Better competition

That's some quarterback shuffle going on in the AFC East, as two teams made moves to upgrade the premiere position. What would complete all the movements will be the Buffalo Bills signing Matt Cassel after the Patriots cut him.

It's old news by now, but let's review. The New York Jets traded with the Green Bay Packers for quarterback Brett Favre for a conditional pick. To make room for the living legend, the Jets cut Chad Pennington. Taking advantage of Pennington's availability was the Miami Dolphins, who signed Chad for two years. Both passers with new addresses are expected to start for their new teams.

I'll admit these are good moves by the respective franchises. They improved a position of weakness. And as veterans, the transitions shouldn't be hard, as Favre goes from Green Bay to Gang Green while Pennington changes his tastes from New York Clam Chowder to working for The Tuna.

But the question is, how much better do these moves make the Jets and Dolphins? The Patriots will still sweep them during the regular season. Neither were challengers for the division title. Heck, they might not even reach the playoffs.

Well, maybe the Jets with Favre will. But we're still talking about a 4-12 team last year. In hopes of avoiding a repeat, N.Y. was busy in the off-season. They signed guards Alan Faneca and Damien Woody to shore up a porous offensive line that allowed 53 sacks, added two linebackers (free agent Calvin Pace and first round draft pick Vernon Gholston) to improve a dismal pass rush that produced 29 sacks, and changed nose tackles in two separate trades (bye Dwayne Robertson, hello Kris Jenkins) to fortify a mediocre run defense that was ranked 15th in the league.

They all look like great moves, but success in free agency doesn't always equal success on the field. Ask the Washington Redskins, who in the past out-spent the league in the off-season but never got the desired results in return. Spending big on players like LBs Jeremiah Trotter and Jesse Armstead, WR Brandon Lloyd, DE Bruce Smith, S Adam Archuletta, and other big names didn't equal yearly playoff births. Buyer beware, Jets.

Even if Favre has time in the pocket (Brett better hope LT D'Brickashaw Ferguson improves dramatically from his rookie season), it's not like he has supreme weapons at his disposal. WRs Laveranues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery are good receivers, but don't equal the group of pass catchers Favre left behind in Green Bay. The Jets defeinitely don't have the depth to match the Packers' corps.

How about keeping the defense honest? RB Thomas Jones is productive, but will turn 30 in a week. And Leon Washington is just a change of pace back. He's not built to be a workhorse. At least they picked up Jesse Chatman as a free agent. But again it's advantage Green Bay, as they have Ryan Grant, Brandon Jackson, and Vernand Morrency to move the chains.

But more than anything, why trade for a player who's committed for a year at a time? The Packers organization grew tired of Favre's indecisiveness over the years. Now it's the Jets' turn to play Brett's wait and see. If Favre thought he was done earlier this year, there's a good chance he feels that way again after this season. The difference in 2008 will be he won't lead the Jets to within a game of the Super Bowl. If N.Y. falls short of the playoffs, I don't think Favre will want another rebuilding year.

At least Pennington is committed for two years of rebuilding. He affords the Dolphins time to develop the young passers while waiting for one to emerge as the eventual starter. Having a successful veteran on the roster (That's not you, Josh McCown) will benefit John Beck and Chad Henne.

But like the Jets, Pennington doesn't have much to work with in Miami. The O-line gave up 42 sacks last year and a generous defense. Six linemen were drafted (three on each side), meaning a lot of growing pains and equal amounts of injury pains for Pennington, who's had trouble staying healthy in the past.

The skill positions are even worse for the Dolphins. The combo of RBs Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams trumps the Jets' backfield, but Miami's receivers aren't as accomplished as New York's. Ernest Wilford is a big possession target at 6-5, but isn't a deep threat. Ted Ginn Jr. is still raw as a receiver, but at least he has deep speed. That will come in handy with a quarterback that lacks the arm strength to throw long.

What this boils down to is the divisional games probably will be a little tougher for the Pats, but they should still sweep the AFC East. The Jets and Dolphins might had gained a step on New England, but they were already far behind.