NFL Division Previews: AFC North

Welcome again to Tha Weatha Report. Our NFL division by division previews continue with a look at one of the brutal divisions in football. No one questions anyone's toughness in this division as the boys from the AFC North bring the lumber each and every Sunday. The king of the division looks to continue to make one team look like their court jesters. Another team is trying to finally be the David to their own personal Goliath. One team appears to be on the rise after impressive play in the preseason from their second year quarterback. The other team in the division had a quarterback apparently retire rather than play with them, and add that to the fact that they are breaking in a rookie quarterback and a rookie offensive coordinator. Might be a long season in that city and locker room. Before we break down these teams and this division let's hit the Hail Storm.

Hail Storm

1. I find it interesting that so many people are calling for Georgia to fire Mark Richt. The man is 96-35 in 10+ seasons as the Bulldogs' head coach. His main goal is to win the SEC East. If Georgia beats South Carolina on Saturday then they are on target. How about everyone calm down and let's see how the season plays out before you want to fire a winning coach. 

2. I'm going to guess that no one sent LSU the memo that Oregon was supposed to run them ragged inside of the Cowboys' Stadium. Never bet against the Mad Hatter. Les Miles has a knack for pulling victories out of his hat. 

3. Also seems like the Pac-12 didn't realize that the season was starting. USC looked sluggish, Oregon State lost to Sacramento State, Oregon loss, UCLA was handled by Houston. We won't even talk about how Eastern Michigan almost beat Washington. Those schools out West need to get it together. 

4. Basketball? Remember that sport? Do you think that they actually plan on attempting to end the lockout? Nah, me neither. 

5. An unfortunate goodbye to Lee Roy Selmon. NFL Hall of Famer formerly of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers passed away on Sunday after having suffering a stroke on Friday. He was 56. 

AFC North: No Guts, No Glory

It seems that if you want to play and thrive in the AFC North, that you have to have your big boy pads on. These teams hit, hit, and then hit some more. This division is not for the weak at heart, that's for sure. However, it seems that this division is very top heavy with Pittsburgh and Baltimore battling it out for supremacy with Cleveland improving and Cincinnati doing what only Cincinnati can do. Let's take a look at each time and how I think they'll finish. 

Baltimore: You have to figure that the window for the great Ravens' defense is closing right? Ray Lewis cannot possibly play forever...right? Ed Reed's body seems to be breaking down. Count me in as one of those individuals that believes this could be the year that Baltimore overtakes Pittsburgh and actually wins the division. I believe that Baltimore has the talent on defense to actually match Pittsburgh. Ed Reed has at least one more good year in him, Ray Lewis has never really slowed down, and I look for big things from the Ravens' first round pick Jimmy Smith. The rookie from Colorado is expected to inject new blood and life into a defense that has no plans on slowing down. Haloti Ngata is still a dominating interior defensive lineman, and the Ravens' hope that last year's second round pick, Terrence Cody, can live up to the potential he showed at the University of Alabama. Terrell Suggs is another familiar face that will help the Ravens field another dominating defensive group. 

The story with Baltimore used to be one that consisted of a great defense and an offense that did just enough to not lose a game. Now the page has been turned and another chapter has begun to unfold in Charm City. Joe Flacco has proved to be a more than capable quarterback since being drafted in 2008. He's started every game since entering the league and his numbers have improved every year. This year should be no different. Complete with weapons such as Anquan Boldin and Ray Rice. The weapon that I am most excited about in Baltimore is Lee Evans. Acquired from Buffalo, Evans provides Baltimore with a deep threat that they have not had in recent seasons. Ricky Williams has been brought in to relieve Ray Rice from time to time which is also a good pickup. I'm expecting a good season from Baltimore. 

Cincinnati: Then you have the Bengals. A team that just a couple of years ago won the division, and even swept the division. Ochocinco, Terrell Owens, and (apparently) Carson Palmer are all gone. Rookies AJ Green and Andy Dalton are now in. The Bengals have decided to rebuild and are hoping that Dalton and Green will grow together over the next few years. 1000 yard rusher Cedric Benson is still there, hopefully for Cincy fans he can manage to avoid the off the field issues that have clouded his career. A rookie quarterback, rookie starting wide receiver, and a rookie offensive coordinator in Jay Gruden. Needless to say, I feel that it will be a long season on the offensive front for the Bengals. Hopefully Marvin Lewis has perfected the art of patience. 

On the defensive side of the ball the Bengals won't be much better. They do have a few talented individuals on that side of the ball. Leon Hall, Taylor Mays, Rey Maualuga, and Carlos Dunlap are players that have talent and high ceilings of potential. The majority of the defensive side of the ball has the same issues as the offensive side of the ball for the Bengals. Youth. Cincinnati is a very young team. In the NFL, a youthful team equals a rebuilding team. A rebuilding team equals a not so very good team. Look for the Bengals to struggle mightily. 

Cleveland: On the other side of the youth movement you have the Browns. A team that seems to now have a bright future with the way Colt McCoy has played this preseason. Taking a look at the offensive side of the ball gives a clear picture that the youth movement is not only in full swing in Cleveland, but that the youth is starting to catch on and is prime to produce. Colt McCoy is in his 2nd year and as mentioned earlier, has played extremely well this preseason. Peyton Hillis is in his fourth season and is coming off of a season where he rushed for almost 1200 yards. Josh Cribbs is the old man on offense in his seventh season and is one of the most dynamic players in football. The Browns have already said that they will make a concerted effort to put the ball in his hands on more occassions this season. The offensive line is strong with Alex Mack and Joe Thomas as the anchors. In all, the offense seems to be heading in the right direction. 

The defense does not have the play makers that the offense does. However it is also a young group that is improving season by season. Work still needs to be done through the draft and free agency to acquire play makers, but the defense will be better than anticipated. Led by defensive back Joe Haden, the Browns defense will be looking to just take the next step forward in their growing process. Look for an above average season from this unit. 

Pittsburgh: The current kings of the division reside in the Steel City. An organization that is run as well, if not better, than any organization in all of sports. Led by a more mature (it appears) Ben Roethlisberger, James Harrison, and Troy Polamalu the Steelers look to keep their stranglehold on the AFC North. The offensive will be just as good, if not better than last year when they averaged almost 25 points a game. A finally healthy Big Ben, Rashard Mendenhall, Hines Ward, Antonio Brown (who has had a great preseason), and Mike Wallace will come together to be apart of a good unit that will score and move the ball well. Mendenhall has to continue his maturation as a running back which should continue under the coaching of Mike Tomlin. The concerns about his fumbling are unfounded as he only had two fumbles the entire 2010 regular season. The offense will be good. 

The defense will also be good. Pro Bowlers litter position after position on that side of the ball for the Steelers. Lawrence Timmons, LaMarr Woodley, James Farrior, and on and on and on. I have heard rumblings concerning will age be a downfall of this unit. If you believe that, I have a bridge in Brooklyn or an ocean front property in Montana to sell you. This unit will be good. 

So Who Wins It?

Here is how I see the records playing out: 

Baltimore: 12-4

Cincinnati: 3-13

Cleveland: 7-9

Pittsburgh: 12-4

As you can see I have Baltimore and Pittsburgh ending with the same record, but I'm going to say that Baltimore wins the tiebreaker and takes the division. No fear Steelers' fans they will still take one of the Wild Card spots. The Browns will continue their improvement, and Cincinnati will be preparing for the draft by mid-November. Just my opinions. 

End of the Storm

That's it for today's edition. Next time we will continue our NFL preview. See you next time.