AFC North Breakdown

Back again for the 2nd edition of my divisional breakdown. The AFC North has been running its course the past decade. Great defenses and playoff appearances from Steelers and Ravens, Flashes of brilliance and utter failure from the Bengals and constant losing from the Cleveland Browns. Will that change this year? NO, but one team is going to go from bad to worse and a new King will be crowned this season. If you love fights, defensive battles, low scoring games. These are the games for you. Highlighted are the players, in my opinion, will have to step to the plate for their team to have major success. For a division loaded with talent, 4 rookies will need to show-up for 16 weeks, 3 will have to play very good.

Offensive Team Ranks, 2010: 27th in Rushing, 13th in Passing, 22nd in Scoring

Defensive Team Ranks, 2010: 19th in Rushing, 14th in Passing, 24th in Scoring

Key Arrivals: WR A.J. Green (1st round- Georgia), TE Bo Scaife (from Titans), OLB/DE Manny Lawson (from 49ers), OG Max Jean-Gilles (from Eagles), CB Nate Clements (from 49ers), QB Bruce Gradkowski (from Raiders) OLB Thomas Howard (Raiders)

Key Departures: QB Carson Palmer (Retired), WR Chad Ochocinco (Patriots), Terrell Owens, Antwan Odom, Dhani Jones, CB Johnathan Joseph (Texans), Roy Williams, Chinedum Ndukwe

There no question about it, THIS TEAM SUCKS. By paper, looking at the Bengals roster you can debate they they have a very bright future ahead of them, especially on the offensive side of the football. The major problem: Bengals owner Mike Brown and hes always been the problem. He can never swallow his pride and take a deal that could better his football. Carson Palmer never wanted to take a step on the bengals field ever again, instead of fulfilling a guy wishes who have poured his who career for the team, he tells he no and allows him to retire. No benefit in return. Now a rookie QB is at the helm and no player or draft pick was returned for losing Carson Palmer. These constant problems are why the bengals will be the worst team in the NFL this season.

Offense:

The Bengals are an absolute mess. They lost both Ochocinco and T.O. in the off-season to go along with the sudden retirement of starting quarterback Carson Palmer. Rookie Andy Dalton and journeyman Bruce Gradkowski will battle it out for the starting job at QB while running back Cedric Benson takes on the role as the Bengals’ only weapon on offense. The Offensive line is decent at best and Andre Smith 1st rd pick of 2 yrs ago is an complete bust. They they quality players in Jerome Simpson, Jordan Shipley and Jermaine Gresham and this season they are going to have to turn from boy to men in this league very quickly. Add in the ability of A.J. Green and they have a legit playmaker, but can these other guys make plays to keep the attention off him. A huge year is needed from Cedric Benson.

Defense:

For all the problems that going to happen in Cincinnati this season, the Bengals do have an above average defense which will hopefully, for Marvin Lewis’ sake, keep them in some games. They had one of the better defense in 2009 and faltered a bit in 2010. In order to save Marvin Lewis job, they are going to have to return back to that 2009 form. They might have a star pass rusher in Carlos Dunlap, as he came on late in the season and finished his rookie season with 8 sacks. CB Johnathan Joseph and S Chinedum Ndukwe will be tough losses to overcome. Joseph and Leon formed one of the best CB duos in the league. Nate Clemens will have to step in and play like he capable of playing. Another new addition Thomas Howard i think will do really well in the linebacking core. Solid Core wit him and Keith Rivers manning the two OLB positions.

Andy Dalton

Goodbye Carson Palmer. Goodbye Chad Ochocinco. Goodbye T.O. The Bengals have handed the keys of the franchise to a 2nd Round QB. Kevin Kolb was available, Vince Young was available. These are the type of decisions that get coaches and GM's fired. Will Andy Dalton be great? No. Can he be good? Hopefully. This is a future move but also a current move. He has Cedric Benson to help him out of 2nd and 3rd down long situation. He has to be a chains mover. This team wont score many points but if their able to move the chains, they have a decent chance in most games.


Final Thoughts:

Two years removed from the playoffs and this team has been turned upside down and has become the laughing stock of the NFL. Young pieces and a promising future is part of this team but as is terrible ownership ready to tear it all apart. I don't see much playmaking coming from the QB position for them to have any kind of success this year. I truly expect them to become apart of the Andrew Luck sweepstakes in next years draft.

