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Buffalo Bills

The experience of head coach Chain Gailey and quarterbacks coach David Lee helped sell new addition Vince Young on the Bills, he told Chris Brown.

Leo Roth of the Democrat and Chronicle throws Bill Polian's name out there as a possibility as the Bills' next general manager.

Miami Dolphins

Quarterback David Garrard is a fan of the fast-paced offense Miami's new coaching staff is installing, he tells the team's official site. "We’re going to be snap that ball at 33 seconds every time," Garrard said. "It’s going to be non-stop, and defenses will be tired because they won’t even get to put their hand on the ground."

Omar Kelly answers some of the questions he posed earlier about how good the Dolphins could be in 2012.

New England Patriots

Julian Edelman was pleased to hear that fellow receiver Wes Welker had signed his franchise tender. "He’s one of our better players on our team and he’s only going to make us better," Edelman told ESPN Boston. "I think that's great." Defensive back Devin McCourty, meanwhile, expects business as usual from Matt Patricia following his elevation to defensive coordinator.

Back with the Patriots after serving jail time for manslaughter and on the heels of lackluster seasons in Baltimore and Washington, receiver Donte' Stallworth says he's a changed man. "I’m in a better place, mentally, physically," Stallworth told the Boston Herald.

New York Jets

Mark Sanchez definitely has the edge on Tim Tebow in the quarterbacking department, Joe Namath told ESPN New York. The legendary signal-caller also said he gets bad vibes whenever he crosses paths with Jets owner Woody Johnson.

A day after signing running back Terrance Ganaway, the Jets added one of Ganaway's former Baylor teammates, guard Robert Griffin. Griffin, who blocked for Ganaway and the "other" Robert Griffin, Heisman winner and first-round pick Robert Griffin III, was taken one pick after Ganaway in the sixth round of April's draft.

You just knew it was a matter of time Wednesday before New York Jets Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Namath weighed in on the Tim Tebow trade/no trade.

Namath offered his take on the situation and thinks it will affect Jets starting quarterback Mark Sanchez.

"I think Sanchez should be angry about what’s taken place," Joe Namath said on ESPN's 1050, via ESPN New York’s Jane McManus.

New York and Denver have hit a snag in the trade, because the Jets didn't realize they would have to pay $5 million to complete the swap. Denver wants the trade to go through, and the Jets -- for five million obvious reasons -- are backing out.

Namath issued harsh criticism of the trade, calling it "a publicity stunt." Namath said he hopes the trade falls through, which is a strong possibility.

"Absolutely!" Namath said of voiding the trade. "And I'm a Tim Tebow fan. But I'm a bigger Jet fan than I am a Tim Tebow fan."

Here are the most interesting stories Friday morning in the AFC East:

• Former New York Jets great Joe Namath says the Jets can't land Peyton Manning because they don't have their act together.

Morning take: This is no surprise, as Namath has been arguably the Jets' biggest critic. He does have a point about New York's in-house issues, but it's unknown if that's a huge deterrent.

• Miami Dolphins Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino thinks Manning would be a good fit in South Florida.

Morning take: The Dolphins haven't had a Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback since Marino. Manning has a friendship with Marino and respects his opinion, which could help.

• Contract extensions for starting tight end Scott Chandler and receiver Steve Johnson prove players want to stay with the Buffalo Bills.

Morning take: This is a good sign that Buffalo could be onto something. The Bills are keeping their young talent. But the bigger challenge is convincing top outside free agents to come to Buffalo.

• Could the New England Patriots show interest in free-agent cornerback Cortland Finnegan?

Morning take: Finnegan is arguably the top free-agent corner on the market, but I'm not sure he's a good fit. For starters, he will be pricey. But I also think the Patriots want more athleticism in the secondary.

Former New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath revealed at the presentation of his HBO documentary "Namath" that he regrets not having a better relationship with his former team.

Namath -- who won the Jets' only Super Bowl -- has been one of the team's harshest critics. Predictably it hasn't been well-received by New York's current regime of owner Woody Johnson, coach Rex Ryan and general manager Mike Tannenbaum.

