NFL '05-'06 Predictions (AFC North)

Made a big mistake yesterday. I meant to say the '05-'06 Predictions and not the '04-'05 predictions. But here it is in all its glory, the preview of the AFC North, one of the hardest divisions to predict.

Baltimore Ravens - I can’t say enough about this squad. I love their defense. I’m a huge Ray Lewis fan, and I’m glad to see how far he’s evolved since that terrible tragedy five years ago. Some people still hold it over his head, but the truth of the matter is that he was found not guilty by a jury of his peers. And in our country that’s what matters. If Ray is indeed guilty of the charges, then he’ll meet his judgment in due time. But as for now, I and the rest of the world can watch him wreak havoc on the football field. Now he has a certified star playing behind him in Ed Reed, last year’s Defensive Player of the Year. Terrell Suggs started to come into his own toward the end of last season, becoming a better cover linebacker and honing his skills as a pass rusher. The only bad news about this unit is that they just released Peter Boulware. It’s gonna be hard to replace that kind of talent & experience. But they did try. They drafted DE Dan Cody from Oklahoma. This is the guy that passed out during the little huddling & jumping around just before kickoff. Then, he went in on the first play of the game, got a sack, caused a fumble, and passed out again while he was celebrating. That sounds awfully dangerous, and he apparently has some neurological problems, but if he can get that worked out, they’ll have two excellent pass rushers on either side, a MAN in the middle, and a set of DB’s that make you want to tuck & run every time.
Offensively, the Ravens have upgraded. Jamal Lewis is in jail right now, but he’ll be ready for the season. He’ll have a little rust that he’ll have to work off, and until then Kyle Boller, who I’m STILL not sold on at all, will have to carry the load. Brian Billick did him a favor by signing Derrick Mason in the off-season. They also drafted a receiver out of Oklahoma in Mark Clayton. I always thought Clayton was THE top receiver in the country because of what he could do after he caught the ball. Remember how Barry Sanders wasn’t necessarily fast, but he could shake a defender out of his draws? (yeah I said draws. Not drawers). Well that multiplied by 4 is Mark Clayton. If Boller can find a way to get the ball to Mason and Clayton and allow them to get the ball up the field, then Jamal Lewis’s transition should be a smooth one. Also, Todd Heap needs to stay healthy. When Shannon Sharpe retired, he anointed him and Tony Gonzalez as the two men to carry the torch for Tight Ends for the next 10 years. You can’t do it from the training room Todd. Billick did himself a favor too in drafting QB Derek Anderson from Oregon State. I watched him play in the game early this past season where they (OSU) should’ve beaten LSU. He looked good. Really good. And there’s something to say about QB’s who aren’t a product of a system (i.e. Andre Ware at Houston or the countless Florida QB’s who amount to zilch in the league). And Anderson fits that bill. If Boller stinks up the place, I know Billick will have no bones about putting Anderson in to clean up his mess.
So Baltimore’s defense will keep them in every game, but their offense is gonna have to earn their paychecks at some point. Either way, I think this team wins the division.
Record: 12-4 if Boller (or his backup) plays well. 9-7 if he doesn’t

