Buffalo – Returning to prominence

The Bills ranked near the bottom of the league last year in both total offense (28th) and total defense (29th). Fortunately, special teams often gave them a spark. In just his third season, Terrence McGee solidified his status as a highly explosive kickoff returner.

 

Hidden Truth: For two straight years, McGee has led the conference in kickoff return average. In 2004, he returned three kicks for touchdowns and averaged 26.3 yards. Last season, he only took one kickoff back for a score, but he raised his average to a league-best 30.2. His four kickoff-return TDs over that span top everyone else, including Kansas City's Dante Hall (3). McGee's contributions to the offensive effort have been reflected by the Cold, Hard Football Facts Scoreability Index, a measure of offensive efficiency that accounts for various team-wide factors, including special teams proficiency. The Bills ranked No. 15 on the Scoreability Index in 2005 and a surprising No. 1 in 2004.

 

Outlook for 2006: Barring a drastically improved defense, Buffalo is expected to surrender a lot of points. The dangerous McGee will thus have plenty of return opportunities.

 

Miami – Right on schedule

In his first season at the helm, Nick Saban inherited a 4-12 team and dramatically turned it around. The Dolphins won their last six games to finish 9-7 (Saban has never had a losing season as a major college or professional head coach). That accomplishment seems even more impressive when you consider the quality of Miami's opposition.

 

Hidden Truth: Miami has played the league's toughest schedule in each of the last two seasons, based upon the previous-year records of its opponents:

Outlook for 2006: The Dolphins have a schedule that projects as the sixth-easiest in the league. Their opponents had a paltry .469 winning percentage last season, posting a 120-136 combined record.

 

New England – Just for kicks

Much has been made of Adam Vinatieri's defection to the rival Colts. Losing the most clutch kicker in NFL history could potentially have a crippling effect on a team that needed last-second, game-winning field goals in two of its three Super Bowl victories. But the Patriots have a seasoned replacement in training camp: Martin Gramatica.

 

Hidden Truth: Gramatica actually holds the postseason record for highest field goal percentage (among those with at least 10 attempts). He has converted 11 of his 12 tries, for a career mark of 91.7 percent. By way of comparison, Vinatieri checks in at 76.5 percent (26 of 34), but his average distance for playoff field goal attempts has been 35.1 yards, as opposed to Gramatica's 32.1.

 

Outlook for 2006: Gramatica, who was out of football last year, will need to beat out fourth-round rookie Stephen Gostkowski for the placekicking duties. If he lasts the full season, he'll likely find that his field goal accuracy is affected by the wintry conditions in Foxboro.

 

N.Y. Jets – Mighty in the middle

Believe it or not, tackles aren't an official NFL statistic. There is just too much subjectivity regarding what constitutes a "solo" and an "assist." Each team arrives at its own tackle totals after film review, but no established standard exists. This can obviously lead to discrepancies – kind of like witnesses of the same crime having different versions of events. For its part, the league posts the totals compiled by the stats crew at every game, along with a disclaimer acknowledging that tackles are "unofficial."

 

Hidden Truth: Jets middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma led all defenders last year with 169 tackles, besting Miami's Zach Thomas by 11. It was the most tackles by any player this decade. Vilma, pictured here tackling Jacksonville's Fred Taylor, recorded 124 solos – 12 more than his closest competitor (San Diego's Donnie Edwards).