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Yes, the start of training camps is two months away, but it’s never too early to consider the coming season. A look at the best-case and worst-case scenarios for the Buffalo Bills in 2012.

Dream scenario (11-5): It would be a dream for Bills fans to see their team back in the playoffs for the first time in 13 years. The last time we saw Buffalo make the postseason, the Bills were the victim of the “Music City Miracle” in 1999. It has been a long line of disappointments and underachieving since that historic play. (Many Bills fans still contend that was a forward pass, by the way.) This year’s team looks poised to break the streak. This is the best team, on paper, that Buffalo has had in a long time. The offense will be dangerous if quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick improves his consistency in the passing game and Fred Jackson, C.J. Spiller and the running game stay consistent. Buffalo also made improvements to the defense, including drafting corner Stephon Gilmore in the first round and adding stud defensive ends Mario Williams and Mark Anderson. Chances are, everything won’t fall into place for Buffalo. But this is a sleeper team that does have a chance to make a jump and contend for the playoffs.

Nightmare scenario (5-11): Despite all the additions, there is no guarantee the Bills and their coaching staff can bring it all together in one year. What if Fitzpatrick continues to play like the second half of 2011 and is not the long-term solution? What if the defense struggles to make the transition to a 4-3 scheme under new defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt? What if big injuries again decimate this team? A lot can go wrong for the Bills, especially in a division where the reigning AFC champion New England Patriots are expected to dominate. The Bills are trying to catch up and cannot afford to make many mistakes in the AFC East. They were 1-5 against division foes last year. Bills head coach Chan Gailey is only 10-22 in his first two years in Buffalo. He has more talent than he has ever had with the Bills. There are no excuses for Gailey this year. It’s still somewhat of a mystery whether Gailey can coach. But we will find out in 2012.

The Buffalo Bills signed quarterback Vince Young to a one-year contract on Friday. ESPN's Chris Mortensen reports the deal is worth $2 million, with an extra $1 million in incentives.

The natural inclination is to assume Young, a former first-round pick, could pose a threat to the job security of Bills starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, a former seventh-round pick. But that is not the case.

Fitzpatrick has no reason to worry. Buffalo is his team. The Bills signed him to a $59 million extension last year, and in many ways Buffalo's offense has been geared specifically to Fitzpatrick's strengths. Young is insurance in the event of injury.

A bigger question is how much does Young have left in the tank? Last season, Young looked like a quarterback who no longer had much to offer. He started three games in relief last season with the Philadelphia Eagles, and threw for 866 yards, four touchdowns and nine interceptions. He had a career-low 60.8 passer rating.

Young is only 28. He's still one of the most athletic quarterbacks out there. Maybe he can help Buffalo's Wildcat package in ways Brad Smith couldn't. Maybe Young can run trick plays. Maybe Young will start a couple games if Fitzpatrick gets hurt.

Either way, it's clear Buffalo is doing all it can to strengthen its weaknesses. The Bills couldn't rush the passer last season, so they signed defensive ends Mario Williams and Mark Anderson. The Bills needed a cornerback and left tackle, and drafted Stephen Gilmore and Cordy Glenn, respectively, in the first two rounds. Young adds depth at quarterback.

Buffalo's front office is covering all its bases. As long as Young doesn't make a "Dream Team" reference in Buffalo this season, the Bills have a chance to surprise people.

On the surface, Joe Vitt’s tenure as an interim head coach in St. Louis doesn’t look very pretty.

But dig beneath the surface a little bit and you’ll find a different story. I spoke with several people who observed Vitt’s time as the Rams’ head coach in 2005, and they said he did a nice job of weathering the storm.

Vitt will be taking over as the interim head coach of the New Orleans Saints on Monday when Sean Payton begins his season-long suspension. Vitt, who has been Payton’s assistant head coach since 2006, will run the team through the offseason program, training camp and the regular season. But Vitt will have to step away at the start of the regular season and serve a six-game suspension for his role in the Saints’ bounty program. After that, Vitt will return as head coach.

