Miami, Jets, Bills hope to capitalize on Brady's departure

biggest free nt deal for Miami Dolphins this offseason has been one y didn't make.

6-foot-4 Brady loomed large in division for two decades, dominating Dolphins and or perennial also-rans, Buffalo Bills and New York Jets.

And w he's gone. This is April Fool's joke: Just like Elvis has left building, Tom has left division — entire conference, in fact.

“It'll certainly be different,” Brady said.

Dolphins, Bills and Jets sure hope so. Each is er to seize center st.

Patriots have won division 17 times in 19 seasons since Brady became ir starting quarterback. exceptions were 2002, when Jets finished first with a 9-7 record, and 2008, when Brady suffered a season-ending knee injury injury in Week 1 and Miami took division title.

Bills and Dolphins haven't won a postseason game since Brady made his first career start in 2001. Jets haven't been to playoffs since 2010 season.

So what do y think about playing in a division without three-time NFL MVP.

“Ha, ha. I mean, I'm t going to frown about it, you kw?” Bills safety Jordan Poyer said. “He has been re for 20 years, and it's going to be different faces in East w. Whoever wants it is just going to go get it. Obviously with Tom Brady gone, that's a huge, huge deal.”

Fans agree.

“Pretty crazy to t imagine him as a Patriot,” said Buffalo Sabres captain Jack Eichel, who grew up in Boston area a Patriots fan. “But hey, go Bills. Go Bucs.”

Even during a pandemic, Brady's uniform switch was front-p news, with lots of subsequent talk that Patriots are w "just ar team."

Patriots understand.

“Especially w, you have a lot of time to be on Twitter and stuff, so a lot of what I’ve seen is just people tweeting me like, ‘Enjoy what you guys had, it’s over, you guys won’t win a game,’” New England safety Devin McCourty said.

“I think that’s natural, though. I think if I was a fan and I watched team and watched a guy for a long time and he left and he was so great, I would say that team is going to be terrible, too. That’s expected.”

2020 Patriots probably likely won't be terrible — after all, y still have Bill Belichick. But y do need a quarterback, with Jarrett Stidham, Cody Kessler and

ne is likely to remind fans of Steve Young, Pro Football Hall of Famer who succeeded Hall of Famer Joe Montana in San Francisco a generation ago. (Fun fact: Brady fondly recalls sitting in stands as a teenr to watch Montana's last game with 49ers at Candlestick Park.)

So

“It’s a new season,” said Ted Karras, a former Patriots center who signed last month with Miami. “We’ve got as good of a shot as anybody else in division.”

t necessarily. team that appears closest to overtaking New England is Bills, who went 10-7 last season, ir best record since 1999. y have a sense of stability for a change with Sean McDermott entering his fourth year as coach, and y're especially er to embrace this new era in AFC East after going 3-32 against Brady.

Dolphins are rebuilding under second-year coach Brian Flores, who used a league-record 84 players last season and miraculously won five games. Heavy roster turver will likely continue for at least ar year, and Flores' long-term fate rests largely on who Miami drafts at QB.

Jets also remain a work in progress under general manr Joe Douglas, who is in his first full offseason, and second-year coach Adam Gase. y need a left tackle, a go-to receiver and — most of all — furr development by Darld.

Patriots, meanwhile, have been hit hard in free ncy, and t just at quarterback. Among those departing was linebacker Kyle Van y, who split for Miami but tapped brakes on tion Patriots have fallen out of mix in East.

“y’ll always be Patriots, with kind of players y have up re,” Van y said. “y still have a really good set of football players up re that love football, that are going to be hungry to prove to a lot of people that y’re still in it.”

Dolphins, Jets and Bills still have to play New England twice a year. But y don't have to play against Brady in 2020 — at least t until Super Bowl. He's NFC South's problem w.