Prediction: 3-13 (4th in AFC North)

Offensive Team rankings, 2010: 20th in Rushing, 29th in Passing, 31th in Scoring

Defensive Team rankings, 2010: 27th in Rushing, 18th in Passing, 13th in Scoring

Key arrivals: CB Dimitri Patterson (Eagles), OG John Greco (Rams), RB Brandon Jackson (Packers), S Usama Young (Saints). WR Greg Little (North Carolina)

Key departures: OLB Matt Roth (to Jaguars); ILB Blake Costanzo (to 49ers); S Sabby Piscitelli (to Chiefs); S Abram Elam (to Cowboys); FB Lawrence Vickers (to Texans); WR Chansi Stuckey (to Cardinals); CB Eric Wright (to Lions); ILB Jason Trusnik (to Dolphins).

Offense:

This is Colt McCoy team and i believe thats a good thing. The team didnt surround him with enough weapons to contend weekly but he showed enough promise as a good future pro in this league. Another diamond in the rough comes from the Broncos. They traded Peyton Hillis for now 3rd string QB Brady Quinn. When Hillis got his chance to start, he broke out and had dominating performance. With more Mccoy experience, teams will have to take that 8th man out of the box and will create more running lanes for Hillis. Ben Watson became a great target for McCoy and had the best season of his career. Greg Little was drafted at WR to stretch the field and add another weapon on the field. Josh Cribbs has been great over the years with the ball in his hands and must continue to work hard at becoming a full time Wide Receiver. The Browns arguably have the best O-line in the league and loves to punish people. Pro Bowl players at the two most important spots: LT and Center. I expect their offensive rankings numbers to increase but they still lack the ONE major playmaker who can change the outcome of a ballgame.


Defense:

The Biggest departure wasn't a player, it was coordinator Rob Ryan to the Cowboys. A players coach that everybody on the team loved and was able to rally the troops every sunday and get them to play hard for him. Looked like a playoff defense at the end of the season, they have to pick up where they left off in order to have a chance week in and week out. New coach has switched them from the 3-4 to the 4-3. My good friend Marcus Benard has moved from OLB back to DE and should excel there. D'qwell Jackson should also should excel with another DT in front of him at MLB. Cleveland's first-round pick Phil Taylor miss time because of contract dispute but came in great shape and ready to play on the first-team defense. Taylor is hard to move at the point of attack and also showed the ability to get up the field. Taylor and defensive tackle Ahtyba Rubin could be a tough tandem in the middle.

Peyton Hillis

The player who must have he most success for the Browns to have a great season is Peyton Hillis. The Madden cover athlete has generated a great deal of a fan base for himself and earned it with his play on the field. A guy whos always been filled with talent but always left in the shadows. Imagine the backfield Arkansas had with him, Darren McFadden and Felix Jones. His light is on now and he must shine. His running style keeps defenses on the field and he will be able to take a deal of pressure off Colt McCoy. Brandon Jackson was brought in to not wear him down. I expect him to have a great season.


Final Thoughts:

The Browns made great strides last season, killing the New England Patriots and taking multiple games down to the wire. Colt McCoy got some much-needed experience down the stretch and built up a nice rapport with his tight-ends. Running back Peyton Hillis burst onto the scene as well, trucking defenders left and right on his way to a phenomenal season. The Browns are trending up and their future looks bright, but they just don’t have enough weapons on offense and lack experience on defense. But mainly the other two team in the division are more talented than they are.

Prediction: 8-8 (3rd in AFC North)

Offensive Team Rankings, 2010: 11th in rushing, 14th in Passing, 12th in Scoring

Defensive Team Rankings, 2010: 1st in Rushing, 12th in Passing, 1st in Scoring


Key arrivals: WR Jerricho Cotchery (Jets), TE John Gilmore (Bucs)

Key departures: LB Keyaron Fox (to Redskins); DE Nick Eason (to Cardinals); TE Matt Spaeth (to Bears).

Offense:

Almost ever starter is back from the super bowl runner up. A very great offensive but i think their downfall this season will be the offensive line. This cant continue to be a problem for a team for years for a team that can make the super bowl every season. I expect Mike Wallace to take his game to another level and become a major impact football player. I expect a huge mvp type season from Big Ben but he has to get protected in the pocket.