General manager Mickey Loomis will serve an eight-game suspension to start the season. The Saints also could have players suspended.

There are turbulent times ahead for the Saints, but Vitt has experience in handling situations like this.

Back in 2005, he was the assistant head coach and linebackers coach in St. Louis. The Rams already were ending “The Greatest Show on Turf’’ era. With Mike Martz as the head coach, the Rams got off to a 2-3 start and there was a well-publicized feud brewing between Martz and the front office. Martz came down with a bacterial infection in his heart after five games, and Vitt was elevated to interim head coach.

By that point, injuries already were piling up. With quarterback Marc Bulger injured, the Rams had to go through a lot of that season with Jamie Martin and Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback. Wide receiver Isaac Bruce was dealing with injuries and near the end of his career, and nothing was easy. The Rams went 4-7 under Vitt, but several people that were associated with the team or observed the Rams closely in those days said Vitt made the most out of a difficult situation.

They said Vitt kept his players playing hard. He’s known as a motivator in New Orleans, and it was the same way in St. Louis. Vitt used to show the Rams a movie the night before a game, and it always was tied to a motivational message. One movie was “Gladiator,’’ which emphasized the importance of sticking together. Under Vitt, the Rams started off 3-3, highlighted by Fitzpatrick coming off the bench to rally them to a 33-27 victory against Houston.

After that, the Rams endured a four-game losing streak, but most of those games were close. The last two were a one-point loss to Philadelphia and a four-point loss to San Francisco. Vitt wrapped up his tenure with a season-ending victory against Dallas, a team that included Payton on its staff. After that, Payton got hired by the Saints, and one of the first moves he made was hiring Vitt.

On Monday, Payton will hand over his team to Vitt. It’s not an ideal situation by any means. But Vitt has made the most out of a tough situation before, and the Saints are counting on him to do it again.

The scene at the AFC coaches' breakfast in Palm Beach, Fla., recently was fitting.

To my far left was New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan. He was surrounded by a large group of media that wanted to know how the Jets would handle Tim Tebow-mania and whether they could bounce back from a disappointing 2011.

To my immediate left was new Miami Dolphins coach Joe Philbin. A throng of reporters wondered what the rookie head coach had in store in his first season.

On my right was future Hall of Fame coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots. He continually gave non-answers about his team as reporters tried to dig up something -- anything -- about the reigning AFC champions.

In the middle of this madness was Buffalo Bills head coach Chan Gailey. His table was relatively empty most of the hourlong breakfast, with the exception of a few passers-by and this AFC East blogger. Few in the national media cared to know what Gailey and the Bills were up to. They're a small-market team that finished 6-10 last season and hasn't been to the playoffs in 13 years.

But by this time next year, people will be talking about Buffalo. The Bills are my sleeper pick in 2012. Here are five reasons why Buffalo will get over the hump and finish with a winning record:

Reason No. 1: Bills made right moves in free agency

Analysis: I will give myself a pat on the back. I was one of the first to note Buffalo's interest in two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Mario Williams. Despite my prediction, I did not think Buffalo would be able to land the top defensive free agent on the market. But the Bills put on the full-court press and gave Williams 100 million reasons to join the Bills. Buffalo gained an elite pass-rusher and its first game-changer on defense. The Bills didn't stop there. They continued to improve their anemic pass-rush by signing former Patriots defensive end Mark Anderson, who recorded 10 sacks last year. Williams, Anderson and defensive tackles Kyle Williams and Marcell Dareus make up one of the top defensive lines in the NFL. It's a group that can stop the run and get push up the middle while attacking the edges and pressuring the quarterback. Buffalo's talented front four will be a problem for a lot of teams next season. The Bills also retained their own key free agents. Buffalo re-signed No. 1 receiver Steve Johnson at an affordable rate they were comfortable with, as well as starting tight end Scott Chandler. There are still a few more holes Buffalo would like to fill. But the team is one of the biggest winners in free agency.