"I feel awful about it, I feel awful about my relationship with the Jets right now," Namath said "I don't want them upset with Joe, but...I have to say what I see, what I think, what I feel. I think they can do some things better, no doubt."

Namath has been poignant in his criticisms. During regular radio appearances in New York, he's blasted everyone from Ryan to Santonio Holmes to the front office.

Perhaps what bothers the Jets the most is nearly everything Namath says makes big headlines and becomes national news. New York coaches and players often have to answer questions about Namath's criticisms which, right or wrong, causes a distraction.

Namath says he wants a better relationship with the Jets, but the choice is really up to him.

If Namath wants to be closely tied in with his former team, he needs to leave the harsh, public criticisms to the local and national media. There is plenty of that to go around, including in the AFC East blog.

Otherwise, the former Jets quarterback can continue to join the fray of the local and national media and be treated like an outsider. Namath can't have it both ways.

Here are the most interesting stories Friday morning in the AFC East:

• Should the Miami Dolphins continue to wait for Jeff Fisher to make a decision?

Morning take: Yes, because they have to. The reality is Fisher is a good coach and he has all the leverage. Fisher is taking his time because he can, and the Dolphins and Rams won't back out.

• Former New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath doesn't like the Tony Sparano hire.

Morning take: Is anyone surprised? Namath has been one of Rex Ryan's biggest detractors and this is another jab. I agree there are some questions. But Namath knows what he's doing.

• Who ya got: the New England Patriots or Denver Broncos?

Morning take: I don't know many people picking Denver, except the Tim Tebow fans that send messages to my AFC East inbox. This is the biggest mismatch of the divisional round and it would be shocking if Denver advanced.

• The Buffalo Bills hired new quarterbacks coach David Lee from Ole Miss.

Morning take: This is an important position, because Lee works closely with Ryan Fitzpatrick. His development will be key these next few years to see if Buffalo can turn it around.

Here are the most interesting stories Tuesday in the AFC East:

• After taking criticism about his team from former New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath, head coach Rex Ryan offered a sly jab at Namath.

Morning take: Both guys like to talk. So maybe both should come to an agreement not to poke at each other in the media. Ryan has a football team to coach and Namath can move on to other things.

• It is backup linebacker Gary Guyton's time with the New England Patriots in place of the injured Jerod Mayo (knee).

Morning take: Mayo will be missed. But New England's defense still has a lot of room to grow. It couldn't do much worse than the first few weeks.

• Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross backs Tony Sparano, saying "Tony is the right coach."

Morning take: You have to wonder how much of this is financial. Ross just gave Sparano a contract extension in the offseason. Firing him after four games would not be a good return on that investment.

• Buffalo Bills rookie left tackle Chris Hairston will make his first career start in place of the injured Demetrius Bell.

Morning take: Buffalo's offensive line played well above expectations during the first month of the season. But this unit lacks depth, and that will be tested Sunday against Philadelphia.

Here are the latest happenings Monday evening in the AFC East:

• Former New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath didn't rip coach Rex Ryan this week. But he did have a lot to say about Jets receiver Santonio Holmes, offensive line coach Bill Callahan and the personnel department.
• The Jets also lost linebacker Bryan Thomas (Achilles) for the season.
• Should Buffalo Bills fans be surprised about their loss to the Cincinnati Bengals?
• New England Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo will miss several weeks with a MCL sprain in his knee.
• Here is more on the "Suck for Andrew Luck" campaign, which is growing in popularity in Miami.

» NFC Final Word: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 4:

Strength vs. strength: What happens when the NFL's highest-scoring team meets the league's third-rated defense? We are about to find out. The undefeated Bills (3-0) travel to play the Cincinnati Bengals (1-2). Despite their struggles, the Bengals have been solid defensively under veteran assistant coach Mike Zimmer. The Bills and their spread offense will present plenty of challenges. Buffalo is averaging 37.7 points per game.

