Landscape of the AFC North

[davedugan43]

Cincinnati might be the class of the division...

If I had to guess.

Cincinnati 11-5
Baltimore 10-6
Pittsburgh 9-7
Cleveland 6-10

 

[FiveThous]

We have a better record than pittsburgh this year.

 

[davedugan43]

We have a better record than pittsburgh this year.

Unless Ben goes down for most of the season, absolutely not.

 

[davedugan43]

The Browns are making the right moves to get better, but they're not going to go from 4-12 to +.500 overnight. This would be their bridge year, in my opinion.

 

[Kizzle]

I think itll go CIN, BAL, CLE, and PITT.

Pittsburg lose ALOT of talent, and on top of that they were already declining. I think Jason Campell will do good in CLE

 

[Kizzle]

The Browns are making the right moves to get better, but they're not going to go from 4-12 to +.500 overnight. This would be their bridge year, in my opinion.

In todays leaugue I think thats exactly what they could do. Cincy was JUST 4-12 a couple years ago then won 10 games. Browns got WRs and may get Bess.....Healthy Trent Rich, got a good CB that will start aside Haden and they just made some good ass moves this offseason

 

[NtG]

The Browns are making the right moves to get better, but they're not going to go from 4-12 to +.500 overnight. This would be their bridge year, in my opinion.

Well, when you consider the fact that we probably lost ~3 or more games due to poor coaching decisions, and a few more games because Haden was out causing our CBs to get raped, it's not that big of a stretch. The NFL is the easiest league to make a quick turnaround in.

 

[davedugan43]

Well, when you consider the fact that we probably lost ~3 or more games due to poor coaching decisions, and a few more games because Haden was out causing our CBs to get raped, it's not that big of a stretch. The NFL is the easiest league to make a quick turnaround in.

You guys are overestimating how much they lost. They still had the number one defense numbers-wise in the league. Harrison was hardly effective and LaMarr Woodley had a bad year. Polamalu can't stay healthy, the CBs suck, but still had a great defense. Unless Ben Roethlisberger gets hurt, they are still good for 8 wins, at least. As for the Bengals comparison, Andy Dalton showed more as a rookie than Brandon Weeden did, that's for sure. He made the Pro Bowl, as did Andrew Luck and RGIII, in their rookie seasons. If Ben Roethlisberger goes down, and the Steelers have to rely on Gradkowski or Landry Jones for an extended time, then yes, they would be in danger. The Browns and Steelers have the same exact schedule, save for the Browns playing Kansas City and Jacksonville, while the Steelers play Oakland and Tennessee.

In NBA terms, the Steelers are like the Celtics. They are a good team that has won recent titles, but everyone is wondering how much they have left and how long in the tooth their players are.
The Patriots are the Spurs. They are a veteran team that has the best coach in the league. The draft doesn't matter too much to them. They won titles in the early 2000s, but cannot get back over the hump in recent years, for some reason.
The Ravens are the Mavericks, a constant threat, broke through once, but show no signs of winning another one soon. Like the Mavericks, the Ravens lost a ton of players in the offseason right after their title.
The Bengals are the Clippers. Historically bad team that hit on a few moves. Had a fickle fanbase that came back upon winning. Will make playoffs semi-consistently, but will likely never win one.
Cowboys are the Knicks. Haven't done anything in YEARS, but fans will always talk about "the good old days".
Browns are the Timberwolves, haven't made the playoffs in years and have had frequent regime changes. Both think they are on the right track, though.

 

[MoFlo]

Updated the original post with "Notable Differences" & the rookies, and also added a poll.

 

[davedugan43]

I was the first to vote and I voted the third option. Cincy has had enough things go right for them to overtake the Steelers and Ravens. The Browns aren't HORRIBLE, but they are in the NFL's toughest or second-toughest division, so they should finish in last place.

