Of course, the East is more than just a two-horse race.
The Miami Dolphins have improved not only through free agency and trades (i.e. Brandon Marshall), but they also get a healthy Ronnie Brown back.
Brown, who when he's healthy, is one of the game's better running backs, gives the Dolphins much more offensive flexibility.
Of course, everyone knows about the Wildcat offense. And while some call it a gimmick offense and ridicule its place in the NFL, it's tough to argue with the results when all parties involved are healthy — particularly Brown.
In 2006, Brown ran for 1,008 yards in only 13 games. He played every game in 2008, though, and while he only ran for 916 yards, his presence was known. He changes the way teams must game plan and you could argue that Brown is one of the biggest reasons for the resurrection of Ricky Williams' career.
Brown will not only continue to help Williams by sharing the workload and giving the Fish an added component to their ground game, but he may also help the passing game develop.
The Dolphins are expecting second-year quarterback Chad Henne to continue to develop into a reliable signal-caller. The addition of Marshall will help the Dolphins spread the field, but an effective running game could help Henne more than anything else.
Wildcat or not, the return of Brown will only benefit the Dolphins. If Brown can prove he can stay healthy (which, given his past, truly remains a big "if"), he'll help the Dolphins in every aspect of their offense.
The return of Brown and his re-assimilation with the offense won't happen overnight. In fact, the preseason was a bit of a struggle for the Miami offense. However, with time, and a little bit of patience, the return of Ronnie Brown to the Dolphin backfield should make the Dolphins a legitimate AFC East contender.