No letdown: Bills head coach Chan Gailey offered a new challenge to his players. Gailey wants to see how his locker room handles praise and success after Buffalo's surprising start. The national media is all over Buffalo this week, and the players are enjoying the unusual spotlight. This is a young group not accustomed to success. "It's a double-edged sword. If you play great you get [attention], but you've got to learn how to handle it," Gailey said. "If you can't handle it, then it won't be around long because you'll not play the way you’re capable of playing. I’m talking to a lot to these guys about handling all this stuff and making sure they don't get away from what got us to where we are."

Must-win for Sparano: Last week's game against the Cleveland Browns was a must-win for Miami as a team. Now, it appears the Dolphins are headed for their third consecutive non-playoff year. But Sunday's game against the San Diego Chargers (2-1) could be a must-win for Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano. Ownership will be watching closely to see if the Dolphins still play hard for Sparano, who is in the hot seat after a poor start. Miami has a bye after the Chargers game, which could be dangerous for Sparano. If the Dolphins fall to 0-4, that gives the front office plenty of time to reevaluate the coaching situation for the remainder of the season.

Bounce-back Brady: New England Patriots quarterback and reigning MVP Tom Brady had one of the worst games of his career in Week 3. He threw for a lot of yards but had four interceptions in a loss to the Buffalo Bills. For perspective, Brady threw only four interceptions all last season. Brady rarely has two bad games in a row. Also, the matchup against the Raiders sets up pretty well for New England's offense. Oakland has the NFL's No. 28th-ranked defense. The Raiders also are 28th against the pass.

Focus on preparation: If not for former Jets quarterback Joe Namath, no one would pay attention to New York's focus and preparation this week. Namath criticized Jets coach Rex Ryan for the way he prepares his team. Namath also hinted that the Jets are overconfident. Expect New York to give its best effort against the Ravens in a prime-time showdown. The teams share mutual respect and have similar styles. This is a big game for New York, which travels to New England for another huge game in Week 5.

Former New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath is at it again. Namath, the team's only Super Bowl-winning quarterback, was critical of Jets head coach Rex Ryan after New York's 34-24 loss to the Oakland Raiders.

Namath believes that Ryan may have a preparation issue and that Jets players could be overlooking opponents.

"It starts at the top," Namath told "The Michael Kay Show" this week. "Coach Rex Ryan I think has been doing a great job getting the team to two [AFC] championship games. But if there's one thing about the athlete, if you keep telling him how good he is, he's going to start believing it, to the point that he may not be preparing not quite the way he should. He may be losing some respect for the other team."

For starters, I disagree with Namath's knee-jerk reaction. The Jets cannot get to back-to-back AFC title games by overlooking teams and not being prepared. New York was 2-0 just last week.

But here's the rub: Namath's comments may actually help the Jets (2-1).

Remember Jason Hill? He was the "no-name" Jacksonville receiver who said two weeks ago that Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis was overrated. It caught New York's attention, and the Jets pounded the Jaguars 32-3.

New York is in desperate need of another wake-up call after Sunday's embarrassing loss to Oakland. "Broadway Joe" criticizing his former team and creating a national story should do the trick.

The Jets play with more of an edge when there are detractors. They're going to need all the edge they can muster to survive a brutal, two-game road slate against the Baltimore Ravens (2-1) and New England Patriots (2-1).

Football Outsiders senior writer Mike Tanier has been charting the top five quarterbacks of every NFL team. In his latest column, he broke down the AFC East's best. You should click on the links to read Tanier's reasoning and interesting stats on each selection.

A first-round pick from the famed 1983 draft class appears on every list.

Buffalo Bills

1. Jim Kelly
2. Joe Ferguson
3. Jack Kemp
4. Drew Bledsoe
5. Doug Flutie

Quick take: It's strange to see Flutie on the Bills' all-time list. When I arrived in Western New York 11 years ago, the area was hotly divided over him and Rob Johnson. Some fans wanted Flutie to just go away. But I agree with the list and, as Tanier, points out in his piece, this goes to show how few great quarterbacks there've been over the years.

