really comes down to how healthy you think Welker is. This sort of recovery timeframe from an ACL injury would not be unprecedented. Philip Rivers had a torn ACL and had surgery after the playoffs in 2007, and he was quite fantastic in 2008. Then again, Rivers wasn't playing wide receiver. If I knew Welker would be on the field Week 1 at 90 percent, I'd take the over. But I think it will take longer for him to heal than, perhaps, the Patriots have been playing up.

My take: UNDER. So much of Welker's game relies on cuts, stops and starts. Those are the types of activities that put so much strain on a player's knees. Welker averaged 8.9 receptions a game last year, so it's easy to do the math and see he could miss six games and still hit ESPN.com's fantasy projection at that clip. But we can't possibly expect Welker to maintain the same torrid pace he set when perfectly healthy. Edelman's emergence will allow the Patriots to bring Welker back cautiously and give Brady another option even when Welker gets back on the field.

Every time I write an item about ratings for the "Madden" video game, I receive responses from readers who just don't understand the phenomenon.

"Madden" has become an NFL institution. Back in the day, athletes used to know they made it when they saw themselves on a trading card and would compare them over the years. Now they eagerly await their video-game ratings.

On Monday's edition of "NFL Live," host Suzy Kolber asked studio analysts Tedy Bruschi and Eric Allen how much "Madden" scores matter among the players.

Allen mentioned he played on teams that gave out championship belts.

"It was a big deal to win the Madden challenge at the end of training camp," Allen said.

Bruschi said Madden carried "a lot of weight, especially the younger [players]" with the New England Patriots.

"I remember plenty of locker-room conversations where guys are talking about their speed ratings, their strength ratings," Bruschi said.

"But I'll tell you what's most important: Your awareness rating. If you've got a 60 or a 65 awareness, you need to get yourself in the film room because even Madden sees it."

EA Sports, maker of the "Madden" franchise, is leaking ratings for teams, star players and top rookies here and there, but a complete list of individual player scores hasn't been released. "Madden NFL 11" comes out in August.

Since Bruschi brought it up, here are some of the notable AFC East veterans (rookies and players who haven't seen much action are skewed much lower) who had weak awareness ratings in "Madden NFL 10" last year.

• 68 Chris Baker, Patriots tight end (now with Seahawks)
• 68 Brandon Meriweather, Patriots safety
• 67 Fred Jackson, Bills running back
• 67 Bryan Thomas, Jets outside linebacker
• 66 Chansi Stuckey, Jets receiver
• 64 Reggie Torbor, Dolphins linebacker (now with Bills)
• 63 Jason Allen, Dolphins defensive back
• 63 Tully Banta-Cain, Patriots outside linebacker
• 63 Donte Whitner, Bills safety
• 62 John McCargo, Bills defensive tackle
• 61 Donald Strickland, Jets cornerback (now with Chargers)
• 44 Phillip Merling, Dolphins defensive end

Shawn Springs was the New England Patriots' starting left cornerback for nine games last year, including the playoffs.

Now he's out of work.

The Patriots released Springs on Tuesday and signed sixth-round draft choice Ted Larsen, an offensive lineman from North Carolina State.

The Patriots previously re-signed last year's starter on the right side, Leigh Bodden. If Bill Belichick doesn't switch him over, then left cornerback becomes New England's biggest battle of the summer.

As ESPNBoston.com's Mike Reiss wrote Monday, the Patriots have a crowded depth chart at cornerback. Several are recent draft choices. In 2008, Terrence Wheatley was a second-round pick and Jonathan Wilhite was a fourth-rounder. Darius Butler was a 2009 second-round pick. Devin McCourty was selected 27th overall last month.

Wilhite and Butler both started games at left cornerback last year.

Springs, who signed a three-year contract a year ago, and joins a sizable list of failures from last offseason (receivers Greg Lewis and Joey Galloway, tight ends Chris Baker and Alex Smith).

ESPN's Adam Schefter suggested the Patriots might re-sign Springs, which would make sense. If Springs was good enough to start at left cornerback down the homestretch and into the postseason, then he should be good enough to remain on the roster for less money in 2010.

Springs missed four games but finished with 39 tackles, an interception and four passes defensed.

All-galaxy cornerback Darrelle Revis reportedly wants $20 million.

No, I don't mean $20 million over the length of a multiyear contract, or in guarantees.

I mean $20 million a season.

