It’s hard for me to not put the Patriots at the top every season as there’s just something about them that you can’t underestimate.  Sure they got there butts handed to them by the Denver Broncos in the playoffs, losing 27-13, but injuries and Father Time got the best of them. 

This season the Patriots add youth to the skill positions in RB Laurence Maroney and WR Chad Jackson (who is thus far injured) through the draft and these rookies will need to step up with RB Corey Dillon, who missed five games last season, potentially continuing to decline and a possible departure of WR Deion Branch. 

Free agent signing, Reche Caldwell could step up his game, especially with a QB like Tom Brady, but Caldwell will need to stay healthy.  Brady, despite not having a Chad Johnson or Steve Smith to throw to, still got the job done in a big way and is arguably the second best QB in the league after the Indianapolis Colts’ Peyton Manning. 

The defense should be good again, but will they be great?  The defensive line is one of the best in the league with DE Richard Seymour, DT Ty Warren, and NT Vince Wilfork.  But, what about the rest of the defense, especially their LB corp where they are hurting and reached out to a retired player – Junior Seau - to play for them?  Granted Seau was only retired for about a week and is considered one of the best ever to play LB, so if he can stay healthy, he should make an impact.

In the end, I think Brady has another fantastic year, even if he doesn’t have Branch to throw to, and Maroney finishes behind the New Orleans Saints’ Reggie Bush for Offensive Rookie of the Year, elevating the offense.  The defense will be above-average, but I don’t think they’ll ever be held in the regard they used to, but in the AFC East, it’ll be more than enough to take the division.