AFC NORTH 
Baltimore Ravens – In 2006, the Baltimore Ravens
were 13-3, owned home field advantage going into the playoffs, and were
poised to give Steve McNair his first Super Bowl victory. In 2007, the
Ravens went 5-11 and were the only team to allow the Dolphins to win
a game. That window of opportunity slams shut awfully quickly these
days. It doesn’t appear to be opening again this season as the
Ravens lose both McNair and Jonathan Ogden to retirement.
The problems for this team start in the trenches. The offensive line
was patchy to begin with. Now, with Ogden waiting out the requisite
five years before delivering his Hall of Fame acceptance speech, the
Ravens O-line barely has a patch left. Injuries during the off-season
reduced it even further. If these guys can get healthy, then Adam Terry
and Jared Gaither will try to man the tackle spots, while Marshal Yanda
and Ben Grubbs clog up the inside. It’s not like the Ravens haven’t
spent plenty of high draft picks on the line… it’s just
that they’re either not working out or they can’t stay healthy
long enough to contribute. Look for more high draft picks to be spent
there in 2009. As I write this, it’s still not known who will
start at QB behind that lousy line. If the Ravens expect blitzes to
be a problem, the smart move would be Troy Smith, who can at least keep
plays alive with his legs. Smith has proven to be unreliable as a passer
though. Then again, so have the other options, Kyle Boller and rookie
Joe Flacco. The receiving options are few and far between: WR Derrick
Mason is steady but unspectacular and fragile TE Todd Heap can’t
be relied on for a 16-game season. The running backs are the only offensive
hope for the Ravens in 2008. Willis McGahee and Ray Rice, if used properly,
can get this team in field goal range on their own. And as we saw in
2000-2001, the Ravens can win it all – even with an offense that
can only score field goals.
That brings us to the defense. Let’s not confuse these guys with
the Super Bowl D of the 2000-2001 season. But they do have shadows of
former greatness here. Of course, “Ray Ray” is still a beast
in the middle of the linebacking corps. He may be one of my favorite
players in NFL history. Few players elevate the level of play of his
teammates quite like Ray Lewis does. He’s surrounded by pass-rush
specialist Terrell Suggs, scrappy overachiever Bart Scott and probably
Jarret Johnson. Johnson will be pushed by promising 2nd-year player
Antwan Barnes, who looked incredible on special teams and spot duty
last year. The defensive backfield was really exposed last year, and
the Ravens haven’t done nearly enough to repair the damage. Aged
cornerbacks Chris McAllister and Samari Rolle will still be expected
to stay healthy and shut down the NFL’s best wideouts. The depth
at CB is a disaster: Raiders-castaway Fabian Washington, Packers-castaway
Frank Walker, Patriots/Browns/Bucs/Rams-castaway Corey Ivy and a few
draft-day busts clog up the roster behind McAllister and Rolle. The
safeties are a better story though. Ed Reed, when healthy, is still
a top 5 NFL defender. Dawan Landry is an adequate wingman to Reed. Rookies
Tom Zbikowski and Haruki Nakamura seem to have futures in the league,
and Bills refugee Jim Leonhard round out the unit. The health of the
defensive line is also in question here: Trevor Pryce, Kelly Gregg and
Haloti Ngata were all dinged up – either last year or early this
season. They’re easily better than the backup options, but the
Ravens do have enough depth there for the drop-off to be minimal.
Once again, defense will have to carry the day for Baltimore to front
a winning team. I don’t think it will be enough to compensate
for the atrocious offensive play. New head coach John Harbaugh will
have to take his lumps and pray for a better off-season that this one
in 2009.
Strength: linebacker
Weakness: offensive line
2008 MVP’s: Willis McGahee & Ray Lewis
Unsung hero: Antwan Barnes
Record last year: 5-11
Record this year: 4-12
Cincinnati Bengals – The city of Cincinnati
is known for its virtuous ways (no strip clubs, strict liquor laws)
– so much so that the band One Ring Zero penned a song with writer
Paul Auster with the line “There ain’t no sin in Cincinnati.”