That's the figure National Football Post columnist Michael Lombardi reported Revis has requested to remain with the New York Jets. To be specific, Lombardi wrote Revis' desired contract "exceeds $20 million a year."

Shortly after ESPNNewYork.com's Rich Cimini read this, he popped the eyeballs back into his head and noted in his blog that Revis' dream deal would be not only the richest contract for any cornerback, but also more than a franchise quarterback.

Peyton Manning's annual average is $14 million.

But maybe Revis' request isn't so exorbitant. So suggests Matt Bowen, another National Football Post columnist and a former NFL defensive back.

Bowen notes Revis is so integral to head coach Rex Ryan's defense that it could unravel without him on the field. The Jets had the No. 1 total defense, scoring defense and pass defense in the NFL last year.

Ryan's defenses are predicated on aggression, and en elite cover corner is essential to making it work. Only a couple of cornerbacks can be compared to Revis when it comes to locking down receivers. Revis is phenomenal in both man and zone coverages and is an excellent tackler.

From Bowen:

Having a corner who requires little or no safety help is a luxury in this league. It allows Ryan the freedom to pressure more and call more combination coverages. This allows the free safety to slide to the opposite side of the field, cut to the slot receiver on an inside release, play the top of a triangle (think three-on-two), jump routes, etc.

Most of all, it allows Ryan to set up his players to make plays on the football. And that’s what wins in New York right now when we talk about this style of defensive football.

It will be fascinating to see how Revis' contract situation develops. His agent is Neil Schwartz, who has a history of going to battle with Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum over clients Pete Kendall and Chris Baker. A contract dispute kept Revis out for the first three weeks of his rookie training camp until he and Schwartz agreed to a satisfying deal. Revis signed a six-year, $30 million contract with $11 million in guarantees. He's scheduled to make a base salary of $550,000 this year, but that doesn't include bonuses.

Creating even more tension in Florham Park: Revis isn't the only contract concern for the Jets.

All-Pro center Nick Mangold wants a new contract before training camp. Then you have Pro Bowl left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson and inside linebacker David Harris, last year's leading tackler.

I wonder if those three will total $20 million a year combined.

A month ago, the only tight ends on the New England Patriots' roster were Robbie Agnone and Rob Myers, undrafted rookies on last year's practice squad.

They cut Chris Baker and let Benjamin Watson drift off into free agency.

The depth chart looked rather empty.

Today, the Patriots have an impressive group of tight ends that should have them set for years to come.

The Patriots on Saturday morning selected Florida tight end Aaron Hernandez in the fourth round. They took Arizona's Ron Gronkowski in the second round Friday night, giving them two of the top four tight ends in this year's class, according to Scouts Inc.

Gronkowski is viewed as a more complete tight end, but had back problems that wiped out his junior season. Hernandez is the better receiver. Hernandez had 68 receptions for 850 yards and five touchdowns last year.

New England previously signed veteran Alge Crumpler, a two-time Pro Bowler who has morphed into more of a blocker than a receiver.

The New England Patriots have a tight end who has caught an NFL pass.

Alge Crumpler actually has snagged 367 of them for 37 touchdowns.

Multiple outlets are reporting the Patriots have reached terms with Crumpler, a four-time Pro Bowler who spent the past two seasons with the Tennessee Titans.

The Patriots had a major void at tight end after losing free-agent Benjamin Watson to the Cleveland Browns and releasing Chris Baker. Those moves left them with only Robbie Agnone and Rob Myers, undrafted rookies on last year's practice squad, on their roster.

"It's a loss," Titans radio analyst and former tight end Frank Wycheck said of Crumpler's departure. "He's such a great professional, a stand-up guy win or lose. Theyr'e going to lose that leadership and that presence.

"The Patriots are getting a guy who fits the mold of what they've done over the years, bringing in guys you can trust to step up and play well."

In Crumpler's time with Tennessee, he evolved into a balanced tight end. He was known as a dangerous receiver for the Atlanta Falcons. He caught 24 touchdown passes in his last four seasons with them before joining the Titans as a free agent.

Wycheck said Crumpler excelled when the Titans gave him greater blocking responsibilities. Crumpler played a significant role in helping speedy running back Chris Johnson hit the corner throughout his 2,000-yard rushing season.

"He really blocked well, something he hasn't gotten enough credit for over his career," Wycheck said. "He's a really stout blocker, really holds the edge well.

"He embraced the role of going both on the line as a lead blocker and still being an effective receiver."

