For the first time in a long time, the New England Patriots are not overwhelming favorites to win the AFC East. For the first time in a long time, the Cincinnati Bengals might be the favorites to take the AFC North.
The Patriots will be trying to silence the doubters and the visiting Bengals will be attempting to live up to the hype when the teams open their 2010 campaigns against each other on Sunday.
After winning three Super Bowls in the first half of the last decade and throwing up an 18-1 season in 2007, New England missed the playoffs in 2008 and fell in the first round in 2009 and is now looking up at the media-darling New York Jets in the division.
Uncharacteristically, training camp this season has been full of controversy - something the franchise successfully avoided during its championship years.
Quarterback and superstar Tom Brady is in the final year of his contract and couldn’t seem to get on the same page with the team on an extension until Thursday, when he agreed to a four-year deal worth a reported $72 million, including $48.5 million guaranteed.
Brady made news again on Thursday morning when he was involved in a car accident on the way to practice. The two-time Super Bowl MVP walked away from the accident and made it to the team’s walk-through, though his Audi wasn’t so lucky.
Brady’s favorite target hasn’t been so professional about his contract status. Wide receiver Randy Moss made headlines last week when he suggested that he felt unwanted by the lack of a new deal. Also in the final year of his contract, Moss has enjoyed some of the best seasons of his excellent career as Brady’s main target.
Two-time Pro Bowl guard Logan Mankins has not even reported to camp and continues to hold out over his contract.
The defense is also in transition, with end Ty Warren and cornerback Leigh Bodden already ruled out for the season due to injury.
The Bengals have been surprisingly controversy-free in camp this year despite the presence of newcomers like Terrell Owens and Adam “Pacman” Jones. Wideouts Owens and Chad Ochocinco so far seem to be enjoying each other on the field nearly as much as VH1 enjoys pairing the duo’s reality shows back-to-back on Sunday nights.
Cincinnati’s passing attack was ranked 26th in the league last season, but with Owens and Ochocinco both healthy and happy, quarterback Carson Palmer’s lone concern will be spreading the ball around enough to keep both of them content.
The Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers remain big obstacles to the Bengals’ ascent in the AFC North, but the improvements on offense and a stingy defense that ranked fourth in the NFL last season and adds Jones to the mix should help them stay in the playoff hunt all season.