2007-2008 NFL Picks (AFC North)
The Baltimore Ravens are bound for another AFC North title
The Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns are a couple of years away from competing with the AFC's best, and the Bengals are one-dimensional again
AFC North:
1) Baltimore Ravens (12-4): Looks like the birds are going to win the North again. They were old in the backfield, possibly the worst offensive scenario for the traditionalist Brian Billick, who is in the mold of Bill Cowher in offensive philosophy. So the Ravens went out and signed Willis McGahee, one of the top rushers in the game and a multidimensional threat out of the backfield (he has caught over 18 passes in each of the last three season, including a 28-catch year in 2005, all in a mediocre Bills offense). That will take some of the load off of the quarterback - either Kyle Boller or Steve McNair, could be worse - and keep defenses on the field for long periods of time. The Ravens' defense will be fine without Adalius Thomas, although the versatile linebacker is a tremendous asset to any squad, as Bill Belichick is probably discovering in great detail right now. Ed Reed and Ray Lewis should keep the Ravens' D tops in the league.
2) Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7): This season marks the start of a new regime in the Steel City after Bill Cowher called it a career last season, and new head honcho Mike Tomlin has the place buzzing. While Cowher's tenure was steady and successful, it has to be exciting for fans to see someone new on the sidelines and a different product on the field. The Steelers don't have the guns to compete with the top teams in the AFC, but Ben Roethlisberger (despite his poor performance in the biggest game of his career a couple years back, which many have not forgotten) does have experience, and the Pittsburgh defense should have its usual effectiveness at Heinz Field. Aaron Smith and Brett Keisel are back at defensive end after they combined for 10 sacks last season, while James Farrior and Troy Polamalu will provide veteran leadership at linebacker and in the secondary. There might not be playoffs in the near future for this team with all of the talent in the AFC, but the Steelers are still a team that you don't want to see on your schedule.
3) Cincinnati Bengals (8-8): This team has all of the talent in the world, but a betting man shouldn't put his money on this franchise. There are too many issues off the field for there to be a successful product on the field. There aren't many Bengals without criminal records these days, and head coach Marvin Lewis got himself in trouble this offseason for implying that Cincinnati police are out to get his players. Not the best way to handle the situation. On the field, the Bengals' offense is one of the best in the whole league. Between Carson Palmer, Rudi Johnson, Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, and Chris Henry (barring any other meathead OUI arrests), there should be plenty of 7's up on the board. The defense, however, won't be able to keep up with some of the offenses in the division and in the conference. The arrests (including Odell Thurman) weakened an already shaky defensive situation.
4) Cleveland Browns (6-10): This team has a lot of potential, but the Browns are nowhere near competing in the AFC. Charlie Frye is solid at quarterback and the offseason signing of Jamal Lewis helped in the backfield, but they aren't a duo to salivate over. Kellen Winslow and Braylon Edwards will reap of the benefits of the Lewis signing, and drafting offensive tackle Joe Thomas from Wisconsin will help solidify things up front for the next few years and provide a building block for the offense. But the Browns are still a couple of years away from competing for a division title.
Read other football articles by Rob Greenfield:
national-football-league-nfl.suite101.com/article.cfm/20072008_nfl_picks_afc_east
national-football-league-nfl.suite101.com/article.cfm/20072008_nfl_picks_afc_south
national-football-league-nfl.suite101.com/article.cfm/20072008_nfl_picks_afc_west
