Belichick gives most Belichick response to losing Revis while Bills' Ryan touts regime change in AFC East

PHOENIX – Bill Belichick arrived late, took a few more minutes to sip his orange juice, and then sat down seemingly as far as he could from the microphones in front of him. This is customary of his lone session with the media at the annual owners' meetings.

If his recoiled body language was the only thing that spoke, it would say something like, "I'm just here so I won't get fined."

This is a guy who just won a Super Bowl ring, his fourth as head coach of the New England Patriots. Judging by his behavior Tuesday, you had to wonder if it arrived with a set of thorns, too.

Once Belichick spoke, his words were sparse and muted. He didn't want to talk about free agency. He didn't want to talk about deflate-gate. He didn't really want to talk about anything. And the subject of departed cornerback Darrelle Revis? Well, as Belichick put it, "That's not a big story."

And in one sense, he was right. Revis isn't the big story in New England. For all intents and purposes, there is no big story right now in New England. Other than losing Revis and letting go of defensive tackle Vince Wilfork, the Patriots' offseason has been as muted as a Belichick media session. In turn, that is a very big story for the rest of the AFC East.

While Belichick and the Patriots have been largely in neutral, the rest of the division has gobbled up talent over the last two weeks. And it has cemented one of the major realities of this offseason: The AFC East is arguably the NFL's toughest division going into next season. And every move comes with one thing in mind – gunning for the Patriots.

The rest of the NFL may be talking about parity, but the balance of the AFC East is thinking about regime change. The Patriots have won the division 12 of 14 years, but the world outside Foxborough knows Tom Brady is in the winter of his career. Change is afoot. And the momentum for an inevitable coup has started this offseason. And it started in a very big way with Revis, whose departure means teams no longer have to write off their top wideout against the Patriots. And no longer does the New England defense have the luxury of scheming without much worry of a quarterback's No. 1 option.

So yeah, Revis is a big story. But he's also just one of several. And the common theme among them all is an attack mode. It's why Ndamukong Suh is in Miami. It's why Brandon Marshall is with the New York Jets. And it's why the Buffalo Bills have gobbled up talent all over the place. It's because there is a perceived crack in the veneer.

You didn't need to wander far on Tuesday to hear it. While other AFC East teams are respectful of the Patriots, none are deferential. Two tables away from Belichick, but in another oratorical universe, Rex Ryan laid out what is likely to be a common theme amongst his divisional peers.

"I don't know how wide open [the division] could be when you've got New England perched up there and they've won, what, [12 of the last 14 titles]," Ryan said. "They're clearly the team to beat, but we're coming after them."

It would be a line Ryan would repeat: "We're coming after them. So let's see what happens."

The Bills haven't made the playoffs in 15 years, but are certainly one of the more intriguing challengers, having added as many pieces as any NFL team this offseason: running back LeSean McCoy, wideout Percy Harvin, offensive lineman Richie Incognito, tight end Charles Clay, fullback Jerome Felton and veteran quarterback Matt Cassel. Not to mention re-signing defensive end Jerry Hughes.

While the quarterback question is looming – and may ultimately doom – that's a lot of talent flowing in, with little loss on the other side of the ledger. At the very least, Buffalo should be an extremely tough defensive team with the ability to run the football and control tempo. And the addition of Ryan shouldn't be discounted, either. He had a transformative effect on the Jets six seasons ago, and this roster is light years ahead of that one. Perhaps more important, Ryan comes in propped up not just by bravado, but experience.

"I'm back," he said. "There's no question about it. Shoot, I was slapped down with a little humble pie there [with the Jets]. It was tough, there's no question about it. Embarrassing. But the thing I'm proud of was it wasn't a reflection of the guys. My guys played as hard as we could.

"I look at it as unfinished business. I'm excited about this team. My first time with the Buffalo Bills – we'll bring on all comers. Obviously you've got the world champions in front of you, and that's fine with me."

Granted, until the Bills find a quarterback and put it together on the field, that's still bluster. But Ryan isn't exactly alone. The Dolphins think Suh has a chance to give them the best defense in the NFL. And unlike Buffalo, Miami enters the season believing this is the year Ryan Tannehill proves he's the solution at quarterback. And while the Jets don't have that luxury, they too spent mounds of money on players like Revis and cornerback Antonio Cromartie, as well as trading for Marshall. While it's still a rebuild, new coach Todd Bowles knows his aim.

"The whole league is trying to knock [the Patriots] off," he said. "It's exciting, the fact that you have a guy in [Dolphins head of football operations Mike Tannenbaum], who was from the Jets and went to Miami. Rex was in New York and went to Buffalo. [Jets defensive line coach] Pepper Johnson was in New York and Buffalo and came back to New York. I was in Miami before. So there's a lot of mixing and matching to see who comes out on top. But the Patriots are the Super Bowl champs, so everybody else will have to get in line behind them until somebody can beat them."

That's a long line in the AFC East. Twelve of 14 years long. But it's not going away. Regardless of how quiet Belichick and the Patriots remain, the rest of the division is turning the volume up. And from this point forward, that will be a very big story.