Crumpler had 27 receptions for a career-low 222 yards and one touchdown last season. Bo Scaife was the primary receiver at tight end, catching 45 passes for 440 yards.

Wycheck noted Crumpler won't be breaking down the middle of the field like he used to. But Crumpler still has incredible hands and the size to post up between the hash marks.

"It'll be a little bit of a change because everybody remembers Ben Watson tracking down Champ Bailey from behind," Wycheck said. "If you're expecting Alge to run like Ben Watson, that won't be the case."

"But I see him like Tony Gonzalez the past few years. Alge uses his smarts and experience. No one expects him to be the Alge that he was in Atlanta, but he's still playing really well and enjoying the game."

For those who didn't get a chance to catch my ESPN Radio segment Friday afternoon with Ryen Russillo of "The Scott Van Pelt Show," you can experience the broadcast splendor right here. For those who heard it live, I know you're eager to relive the magic.

Topics included:

• The New York Jets' pursuit of LaDainian Tomlinson and the chances they'll reach terms.
• The Jets' decision to release Thomas Jones.
• The New England Patriots' void at tight end.
• What's next for Terrell Owens after the Buffalo Bills?

With the loss of Benjamin Watson and no tight ends who've played in an NFL game on their roster, the New England Patriots have a crater at the position.

In a piece for ESPNBoston.com, Mike Reiss examines the void, pointing out the Patriots don't even have a tight ends coach on their roster.

Writes Reiss:

Consider that back in training camp, Bill Belichick called the competition between Watson, Chris Baker, Alex Smith and David Thomas the best in his 10 years as head coach. Now consider that none of those players are on the current roster.

How does that happen?

In retrospect, they swung and missed at every turn.

What's left for the Patriots are Rob Myers and Robbie Agnone, a pair of undrafted rookies from last year's practice squad.

The Patriots have held free-agent interviews with three-time Pro Bowler Alge Crumpler and Daniel Fells. The latter re-signed with the St. Louis Rams. Reiss takes a look at the rest of the unemployed, including Randy McMichael and Reggie Kelly and notes this year's draft class is deep at tight end.

Remember when the New York Jets cut tight end Chris Baker and the New England Patriots pounced on him?

There was a sense the Jets had made a grave error. When the Patriots sign somebody, there's an assumption he's going to shine. That Baker would get to face his old team twice a year made it seem like bad news for the Jets.

On Thursday, the Jets looked even smarter and the Patriots a little less wise.

The Patriots released Baker after one unsatisfying season. He caught 14 passes for 142 yards and two touchdowns.

The Patriots' decision to release Baker was a curious one because they're thin at tight end. Benjamin Watson is an unrestricted free agent. The only tight ends on their roster are Rob Myers and Robbie Agnone, a pair of undrafted rookies on last year's practice squad.

Baker joins a long list of failed 2009 acquisitions that put a dent into the Patriots' reputation for salvaging veterans.

They were successful with cornerback Leigh Bodden and outside linebacker Tully Banta-Cain, but they also misfired on receivers Joey Galloway and Greg Lewis and tight end Alex Smith. The jury's still out on running back Fred Taylor, who missed much of last season because of ankle surgery and will be back in 2010.

Note: Thursday and Friday, Scouts Inc.’s Matt Williamson is reviewing key aspects of AFC East teams. Thursday, he reviewed and ranked the division’s secondaries from best to worst. Today, he is examining the lack of prominence of the AFC East's tight ends.

The tight end position really seems to be an afterthought in this division.

One reason is three out of the four AFC East defenses play a 3-4 scheme, with the Buffalo Bills going that direction in 2010 to make it four out of four. Why should that matter?

The 3-4 emphasizes speedy outside linebackers, so these offenses feel the need to keep their tight ends in to block on pass plays. Along those lines, this is also quite possibly the most physical division in the league. In order to be physical on offense, a team needs a strong, inline blocking tight end to help the running game.

While the Bills and the Miami Dolphins have not used prime resources at this position, the same cannot be said for the New England Patriots and New York Jets. Each team has used first-round draft choices on tight ends: The Patriots selected Benjamin Watson, now a pending unrestricted free agent, in the 2004 draft; and the Jets picked Dustin Keller in 2008.