Reason No. 2: Double trouble at running back

Analysis: When they are healthy, there may not be a more dynamic running back duo in the NFL than Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller. These two will be headaches for opposing defenses once Buffalo figures out how to blend both into the offense simultaneously. Jackson and Spiller could complement each other well. Buffalo's coaching staff admittedly did a poor job of balancing the two tailbacks last season. Jackson received a bulk of the carries when healthy, and Spiller finally showed what he could do at the end of the year once Jackson was injured. Now, both are hungry and want the football. Gailey called it "a great problem to have." Jackson is 31 and coming off a season-ending leg injury. That should open the door for Spiller to get more carries. Will it be a 50-50 split? Probably not. But the Buffalo offense will be dangerous if it can use Spiller and Jackson just enough to keep each fresh and productive the entire season.

Reason No. 3: AFC East is weakening

Analysis: A case can be made that the AFC East became a weaker division this offseason. The division wasn't very strong to begin with. Only the Patriots finished with a winning record in 2011. But the 6-10 Dolphins gutted their roster, getting rid of top players such as Pro Bowl receiver Brandon Marshall and leading tackler and starting safety Yeremiah Bell. Miami also failed to land a franchise quarterback and settled on 34-year-old David Garrard as the potential starter next season. It's early, but it's hard to imagine Miami's finishing with a better record than last season. Meanwhile, the Jets are an aging team with chemistry issues. New York gave embattled quarterback Mark Sanchez a three-year contract extension and traded for popular backup Tebow, setting up a potentially explosive situation. The Jets will be on a year-long implosion watch, and their arrow could be trending downward after last year's mediocre 8-8 season. The Jets, Dolphins and Bills are all chasing the Patriots, who are clearly the favorites in the division. But the Bills, who split with New England last season, did a solid job to make up some ground.

Reason No. 4: Players are getting healthy

Analysis: I usually try to avoid the injury excuse, because every team has them. But I think it legitimately applies to the Bills. Buffalo suffered key injures last year at running back (Jackson), defensive tackle (Kyle Williams), linebacker (Shawne Merriman), offensive line (Eric Wood), receiver (Donald Jones) and even kicker (Rian Lindell), just to name a few. Bills starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick also played much of the season with a painful rib injury. By the second half of the year, the Bills didn't have anywhere near the same depth they had during their 4-1 start. Most of these players are expected to be back and healthy in 2012. Merriman is perhaps the biggest question mark after his second season-ending Achilles injury. But chances are slim that Buffalo will be hit this hard with injuries again. Health will be key for Buffalo to maintain a successful run over 16 games.

Reason No. 5: Bills have a top-10 pick

Analysis: The Bills have had a very productive offseason, but they aren't done yet. They still have a top-10 pick in this month's NFL draft. This is a great opportunity for Buffalo to plug more holes on the roster. The Bills could use a starting-caliber left tackle, another threat at receiver, a cover corner and depth at linebacker. The Bills also have more than $9 million in cap room to spend. Don't rule out late signings in free agency. After years of not spending to the cap, Buffalo tabbed 2012 as the year to make a push.

All of these reasons make the Bills my ideal sleeper pick for next season. Don't forget that you heard it here first.

The Miami Dolphins were kicked out of the Peyton Manning sweepstakes. But they reportedly have gone to the top of the list for another free-agent quarterback.

ESPN's Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefer report Miami has the inside track to land former Green Bay Packers quarterback Matt Flynn. He has just two career starts but played well in limited time and has ties to Miami head coach Joe Philbin, who is Flynn's former offensive coordinator in Green Bay.

Miami's pursuit of Manning made sense. He is a proven commodity who could single-handedly change the fortune of the franchise. Flynn is an unknown. But the Dolphins are confident they have a good feel for Flynn's abilities via Philbin's knowledge.

Flynn is visiting with the Seattle Seahawks and is expected to meet with the Dolphins next. There's no doubt Flynn's reps will try to use Seattle and Miami against each other for financial leverage.

While we're on the topic of money, how much should the Dolphins offer to pay Flynn?

