When it comes to the Patriots, Jon Gruden has no doubt: The ESPN analyst believes that when it comes to the AFC, it begins with New England.

“I think New England is the team to beat in the AFC this year, for obvious reasons,” Gruden said Wednesday. ”They’ve got the best coach, and they have the best quarterback combination. You could argue that, but they’re dynamic. And I think their young players that emerged and exploded onto the scene last year will be even better. [Aaron] Hernandez, [Rob] Gronkowski, a number of players will even be better this year than they were a year ago.”

Gruden, who radiates enthusiasm for the game of football even over the phone, was part of a conference call with the “Monday Night Football” mates Mike Tirico and Ron Jaworski on Wednesday afternoon. And true to his nature, he was optimistic when it comes to just about everything involving the Patriots this season. That includes their chances in the AFC, as well as the role of two prominent newcomers in Chad Ochocinco and Albert Haynesworth. And if they don’t, well, it’s on to the next player.

“You have to assume that both of these players would stick because of their resumes. But we’re talking about the New England Patriots, [and] coach Belichick likes to take veterans from other teams,” he said. “It doesn’t mean they always work out. Joey Galloway didn’t work out. Fred Taylor hasn’t worked out.

“I know how they do it there — they’re going to keep the guys that perform,” Gruden said. “One thing I’ve discovered, which I think is the greatest compliment I can give New England, I don’t think they care who they play. Whether it’s BenJarvus Green‑Ellis or Danny Woodhead, a rookie tight end, they’ve already proven they’re going to play the best players, and only Bill Belichick knows what’s gone on every day in the practice field. If those guys have earned the right to be there, they’ll play. If they haven’t, they’ll move on in a blink.”

Gruden watched the preseason loss to the Lions, a game where it appeared the offensive line struggled in an ugly defeat at the hands of the Detroit defensive line. But Gruden said there’s little reason to be concerned about the Patriots for several reasons, including the fact that he doesn’t “put as much stock in preseason games maybe as others.”

“I’m not as concerned about New England, nor am I as concerned about the offensive line after the Detroit Lions game,” Gruden said. “I credit Detroit with playing great at home. I think after being pummeled on Thanksgiving day by the Patriots a year before, making numerous mistakes, they rose to the challenge.”

Like Gruden, Jaworski believes that both Haynesworth and Ochocinco will stick with the Patriots, and if Haynesworth is right, he could be a “terrific football player” in New England.

“If Bill Belichick can get these guys focused, I believe they have a lot in their tank.  I’ve been looking at some Albert Haynesworth plays from last year, and if you take Jon’s term of ‘splash,’ which he loves to show, you can find 20 plays of Albert Haynesworth dominating football games. Dominating,” Jaworski said. “I’m talking about taking a center and throwing him in the quarterback’s lap, dominating the interior line of scrimmage.
 
“Chad Ochocinco is still a very gifted receiver.  You know, I don’t think he’s the player he was three or four years ago, but I think he’s a guy that certainly can give you the possession receptions. He’s a very savvy route runner.  He understands coverage, and he still has very good hands. So far, so good with Chad. He’s been quiet and performing. I think they’ll both stick and make a contribution.”

While he isn’t as bullish on New England’s overall chances as Gruden, Jaworski has some questions about the state of the Patriots — particularly their offensive line — as their regular-season opener against the Dolphins looms.

“We all know that Detroit put a lot of energy into that game. It wasn’t a show‑off preseason game — they wanted to show they were going to be for real,” Jaworski said. “They really did torch the Patriots offensive line. I’m sure it’s not been a good week at practice for the Patriots. It’s an area they certainly have to get better. Tom got hit too many times. He got flushed from the pocket too many times.
 
“You know what happens — this is a copycat league. We all know the Dolphins can play pretty darn good defense, and Cameron Wake can get after the quarterback. They’re going to look at that tape and say, ‘Hey, that was the Detroit Lions. I know it was a preseason game, but look at the individual matchups. They were winning up front.  When the Dolphins look at that tape, they’re going to glean something positive out of that tape. They’re probably going to look back and see Brady get rattled against the Jets last year in the playoff game.”

Speaking of that playoff game, the two were asked whether or not the Patriots learned about themselves in the loss to the Jets and whether or not they were able to correct any of those areas thus far heading into the season. True to their approach, while both analysts praised the Jets, Gruden wondered if a couple of plays went the other way, things would have been vastly different.

“David Harris did intercept the screen pass, run it back for a touchdown. Alge Crumpler dropped a touchdown pass.  Those two plays could have — I say could have — really changed the momentum and the outcome of that game,” Gruden said. “You can’t make mistakes against the New York Jets. They’re a good enough team to knock you out if you don’t play your best football. Clearly, that’s what happened last year. The Patriots were off, and the Jets were on.”

“When I went through that tape, I thought there were a number of plays left on the field by Tom Brady, which is highly unusual. Normally, Tom can decode a defense rather quickly, but he really struggled in that game to figure out what the Jets were doing,” Jaworski said. “When the regular season starts, we’ll see if they made the proper changes, the proper adjustments, you know, in the offseason, and knowing Bill Belichick and his staff, they have. But until we get a chance to see it on tape, I can’t say definitively what they’ve learned from that game.”