ETB’s 2009 NFL Season Previews: AFC North
July 16, 2009
By Darren Yuvan
With training camp on the horizon for the 2009 NFL season, ETB’s Darren Yuvan will break down the league’s outlook division by division. First up is the AFC North, where the Pittsburgh Steelers are the preseason favorites. Our AFC West preview is up too.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The boys from Steeltown will be right back in the thick of things this year and should once again be considered both a division and Super Bowl favorite.
Their trademark nasty, smack-you-in-the-mouth defense returns almost in it’s entirety, with the exception of CB Bryant McFadden, who signed with Arizona as a free agent, and LB Larry Foote, who’s now with the Lions. But veteran and one-time starter Deshea Townsend should step back onto the first team, with youngsters Anthony Madison and William Gay providing depth in the secondary.
Top draft pick Ziggy Hood also looks to be yet another impact Steeler defender obtained via the draft and should be in the defensive line rotation along with fellow 3-4 ends Brent Kiesel and Aaron Smith.
The offense looks to be just as potent in 2009 as well. Rashard Mendenhall will be back from the broken the shoulder he suffered last season at the hands of Baltimore’s Ray Lewis, adding depth and some power running to the speed of Willie Parker and the solid all-around play of Mewelde Moore.
The Steelers also solidified their offensive line for years by resigning linemen Max Starks and Chris Kemoeatu to long-term deals, with Trai Essex and Willie Colon being resigned to shorter deals as well.
The only potential Steelers weakness lies at the wide receiver position. Though Super Bowl hero Santonia Holmes and long-time fan favorite Hines Ward are firmly entrenched as starters, Ward isn’t getting any younger, and the Steelers have little depth behind those two after losing Nate Washington to Tennessee in the offseason.
Limas Sweed was plagued by the drops for a good portion of last season and needs to become more consistent if he’s to be counted on regularly, and rookie Mike Wallace likely isn’t ready to see the field yet, leaving the underwhelming Shaun McDonald as the most solid Steelers receiver after their two starters. If either Ward or Holmes goes down, the Steeler passing game could be in trouble.
Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens remain at least a step behind the Steelers, and I can see the gap widening even a bit further this year, though I do still expect Baltimore to at least challenge for a wild-card spot.
The defense, though it should still remains somewhat formidable, will suffer from the loss of coordinator Rex Ryan and other than All-World safety Ed Reed the secondary remains vulnerable and should be considered a weakness. Both Fabian Washington and Dominque Foxworth can be beaten on the corners, and strong safety Dawan Landry will be forced back into the starting lineup after the loss the solid Jim Leonhard to the Jets.
The linebacking corps remains deep, but not spectacular, with Ray Lewis yet another year older. Though his leadership qualities can never be questioned, I always have and still do consider Lewis one of the most overrated players in the league. Terrell Suggs has been a bit of a letdown in Baltimore, getting only 13 sacks total in the last two seasons combined.
The offense looks to be in pretty good shape, and the Ravens should once again lean heavily on the run behind Ray Rice and Le’Ron McClain, with Willis McGahee most likely relegated to backup duty.
Their road will be paved by a tough offensive line that will be helped immensely by the presence of rookie Michael Oher, who by all accounts has been quite impressive in the mini-camps thus far.
The receiving corps remains a question mark, with their only consistent threat, Derrick Mason, abruptly announcing his retirement; Demetrius Williams, Mark Clayton and free-agent acquisition Kelley Washington don’t really scare anyone. The signing of tight end LJ Smith should help once Todd Heap sustains his usual in-season injury, but still, the Ravens would be well-served to resist the temptation to turn the big arm of QB Joe Flacco loose and instead continue to utilize their power running game.
Darren Yuvan breaks down the rest of the AFC North after the break..
Cleveland Browns
The Browns are umistakably behind the Steelers and Ravens in the division, and even with a much easier schedule this year will struggle to reach .500.
The obvious big changes in Cleveland this season are in the coaching staff, with NY Jets castoff Eric Mangini replacing Romeo Crennel as the head coach. He’s joined by new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll and new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, who wasn’t exactly a success during his time in Oakland.
The offense has nowhere to go but up after struggling immensely last season, especially during the last 6 weeks. Look for Brady Quinn to win the starting job over Derek Anderson and to show a bit more consistency this season, though expecting him to light it up might be going a little too far.
With Donte Stallworth in prison and suspended indefinitely, look for Mike Furrey to step into the starter’s role or possibly even rookie Brian Robiskie, who’s been opening minicamp eyes thus far in Cleveland. Steve Heiden and Robert Royal will replace the departed Kellen Winslow at tight end, but the biggest question mark is Braylon Edwards.
Will we see the Edwards of two seasons ago, when he was one of the most dangerous and spectacular receivers in the league, or will we see last year’s version, who was plagued by disinterest and the drops? Look for a better Braylon Edwards this year, but don’t expect big numbers as teams will be keying on him due to a lack of other substantial threats in the Browns passing game.
The run game should be adequate with the aging but still effective Jamal Lewis returning to carry the load and the offensive line quietly becoming a strength of this team with Joe Thomas, Eric Steinbach, free agent signing Floyd Womack, and rookie stud center Alex Mack leading the way.
The biggest question mark on defense comes from the coaching staff. Will Rob Ryan be able to coax and game plan a better performance from this group, which is decidedly less talented than the one he ran into the ground in Oakland? Ryan will be utilizing a 3-4, which seems to be better suited to his coaching style than the 4-3 he ran with the Raiders, but a prerequisite for an effective 3-4 is an effective blitz attack, something Ryan was reluctant to do in the past.
Other than Shaun Rogers, the Browns lack big names on defense. The lack of a huge playmaker in the linebacking corps and the secondary will hurt them, and look for this unit to struggle somewhat again this season as they get acclimated to Ryan’s system and search for someone to step up and take charge as the unit’s playmaking leader.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals are a mess, especially on the defensive side of the ball; look for them to finish in the AFC North cellar and cost Marvin Lewis his job. They should be able to score with a healthy Carson Palmer back, but will struggle to get to 6 – 10.
If Chad Ocho Cinco can keep his focus, and Chris Henry can keep his head on straight, the addition of Laveranues Coles should minimize the loss of TJ Houshmanzadeh and the Cincy receiving corps becomes the most talented in the division. Whether that translates into offensive success depends on a few other factors.
The offensive line remains a question mark, and the Bengals must hope first-round draft pick Andre Smith can step in and shore up their protections on Palmer and keep him healthy all season.
An effective running game will also be key in keeping Palmer healthy and his receivers productive, and despite a few good showings last season I’m just not sold on Cedric Benson as a game-changing lead back.
The Bengals defense has trouble stopping anyone, and that’s been the case for several seasons now, which is inexcusable under a defensive-minded head coach such as Lewis. The talent is simply not there. The Bengals can’t stop the run and can’t rush the passer, getting only 17 sacks as a team last season, an abysmally low number.
The talented Leon Hall leads an otherwise underwhelming secondary that should be helped by the leadership skills and experience of off-season signing Roy Williams, though Williams is notorious as a pass-coverage liability.
After a brief run to respectability, looks like The Bungles are officially back.
Born in Pittsburgh and currently residing in New York City, Darren is a part-time writer, part-time night club disc jockey (vinyl only, please), full-time cog in the corporate machine, both a card-carrying member of Raider Nation and the owner of several Terrible Towels, and has also had a slightly unhealthy man-crush on Hakeem Olajuwon since 1986.
6 Comments »Posted by ETB Contributor on Jul. 16, 2009 at 8:30 am in NFL