Other quarterbacks such as Ryan Fitzpatrick of the Buffalo Bills and Mark Sanchez of the New York Jets are getting contract extensions close to $60 million. Is Flynn, who has two career starts, worth equal or more to Miami? Should the Dolphins offer $40 million or $50 million instead?

Money -- and perhaps a great offer from Seattle -- seems to be the only things in the way of Flynn joining the Dolphins. There is definitely mutual interest.

Now it's time to take the Buffalo Bills seriously in the AFC East.

The last-place Bills, who finished 6-10 in 2011, signed the best player in free agency not named Peyton Manning on Thursday. Buffalo agreed to a whopping six-year, $100 million contract with two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Mario Williams. The contract also includes $50 million guaranteed.

Buffalo general manager Buddy Nix said the traditionally frugal Bills would spend this year in free agency -- and he wasn't kidding. Williams just became the highest-paid player in franchise history.

This is not just a great move for Buffalo. It's potentially a game-changer and home run for this rebuilding franchise, which hasn't made the playoffs since 1999 and hasn't won a playoff game since 1995. Buffalo had a long way to climb to catch the reigning AFC champion New England Patriots in the division. Williams moves the Bills closer to contention.

The trio of Williams, Marcell Dareus and a healthy Kyle Williams gives Buffalo one of the league's most dominant defensive lines. It's a lot easier to win games when you're controlling the line of scrimmage.

Mario Williams, who has 53 sacks in six seasons, brings a much-needed pass rush to Buffalo's new 4-3 defense. Dareus and Kyle Williams are stout, and will make it hard for opponents to run up the middle. This is a bad day in general for quarterbacks and offensive linemen in the AFC East.

With the Patriots and New York Jets relatively quiet so far, and the Miami Dolphins trading away their best player (Brandon Marshall) and possibly falling behind in the Manning sweepstakes, the Bills made up ground with one humongous signing.

How far can Williams take Buffalo next season? It's too early to say. Williams is a huge cog, but questions still remain on the roster.

Can the Bills find a shutdown cornerback? Can they get a left tackle to protect quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick? Can Buffalo add another receiver to complement Steve Johnson? The draft and the remainder of free agency are important to fill these needs. Buffalo also needs to stay healthy next season.

But the Bills accomplished priority No. 1 this offseason. They needed someone who can get to the quarterback, and landed the top pass-rusher on the market.

That makes Buffalo one of the early winners in free agency.

The Buffalo Bills raised some eyebrows when they interviewed Baylor quarterback and likely No. 2 pick Robert Griffin III last week at the NFL combine.

Buffalo holds the No. 10 overall pick, and the team just gave starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick $59 million this past October. So what gives?

It turns out Buffalo simply was doing its due dillegence. General manager Buddy Nix told BuffaloBills.com Thursday that the team will not move up in the draft to pursue Griffin.

"It is absolute. It's a no," Nix said sternly. "You've got to give up the farm. We're not in that business."

The Bills need their draft picks and have several holes to fill. The most pressing needs are left tackle, wide receiver and an outside pass-rusher. Buffalo also plans to spend to the salary cap this year, which helps.

It's still to be determined if Fitzpatrick is a franchise quarterback who can take the Bills to the next level. But the reality is the Bills paid Fitzpatrick a lot of money and have to find out if it was a worthy investment over the next couple of years.

Any quarterback Buffalo drafts this year should be developmental, because you can't have $59 million sitting on the bench. Maybe the Bills will take a quarterback in the third, fourth or fifth round with that in mind. But it won't happen with their first pick.

The AFC East blog continues its series on ranking team needs in the division.

Next up we have the Buffalo Bills.

No. 1 need: Pass-rusher

Analysis: Watching the Bills try to get to the quarterback made you cringe at times last season. Quarterbacks often looked right at home, comfortable in the pocket with plenty of time while picking apart Buffalo’s secondary. The Bills need at least one dynamic pass-rusher who can change this. Buffalo is switching to a 4-3 defense this season, which means that player can be a defensive end or outside linebacker. There are good pass-rushers in free agency, starting at the top with defensive end Mario Williams. However the Bills could struggle to bring top free agents to Buffalo. They might find more success using the No. 10 overall pick to land a defensive playmaker in the front seven.