Cincinnati Bengals – This team is about two years away from being as good as the Boomer Esiason Bengals were. Just for this team being in playoff contention, Marvin Lewis should be considered for Coach of the Year every season. Last year, Chad Johnson showed me something when he torched Champ Bailey on Monday Night Football. He talked it and he came in and put up big numbers. Not only that, but the man drives an old school pink Buick. Damn the Escalades and Bentleys. Chad Johnson has moved into my top 5 list of favorite NFL players. Rudi Johnson did well as a backup to Corey Dillon, but when he was called upon to carry the load, he had trouble. Let’s not forget about running back Chris Perry from Michigan who two years ago was a leading Heisman candidate. He got hurt early last season, but if he can stay healthy, that should be a great shot in the arm for this offense, while giving Rudi Johnson the rest he needs. One more thing to keep in mind: Rudi was hit with the franchise player tag this summer, which means that he’s only signed for THIS season. He claims he wants BIG money, and I applaud the Bengals for not giving it to him. He’s no Shaun Alexander or Edgerrin James. Hell, he’s not DeShaun Foster!!! So I look for him to do either of two things. One: where he goes out and earns that big payday that he’s asking for or two: he pouts like a b*tch and ends up getting his spot taken by Perry.
On defense, everything was already solid. All they needed was an impact player. And ladies & gentlemen, let me be the first to say, they just got one. Please believe the hype. David Pollack is as good as advertised. To be so small he is a BEAST coming off of the corner. Look for him this season. He can be found on the back of your favorite quarterback’s uniform. It’s that serious. You heard it here first. Think of a smaller, white Charles Haley. He has a motor that doesn’t stop.
And I haven’t even mentioned Carson Palmer yet. He looked awful early in the season, and he cost the team a few games. Marvin Lewis was immediately emasculated for having him as the starter over John Kitna, but as the season progressed, Palmer found his way, and things started to happen. If he can be consistent and serviceable this season, look for the Bengals to be…..brace yourself….IN THE PLAYOFFS.
Record: 9-7 if Palmer plays well. 6-10 if he doesn’t.


Pittsburgh Steelers – After last year’s almost dream season, how can they top that? Big Ben stepped in the place of Tommy Maddox and won a starting spot, Rookie of the Year, a trip to the Super Bowl, and the hearts of Pittsburgh faithful. I think teams will be more prepared for him this season, and the deciding factor will be how well he’s able to handle the pressure; the same pressure that Eli Manning faced last year. Nothing was expected of Ben and he took full advantage of it. Now he has to face all the pressure of being anointed as the next Marino without his favorite target, Plaxico Burress, who left Pittsburgh to become Eli Manning’s favorite target in New York (Damn. Irony is just WASTED on some things). Hines Ward is back, as is Antwan Randal-El, and they drafted Fred Gibson from Georgia (think Hines had something to do with that?). While he’s not as tall as Burress, he’s the same player. Tall, dangly, good hands, and a nice vertical. Unlike Plaxico, though, he runs nice routes, which should help Ben adjust to being the next big thing. Also, pitching in to support Ben with his efforts are Duce Staley and Jerome Bettis. Both are back and should be plenty healthy to start out the season.
On defense, everything is pretty much still in tact except for the loss of Kendrell Bell to the Chiefs. Thing is, though, he stayed hurt for most of the time after his stellar rookie season, so they won’t miss him that much.
Record: 10-6 if Ben is Ben….8-8 if he buckles under the pressure

Cleveland Browns – Cleveland..Teddy Rupskin. Teddy…Cleveland. Welcome to Cleveland Romeo Crenell (the human embodiment of Teddy Rupskin). I actually thought that this team would make some waves this year, but with Kellen Winslow being an idiot, those chances just may have been shortened. The Browns have Kelly Holcombe at QB who can’t seem to get a break. He was Tim Couch’s backup and he put up better numbers than Couch. He was Jeff Garcia’s backup and in two games last year, he put up better numbers than Garcia. So I guess you can say he’s earned that spot. With their first pick in the draft, they took Braylon Edwards (who, in my mind, was the best player PERIOD coming out). I really wanted to see if his and Kellen’s egos butted heads or meshed to gel the perfect unit. Either way, Holcombe will still have targets, although Winslow (for the second straight season) won’t be one. Antonio Bryant will be opposite Braylon Edwards. Bryant won the Belitnikoff trophy (nation’s top college receiver) TWICE, and this will only be his third season in the league. So his legs are still fresh. The biggest problem with the Brown’s offense will be that they have no threat in the middle of the field (where Winslow could’ve helped greatly). Their backfield will be serviceable but not great.
Defense…well..let’s just say that they should be glad that Teddy is their coach. Hopefully
he can have the same impact on the Browns that Marvin Lewis has had on the Bengals.
One positive thing for them to look forward to in the future however, is QB Charlie Frye out of Akron. He’s another good QB who isn’t a product of a system. Either way, the Browns finish dead last in the division.
Record: 8-8 if everything goes well and they get a couple of bounces..5-11 if they are the Browns