NFL 2007 Preview: AFC North

Now, the AFC North, whose main distinction is having one of the NFL’s main whipping posts. Good for the other three teams, you can guarantee yourself at least two wins….

BALTIMORE RAVENS (9-7)

OFFENSE: The Ravens’ offense has come a long way since their abysmal Trent Dilfer-led, Super Bowl winning team, but it’s still not up to snuff. The release of Jamal Lewis may have opened up cap room galore, but the pickup of Willis McGahee is a lateral move. If he can stay healthy he’ll probably rack up more yards than Lewis this year, but I have a feeling that this is a big if. Mike Anderson is a respectable backup, but his great days are far behind him. Steve McNair will begin to falter this year, as well, and that doesn’t bode well for receptions for their decidedly lackluster receiving corps.

DEFENSE: The formula the Ravens have developed for defensive success has remain virtually unchanged since that same blessed year. Some new players, some old ones less effective, but the philosophy is still sound. While it may not be as astounding today as it was then, but the continued progression of Ed Reed and, especially, Haloti Ngata will make up for the declining skills of Ray Lewis.

Success in Baltimore will depend entirely on the success of the offense. If McGahee can’t get his “jitters” together and McNair starts to slide, they could be as bad as 5-11 but I think there’s enough talent on the team to conceivably go 11-5. The defense will show up, that’s for sure, but they can only hold off so much.

CINCINNATI BENGALS (8-8)

OFFENSE: The scary offense of the Bengals from the past couple of years will not be so effective as it has been. The exclusion of Chris Henry is a blow, though not as devastating as it could have been. Palmer is fully recovered now, so the team should score a lot of points, but I’m not sure that Rudi Johnson’s going to be the force of the past few years. They will falter like they often do halfway through the season, even though their schedule eases up significantly.

DEFENSE: This is where the Bengals truly falter. Their defense is poor, full of rejects and has-beens. That Deltha O’Neal is still starting there is proof enough of that. They will give up a ton of points and I will not be sad to see it.

I’m not sure all the personnel problems over the last years is really what will make the Bengals fail again, but this is what it’ll be blamed on. The real reason is that, outside of the QB and receivers, there isn’t a lot going on in Cincinnati except for overrated talent and washed up nobodies. As always, they’ll look good at first and then fall apart and everybody’s going to wonder why. They’re like a more talented version of the Detroit Lions.

CLEVELAND BROWNS (5-11)

OFFENSE: Boy, will the Browns be bad this year. They may not be the worst in the league, but they’re damn close. I think they had one of the better drafts this year, but they won’t make much of an impact until the coming few seasons. I think Quinn has a lot of potential but, for now, Browns fans are stuck looking at Charlie Frye. Is this a better vision than Tim Couch? Hard telling but, between Frye and their backup fullback posing as a tailback, there’s going to be virtually nothing to cheer for, unless you count Joe Jurevicius as an asset.

DEFENSE: Not only is the other side bad, it’s old too. They have Willie McGinest and Ted Washington starting for cryin’ out loud. At a combined age of 71, I’m sure they have tons of great stories about the glory days before the forward pass but, besides some funny anecdotes from senile old men, I’d try to shy away from actually watching them play.

One day, I firmly believe that the Browns could actually field a decent team. Everybody talks about the parity in the NFL, when will that equitable level of play reach the Browns? It only seems fair. Sorry Trend, but it looks like your going to have to deal with another miserable year with the Dog Pound.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS (11-5)

OFFENSE: When it’s clicking, the Steelers have one of the best offenses in the game. It’s essentially the same group that won the Super Bowl and, to be fair, it’s also the same group that often looked like crap last year. The difference now is that Ben Roethlisberger isn’t a complete mess this preseason and Willie Parker has had a full year to get used to being the only running back. He’s not Jerome Bettis and he never will be, but he is remarkable when at his best. Everything’s in check and they should perform great this year.

DEFENSE: Once again, they’ve kept it almost all intact from the past few years. The loss of Joey Porter will hurt, to be sure, but they added Ryan Clark at free safety to assist Troy Polamalu, one of the most exciting players in the NFL to watch. They should be as good as ever, though there may be a slight decline in the pass rush. Look for the steel curtain to be one of the best this year.

I mildly support the Steelers for two reasons. First, Ben Roethisberger wears #7 in tribute to John Elway. Second, like the Denver Broncos, the Steelers’ organization is one which believes that sticking with coaches and players through the bad times is a good thing, a strategy which builds a consistently good program with high morale. I’m not of the “character guy” school of current football thought, but the players in Pittsburgh certainly do have a good reputation and it comes through in their play. I expect them to be far better than they were last year. They made a great decision in hiring the young, but already successful, Mike Tomlin, who should enhance the defensive philosophy.

Tomorrow, the AFC South. Will the Colts take it all this year? The suspense is killing me. And, just how many sacks will Matt Shaub take this year, or was it all David Carr’s fault that the offensive line is historically terrible? Tune in tomorrow….