No. 2 need: Left tackle

Analysis: Left tackle is not a position you want to be a rotating door. But that was Buffalo’s situation last season, as players such as Chris Hairston, Demetrius Bell and Andy Levitre saw playing time at left tackle. Buffalo needs a long-term solution at left tackle for quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to reach his full potential. Buffalo runs a spread offense, which puts a lot of pressure on the tackles to protect the edge. There isn’t as much opportunity for help from tight ends and running backs as there is in more conventional offenses. This is a good year for incoming rookie tackles, and Buffalo holds the No. 10 pick. If a good pass-rusher isn’t available, Buffalo should get someone to fend off the opponent’s pass rush.

No. 3 need: Receiver

Analysis: This situation is fluid. It really depends on the future of Steve Johnson. Yes, the Bills could use another threat at receiver regardless of what happens with Johnson. But this need certainly becomes more pressing if Johnson hits the open market in a few weeks. Progress in the negotiations was made recently at the combine, which is good news for the Bills. But I still think Johnson’s chances of returning are closer to 50-50. If Johnson reaches a long-term extension soon, this need on the list would be replaced by cornerback.

Using our SportsNation poll, vote on what you think is Buffalo's biggest need.

We frequently talk here about how the NFC South might be the league’s only division with four franchise quarterbacks.

I’m in agreement with that because New Orleans’ Drew Brees and Atlanta’s Matt Ryan are well established as franchise quarterbacks. Cam Newton’s rookie season in Carolina was a pretty strong indication that he also fits the profile. I still believe Tampa Bay’s Josh Freeman has the talent to be a franchise quarterback but needs to bounce back from a rough 2011 season and get some help from his supporting cast.

But, even with all that set, there is room for major improvement among NFC South quarterbacks in one area. Freeman and Newton were among the league leaders in one significant category that didn’t reflect very well on them. According to ESPN Stats & Information’s Keith Hawkins, Freeman and Newton ranked way too high when it came to quarterback turnovers (interceptions plus fumbles lost) in 2011. Here’s a look at the league leaders.

• Freeman, 27

• Mark Sanchez, 26

• Ryan Fitzpatrick, 25

• Rex Grossman, 25

• Philip Rivers, 25

• Eli Manning, 20

• Newton, 19

• Ben Roethlisberger, 19

• Tavaris Jackson, 18

• Michael Vick, 18

• Joe Flacco, 18

What’s disturbing here about Freeman and Newton are their interception totals. Freeman was second in the league with 22. That comes after a 2010 season in which he threw only six interceptions. What was the difference? Some of it was simply bad decision making by Freeman. But I think he was also the victim of an offense that was in total chaos. Everything was going wrong for the Bucs offensively. Their play calling wasn’t great, there wasn’t good balance between their running and passing game and their receivers often failed to get open and dropped a lot of passes. With new offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan and what should be a more disciplined and organized team all the way around under new coach Greg Schiano, I think you’ll see big improvement from Freeman.

Newton wasn’t too far off Freeman with 17 interceptions. I don’t think the blame here falls on the supporting cast or the offensive scheme and play calling. I think it falls on Newton. He was a rookie and there naturally will be some mistakes. Newton also played with a great deal of confidence and tried to force some throws that weren’t there. That’s something that can easily be worked on in the offseason.

That’s why I don’t think you’ll see Freeman and Newton as high on this list in 2012.

In order for the Ravens to reach the Super Bowl, Joe Flacco has to take them there.

He has to strong-arm Baltimore to victory over New England in Sunday's AFC championship game because that's how you beat the Patriots this season. New England has lost three games this season, and every time, the quarterback has been the deciding factor. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Ben Roethlisberger and Eli Manning exploited the AFC's worst defense by throwing for 984 yards (an average of 328 yard passing) and a total of six touchdowns.

