Sure seems possible to me. The past two years have produced different division champs and a third team that reached the AFC Championship Game last season.

The journey will start in a matter of days. The Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots blow the air horn on Thursday. The Miami Dolphins start Friday afternoon. The New York Jets open their “Hard Knocks” camp Monday morning.

All four teams have loose ends to tie up before camp. None has signed its first-round draft choice. Patriots left guard Logan Mankins remains unsigned and unhappy.

FOUR BIG QUESTIONS

Buffalo Bills: Who will be the quarterback?

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Luc Leclerc/US PresswireTrent Edwards played in just eight games for the Bills last season.

New head coach Chan Gailey has stressed there will be an open quarterback competition, but the first depth chart will be known when the Bills begin camp. The campaign would get off to a fascinating start if anybody other than Trent Edwards takes the initial first-team reps. Ryan Fitzpatrick finished last year as the starter, but offers the least amount of upside. He’s a sixth-year journeyman backup. Brian Brohm, a 2008 Green Bay Packers second-round pick, provides the most intrigue, titillating Bills fans because he’s the unknown quantity. The battle should be a slowly progressing storyline unlikely to be decided until preseason games have been played — and maybe not until the week before the season opener.

Miami Dolphins: How quickly will receiver Brandon Marshall integrate into the offense?

The Dolphins’ prized offseason acquisition missed voluntary workouts and minicamp because of hip surgery the Dolphins didn’t anticipate when they traded for him in April. His absence delayed the Dolphins’ ability to see how he could transform the offense, forcing any ideas to remain X’s and O’s on the dry-erase board until training camp. The injury also prevented quarterback Chad Henne from getting fully acquainted with Marshall, a player who can help expedite Henne’s development. Henne must get used to Marshall’s speed and route angles. How quickly they find their timing on intermediate and longer patterns such as deep outs and posts against a defense will be important to making sure they’re totally on the same page when the season starts.

New England Patriots: Will the Patriots show noticeable improvement on defense?

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Jim Rogash/Getty ImagesDarius Butler will compete with Devin McCourty for the chance to start at left cornerback.

The old baseball adage claims championship teams are strong up the middle. The Patriots can say they’re formidable in that regard. They have star nose tackle Vince Wilfork, inside linebacker Jerod Mayo and a solid group of safeties. But this ain’t baseball. In football, especially with a 3-4 defense, teams need an outside presence. The Patriots are eager to see if they can improve their pass rush and be more consistent at cornerback. Those two areas depend on each other and contributed to the Patriots ranking 22nd in sacks per pass play last year. They’ll have to sort through returning outside linebackers Tully Banta-Cain, Derrick Burgess, Rob Ninkovich and Shawn Crable and 53rd overall draft pick Jermaine Cunningham. At the all-important left cornerback spot, unproven sophomore Darius Butler will compete with first-round pick Devin McCourty.

New York Jets: Will quarterback Mark Sanchez take command in his second camp?

As a reckless rookie, Sanchez seemed hell-bent on squandering a team loaded in several key categories: No. 1 defense, No. 1 rushing attack, three Pro Bowlers on the offensive line. But late last season, Sanchez finally bought into what offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer had been preaching and closed the season with a deep playoff run. Knee surgery limited Sanchez’s first full NFL offseason, but he participated in minicamp. He’ll have two talented receivers, Braylon Edwards and Santonio Holmes, who weren’t around at this time last year. How their chemistry develops over the next two months will be crucial.

HOTTEST SEATS

Bills: Demetrius Bell. It’s odd to imagine a player drafted in the seventh round as a long-term project being on the hot seat going into just his third season. But Bell plays left tackle, and the Bills can’t afford to fool around at such an important position. Bell didn’t play a snap in 2008, yet emerged as last year’s opening-night starter. He struggled before a knee injury ended his season prematurely. Bell was one of the NFL’s most penalized players, and Gailey abhors pre-snap penalties. In eight games, Bell committed six false starts and allowed five sacks.

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Marc Serota/Getty ImagesHow Will Allen rebounds from a knee injury will be important.

