Grading Each 2012 NFL Team: AFC East Edition

Ugh.  We are in no [wo]man's land for a long time when it comes to NFL news and analysis.  Did you know that Rob Gronkowski likes to party in his free time?  And that some players anonymously don't like each other and/or their coaches?  Since it's a little too early to look forward--and don't let all this combine and draft talk fool you--let's look back at how all 32 teams did in 2012.  These grades are quite obviously subjective, but I assessed a few things in my mind: 1) Did this team improve, maintain or decline in performance from previous years?; 2) Did this team maximize the talent level on its roster?; and 3) What does the quality of wins and losses say about these guys?

Without further adieu, here we go with the AFC East:

Buffalo Bills, 6 - 10

Overall Grade: D+
The Bills left off after the 2011 season with some glimmers of hope in offensive skill players Fred Jackson, Steve Johnson and C.J. Spiller and loaded up on defense with free agent Mario Williams.  All they got out of it was their 6th coach in 10 years and their 9th consecutive season without a winning record.  Ouch.

High Points: Running back C.J. Spiller has been just about the only thing to write home about with the Bills this season. Had it not been for Adrian Peterson's MVP year, Spiller would've gotten more air time for his big fantasy contributions in a growing desert of Buffalo offensive talent.

Low Points: Hoo boy, there were some nasty Buffalo blowouts this year and zero quality wins.  The Bills would be king at the bottom of the barrel with wins over the Chiefs, Browns, Cardinals, Jets and Jaguars (with a collective 20 - 60 record in 2012), but they didn't notch a single W against a team with a winning record and gave up 35 or more points in 6 games.  So much for Super Mario.

Homework for 2013: Try to empower Doug Marrone to become a coach worth hanging onto for at least four to five years for a change.  Come to acceptance that Ryan Fitzpatrick is a sunk cost like the Seahawks did so smartly with Matt Flynn.

Miami Dolphins, 7 -9

Overall Grade: C
The Dolphins captured the essence of meh-ness this season, but Miami has reason to feel a little more optimistic next season with a strong defensive core and a coach and QB gaining some important game time experience.

High Points: The Dolphins had a pretty nice run in the middle of the season with wins against quality teams like the Bengals and Seahawks by putting their rushing prowess on both sides of the ball to work.  They could start looking better next year when Ryan Tannehill's a little steadier behind center.

Low Points: Getting blown out by the struggling Tennessee Titans at home had to be pretty embarrassing for the 'Fins since it ended any real playoff hopes with their 3 - 6 run to close out the season.

Homework for 2013: Find additional quality receiver options for Tannehill in the passing game.  Brian Hartline is great, but he can't do it all with Brandon Marshall one year removed from Miami.

New York Jets, 6 - 10

Overall Grade: F
A little heartless, you say, given that the Jets still finished with just the 9th worst record in the NFL after big injuries to Darrelle Revis and Santonio Holmes?  That may be so but few teams have suffered losses as embarrassing as the Jets have under the gigantic New York media spotlight while Rex Ryan jabbers on.  One could easily make a one-team 2012 blooper reel with these guys.

High Points: The biggest highlight for me was Rex Ryan's continual decisions to limit Tim Tebow's snaps throughout the season no matter how abysmal things got with Mark Sanchez and then Greg McElroy.  At least we can now move on to the stage of acceptance following the loss of Tebowmania.

Low Points: So, so many.  So very many.  A runner up could be Mark Sanchez's 5-turnover extravaganza against the Titans to take the team out of playoff contention entirely, but I dare you to find a GIF more symbolic of any team at any time than this classic Sanchez butt fumble.

Homework for 2013: Bench the $8M Sanchize and make a mad grab for any second-string QB not currently on the Cardinals' roster.  Anywhere from Alex Smith to Matt Flynn on the spectrum would be ideal.

New England Patriots, 12 - 4

Overall Grade: A-
It's tempting to give the Patriots a hard time since this team has faced the highest expectations in the league year-in and year-out, but they still look like a force to be reckoned with over a decade into the Brady-Belichick era.

High Points: So, so many.  So very many.  The Pats led the league in yards and points scored on offense by an impressive margin, and they did it with more balance in the rush game and less Gronk than many would have predicted in August.  New England made it look easy too against other AFC favorites like the Denver Broncos and Houston Texans, and while they fell short, that 28-point comeback against the 49ers was a performance for the ages.

Low Points: The Patriots' biggest weakness this season was against the league's more physical defenses - the Ravens and 75% of the NFC West.  Tom Brady simply hasn't looked as resilient as he used to when he gets shut down on one too many early series, and the Pats looked exposed against Baltimore in the AFC Championship without Stevan Ridley and Rob Gronkowski at their disposal.

Homework for 2013: Build up a one-two punch running attack with Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen to match the already deadly Hernandez-Gronk and Lloyd Welker tandems, especially if Wes Welker goes the way of free agency.  The Pats will need to ground and pound to hang with the better defenses in today's NFL.