Maybe Auster isn’t an NFL fan.
This year, the Bengals welcome back multiple offender WR Chris Henry
(after his 4-game suspension). WR Chad Johnson’s multiple personalities
got confused again, starting the off-season as a malcontent and ending
up as an injured “warrior.” At least WR T.J. Houshmanzadeh
knows how to stay clean, keep his mouth shut and just PLAY! The Bengals
wasted three draft picks on wide receivers, soon to be corrupted by
Johnson and Henry. At least WR-masquerading-as-TE Ben Utecht is in town;
the Bengals may finally start using the position in their passing game.
While there may be perceived depth at WR, there is actual depth at RB
now. Rudi Johnson’s hamstrings may not be up for a bruising 16-game
schedule, but it seems that Chris Perry is. He and Kenny Watson alone
can carry this team, if need be. The offensive line is undergoing a
transformation, from strength to weakness. Gone is Eric Steinbach; benched
is Willie Anderson. The enigmatic Stacy Andrews will bring his massive
frame to the right side of the line, and Levi Jones will try to anchor
the left side. Protecting their bread and butter will be of utmost importance.
Behind QB Carson Palmer is the weakest set of backups this side of New
England: Ryan Fitzpatrick and 2nd-year man Jeff Rowe. No Palmer? No
more wins.
The Bengals overpaid for under performing defensive players this year
in the attempt to staunch the bleeding from last year’s putrid
squad. Ranked dead last in total sacks, the Bengals add Antwan Odom
from the Titans, who has never posted double-digit sacks in his career.
LB Darryl Blackstock comes over from the Arizona Cardinals, where he
earned 2 starts in 3 seasons. Rookies LB Keith Rivers and DT Pat Sims
will have to mature quickly for this team to improve its fate. They
lost promising safety Chinedum Ndukwe to a knee injury for a stretch,
so it’s up to veteran Dexter Jackson and sophomore Marvin White
to protect the deepest portions of the field. The Bengals have invested
first-round picks in CBs Jonathan Joseph and Leon Hall two of the past
three years, so they will have to step up too.
This feels like the last stand for head coach Marvin Lewis. He landed
in a bad situation with bad owners and a team that expects to lose and
lose big. The fact that he won a division with this team is testament
to his worth. As far as player evaluation is concerned though, Lewis
would do better to stick with a stronger GM who values character…
wherever he lands in 2009.
Strength: running back
Weakness: defensive line
2008 MVP’s: Carson Palmer & Keith Rivers
Unsung hero: Ahmad Brooks
Record last year: 7-9
Record this year: 7-9
Cleveland Browns – Does it feel a bit presumptuous
to vault the Browns past the Steelers in this division after losing
their last 9 games head-to-head? Head coach Romeo Crennel teams have
NEVER been able to beat them. Many think the Browns will build upon
their improvements of last season into 2008 and topple the Steelers.
I'm almost convinced.
Last year, quarterback Derek Anderson won the starting job after 10
Charlie Frye passes, and he never looked back. Lost during Anderson’s
Pro Bowl year is the fact that his production REALLY tailed off toward
the end of the season. I mean, it dropped off the damn cliff! And there
ARE NO cliffs in Cleveland. It had to find a cliff, then fall off it.
Is this just the case of a raw young superstar hitting the wall? Or
is this defenses figuring out Anderson’s weaknesses? We’ll
find out this season. Anderson certainly has tremendous weapons around
him. WR Braylon Edwards could become the NFL’s greatest threat
at the position. The same is true of TE Kellen Winslow, Jr. Complementary
receiver Donte Stallworth will probably never reach the potential that
NFL execs thought he had, but he can still do some damage on occasion.
Running back Jamal Lewis found his legs again, putting together 9 touchdowns
and more than 1300 yards rushing. Credit his offensive line, anchored
by Pro Bowl rookie Joe Thomas and star guard Eric Steinbach.