Keller is the wild card of the lot. The Jets have been able to use Keller as a pass-catching weapon. They can do this because their offensive line is strong and the Jets also have a good blocking tight end in Ben Hartsock. Although Keller is inconsistent, he has a chance to be an asset to quarterback Mark Sanchez's development. Keller can attack a defense from many different spots in the formation, giving him the opportunity to match up against linebacker coverage. Keller could break out in 2010.

The Pats and Watson are in a state of flux. Many believe that he will not return to New England. If that is true, the Patriots next option is Chris Baker, who is ordinary in all facets. Watson is very athletic, but he’s too much of a liability as a blocker, particularly in this division. Considering the uncertain state of the Patriots’ wide receiver position, upgrading at tight end would make a lot of sense for New England.

In Miami, I can live with Anthony Fasano. Of course he isn’t real flashy, but he does sure fit the Bill Parcells mold at the position. He is smart, tough, a hammer in the run game and has been productive near the goal line. The problem here is that Miami is just so weak at wide receiver that Fasano’s lack of big-play ability is exposed. But this is a solid football player. Backup Joey Haynos gets a lot of playing time, but his role as a blocker is pretty clear. He isn’t going to cause any mismatches in the passing game.

Buffalo gets so little out of their tight ends. The threesome of Derek Schouman, Derek Fine and Shawn Nelson were among the worst in the league, and Fine recently was released. The fact that the Bills offensive tackle position is simply horrendous doesn’t help the tight ends’ pass-catching potential. With the possible exception of Nelson, calling the Bills’ tight end corp underwhelming would be a massive compliment.

The New England Patriots crashed hard Sunday.

The Baltimore Ravens went into Gillette Stadium and pounded the Patriots like Keith Moon used to treat his drum kit.

New England lost 33-14 and never really was in the game.

Baltimore made it look way too easy. Running back Ray Rice zipped 83 yards for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage to trigger a 24-point first quarter.

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was abysmal with four giveaways. The NFL's Comeback Player of the Year was 23-of-42 for 154 yards and two touchdowns. He threw three interceptions and lost a fumble on one of three sacks.

Hard to say how much of a difference a healthy Wes Welker would have made. Welker is Brady's compass, but the slot receiver couldn't help from his seat in owner Robert Kraft's suite, a pair of crutches nearby.

Maybe Brady feels little more comfortable and doesn't press so much with Welker on the field. But the Ravens were so thoroughly dominant, it's difficult to dispute the result would've been different.

Welker's slot replacement, rookie Julian Edelman, had six receptions for 44 yards and two touchdowns. But Randy Moss was a non-factor with five catches for 48 yards. New England tight ends Benjamin Watson and Chris Baker combined for two catches for 5 yards.

The Patriots had fewer yards, fewer first downs, more turnovers, more penalties and a shorter time of possession.

The Ravens passed for only 34 yards, but they still held the edge in total yards because they rushed for 234. Rice had 159 and two touchdowns. Willis McGahee ran for 62 yards and a touchdown. The Patriots rushed for 64 as a team.

AFC: Ravens-Patriots: Graham | Walker » Jets-Bengals: Graham | Walker
NFC: Cowboys-Eagles: Mosley » Packers-Cardinals: Sando | Seifert

Three nuggets of knowledge about Sunday's Ravens-Patriots wild-card playoff game:

Julian Edelman will do enough to help the Patriots cope with Wes Welker's injury. I'm not going to debate analysts who've played the game about Welker's importance to the Patriots' offense. I selected him as my AFC East MVP. But I do believe too much is being made about his telepathy with Tom Brady. Yes, there will be a dropoff in chemistry from Welker to rookie Julian Edelman. A few more balls will hit the turf. But Edelman did manage to catch 10 of the 15 passes thrown his way Sunday. He's OK.

When remembering the Week 4 matchup, consider that Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo didn't play. The Ravens outgained Patriots 363-319. Ravens running back Ray Rice carried 11 times for 103 yards. You would expect those numbers to go down with Mayo on patrol in the middle of the defense. Last year's defensive rookie of the year suffered a knee injury on opening night and wasn't able to play in their first meeting.

Patriot tights ends are an X factor. Benjamin Watson and Chris Baker haven't contributed much to the box score all season. Then again, with a players such as Welker and Randy Moss in the lineup, there aren't a lot of passes to distribute around. In the three games Welker was unavailable (counting Sunday, when he went down in the first quarter), Watson and Baker combined for 11 of their 43 receptions and for 134 of their 518 yards. Calculate that pace over a full season, and Patriots tight ends grab a much more palatable 59 catches for 715 yards this year.