So it's time for Flacco to step in the playoffs. It's time for Flacco to prove he deserves that new contract. It's time for Flacco to squash his critics as well as a critical teammate.

A feisty Flacco entered the playoffs this season, saying if the Ravens win the Super Bowl, "I'll have nothing to do with why we won, according to you guys."

On Sunday, let's take the chip off the shoulder and put the team on his back -- because that's exactly how this game will play out.

Tom Brady and the Patriots are averaging 32.8 points per game. That means scoring three points in the final three quarters won't cut it in this playoff game.

New England will direct its focus on stopping running back Ray Rice, especially after Bill Belichick plays that 83-yard touchdown run from two years ago about 100 times this week. That means the Patriots are going to force Flacco to beat them.

"We're going to have to make sure we prepare well all week and bring our A-game up there," Flacco said.

There's no question that Flacco is a winner. His 44 victories are the most ever by an NFL starting quarterback in his first four seasons. He's also the only quarterback in NFL history to win a playoff game in each of his first four years.

But there's been very few "A-games" when it comes to the postseason. In eight playoff games, Flacco has completed 53 percent of passes and has averaged 153.3 yards passing. He's thrown six touchdowns and seven interceptions for a quarterback rating of 31.5.

In last Sunday's 20-13 victory over Houston, Flacco completed 14 of 27 passes (51.9 percent) for 176 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. It wasn't just the media who criticized Flacco after this performance. Ravens safety Ed Reed said Flacco "was kind of rattled a little bit" Sunday.



“They had a lot of guys in the box on him and they were giving it to him. I think a couple of times he needed to get rid of the ball. It just didn’t look like he had a hold on the offense,” Reed told SiriusXM satellite radio Monday. “I don’t know how much of [that was] the play calling … but it just didn’t look like he had a hold on the offense, you know, of times past."

Reed added, "It was just kind of like they [were] telling him [what] to do -- throw the ball or get it here, you know, get it to certain guys.”

Reed believes Flacco needs to improve his play for the Ravens to win at New England.

“He can’t play like that,” Reed said.

It's never a good sign when a teammate is talking about his quarterback this way. Just ask Mark Sanchez.

The Ravens are entering a crucial time, and this goes beyond the current postseason. Baltimore is going to have to make a decision on its level of commitment to Flacco. Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti said last March that he expects to sign Flacco to a long-term contract extension sometime in 2012. Flacco later responded that he doesn’t think he should have to wait that long.

The problem is, Flacco's statistics say he regressed this season. He completed a career-worst 57.6 percent of his passes. His touchdowns went down, from 25 in 2010 to 20 this season. His interceptions went up, from 10 to 12.

Asked whether it's difficult to measure Flacco's impact by statistics, coach John Harbaugh said, "I've done that many times, and I don't really feel like running down all those things right now. I can just tell you in this last game, he won, and his quarterback rating was 97. That's a winning performance, and Joe – I told him [Sunday] night – I thought he played very, very well. In a lot of situations in this game when he was under duress, he handled himself really well. There were plenty of things he'd like to have back and could have done better, and he'd be the first to tell you that. So, you just try to get better, you try to improve and you try to play winning football, no matter what position you play. And that's what we value around here."

The path to this season's playoffs wasn't an easy one for Flacco, who finished 15th in QBR for a reason. He played 12 games against defenses ranked in the top 10, throwing 14 touchdowns and six interceptions in those games.

There's no such excuse when it comes to taking on the Patriots defense. New England ranked 31st in yards allowed in the regular season and gave up the most passing yards in the AFC.

"A quarterback has to do what his team needs him to do to win, and Joe has done that," Belichick said of Flacco. "I don’t know how to improve much on 11-5 and 12-4, and they just keep doing it. He's been a solid guy since his rookie year in terms of managing the game and using the clock and making good decisions and those types of things."

A game manager isn't going to get the Ravens past the Patriots on Sunday. Baltimore needs Flacco to play like Brady, not Trent Dilfer.