Dolphins: Will Allen. The 10-year veteran started last season as the club’s top cornerback, but suffered a season-ending knee injury in the sixth game. The Dolphins played out the year with a pair of rookies, Sean Smith and Vontae Davis, at cornerback. While they were frequently broiled by opposing receivers, they are the future and there’s something to be said for trial by fire. Allen’s contract might doom him. He’s scheduled to make base salaries of $5.2 million this year and $5.5 million next year.

Patriots: Laurence Maroney. He has been a polarizing player since the Patriots drafted him 21st overall in 2006. He has looked like a stud running back at times, but not nearly often enough. Maroney’s entering his fifth season but has started only 14 games, hasn’t cracked 900 rushing yards in a season and fumbles too much.

Jets: Nick Folk. Coaches don’t have much patience for an erratic kicker. The Jets parted ways with a good one, letting Jay Feely leave via free agency. They signed Folk, a former Pro Bowler who was a disaster with the Dallas Cowboys last year. He was inconsistent in Jets voluntary workouts and minicamp, already drawing playful ridicule from coach Rex Ryan. If Folk continues to miss kicks, the Jets won’t be laughing.

SECRET WEAPON

Patriots receiver Brandon Tate. When considering New England’s top targets, the names Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Torry Holt and maybe Julian Edelman come to mind. Keep an eye out for Tate, a second-year pro with one reception. Tate still was recovering from knee surgery when the Patriots drafted him in the third round out of North Carolina. He made his debut in Week 7 and suffered another knee injury in Week 9. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has spoken highly of Tate during the offseason.

CHANGING OF THE GUARDS

The Bills boast one example of stability over the rest of the AFC East — on the offensive line, no less.

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AP Photo/Ross D. FranklinThe Jets’ release of guard Alan Faneca raised a few eyebrows.

The Bills enter training camp with the lone left guard in place. Second-year pro Andy Levitre returns as the starter, while each of the other three clubs have uncertainties to address. The Jets and Dolphins are letting players compete for their left guard openings, while the Patriots have a two-time Pro Bowler who has demanded a trade.

In Jets camp, second-round pick Vladimir Ducasse and sophomore Matt Slauson are battling for the vacancy created by the controversial release of nine-time Pro Bowler Alan Faneca.

The Dolphins traded Justin Smiley, their left guard the past two seasons. Nate Garner started eight games, including four on the left side while Smiley was hurt last season. Donald Thomas started 12 games at right guard. Richie Incognito started at right guard for the St. Louis Rams and Bills. The Dolphins drafted guard John Jerry in the third round.

Mankins isn’t expected to be at Patriots camp when it begins. He’s an unsigned restricted free agent and last month went public with his desire to be traded. Right tackle Nick Kaczur has been working in Mankins’ spot.

from www.espn.com

I have a HUGE crush on this woman.- Mr Review

2. Gregg Williams’ defense is going to get its biggest test yet. Ever since the Saints hired Williams as their defensive coordinator in the offseason, they’ve been talking about a different attitude or culture. That’s not just lip service. The major difference between the very ordinary Saints of last season and the very good ones of this season has been the defense. These guys don’t really shut down offenses, but they’re extremely good at coming up with turnovers. Now, they’ve got to find a way to do that against Manning and the Indianapolis offensive machine.

3. If you’re looking for a portion of the Saints that hasn’t received enough praise, try the linebackers. Yes, Jonathan Vilma was selected for the Pro Bowl, which he now won’t have to play in because he’ll be getting ready for the Super Bowl, but Scott Fujita and Scott Shanle don’t get nearly the credit they deserve. Vilma, Shanle and Fujita combined for 19 tackles, an interception, a quarterback hurry, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries against the Vikings. They’ll need to be even better against the Colts.

But the Saints, known as lovable losers for so long, are the fresh story. A city, still recovering from Hurricane Katrina, gets a huge boost from the team’s first trip to the title game. Might the Saints be in positioned to be overwhelmed by the experience while the Colts, who won the game just four years ago, benefit from the experience?

2. Hey kids, do you like the passing game? The Colts (second in NFL) and Saints (fourth) live by the pass. They’re centered on top-flight quarterbacks. That will make for a lot of prognostications about an aerial assault and a big shootout in Miami.