Defense:

Playmakers on every level of this defense with 3 of the best defensive players in the league. The scariest part about this defense is the linebacking core. Most of the coaches think Lawrence Timmons is the best linebacker on the team. Casey Hampton is still one of the best run stuffing Nose Guards in the game. The minor with this defense is this team can not be ran on but they are capable of being exposed hard through the air if the QB has time to the football. My Question is, Did the Packers expose them to the league? They have to have a serviceable corner opposite Ike Taylor and at Nickle back.

Curtis Brown & Cortez Allen

A team with few weaknesses done a terrible job of addressing the ones that they do have. Good cornerbacks flew off the board in the 1st and 2nd round and the steelers passed. Then decided in the next 2 rounds that they needed them. Well here they are, rookies Curtis Brown and Cortez Allen. They have to play now and they will need to get involved on 3rd down situation.

Final Thoughts:

The pride of the AFC North returns basically every starter from last season. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will not miss any games, unlike last year, and the Steelers’ defense is once again projected to be among the league’s best. Heres the kicker for me as to why there will finish in 2nd in the AFC North. I think they were figured out in the super bowl and i thought it was a easy prediction for me. Teams with the players will now spread them out 4-5 wide receiver set and throw the ball all over the field. The Patriots did it and killed them, The Packers did it in the super bowl and Aaron Rodgers was near perfect. These sets get their best 2 pass rusher Harrison/Woodley off the field. Troy Polamalu cant hang around the box and make plays all over the field. If you think Im crazy, go back and watch the super bowl and count the amount of plays Polamalu, Harrison, and Woodley made. Jets-Patriots-Ravens-Chiefs all went out and got better at wide receiver. NFL is a copy cat league, watch how many teams take on the style the Packers and Patriots use.

Prediction: 12-4 (2nd in AFC North) Wildcard

Offensive Team Rankings, 2010: 14th in Rushing, 20th in Passing, 16th in Scoring

Defensive Team Rankings, 2010: 5th in Rushing, 21th in Passing, 3rd in Scoring


Key arrivals: WR Lee Evans (Bills); TE Kris Wilson (chargers); S Bernard Pollard (Texans); FB Vonta Leach (Texans) RB Ricky Williams (Dolphins)

Key departures: OT Jared Gaither (to Chiefs); FB Le’Ron McClain (to Chiefs) UFA QB Marc Bulger (retired); CB Fabian Washington (to Saints); S Dawan Landry (to Jaguars); OG-C Chris Chester (to Redskins); CB Josh Wilson (to Redskins); TE Todd Heap (to Cardinals); NT Kelly Gregg; WR Derrick Mason (Jets)

Offense:

This is a team who was 1 play away from beating the steelers. They gave them that game with bad calls and turnovers. Boldin first year with the Ravens was a good one but can be better and added another weapon in Lee Evans. In my opinion, the biggest addition to this unit is FB Vonta Leach. Ray Rice now has a mean guy in front of him that love to block and will open holes for him. Ask Arian Foster how he feels about Leach. They lost Mason, a move the chains type of guy but found multiple replacements in the draft. Ed Dickson and Pitta had great rookie seson and that will offset the lost of losing Todd Heap. Flacco team and he will take the blame if they dont achieve their goals.

Defense:

It all starts and ends with Haloti Ngata-Ray Lewis-Terell Suggs-Ed Reed. Ngata is the best D Tackle in the NFL, ray lewis is the greatest MLB to play this game, and words can not describe what Ed Reed means. Like the Steelers, The Ravens are almost impossible to run the football on. Unlike their Steelers, they addressed their their needs. The huge change was the drafting of Corner Jimmy Smith. A guy who had top 10 ability but "character issues" caused him to fall right into the Ravens lap. I expect him to be in the running for rookie of the year and become one of the many starts for this defense. Another guy to watch is Sergio Kindle who returns this season after missing his rookie season from a fractured skull.

Joe Flacco

People believe hes not good enough to lead them to the super bowl. Its his fault that they havent won it yet. Now is his chance. They have given him quality weapons and he is capable of making all NFL throws. He has enough experience to make this right. I think like Mark Sanchez, its time to take the training wheels off and open up this offense. I believe he has the ability to be a top 8 QB in this league and if he ever wants the nonbelievers believe, and help the Ravens win the super bowl. This has to be the season.

Final Thoughts:

The Ravens lost a ton of veteran talent this off-season and i think people will write them off, but the Ravens is of the the few teams that are very good of drafting players and they become better with experience. Defense is still the strength of this team but the offense isnt that far off. If Flacco can at a very good level, this team can make a super bowl run.

Prediction: 12-4(AFC North Champs) Playoffs