New England gave up the most 20-yard passes in the NFL this season — 79, which was eight more than any other defense. Patriots cornerback Devin McCourty has allowed 1,115 yards and six touchdowns this season (according to Stats LLC), and cornerback Kyle Arrington has given up 827 yards and five touchdowns.

It's clear that Flacco has to attack a vulnerable Patriots secondary and help out a Ravens defense facing Brady, Wes Welker and Rob Gronkowski.

The stage is yours, Joe Flacco.

Could the New York Jets set up an intriguing quarterback competition involving division rivals Mark Sanchez and Chad Henne? That theory already is gaining steam after former Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano was officially named offensive coordinator of the Jets on Wednesday.

Here is what we know: Sparano has always been a Henne supporter and backed him through various criticisms in Miami. Henne is an unrestricted free agent, and it's unlikely he will return to the Dolphins now that Matt Moore took over and a new head coach will want to add his own quarterback. In addition, New York needs someone other than 41-year-old Mark Brunell to push Sanchez next season. There are a lot of factors here that make sense.

We've been debating the second-best quarterback in the AFC East all season. It was determined, through performance, that Moore was the No. 2 quarterback in the division behind Tom Brady. But it would still be interesting to see Henne and Sanchez in the same uniform battle it out in training camp.

At this point it's too early to tell. Henne-to-New York is simply a theory, as people try to connect the dots before Sparano even shows up for his first day on the job.

But free agency starts in March, and this is one storyline worth keeping an eye on.

To no surprise, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady tops the final Total Quarterback Ratings for the 2011 season in the AFC East. Brady posted a stellar score of 74.2, which was third-highest in the NFL.

The rest of the division quarterbacks didn't do so well this past season.

Miami Dolphins quarterback Matt Moore, this season's winner of the "Sanchez-Fitz-Moore Watch," was the second-best quarterback in the AFC East. He posted a QBR of 54.0, which was 17th in the NFL.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick was third with a QBR of 51.2, which was 18th in the NFL. New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez was last in the division with a QBR of 33.6. Sanchez was 30th out of a possible 34 quarterbacks graded.

The only quarterbacks who scored lower than Sanchez this season were Sam Bradford (27.3), Tim Tebow (27.2), Curtis Painter (23.4) and Blaine Gabbert (20.5).

» NFC Wrap-ups: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Arrow indicates direction team is trending.

Final Power Ranking: 25
Preseason Power Ranking: 30

Biggest surprise: Bills fans were almost ready to write off former first-round draft pick C.J. Spiller. The 2010 No. 9 overall pick didn't do much in his rookie season with limited playing time. This year, Buffalo tried to find ways to get him involved as a returner and part-time receiver and running back. But that wasn't enough. Spiller received a golden opportunity late in the season when starting running back Fred Jackson suffered a season-ending leg injury. Spiller showed explosiveness as an every-down back and set career highs with 561 yards and 5.2 yards per carry.

Biggest disappointment: Is Ryan Fitzpatrick the long-term solution at quarterback, and can he lead the Bills to a Super Bowl? The Bills believe that's the case after giving Fitzpatrick a six-year, $59 million extension in late October. The early returns weren't good. Fitzpatrick's play fell off after the big contract. He was 1-8 as a starter in his final nine games and had six multi-interception games in that stretch. Overall, Fitzpatrick set career highs for yards (3,832) and touchdowns (24). But he also set a career high for interceptions (23). Fitzpatrick needs to put an end to the streakiness and become more consistent in 2012. Expectations are higher now that he's officially the face of the franchise and a $10-million-a-year player.

Biggest need: Buffalo's defense needs a lot of help, as evidenced by giving up 49 unanswered points in the regular-season finale to the New England Patriots. But the Bills could most use a pass-rusher. They were counting on Shawne Merriman to be that guy. But at this stage in his career, he's not as explosive and too injury prone. Don't be surprised if Buffalo upgrades outside linebacker early in the draft or in free agency.