Trouble is, it’s pigeonholing either club to suggest it’s all about Peyton Manning or Drew Brees.

The Saints are a balanced offense, with a run game that was sixth in the league keyed by Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas. The Colts have a stingy scoring defense that’s allowed only 18.2 points a game and limited opponents in the regular season to seven passing plays of 30 yards or more.

Turnovers, always a key, are a New Orleans forte. The Saints were third in the NFL with a plus-11 differential, while Indy was plus-two.

3. Manning against the team of his youth. Manning is from New Orleans, where his dad, Archie, starred for the Saints. Cooper Manning, Peyton’s older brother, admitted Sunday it’d be awkward for him and some of the family, but they looked forward to sorting through it all.

The Colts are 5-5 all time against New Orleans. Manning lost his first two games to his hometown team, but has won the last two by scores of 55-21 in 2003 and 41-10 in 2007.

The Colts are also 2-2 all-time in Super Bowls in Miami, where they’ve played all four times they’ve advanced. Baltimore lost Super Bowl III to the Jets, won Super Bowl V over Dallas and won Super Bowl XLI over Chicago, all in south Florida. The Indianapolis Colts beat Chicago in Miami in Super Bowl XLI.

NEW ORLEANS — In these parts, they refer to it as lagniappe, a Cajun word that roughly translated means “a little bit extra.” On Sunday in the Superdome, the underappreciated New Orleans Saints defense provided a dose of lagniappe to this long-suffering franchise. The Saints’ defenders compensated for a sometimes conservative New Orleans offense in a 31-28 overtime victory over the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship Game. “We just weren’t going to lose, no matter how much we had to do,” said cornerback Tracy Porter, whose interception of Brett Favre with seven seconds remaining in regulation killed a Minnesota drive that had reached the Saints’ 38-yard line. “We said to ourselves, ‘OK, it’s on us, right?’ We just felt like somebody would step up … and that someone just happened to be me.” The Saints earned the first Super Bowl berth in franchise history courtesy of Garrett Hartley’s 40-yard field goal nearly five minutes into the extra period. Hartley’s game winner sent the 71,276 fans dancing onto Bourbon Street. But the Saints’ defense was the difference maker. After surrendering touchdowns on Minnesota’s opening two possessions, coordinator Gregg Williams’ unit settled in and began pounding away at Favre and the Vikings. It crowded the line of scrimmage, blitzed on every passing-situation play and it took the ball away, netting five turnovers. Favre was not sacked, but the Saints’ rush hit him plenty and forced him to unload some throws before he could set his feet. Not surprisingly, the Porter interception and 26-yard return came on a third-and-15 play on which the Saints brought inside pressure. The rush forced Favre to roll to his right and he threw across his body into Porter’s hands. The heavy pressure took a toll on Favre. The veteran suffered a left leg injury in the third quarter, but returned to finish what could be his final game. Favre, who came out of retirement a second time to resume his NFL career with the Vikings, was disconsolate after the loss, but declined to publicly suggest that the game was his swan song. “I think we led the league in quarterback pressures — maybe not sacks but hitting the guy — and we came at [Favre] all night,” said right end Will Smith, who finished with six tackles and one forced fumble. “They weren’t love-taps, either, man. I think it had a [cumulative] effect on him. After he got hurt, you could tell it was bothering him. He was limping around and could barely make it to the line of scrimmage at times. We knew we had to take advantage of that.” The New Orleans defense failed to take advantage of a lot of breaks, though, for much of the game. The butterfingered Vikings fumbled six times, including a pair by tailback Adrian Peterson, but the Saints recovered only three of the bobbles. One recovery, by defensive tackle Remi Ayodele in the fourth quarter, set up a Drew Brees 5-yard touchdown pass to Reggie Bush that staked the Saints to a 28-21 lead. But the Vikings rallied back to tie the contest at 28 on Peterson’s third score of the game, a 2-yard run, setting up a nail-biting finish. Peterson rushed for 122 yards on 25 carries, snapping a career-long streak of eight games without a 100-yard performance. But the Saints’ defense, burned on a run-blitz on the opening possession, when Peterson romped thorough a wide hole off the left side for a 19-yard touchdown run, kept coming. The Saints’ defenders tackled well close to the line of scrimmage, if not always in the secondary, and limited Peterson’s cutbacks. The Vikings more than doubled the Saints in first downs (31-15), and had healthy advantages in total yards (475-257) and time of possession (36:49-27:56). Still, the Saints didn’t alter their defensive calls. It became almost a pattern: On virtually every second or third down, the Saints would send at least one extra rusher, the Minnesota line would hold firm in terms of not permitting a sack, but Favre would absorb a shock. “Sooner or later, we just felt that if we kept hitting him, he would [throw] one in our hands,” said strong safety Roman Harper. “As great a player as he is, he’s known to do that, you know? He threw us a few and we didn’t hold onto them. But we still got our share [of interceptions].” In addition to Porter’s late interception, middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma also had a pick, to go with five tackles, two passes defensed, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. In addition to the recoveries by Vilma and Ayodele, linebacker Scott Fujita pounced on a loose ball on the New Orleans 4-yard line that came near the end of the first half and preserved a 14-14 intermission tie. And then there were the countless hits on Favre, who still completed six passes of 20 yards or more. Said Favre, who looked all of his 40 years afterward: “I’ve felt better. It was a very physical game … probably more so than people think.” The outing was indicative of a New Orleans defense that statistically ranked 25th in the NFL during the regular season, but was second in the league in takeaways (39). It’s not often that a defense could surrender 28 points and allow a quarterback to throw for more than 300 yards (310) and still advance to the Super Bowl. But the emotional Saints — and owner Tom Benson, who boogied on the sideline, trademark parasol in hand, after Hartley’s game winner — will meet New Orleans native Peyton Manning and the AFC champion Indianapolis Colts on Feb. 7 in Super Bowl XLIV. For this team, this city and this defense, another Cajun phrase, Laissez les bon temps roulez, comes readily to mind. Let the good times roll.