Miami Dolphins

1. Dan Marino
2. Bob Griese
3. Jay Fiedler
4. Don Strock
5. Earl Morrall

Quick take: The Dolphins have a two Hall of Famers in their history, but you can see how much trouble they've had finding a replacement for Marino when you consider their fourth- and fifth-best quarterbacks are known for being quality backups. Granted, Morrall came off the sideline to help maintain the undefeated 1972 season. But he started 14 times over five seasons with Miami and just 40 percent of his career games.

New England Patriots

1. Tom Brady
2. Drew Bledsoe
3. Babe Parilli
4. Steve Grogan
5. Tony Eason

Quick take: This is the only AFC East team with an active quarterback on the list. The rundown couldn't be more straightforward to me. Maybe you could flip Grogan and Parilli because of longevity and the neck roll.

New York Jets (from a previous Football Outsiders column)

1. Joe Namath
2. Chad Pennington
3. Ken O'Brien
4. Vinny Testaverde
5. Richard Todd

Quick take: Tanier notes that if you wanted to rank Sanchez fourth right now, then he wouldn't argue. Neither would I, although I'd be more comfortable with Sanchez replacing Todd on this list. Tanier also claims if Pennington had avoided one of his lost seasons, he might be the greatest quarterback in Jets history -- from a statistical standpoint.

USA Today reporter Nate Davis, one of my favorite guys to sit next to in a press box because of his appreciation for obscure sitcom characters, showed his keen television eye with a blog entry about the perceived greatness of New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis.

I missed this snippet, but on the NFL Network's "The Top 100 Players of 2011," head coach Rex Ryan predicted Revis would surpass legends Joe Namath, Don Maynard, Curtis Martin and the rest in Jets history.

"One day we're going to say that this is the best Jet in the history of the New York Jet franchise," Ryan said. "I believe that. And I think we're going to also see him in Canton one day."

Davis' article includes a poll, where readers can vote on who they think will be considered the quintessential Jets player 10 years from now.

Namath's symbolism alone will be tough to match. He was a trailblazer who played a substantial role in making the NFL our most popular sport. But purely on a football standpoint, Ryan might be proven correct.

Namath did take the Jets to their lone Super Bowl victory and made the famous guarantee. However, he took the Jets to the playoffs only twice, had a career losing record as a starter, led the AFL or NFL in touchdown passes once and interceptions four times.

Namath was listed 100th on the NFL Network's "The Top 100" players of all-time. It's conceivable Revis could be considered a top 100 player before he's done.

KC Joyner, the inimitable Football Scientist, thinks Mark Sanchez is comparable to Joe Namath.

But not in the way New York Jets fans would hope.

Joyner began a column for ESPN Insider by saying, in so many words, Sanchez is overrated because he plays in New York. Joyner then gets into the greater point of the piece: Sanchez isn't any greater than Chad Henne.

That's a sentiment readers have made on the AFC East blog, oh, at least three times over the past couple of years. It's the top argument-starter around these parts.

Joyner broke down the Sanchez-Henne comparison quite clearly and has been taken aback by the early feedback to his piece, which was posted Thursday morning.

"The most surprising part of the fan response to this is how strongly they are backing Sanchez," Joyner told me in an email. "Jets fans couldn't bash him enough last year. They disagreed with the pro-Sanchez articles I wrote for ESPNNewYork.com last season, and yet when it is said that Henne is just as good as their guy, they can't jump on the 'Sanchez is elite' bandwagon quickly enough."

While the perceptions of Sanchez and Henne are different in the minds of many, partly from the support that's been shown by their respective coaches, Joyner's data shows the young quarterbacks have been quite similar.

Side-by-side, Joyner listed the stats of each quarterback at various passing distances over the past two seasons. Henne led the NFL in medium-distance yards per attempt last year. Those are passes that travel between 11 and 19 yards in the air.

Henne also wins in Joyner's "bad decision" metric, which factors all plays that directly lead to a turnover, dropped interception or fumble recovered by the offense.