Team MVP: Despite playing just 10 games, Jackson is the easy choice for MVP in Buffalo. He was on pace for a Pro Bowl season, recording 934 rushing yards and an additional 442 yards receiving. Jackson was the biggest piece of Buffalo's offense. Despite Spiller's efforts, the team was never the same after Jackson went down. The Bills finished the season 1-5 following Jackson's injury. Buffalo said it would take care of Jackson this offseason. It will be interesting to see how the team handles the situation following Spiller's emergence and Jackson coming off a season-ending leg injury.

Free-agent watch: Keep an eye on receiver Steve Johnson in free agency. This is Buffalo's most polarizing offseason story. There are a ton of questions surrounding Johnson. Is he an elite No. 1 receiver? Does Johnson deserve $7-$8 million per season? Are his antics too much? What about the one-year franchise tag? The Bills can go in a lot of different directions. But Buffalo lacks playmakers at receiver and needs to find a replacement if the team lets its only impact receiver walk.

A few thoughts from the final game of the season for both the Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Redskins:

What it means: The Eagles won their final four games of the season to finish at 8-8 and avoid what would have been Andy Reid's third losing season in 13 years as their head coach. The Redskins lost their final two and finish at 5-11, one game worse than they were last year in Mike Shanahan's first season as their coach.

Turnovers, turnovers: Washington quarterback Rex Grossman threw his 20th interception of the season in just his 13th game, stretching his streak to 12 games in a row with at least one. He won't lead the league, though, because Buffalo's Ryan Fitzpatrick threw four of them today to get to 23 for the season. Philadelphia quarterback Michael Vick also threw an interception -- giving him 14 in his 13 games -- and lost a fumble. Vick also threw three touchdown passes, including a 62-yarder to DeSean Jackson -- but the turnovers were a reminder of the problem that really sank the Eagles early in the season when they were outplaying teams but finding ways to lose.

Pay the man: By sitting out the last game of the season with an ankle injury, Eagles running back LeSean McCoy might have made an even stronger case for a contract extension than his brilliant first 15 games of the season made. The Eagles just didn't have anything in the run game without him. Ronnie Brown offered one final bit of proof for why he didn't get any better offers, and Dion Lewis looks like he has work to do to learn the playbook. Jackson's poor season might have eliminated his chance to get the extension he wanted, and you wonder if the Eagles will look to lock up McCoy long-term instead.

Running Redskins: Rookie running back Evan Royster cleared 100 yards rushing for the second week in a row, getting the bulk of the carries ahead of gimpy Roy Helu. But Helu did catch a 47-yard touchdown pass, and it seems clear that, especially if Tim Hightower can come back from his ACL injury, the Redskins will be extremely strong at running back in 2012.

Eagles' defense finishes strong: The Eagles' pass rush harassed Grossman all day, and the Eagles will end the season as statistically one of the best defenses in the league. Between the defense and Jeremy Maclin and McCoy and the way Vick finished the season, I imagine Eagles fans would be feeling very optimistic about next season if they weren't so justifiably disappointed by the way this season went.

Kicked out? Graham Gano had a field goal attempt blocked for the fifth time this season. I have to believe the Redskins will find a replacement.

What's next: The Eagles need to make some decisions about their coaching staff for 2012, then go out and hunt for linebackers. The Redskins need to start preparing for a draft in which they will pick somewhere between No. 4 and No. 7, and begin the process of finding themselves a quarterback.

It was a down week for quarterbacks in the AFC East. Even MVP candidate Tom Brady of the New England Patriots got off to a slow start in the first half against the Miami Dolphins.

Brady and the Patriots were shut out in the first half and trailed 17-0 at intermission. But Brady led New England with three second-half touchdowns -- one passing, two rushing -- to give the Patriots an important 27-24 victory. New England remains the favorite to secure home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Here are the QBRs for every quarterback in the division this past weekend:

• Tom Brady, Patriots, 49.2
• Matt Moore, Dolphins, 43.6
• Ryan Fitzpatrick, Buffalo Bills, 38.0
• Mark Sanchez, New York Jets, 19.2