2. Time of possession will be critical for the Jets. The Miami Dolphins established the offensive blueprint for defeating the Colts when they met on Monday night in Week 2. The Dolphins nearly knocked them off by dominating in time of possession, obnoxiously holding onto the ball for 45 minutes, 7 seconds. Problem is, the Dolphins’ defense played like cardboard cutouts and surrendered 10.2 yards per play in a 27-23 loss. The Jets’ defense can contain the Colts better than the Dolphins. If the Jets maintain no worse than a one-score deficit, then their offense will be able to keep handing off to Shonn Greene and Thomas Jones against the 24th-ranked run defense. The benefit would be twofold: It would prevent Mark Sanchez from being forced into a shootout and will keep Manning off the field.

3. The Jets can’t expect to get multiple big breaks again. A lot of talk in the Jets’ locker room this week justified the notion they can go toe-to-toe with the Colts because they played them so tightly a month ago in Indianapolis before Manning and other starters were removed from the game. But the Jets can’t deny the repeated blessings they received before then. How often can they count on Brad Smith to return a kickoff 106 yards? What about blocking another extra point? Can the Jets count on another below-standard Manning performance and expect him to misfire with Reggie Wayne as often as he did the last time? No, no and no.

2. Reggie Bush will be a huge factor. I wrote in this space a week ago that Bush would be a huge factor against the Cardinals — and he was. My logic was simple. When you throw a bunch of good athletes on the field, the best athlete out there will rise up and make plays. Once again, I think Bush is the best athlete stepping onto the Superdome floor Sunday.

3. Matchup of the week? It seems like the ultimate mismatch with New Orleans left tackle Jermon Bushrod going against Minnesota defensive end Jared Allen. On paper, it probably is. But let’s face it, the Saints aren’t going to leave Bushrod on an island by himself. They’ve been covering him up with help all season as he’s filled in for an injured Jammal Brown. Bushrod hasn’t really been exploited because the Saints help him and their offense is designed for Brees to get rid of the ball quickly. This matchup might not be as big a deal as many people think.

