Inaugural sports column: In the red zone Published Aug. 20, 2010 By Bryan Swink Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Public Affairs JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- The 2010 NFL season is finally upon us as preseason action began Aug. 8. Over the next few weeks, I will break down the teams in each division and share my expertise on how your team will fair this upcoming season. What gives me the knowledge to analyze and breakdown these teams? Many years of sitting in front the television with countless magazines and stats in hand, consuming every second of football like it would be the last game in history. I have mastered the art of couch coaching, knowing I would make better decisions than half of the coaches in the league. I will be sharing opinions you may or may not like, but please understand it's most likely true. If you have a related comment, find out how you can respond to my thoughts at the end of this column. So let's get started. This week I will analyze the teams in both the AFC and NFC East divisions. AFC East Buffalo Bills The Bills finished last season with a 6-10 record, finishing dead last in the division. I don't see them doing much better under former Dallas Cowboys head coach Chan Gailey. They are transitioning from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4, defense which will require a learning curve. Expect fourth-year middle linebacker Paul Poslunszny to anchor the front seven as he will feel comfortable in this system since it's very similar to the defense he played at Penn State. Don't expect much excitement in the passing game considering both Trent Edwards and Ryan Fitzpatrick are battling for the starting quarterback job. Edwards had flashes of promise during the 2008 season but got his bell rung one too many times last year due to a weak offensive line. Expect bells to ring consistently throughout the year for Edwards. Fitzpatrick doesn't have the arm strength that most QB's do. This could weigh him down when Gailey chooses the starter. Adding first-round pick C.J. Spiller to the backfield with Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch brings a dynamic element to the running game. With the decline of Lynch last season, expect to see Jackson and Spiller splitting the majority of the snaps. Swink's 2010 prediction: 5-11 Miami Dolphins The Dolphins' fate could be decided mid-way through the season. Third-year quarterback Chad Henne has a legitimate No. 1 receiver in recently-added Brandon Marshall and should put up respectable passing numbers. That is, if he can figure out defensive blitz packages and get the ball to his open receivers instead of checking it down to the running backs. If running backs Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams can both stay healthy this season, expect this team to claim a wild-card berth in the playoffs. They will rush for over 2,000 yards combined and score 25 touchdowns. If one goes down, the workload increases for the other and production will decrease. Despite the Dophins' below-average defense, their offense has the ability to keep them in the game. They gave up the third-most points in the AFC last year. Viewers should expect much of the same this year. If the defense can help the team maintain a 4-4 record through the difficult first half of the year, the Dolphins will make the playoffs. The first round is as far as they will go due to a competitive division and better teams within the AFC . Swink's 2010 prediction: 8-8 New England Patriots Simply stated, if quarterback Tom Brady is playing, the Patriots will make the playoffs. But the N.Y. Jets are making a strong run to take the division crown away from New England. The passing game for the Pats will once again dominate as they ranked third in passing yards in 2009. With receiver Wes Welker coming off a 123 catch season, his injured knee is a big concern as he probably won't be back to 2009 form until November. Expect to see much of the same running game as you did last year with Laurence Maroney leading the charge. This is an extremely boring aspect of the Patriots because no one watches them for their running game. Head coach Bill Belichick just uses the run game to establish the pass. The defense is slightly above average, ranking 12th in the league against the pass and 13th against the run. With anchor defensive lineman Ty Warren out for the season, there is a huge gap in the Pats' defense. Swink's 2010 prediction: 10-6 New York Jets Quarterback Mark Sanchez is entering his sophomore year in the NFL and has reason to smile. He has one of the most talented teams surrounding him. The Jets have two extremely productive running backs in Shonn Greene and LaDainian Tomlinson and three extremely talented receivers. But most importantly, they have the best offensive line in the league. This line gives Sanchez the ability to sit in the pocket forever, which is ideal for young quarterbacks. The defense has one extremely large question mark. Will cornerback Darrelle Revis return for this season? He is undoubtedly the best cornerback in the league and is the anchor for the Jets' secondary. His presence is similar to Deion Sanders, who changed the way quarterbacks ran their offense. If Revis doesn't return, expect the defense to struggle at times. Swink's 2010 prediction: 10-6 NFC East Dallas Cowboys Quarterback Tony Romo and the high-powered Cowboys offense will have another impressive season as long as the questioned offensive line can hold up. Left tackle Doug Free is assigned to protect Romo's blindside and if he can't do it, expect Romo to look rushed like he did in last year's playoff game against the Vikings when Flozell Adams went down to injury. Rookie receiver Dez Bryant could put the Cowboys over the hump not only as an impact receiver but his ability to return kicks and punts. What a steal as the 26th pick of this summer's draft. On defense, the Cowboys will be led by outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware and his freakishly talented pass-rushing ability. The weak spot for the Cowboys, like many years before, is their pass defense. Even though it looks like they have a sure thing opposite of Terence Newman with Mike Jenkins at the cornerback spot, the safety position is still vulnerable to deep-threat attacks. Dallas is my pick to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, which by the way will be hosted by the Cowboys. Swink's 2010 prediction: 12-4 New York Giants You never know what to expect from the Giants. They have flashes of greatness and follow it up with everyone scratching their heads. The Giants started off last year 5-0 but then fell in the tank losing 8 of their last 11 games to eliminate any playoff chances. This year they again won't make the playoffs due to the competition in the NFC East and lack of supporting cast surrounding quarterback Eli Manning (the lesser Manning). Running back Brandon Jacobs has shown flashes of power and brilliance in the past but can't seem to stay healthy for an entire season. He will be splitting time with Ahmad Bradshaw who actually put up more yards per carry than a healthy Jacobs last season. The Giants defense is one of the youngest in the league and may face a few growing pains this season. Last year they were a mid-level defense that played above their talent level. The positive note is their defensive line is deep with a lot of players who can get to the quarterback. Swink's 2010 prediction: 8-8 Philadelphia Eagles Where to begin? Let's start with this: the Eagles traded their franchise quarterback Donovan McNabb within the division to the Washington Redskins. Kevin Kolb is predicted to be the savior for the Eagles and he just might be ... someday, but not today. The offensive line isn't good enough to give him time to get the ball downfield to DeSean Jackson. The defense should be quite respectable this year considering the addition of rookie defensive end Brandon Graham who should provide more pressure on opposing quarterbacks. I don't see this team making the playoffs this year due to the strength of their schedule and the learning curve Kolb will show. It's amazing they have turned into a rebuilding team by trading away one player. Swink's 2010 prediction: 7-9 Washington Redskins The Redskins are my pick to finish second in the division behind the Dallas Cowboys due to their talented defense. Don't get me wrong, the addition of Donovan McNabb greatly increases the offense, but the transition to a 3-4 defense under new coach Mike Shanahan is exactly what this team needed to become one of the top defenses in the league. The $100-million man Albert Haynesworth is the only pitfall to this defense. He is talented, but what a distraction! The three-headed running back monster of Clinton Portis, Larry Johnson and Willie Parker should make for an interesting backfield. All three have had problems staying healthy in the past, but being able to rotate around and keep fresh legs on the field may work out nicely for the Skins. The downside to the offense is a lack of talent for McNabb to throw the ball to. Santana Moss is the only established receiver, the others are working to establish their name. Swink's 2010 prediction: 10-6 Next week I'll break down the AFC and NFC North. If you want to argue a prediction or point I made, please e-mail me at bryan.swink-02@mcguire.af.mil. Some responses will be posted in next week's column with, of course, my rebuttal with why you are wrong.