There’s still work to be done on the Browns’ defense, ranked
30th in the NFL last year. They’re growing stronger up front,
but the backfield is still susceptible to tremendous let-downs. Corey
Williams comes over from the Packers and Shaun Rogers from the Lions,
and they should clog the middle quite nicely. In his last year, OLB
Willie McGinnest will give his all to a squad that includes pass-rusher
Kamerion Wimbley and tackle-master D’Qwell Jackson. The safeties
here are among the very best: Brodney Pool and Sean Jones can be the
future of the position. However, the corners here are liable to be beaten
and beaten badly. Sophomore Eric Wright showed improvement last year,
but he might not be targeted as often as the guy on the other side,
Brandon McDonald. He takes over for the departed Leigh Bodden. The Browns
like McDonald a lot, but he hasn’t been tested too often. With
no depth at the position, McDonald will HAVE to excel, or the Browns
could get torn up in the passing game.
The Browns could very well lead this division into the playoffs if
the defense can toughen up a bit, especially at corner. If they miss
out, they should still secure the 5th seed.
Strength: linebacker
Weakness: cornerback
2008 MVP’s: Braylon Edwards & Kamerion Wimbley
Unsung hero: Brady Quinn
Record last year: 10-6
Record this year: 13-3 (playoffs)
Pittsburgh Steelers – The Steelers haven’t
won this division as often as it seems, but they always seem to be in
the mix. Once again, the weakness at the bottom will buoy teams like
the Steelers at the top. And they NEVER lose to the Browns! And when
something is as certain as a Steelers playoff spot… that’s
pretty much when the wheels come off. But for now, I’m drinkin’
the Kool-Aid.
The Steelers went into the draft with a “best player available”
attitude, and they walked away with quite a few fine athletes. RB Rashard
Mendenhall and WR Limas Sweed could be fixtures of this improving offense
for years to come. It’s all led, of course, by QB Ben Roethlisberger,
whose TD total improved by leaps and bounds in 2007. Now that his WR
corps is three-deep with studs – with a fine TE in Heath Miller
to boot – this could be a career year for Big Ben. Starting RB
Willie Parker saw a sharp drop-off in touchdowns last year, but now
that he’s got another capable back to take some carries off his
hands, Parker should be more effective than ever. The concern for this
offense will be its line. As promised, All Pro guard Alan Faneca left
town, and that was about the only spot on the line without problems.
Both tackles, the center and now the guards are all below-par. Draft
pick Tony Hills probably can’t help right away as he’s still
nursing a broken leg. If the team falls apart, it will be due to the
neglect of this line.
The hallmark of the Pittsburgh Steelers has long been a brutal defense.
Up front, NT Casey Hampton has been one of the very best for a long
time, but injuries are starting to catch up with him. OLB James Harrison
had a lights-out year in 2007, and he’ll be book-ended by the
dangerously-fast LaMarr Woodley on the other side. 3rd-round pick Bruce
Davis may provide some help in the rotation there too. The Steelers
re-upped with ILB James Farrior, for some reason. He’s 33 years
old, and they’re signing him to a 5-year contract? Sketchy call.
But he’s still a reliable inside presence. The corners in Pittsburgh
are unremarkable but serviceable: Ike Taylor, Deshea Townsend and Bryant
McFadden. If safety Troy Polamalu can stay on the field the whole season,
the Steelers will once again challenge for the NFL’s #1 D.
Nobody talks about the Steelers when discussing the best teams in the
AFC. They like it that way. They’ll be happy to sneak up on everyone
this January.
Strength: running back
Weakness: offensive line
2008 MVP’s: Ben Roethlisberger & LaMarr Woodley
Unsung hero: Limas Sweed
Record last year: 10-6 (playoffs)
Record this year: 11-5 (playoffs)
- Uncle Scurvy - RotoKingdom Staff Writer