4. Payton’s big chance. We already mentioned how important this game is for Brees’ status. It’s kind of the same deal for his coach, Sean Payton. This will be two NFC Championship Games in four seasons. Win this one and Payton will go from being just a great offensive mind to being a great head coach.

5. Sharper image. We’ve heard all week about New Orleans safety Darren Sharper‘s familiarity with Favre. A lot of people have said that could work to the Saints’ advantage. But Payton has done his best to downplay that aspect and frequently said players going against former teams is overrated. I disagree. I think Sharper’s knowledge of Favre is important, and I’m guessing that the Saints have been tapping into it all week. But I think the real issue here isn’t so much what Sharper can tell his teammates. I think it’s whether Sharper can take all his knowledge of Favre and come up with an interception against his former teammate.

Vikings nose tackle Pat Williams, meanwhile, said Brooking was lucky to escape the Minnesota sideline in one piece.

“We don’t care what Keith Brooking says,” Williams said. “He was about to get his ass whupped on our sideline over there. It don’t matter. Nobody said anything when they blew out the Eagles [the past two weeks].

“It’s the playoffs. It ain’t no regular-season game. If you lose, you go home. We take no pity on them. Do they expect us to? I don’t care about no Brooking. He can say whatever he wants to say.”

With the Vikings leading 27-3 late in the fourth quarter, Childress left his starters in the game. The Cowboys gave up the ball on downs at their 37-yard line with 5:26 remaining, and the Vikings threw three passes on their ensuing six-play drive. The final one was an 11-yard touchdown pass to tight end Visanthe Shiancoe on fourth-and-3 with 1:55 remaining.

“Just staying aggressive with it, if you will,” Childress said after the game. “We put our defense back on the field and we talked to all the coordinators — offense, defense, special-teams guys– that we weren’t going to put the field goal group on the field.

“As Lou Holtz used to say, ‘It’s our job to score points. It’s their job to stop us from scoring points.’ That happens. It wasn’t rubbing it in. It’s just taking care of business and being aggressive at the end of the game.”

Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said the Vikings ran up the score, and Brooking agreed.

“I thought it was classless,” Brooking said. “I thought it was B.S. Granted, we get paid to stop them, but we had zero timeouts left. I didn’t think there was any call for that.”

Shiancoe laughed after hearing Brooking’s comments. “OK, we apologize. I’m sorry. Better?”

His Jets are still playing.

Rookies Mark Sanchez and Shonn Greene led New York to a stunning 17-14 upset of San Diego in the divisional playoffs Sunday, each providing a touchdown in the fourth quarter that marked another Chargers postseason pratfall.The jovial, rotund Ryan isn’t afraid to say what’s on his mind, and his players are taking his lead as they head into the AFC Championship Game against Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.”A matchup that probably nobody wanted, but too bad,” Ryan said. “Here we come!”He means: “Here we come again.”

It was the Colts who pulled Manning and other starters in the second half of their Week 16 game against the Jets, who rallied for a victory that put them in control of their playoff destiny.Before that game, Ryan said his holiday wish was for the Colts to rest Manning & Co.”I don’t know if Santa Claus will be that good to me again,” Ryan said. “But I will say that I’d like to see Peyton Manning not play this week.”After the Jets finally did clinch a playoff spot by routing Cincinnati the following week, Ryan created a postseason itinerary for his players that included the Super Bowl in Miami followed by a parade two days later.He might be onto something.Maybe this week he’ll predict the Jets’ opponent in the Super Bowl.”We believed the whole time, the whole year, when it probably wasn’t the popular choice,” Ryan said. “We don’t have to apologize to anyone.”The upstart Jets (11-7), who have won seven of their last eight, advanced to the AFC Championship Game for the first time since 1999.”It’s a big win for our franchise, and we’re not done,” Sanchez said.”Don’t pay attention to the words he says,” linebacker Bart Scott said about his coach. “Pay attention to the content. We’re not the same old Jets, and we’re trying to change what people think of us.”As glum Chargers fans headed out into the equally gloomy evening, several thousand New York fans thronged in the stands behind New York’s bench and chanted, “J-E-T-S, JETS, JETS, JETS!”One held a sign that read: “I don’t have another 41 years,” a reference to the Jets’ only Super Bowl title, the one that Joe Namath predicted.They hope another one is lurking.

