It’s a strange time in the AFC East. For the last 12 years any discussion about the East began and ended with the New England Patriots. Since 2001 they have won the division 10 out of 12 times and averaged 12 wins a season. No other AFC East team has averaged a winning record during that time.  In fact, since 2001, the entire rest of the division has combined for only one more playoff win (6) than the Patriots have Super Bowl appearances (5). Think about that.

But the winds have shifted. The Patriots no longer have the look or feel of a menacing juggernaut. Even before Aaron Hernandez decided to re-enact Scarface in a Boston suburb the intimidation of Camelot had begun to wane.  Quite simply, the Patriots are no longer The Patriots.

The saying goes “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” Well it didn’t fall apart in a…