Northern Exposure, A Look at the AFC North by SteelDrama

Who’s going to win the AFC North? by SteelDrama

1st: Baltimore Ravens:

Things I like:
*John Harbaugh. Rarely do I see him lose his composure on the sideline like a Josh McDaniels type.

*I like Ray Rice at running back and I see this kid only getting better.

*I like the blindside…not the movie… I thought it was overrated. Mike Oher won’t be…he’s going to be a stalwart for years to come…maybe not Jon Ogden like but the kid’s going to be good IMO.

*I liked their draft. Mt. Cody and Hloti Ngata could be monsters up front. The drafting of Ed Dickson and Dennis Pita give them options for an aging and fragile Todd Heap. Sergio Kindle if his knee is sound could be a nice pass rusher to rotate with Suggs, Jarrett Johnson, and Paul Kruger.

Things I don’t like:
*Joe Flacco-count me in on those being enamored with his throwing arm during his rookie year. But Joe Cool regressed IMO last season and this being his key 3rd season has much to prove.

*I don’t like their WRs. Anquan Boldin when healthy is a nice WR…Hines-like toughness but he’s also injury prone. Ravens were said to be locked in on Dez Bryant so that tells me they’re not sold on their WRs either.

*I don’t like their secondary: They seem to be banking on a healthy Ed Reed to help their leaky pass defense. Unfortunately, the Steelers traded a WR that has had some big catches against them in Santonio Holmes.

*I don’t like the Ravens. But I do respect Ozzie Newsome for consistently fielding a solid team. I think the Ravens have enough to win the division but choosing them to finish 1st is predicated on the Steelers not being able to overcome their turbulent off season.

2nd: Pittsburgh Steelers:

Things I like:
*Troy and Aaron Smith returning to the defense.

*Rashard Mendenhall entering his first year as starter.

*Big Ben playing with a chip on his shoulder.

*New coaches at OL and special teams.

*Lamar Woodley: Sign this beast up long term please.

*I liked their draft. Pouncey will instantly upgrade a porous interior. Worilds, Gibson, and Sylvester I thought was overkill but provide depth and immediately upgrade special teams. Sanders had better be the real deal because he will need to contribute. Brown hopefully costs Logan his job. Dwyer needs to be the steal everybody thinks he is because Moore sucks IMO.

Things I don’t like:
* The turbulent offseason.

*I don’t like the thought of Baby Huey or Brittle Batch leading the offense.

*I don’t like the thought of another season without a healthy Troy and Aaron Smith.

*I don’t like the depth at OT…if Starks or Colon goes down bye-bye Baby Huey and Brittle Batch.

*I see better quantity in secondary, but no difference maker outside of Troy.

*I don’t like Mike Tomlin’s rhetoric: No more promises to “unleash Hell”…please.

Bottom line: What an offseason! I could see the Steelers finishing 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in this division. If Ben comes back motivated and can play well quickly the Steelers could get hot in time for the playoffs. No matter who the starting QB is, a 1-3 type of start will put too much pressure on Ben to try to save the season.

How will Tomlin respond? Tomlin was unable to motivate this team last year as evidenced by losing to Browns, Raiders, and Chiefs. To me it’s on the players. They need to adapt a me versus the world mentality in light of this horrific offseason. If the vets stay healthy and young players exceed expectations then a playoff berth is possible. If injuries to vets like Troy transpire and the offseason proves to have corrupted team morale, crippled team chemistry, and impeded their focus then a losing season is very possible.

3rd: Cincinnati Bengals:

Things I like:

*The defense. They have some young talent especially in the secondary. Leon Hall and Jon Joseph are a quality, young corner tandem.

*Carson Palmer made it through an entire season.

*I like their depth at RB and WR.
*I liked their draft. Grisham gives Palmer potentially his best TE ever. Dunlap a typical Bengal’s gamble that could pay off with last year’s gamble Michael Johnson. Shipley has a chance to be quality slot WR. Loved the Geno Atkins pick to provide a solid rotation at DT. Brandon Ghee a bargain pick and makes Bengals tough to throw on. Dez Briscoe a potential steal that gives them great depth at WR.

*Marvin Lewis. He got team back into playoffs despite working for the ultra cheap Mike Brown. David Pollack, a former #1 pick of Bengals was covering the draft in Atlanta said he was flown  to Bengals HQ on draft day and said the food and facilities pale in comparison to other NFL teams.

Things I don’t like:
*Team chemistry. Too many character issues and having to listen to 85 run his mouth has to be annoying to any sane person. He and Antonio Bryant should be interesting duo.

*Carson Palmer: Made it through last season in one piece but he’s far from durable qb.

*They have quantity at WR but 85 is slipping IMO and Bryant a character gamble.

*Defense is stout against the run, but pass rushers aside from Geathers are young and untested. If Dunlap or Mike Johnson emerges the defense could be very good.

Bottom Line: Yes the Bengal’s beat the Steelers last year…twice…but were you impressed? I want to say the Bengals are talented enough to get back to the playoffs, but they didn’t strike me as being a potent offense last season. If they can threaten more with the pass and rely less on Cedric Benson I think the Bengals could surprise. I still think they have too many poor character players not to have an in season distraction.

4th: Cleveland Browns:

Things I like:
*Mike Holmgren and Tom Heckert: Ok Holmgren helped run Seattle into the ground but he is legitimate NFL executive with a stellar resume that Cleveland sorely needed. Heckert a quality personnel man that had a solid offseason of acquiring talent to fill as many holes as he could and a draft that has high upside albeit some injury risks.

*Joe Thomas and Alex Mack a good foundation for a quality OL.

*Josh Cribbs and special teams

*I liked some veteran additions like Sheldon Brown and Scott Fujita to add stability to porous roster.

Things I don’t like:
*Eric Mangini: I think he and Holmgren will clash sooner rather than later. Could Cowher work without total control? Would he coach in most depressing city in America if the price was right?

*Team could have pretty weak offense with Jake Delhomme and Mohamed Massaquoi leading an anemic passing attack.

* I didn’t like their draft: Good that they didn’t do anything risky like reach for a QB in round 1 or 2. McCoy low risk in 3rd. The risk involves TJ Ward and Monterio Hardesty and their injury history. If they were to gamble on an injured player then to me Sergio kindle the better gamble than Ward. Also, thought Golden Tate a better option than Hardesty given his injury history. Getting Carlton Mitchell and Clifton Geathers were late round steals.

Bottom Line: Cleveland has a lot of work left to do but I think they finally have a solid management team in place. I miss the old Browns/Steelers rivalry. That said, the worst Steeler loss I’ve seen in years occurred at the Browns last year. Losing to them 2 years in a row not a trend I’m interested in seeing.