Henne posted a bad decision rate of 1.9 (about one every 50 passes) the past two seasons to rate in the top 13 each time. Sanchez's 3.6 composite (about one every 28 passes) over the past two years rates in the bottom six.

There are gobs more interesting stats to mull than those. I recommend clicking on the link. Feel free to return to the AFC East blog to discuss your thoughts in the comments section below.

Examining the most crucial event in the history of every team in the division.

Who made who?

That was the question readers had to answer to determine the key event that shaped the New England Patriots. Is Bill Belichick the reason for their success, or was it Tom Brady who turned his head coach into a genius, or was it Robert Kraft's decision to hire Belichick in the first place that made all of the above possible?

Among the AFC East clubs in ESPN.com's "Flash Points" series, the Patriots' poll generated the most votes and the closest race.

Readers went with Brady, claiming the Patriots' decision to select him 199th in the 2000 draft was the moment that most impacted the franchise's fortunes.

But Brady was the only AFC East winner not to collect a majority of the votes. He received 46 percent of the nearly 60,000 cast. The decision to hire Belichick was second at 34 percent.

Kraft's purchase of the team received 10 percent, and the 1993 combo of hiring Bill Parcells as head coach and drafting Drew Bledsoe first overall got 8 percent.

Sportsguy1236 reasoned: "Whats more important to a team? Best QB in the league or best coach in the league? I think Kraft and Belichick make a close tie for second behind Brady. Reason being, I think Brady would have been successful anywhere, but Belichick and Kraft rely on each other. Belichick wants full control and Kraft gives it to him."

InStint733 disagreed: "OK, Brady being drafted is not a flash point. Drew getting hurt and Tom coming in to take over is a flash point. Tom Brady's story is a great one, but I have to give Belichick more of the success pie than Brady. I'm a big believer that defense wins championships and Belichick always has a good top 10 D no matter who plays."

JETS: Namath chooses AFL over NFL

We go from the AFC East's closest poll to the most lopsided. Of all the candidates for the most seminal New York Jets moment, readers overwhelmingly went with Joe Namath's decision to spurn the NFL monolith and join the upstart AFL.

That received 69 percent of the vote, and rightfully so. The St. Louis Cardinals drafted Namath 12th overall in 1964. But the Jets made him the top choice and gave him a mammoth contract he couldn't refuse.

It was the first flutter of a remarkable butterfly effect. Without that moment, Namath doesn't make the guarantee, the Jets don't win their only Super Bowl and Namath probably doesn't become a cultural icon. Nothing else in Jets history can compare to what Namath did for the organization.

A distant second was the 2008 hiring of Rex Ryan as head coach at 19 percent, followed by the 1997 hiring of Parcells at 7 percent and the formation of the New York Sack Exchange at 2 percent.

Bbarkz took exception with the choices in the poll: "I'm a big Jet fan, but if you were going to say defining moment for the franchise, the only possible option is the guarantee. It's not only the Jets defining moment, but you could argue it was the defining moment for the NFL as we know it."

That's true, but if Namath goes to the NFL, then the guarantee doesn't happen.

Eric5741 summed up the Ryan hire finishing second in the poll: "The team has been so bad for so long that Jets fans can't help but brag about two AFC Championship losses. ... So just give them a break. It's not their fault that their team has done nothing since most of them have been alive."

DOLPHINS: Undefeated in 1972

The Miami Dolphins generated the fewest votes among the AFC East polls, but readers were generally convinced their undefeated 1972 campaign was the most influential moment in franchise history.

I disagree with that verdict, but let's break down the percentages first.

The 1972 season collected 56 percent of the votes. The team's decision to hire head coach Don Shula away from the Baltimore Colts in 1970 came in second at 21 percent. Drafting quarterback Dan Marino in 1983 was third at 20 percent. The dramatic turnaround from a one-win team to division champs in 2008 took the other 3 percent.

The 1972 season is symbolic and keeps the Dolphins a topic of conversation every season a team can get off to a hot start. The comparisons will not go away until another team manages to win every game, including the Super Bowl.

