AFC EAST: So Much Drama

On many reality television shows, the non-so-secret weapon is the "twist." Some sort of curveball thrown in to keep things interesting and create drama. It could be something like triple immunity, or a contestant that was eliminated gets a second chance or a participant gets to issue some sort of challenge to someone else. Well the AFC East is like a convoluted reality show. Except that the AFC East is actually real, and entertaining. Well not the Bills, they are that contestant who nobody knows or votes for. Over the last decade the Jets/Dolphins/Pats have given us: "…they ought to let you shop for some of the groceries," a head coach resigning one day after he was hired so he could take a job with a rival, ex-coaches being denied access to their personal belongings, draft picks being swapped for coaches, teams "buying" tapes to study quarterback signals, handshakes being analyzed and of course "Spygate." These are just the major events that are known to the public. You can bet there are plenty of under the radar things that have happened we know nothing about. How many players have been harassed for information about another teams' playbook? How many computers have been hacked? Phones tapped? The possibilities are endless. Bill Parcells orchestrated the latest twist when he signed former Jets quarterback Chad Pennington to a two-year deal to play for the Dolphins. This after the Jets made the race in the AFC more interesting by trading for the most prolific passer in NFL history. Of course the Jets open their season in Miami. Turning a game between two teams that combined for 5 wins a year ago to must see television. You can bet Eric Mangini has had his offensive coaches discard every hand signal, change every audible, and rename every play to combat any advantage Pennington can provide to the Dolphins defense. So while the NFC East may have more history, the AFC South has more talent, the AFC North has more star power. But for sheer drama and story lines, nothing tops the Patriots, Dolphins, and Jets. To borrow a line from a certain NFL drama queen, get your popcorn ready.