Andy: DeflateGate is done. Tom Brady is suspended for the first four games of the regular season. And it just doesn’t matter. This division has been owned by the Patriots for the last decade-and-change, and they’re going to keep that string going this year.

If there is one coach who will turn this situation into an Us versus the World scenario and use it to get his troops on board, it’s Bill Belichick. And I’ll take Angry Tom Brady for 12 games for a fantasy football team or a real one. Jimmy Garoppolo, while not special, is a veteran who will hold things together fine until Brady returns.

Everyone else is just playing for the Wild Card.

Tony: I don’t know…I just saw Tom Brady in a mattress commercial. I’m not so sure he’s not getting a little soft, with his suspension kicking into high gear. Certainly Belichick and Robert Kraft want him to show Roger Goodell a thing or two, but…I’m not sure if his head’s still in it.

Still, for him to not win the division, one of the other three teams would have to step up—and they’re being led by a guy with well over 100 starts with no playoff appearances, a guy who no one seems to know what to think about, and a guy who no one is confident that even the guy who fixed Jay Cutler last year can accomplish anything with. All three teams have some interesting components to them, but none of them stand out as real threats at this time to the Patriots AC East Dynasty.

The Dolphins may have the highest ceiling, with a new coach, young receiving core, and solid defensive line—but they also may have the lowest floor, with Arian Foster starting at running back (until he gets hurt…week 3) behind Ryan Tannehill, who could have a breakout season under Adam Gase, or could be riding the pine by the end of the year.

Andy: I’m not buying the Dolphins. Not this year. They’re the most blah of the rest of the division’s teams. They lost Olivier Vernon. DeVante Parker is a great talent but apparently has Cordarrelle Patterson-like issues when it comes to learning an offense. Foster will be a great addition for … I’ll say six games. But then what? Nobody seems all that excited about Jay Ajayi anymore.

I’ll say Buffalo has the highest upside. The defense should be solid. People are underselling LeSean McCoy at this point. I think he’ll rebound with a nice, solid season. And Tyrod Taylor could just turn out to be a solid NFL talent.

I think the Bills fight it out with the Jets for second place. The Bills have a wide gap in their ceiling and floor. I expect the Jets to be about where they were last year: inconsistent, but right on the brink of the playoffs at the end of the season within a game of making the postseason or not. Re-signing Ryan Fitzpatrick made them a contender for second place.

Tony: I think the Bills have some incredible pieces to make a run—but I think they also have some pretty big holes, and I’m honestly not sure that they have the coaching staff to lead them through those challenges. Rex Ryan still strikes me as enjoying being the coach more than he does actually coaching, if that makes sense.

Meanwhile, we once again ignore the team that may be most likely to challenge the Patriots (or simply fight for a wildcard) in the New York Jets. When one of our regular Hall of Fame commenters said that the Jets would be good last year, I personally dismissed it, as he is at times an admitted homer. But the Jets far outperformed my expectations in going 10-6, and just missed the playoffs. Their offseason game of chicken with Ryan Fitzpatrick didn’t really hurt them (of course, it also didn’t make them better), and their two most significant losses in the offseason (Chris Ivory and D’Brickashaw Ferguson) were arguably upgraded with Ryan Clady and Matt Forte. They didn’t have a splashy offseason—but for a 10-6 team, that can be a positive too.

Andy: Word.

Andy Prediction:

Patriots
Jets
Bills
Dolphins

Tony Prediction:

Patriots
Jets
Dolphins
Bills