The unbeaten feat makes Miami special. So I understand why readers chose it.

But my pick would be Shula's hiring. Without him as head coach two years earlier, can we assume the Dolphins would have run the table in 1972 and won back-to-back championships? No, we could not.

The initial exchange in the comments section under the poll ...

Gofins7933 wrote: "Everybody knows us for our perfect season in '72. That has to be the most defining moment for us."

Marek13brave replied: "Without the signing of Shula there is no perfect season in '72."

Gofins7933 countered: "Even my mom knows about the Fins perfect season. She doesn't know who Shula is."

BILLS: Norwood's kick sails wide

The Buffalo Bills went to four consecutive Super Bowls. Their best chance to win one and avoid the misery of being a perennial bridesmaid came at the end of their first appearance.

With eight seconds left in Super Bowl XXV and the Bills trailing by a point, Norwood lined up for a 47-yard field goal. We all know what happened next. The Bills still are looking for that first NFL championship.

In the "Flash Points" poll, 59 percent of readers voted for Norwood's miss. Then came Jim Kelly finally being forced to sign with the Bills after the USFL collapsed, followed by the 1985 promotion of Bill Polian to general manager at 8 percent, and linebacker Mike Stratton's "hit heard 'round the world" on San Diego Chargers running back Keith Lincoln in the 1964 AFL Championship Game at 6 percent.

Reader mdavila07 wrote: "It's definitely the Norwood miss. The Bills' legacy would be completely different if they won a Super Bowl. Not to mention, if you tell anyone you're a Bills fan, what do they bring up? Wide right and four straight Super Bowl losses. That is what the Bills are known for, their defining moment."

Dan_Daoust suggested another option: "Doesn't it have to be the Music City Miracle? The Bills had a Super Bowl-caliber team (or at least defense) that year, they got knocked out, and they've been a league doormat ever since. Wide right is an obvious choice, but it wasn't really a fortune-defining moment. The Bills made three more Super Bowls right after that, after all. The MCM, on the other hand almost seems to have had the effect of kicking the team in the groin and then standing on its neck."

I agreed with MattRichWarren's take: "It's going to be Wide Right, but that team doesn't exist without Polian's vision and drafting skill. I went with Polian because it's the right answer."

ESPN.com has been taking a team-by-team look at "Flash Points," the most crucial event in franchise history. The "NFL Live" crew recently examined what the biggest moment in New York Jets history should be.

What key event significantly changed the fortunes of the Jets -- for better or worse? Give us your take and we'll give you our definitive moment on May 26.

How many defining moments can a franchise have when it has won a single championship, and that was 42 years ago?

The New York Jets won Super Bowl III after quarterback Joe Namath made his famous guarantee. That moment didn't make my short list because the Super Bowl didn't necessarily change the Jets' fortunes; it was the Jets' fortune.

The pivotal development to get the Jets to their lone championship was Namath eschewing the NFL's St. Louis Cardinals and taking a chance on the upstart AFL. Broadway Joe became the face of the league and remains a transcendent New York icon. In four decades, no other Jets player has come close to matching the impact Namath made.

Highlights have been minimal in the years since, but the New York Sack Exchange of Mark Gastineau, Joe Klecko, Marty Lyons and Abdul Salaam provided the franchise milepost of the 1980s.

The Jets made a splash when they hired Bill Parcells as general manager and head coach in 1997. His arrival sparked a Jets-Patriots rivalry that has grown into one of the NFL's best, featuring Curtis Martin's jump to the Jets out of loyalty to the coach.

Although he has been with the Jets only two seasons, I don't think it's premature to include head coach Rex Ryan's arrival as an option for the defining moment. The culture under Ryan is a stark contrast to the organization under predecessor Eric Mangini. The Jets have gone to back-to-back AFC Championship Games and are considered a hot destination because free agents want to play for Ryan.

Submit your vote with the SportsNation poll. If you vote Other, please give us your suggestion in the comments area below this article.