 

[MoFlo]

I was the first to vote and I voted the third option. Cincy has had enough things go right for them to overtake the Steelers and Ravens. The Browns aren't HORRIBLE, but they are in the NFL's toughest or second-toughest division, so they should finish in last place.

I can certainly see this point of view, but I went with "somewhat".

I just think the Ravens lost a ton out of their D, including their heart & soul. While Lewis wasn't himself on the field last season & only played a few games, just his presence on & off the field made that D go. I don't think it's as dominant without him around.

I also think the Steelers are on the decline. We're 1 hit on Ben away from seeing Gradkowski full time, and they haven't addressed a horrid O-Line at all this off-season. If DeCastro goes down again, they're screwed.

The Bengals are on the upswing & while they didn't make a huge splash in the off-season, they'll improve enough to keep things interesting.

The Browns addressed numerous needs in the off-season and just the playcalling on both ends of the ball itself will improve this team, let alone the additions in FA & the draft.

I just think it all makes for a very intriguing story this season & will be a tight race, with all 4 teams battling.

 

[I LOVE YOU ABBY]

On paper, it looks like Cincinnati's the team to beat. As many of you guys have said, it's pretty wide open, but I still think the Ravens come out on top.

It might take the Browns a little while to adjust to the new regime, but I think our success primarily comes down to how well Brandon Weeden can play. He got rattled right away last season with all those interceptions versus Philly, and I honestly think that stuck with him in his decision making for quite some time. It's like shooting a 4-over-par on the first hole, total demoralizer. That's bound to affect his confidence at least a little bit going forward. I think with a new season, and a better coach, and a few more weapons he'll be able to turn it around.

The Ravens are still going to be tough, regardless of all the guys they lost. That offense is still loaded with playmakers, and I can't see the defense taking that much of a step backwards. They were only middle of the pack in terms of defense last year anyways, they'll still find ways to win.

1) Ravens
2) Bengals
3) Browns
4) Steelers

That's how I see it playing out, although I don't see any team running away with it.

 

[Triplethreat]

Pretty much see this division going like so this year:

1. Bengals (11-5)
2. Browns (10-6)
3. Ravens (9-7)
4. Steelers (7-9)


Think the Ravens lost too much talent on that defense, and the Steelers have just lost too much talent on both sides of the ball. Love what the Browns are doing, I really believe we're going to have a top 2 defense in the division, and maybe even the top defense in the division. More likely second to the Bengals. We have an easy schedule and I think we finally break through and win a majority of our divisional games. Playoffs in sight.

 

[MoFlo]

On paper, it looks like Cincinnati's the team to beat. As many of you guys have said, it's pretty wide open, but I still think the Ravens come out on top.

It might take the Browns a little while to adjust to the new regime, but I think our success primarily comes down to how well Brandon Weeden can play. He got rattled right away last season with all those interceptions versus Philly, and I honestly think that stuck with him in his decision making for quite some time. It's like shooting a 4-over-par on the first hole, total demoralizer. That's bound to affect his confidence at least a little bit going forward. I think with a new season, and a better coach, and a few more weapons he'll be able to turn it around.

The Ravens are still going to be tough, regardless of all the guys they lost. That offense is still loaded with playmakers, and I can't see the defense taking that much of a step backwards. They were only middle of the pack in terms of defense last year anyways, they'll still find ways to win.

1) Ravens
2) Bengals
3) Browns
4) Steelers

That's how I see it playing out, although I don't see any team running away with it.

I agree the Ravens offense is loaded with playmakers, but losing Boldin will hurt. Torrey Smith still hasn't proven to be consistently reliable, other than the occasional long TD pass. Pitta & the rookie will have to step up in that regard.

 

[I LOVE YOU ABBY]

I agree the Ravens offense is loaded with playmakers, but losing Boldin will hurt. Torrey Smith still hasn't proven to be consistently reliable, other than the occasional long TD pass. Pitta & the rookie will have to step up in that regard.

How do think the division will play out?