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1. New England Patriots
A great rebound from devastating Super Bowl XLII loss will result in world championship. A terrible rebound will still result in a division title.

2. New York Jets
They’re apparently bent on winning now. Brett Favre is key, but their upgraded O-line is the linchpin. If it stays healthy, they’ll contend for a playoff spot.

3. Buffalo Bills
In a nice spot as they construct a long-term program. Jets are running a sprint for this year; these guys are running a marathon for this epoch.

4. Miami Dolphins
Not to worry – Parcells is on it.

Click cont. to see All-AFC East team

Only Bill Parcells could be retired, move to South Florida and undertake a laborious NFL rebuilding effort. The soon-to-be 69-year-old left Dallas in ’07 and went all of one year without feeding his football addiction. To his credit, he did not jump back into the coaching ranks.

So here we go again––another Parcells reclamation project. This is the fifth one. With Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga having no ego and being in the process of turning the team over to Stephen Ross, it’s clearly the Big Tuna’s show in Miami. Nothing about this is new. This isn’t even the first time that the future Hall of Famer has inherited a 1-15 AFC East team. You may remember, Parcells took over the hapless Jets in 1997. He made them a nine-win club right away, then led them to the AFC championship the following year.

Of course, that AFC East division did not feature a dynastic Patriots franchise (which, by the way, given Bill Belichick’s NFL upbringing, is something the Big Tuna had a slight hand in as well). Nine wins is simply unrealistic for these Dolphins. In fact, any numerical expectations for 2008 seem almost pointless. The bottom line is, Parcells builds winners––which is exactly what the Miami Dolphins will be once he’s done.

So how does he do it?

1.) Jared Allen                  DE     TRADE         6-6          270       4    Chiefs         Vikings

Contract:  6 yrs, $78 million with incentives ($31 million guaranteed)

Traded with a 6^th round pick in ’08 for a 1^st round pick, two 3^rd round picks and a 6^th round pick

The Hope: The high-motor Allen builds on his league-leading 15.5-sack performance from a year ago.

The Caveat: The Chiefs labeled Allen an “at risk” player, thanks to is two DUI’s while in Kansas City.

The Reality: Without approving drinking and driving, the fact of the matter is Allen already served a two-game suspension and has been a model citizen over the past year and a half. His legal woes are behind him. On the field, he may very well…

The four NFL head coaching changes that have taken place this offseason have conjured up minimal buzz, thanks to the unusual absence of recognizable big-name hires. Tony Sparano to the Dolphins invoked the expected Sopranos jokes — something America saw coming even weeks before the Cowboys’ O-line coach officially entered the market — as well as additional Bill Parcells chatter (apparently he’s pretty good at “turnin’ things around.”)

John Harbaugh’s hiring in Baltimore will be a lot more interesting in a few years, after he’s proven himself as one of the preeminent head coaches in the league.

Mike Smith was hired to take over the Atlanta Falcons, and it’s safe…

Yesterday, Eric Kuselias, filling in as host of the Mike Tirico Show, brought attention to the stunning difference between the success of the top 10 picks in the ’04 NFL draft versus the success – or lack thereof – of the top 10 selection in the ’05 draft.

Take a look at this:

1^st pick

’04: Eli Manning, SD (NYG) – Super Bowl champion.

’05: Alex Smith, SF – Injury prone and anything but secure.

2^nd pick

’04: Robert Galley, Oak – OK, so ’04 wasn’t flawless. This is the only disappointment.

’05: Ronnie Brown, Mia – Just one 1,000-yard season in three years, tore ACL in ’07.

3^rd pick

’04: Larry Fitzgerald, Ari – You could argue he’s the best WR…

Tony Sparano

Previous Job: Offensive Line Coach, Dallas Cowboys (2003-07)

Contract: 4 years, estimated $10-11 million

Why He’s Here

Disenchanted after a 1-15 extended the once-proud franchise’s playoff drought to six years, owner Wayne Huzienga shook up the front office and brought in Bill Parcells to right the ship. One of the Big Tuna’s first moves was to anoint a new Captain whom he can trust.

What Sparano Brings

A familiarity of coaching in the Parcells paradigm (Sparano was an offensive assistant in Dallas under Parcells, and even called plays in ’06).

Resume Gem

Helped bridge the new coaching staff in Big D in 2007 by guiding an offensive line that boasted three Pro Bowlers.

Glass Half Full

Bill Belichick. Tom…