AFC North Preview
The AFC North was one of the most unpredictable divisions in the National Football League last season. The Pittsburgh Steelers, coming off a Super Bowl-winning season, turned out to not be very good. The Cincinnati Bengals, who were expected to be bad, turned out to not be very bad. The Baltimore Ravens hung around with grit like they always do, and the Cleveland Browns continued their existence as a measuring stick of just how bad a franchise can get.
Here is a preview of the AFC North for the 2010 season:
Baltimore Ravens: The Ravens had generally relied on defence for their success, but have actually built up quite the offence for this season. They have a talented, young quarterback in Joe Flacco, who has promised to break the 4,000 yard barrier this season. They also have an explosive offensive weapon in running back Ray Rice. To top it off, the Ravens just signed Pro-Bowl receiver Anquan Bolding to give Flacco another target to throw to and to open up the field even more for Rice.
Unfortunately, that offence is going to have to make up for Baltimore’s aging defence. Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, and the rest of the defence that made the Ravens so frightening for so long are now getting quite old and losing the intensity they once had. Luckily, the offence this year seems capable of overcoming any defensive issues.
The Ravens were close to being division winners last year with a 9-7 record, and this year looks promising in terms of AFC North supremacy.
Pittsburgh Steelers: The Steelers have all the right pieces to be a strong team, they just might not be able to utilise them all simultaneously in order to succeed this season.
Heinz Ward, Ben Roethlisberger, and Troy Polamalu are all superstars, but Roethlisberger is out for the start of the year due to suspension. This means that Byron Leftwich is going to have to pilot the Steelers to a strong start if they are to make anything of their season. Roethlisberger will have to adjust to playing again after his return and no cushion Leftwich could provide would be too great.
Based on Roethlisberger’s suspension and a depleted offensive line, the Steelers should be a strong team but not a dominant force.
Cincinnati Bengals: The Bengals surprised most people by winning the division last year with a 10-6 record. They started off strong, but after Chris Henry was out for the season with an injury (though he is now deceased due to an off-field accident) they slumped offensively. Their defence carried them from that point on, but was not enough to do anything serious in the play-offs.
The Bengals now have veteran Terrell Owens to provide the threat that Henry was, but he might be a bit past the ability to play in that manner. Also running back Cedric Benson has to maintain his performance from last season, rather than becoming content with already having proved himself.
All in all, the Bengals are an iffy team that can either mesh and win the division again or fail miserably.
Cleveland Browns: The Browns are working to improve. They’ve hired the brilliant Mike Holmgren to be in charge of their football operations. Unfortunately, they don’t really have much talent for Holmgren to improve right now.
Quarterback Colt McCoy is too young to be a force just yet, and Jake Delhomme will most likely be behind centre to start the year. Delhomme was once a touted player, but can he really handle himself in such a physical division?
If the Browns don’t do well, and they won’t, coach Eric Mangini’s job will most certainly be at stake. Browns fans can watch this season with the optimistic notion that the Browns have improved, but when it comes to football in Cleveland that doesn’t mean a whole lot.
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