Sanchez threw a go-ahead, 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dustin Keller three plays into the fourth quarter, then Greene gave the Jets some breathing room with a 53-yard scoring run on their next possession.The mistake-prone Chargers let New York hang around long enough, and the Jets finally got out of their own way, becoming the only road team to win in the divisional round.After Philip Rivers scored on a 1-yard sneak with 2:14 left to pull the Chargers within three, the Jets recovered the onside kick.Facing a fourth-and-1 from the 29 with 1:09 left, the Jets called timeout. Ryan decided to go for it and Thomas Jones bulled through the Chargers’ line for 2 yards.”That symbolizes what this team is all about,” guard Alan Faneca said. “The hard nose. We’re coming at you. We’re that kind of team.”Sanchez pumped his fist and pointed his hand forward in the first-down signal.On the sideline, Ryan lifted much smaller offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer off the ground in a bear hug.

Schottenheimer’s father, Marty, presided over two playoff losses with the Chargers, one against the Jets after the 2004 season and one against New England after the 2006 season in which top-seeded San Diego imploded in a flood of errors.This one was just as big a nightmare. Many people had San Diego picked to win its first Super Bowl title.”We didn’t, obviously, play our best game and it’s disappointing,” said coach Norv Turner, who was trying to guide the No. 2-seeded Bolts to their second AFC title game in three seasons.The Chargers (13-4) saw their 11-game winning streak end.”It was the best defense I’ve played this year,” said LaDainian Tomlinson, who after nine seasons might have played his final game with the Chargers. “Run, pass, and they are really prepared. Hats off to them.”Sanchez, playing in his native Southern California, went from looking like the rookie that he is to a guy who has now has two straight playoff wins on the road.

He was intercepted by Quentin Jammer midway through the third quarter, but the Jets got the ball back on an interception when the ball ricocheted off Vincent Jackson and into the hands of cornerback Darrelle Revis as both were sprawled on the ground.The Jets weren’t able to capitalize on that pickoff, but Rivers’ second interception was costly. On second-and-9 from his 5, Rivers underthrew Antonio Gates, who hadn’t even turned around, with safety Jim Leonhard intercepting and returning it to the 16.

On third down, Sanchez rolled right and threw to Keller, who shed linebacker Tim Dobbins in the back corner of the end zone and made a sprawling 2-yard catch that put the Jets ahead 10-7.

Sanchez and the rest of the Jets ran over to congratulate Keller, then the rookie QB kept running to the bench, stopping once to celebrate with a teammate.

The Jets turned to their top-ranked running game on their next drive, and Greene, a third-round pick from Iowa, broke his long scoring run up the middle, running over safety Eric Weddle in the process.”Once I got to the secondary, I had one tackle to break and I did, and it was off to the end zone,” said Greene, who had 128 yards on 23 carries. “A lot of people didn’t know about me, but they know about the Jets.”Greene rushed for 135 yards and a TD in last week’s playoff win against Cincinnati.

San Diego’s All-Pro kicker Nate Kaeding missed three field goals. He was wide left from 36 yards on San Diego’s second possession and was short from 57 yards as the first-half clock expired. With the Chargers trailing by 10 with 4:38 to go, he was wide right from 40.Ryan pumped his fist and smiled after Kaeding’s third miss.The last time these teams met in the playoffs, after the 2004 season, the rookie Kaeding was wide right from 40 yards on a wet field in overtime. The Jets moved down the field and won it 20-17 on Doug Brien‘s 28-yard field goal.

Five years later, the Jets left Qualcomm Stadium winners again.”We’re not supposed to be here,” Faneca said. “All week, people were basically thanking us for providing the game, and we went out and took it.”

Game notes
New York had four straight three-and-outs, failing to pick up a first down until its fifth drive, midway through the second quarter. … Rivers threw a 13-yard TD pass to third-string tight end Kris Wilson in the second quarter. … Jets DE Shaun Ellis left in the first quarter with a hand injury, but returned