AFC East combine story lines ~ ~ ~

AFC East combine story lines
February 17, 2009 12:50 PM
Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Graham

The annual Indianapolis poke-and-ogle known as the NFL scouting combine begins Wednesday.I'll be headed to Lucas Oil Stadium for the job fair/meat market, where I'll try to provide as many AFC East angles as humanly possible.

With that in mind, here are the top story lines for each AFC East club heading into the combine:

~ ~ Rex Ryan's first draft with the New York Jets

Brett Favre did the Jets a colossal favor by announcing his retirement a week before the combine. Had the infamously indecisive quarterback delayed his verdict, the Jets would have been forced to cut him or faced a titanic distraction in Indianapolis.Now rookie head coach Rex Ryan can make his maiden combine voyage without Favre's status weighing on the operation. The Jets will know they're not wasting their time by interviewing such top quarterback prospects as Mark Sanchez and Josh Freeman.

Favre's decision also better prepares the Jets for free agency. They can formulate a strategy at quarterback and other targeted positions without worrying about a Favre bombshell blowing their plans to smithereens.The Jets need to rebound from last year's unproductive draft. Indianapolis is the scene where pass-rush specialist Vernon Gholston first showed he was a workout megastar. He followed up with another sensational demonstration at his Ohio State pro day, wowing the Jets enough they selected him with the sixth overall pick, their reward for a 4-12 record in 2007.

Gholston was imperceptible throughout his rookie campaign and was deactivated in December. The Jets own the No. 17 pick in April's draft, but it would be difficult to choose a player who contributes less than Gholston.

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