NFL NUGGETS : Browns nudge Steelers for AFC North title
Posted on Thursday, July 24, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/nwat/Sports/67451/
Editor’s Note: This is the fourth installment of an eight-part series previewing the division races of the upcoming NFL season. Next week, the NFC South. The last three seasons, a different team has captured the AFC North title. This year, the Cleveland Browns could make it four.
Last season, all those high draft picks over the years finally paid dividends for the Browns, who were within a tie-breaker of winning the division. Cleveland was also 12-4 against the spread, second in the NFL only to Green Bay (12-3-1 ).
I expect Cleveland’s surprise run to continue this season and end with a division title... barely.
Pittsburgh is every bit as good — or better — than the Browns right now, but the Steelers face a murderer’s row schedule that has them facing 14 teams with winning records last year and four division champs. For a team that lost four of its last five games last season, that’s not good news.
Baltimore and Cincinnati are two teams in a state of flux — Baltimore on offense and Cincinnati on defense.
The Ravens have to replace quarterback Steve McNair with a likely chump, and the Bengals lost three of their top players off an already-soft defense. It would take a minor miracle for either of those teams to take the division.
NFL Nuggets AFC North Predicted Order of Finish
1. Cleveland (10-6 ) — Cleveland has a star in the making in receiver Braylon Edwards. I knew there was something special about Edwards when he came out of Michigan, it’s just taken him a couple of seasons to hit his stride.
Edwards and tight end Kellen Winslow each made the 2008 Pro Bowl catching passes from Derek Anderson, who came out of nowhere last year to throw 29 touchdowns. Cleveland added Donté Stallworth in the offseason, giving the Browns one of the league’s top receiving corps.
And I love the additions of Shaun Rogers and Corey Williams along the defensive front. If all things fall into place, this could definitely be Cleveland’s year.
2. Pittsburgh (9-7 ) — As a Ravens fan, I don’t try to hide my disdain for the other teams in this division. In fact, I wear it as a badge of honor.
But I hold a special nugget of hate in my heart for Pittsburgh. When the Steel- ers lose, it makes me happy. And it makes Times outdoors writer and Steel-head Bobby Hill sad, which also makes me happy.
But I digress. Pittsburgh still returns the Super Bowlexperienced trio of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, running back Willie Parker and receiver Hines Ward, and the draft selections of running back Rashard Mendenhall and receiver Limas Sweed shows the team is looking out for the future of the offense.
As usual, Pittsburgh will field a dominant defense, but something bugs me. Dallas strong safety Roy Williams catches a lot of heat because of his struggles in pass coverage, but what about Troy Polamalu ? That guy gets eaten up by speedy receivers all the time.
Oh well, Williams and Polamalu both hit like a truck in run defense, so no one can complain too much.
3. Baltimore (7-9 ) — I’m still holding out hope that Brett Favre lands in Baltimore for a playoff run. And he’d be a great mentor for rookie Joe Flacco. Ah, to dream...
It’s much more likely that the Ravens will head into the season with either bust-a-riffic Kyle Boller or Heisman shorty Troy Smith under center. Doug Flutie, he ain’t.
The Ravens still sport a stout defense (No. 6 overall last year ), but some of the key players on that unit are getting long in the tooth. Soon, Baltimore will have to deal with replacing linebacker Ray Lewis, defensive end Trevor Pryce, and cornerbacks Chris McAlister and Samari Rolle.
4. Cincinnati (6-10 ) — If Marvin Lewis can pull this team together after the last two years of drama and misconduct, he definitely deserves to be coach of the year.
Ultra-gifted receiver Chad Johnson was a tremendous pain in Lewis’ neck this offseason, demanding trades and being a general team distraction. Johnson’s back in the fold for now, but I figure this’ll be his last goround in Cincinnati.
Quarterback Carson Palmer has visibly grown tired of Johnson’s shenanigans, but with “ Ocho Cinco” on the field, the Bengals field one of the NFL’s most explosive offenses. TJ Houshmandzadeh is a great No. 2 receiver and running back Rudi Johnson still has something in the tank. Defense has been a problem for Lewis in Cincinnati, and likely will be again this season. The Bengals did draft linebacker Keith Rivers, who could be the next Ray Lewis.
• • • Offensive MVP: Derek Anderson, QB, Cleveland. Defensive MVP: Ed Reed, FS, Baltimore. Top rookie: Limas Sweed, WR, Pittsburgh. Breakout player: D’Quell Jackson, LB, Cleveland. Joe West is the assistant sports editor of the Northwest Arkansas Times.