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2005 NFL Preview - AFC North

AFC North

Baltimore (12-4): I’m very high on Baltimore this year. You know about the defense. You know about the amazing offensive line, which clears the road for Jamal Lewis and the running game. You also know that Kyle Boller has been, thus far, a disappointment. Well, I think this is the year that changes… 2005 1^st-round pick WR Mark Clayton and free agent signing WR Derrick Mason give Boller two new, big targets to go with TE Todd Heap, something that Boller’s never really had… The threat of Lewis in the backfield, along with the downfield big-play threats of Mason & Clayton should open up the middle of the field for Heap. Look for him to have a monster season, if he stays healthy.

Pittsburgh (11-5): Last year was no fluke. Well, maybe a little fluke. 15-1 is awful hard to duplicate, let alone improve on. Big Ben showed signs of an impending sophomore slump during the last four games of his season – let’s see how he starts this year... Duce Staley is going to start the year injured, leaving the full-time RB duties to Jerome Bettis – that could be a problem… The defense lost a bunch of starters, including Joey Porter in the LB slot – that’s a big hole to fill… The schedule makers didn’t do this team any favors either, with a Week 4 bye and games at San Diego, Green Bay, Indy and Minnesota (although they do get to play New England in the cozy confines of Heinz field)… Look for a wild card slot from the Steelers, making their road to the Super Bowl just a little bit tougher…

Cincinnati (7-9): I had to fly through Cincinnati last week, and while sitting in a sports bar at the airport, one thing struck me – the lack of Bengals interest. There were a couple of photos and a helmet, and that was it. There was more NASCAR memorabilia than Bengals’. That’s kinda sad. This team has looked better and better every year since Marvin Lewis took over. Unfortunately, the schedule this year has dealt them a brutal hand. Looking over their games, the only time that they look to get any kind of momentum, it will probably be backwards momentum right after their Week 10 bye when they play three of the toughest teams in the league (Indy, Balt, @Pitt). Rudi Johnson is still a stud RB, and Carson Palmer is progressing very nicely. But there are still holes on defense that need to be addressed, and if memory serves me (which is never a guarantee), their special teams last season was not exactly special… Give them two more years, then Bengals fans can complain…

Cleveland (6-10): Well, 6-10 is an improvement… It’s funny; when Bill Belichick left Cleveland, he was vilified and burned in effigy for his lack of success with the team. Now, his defensive disciple, Romeo Crennel, has been brought in to be the next savior of Cleveland. Just seems a little strange to me… They finally have some stability at the QB position, even if that “stability” is in the form of Trent Dilfer – hey, the guy did win a Super Bowl… The defense is in bad shape, but after completely overhauling the D-Line (mostly by sending them all to the Broncos), Crennel is looking to focus on run-stopping first... They get stuck with a rough closing half of the season, with games @Pittsburgh, home for Miami, @Minnesota, home for Jacksonville, @Cincy, @Oakland, home for Pittsburgh and then Baltimore. A 1-7 finish to the year is not out of the question - thank God for Miami…

posted by Big D @ 10:14 PM