2008 NFL Sneak Peek – AFC North

2008 NFL Sneak Peek – AFC North

 Welcome to the 4^th edition of our eight-week series taking an off-season look at the National Football League. This week we check in the AFC North where big expectations in 2007 were never quite realized as the member squads pounded each other into the middle of the pack and failed to notch a playoff win. It’s a tall order to crack the elite tier of the AFC so let’s find out what’s shaking in the land of the 3-4 defense.

Pittsburgh (10-6 regular season, 0-1 playoffs) Elite offensive line and linebacker play define Steelers football and plenty of changes have been underway. The departure of Alan Faneca (FA-NYJ) moves C Sean Mahan to RG while veteran pick up Justin Hartwig (FA-CAR) will hold down center. The rushing game, led by Willie Parker (321 for 1316 yards and 2 TD) and Najeh Davenport (107 for 499 and 5 TD), pounded out 135.5 yards per game but this was still a drop off from 2006 and 47 surrendered sacks was an embarrassment. Only T Tony Hill (4^th round, Texas) – who is coming off a broken fibula – was added on draft weekend while backup OL Starks, Essex, and Kemoeatu were re-signed. Instead, Pittsburgh scooped up Illinois inside rusher Rashard Mendenhall in the round one and got QB Ben Rothlisberger (3154 yards, 32 TD, 11 INT) his big target in 6’4” 212 WR Limas Sweed in the second. Sweed did little last season at Texas due to a wrist injury but was college football’s top receiver prospect in 2007 and also brings tough downfield blocking to the table – key to Coach Mike Tomlin’s attack. Pittsburgh’s top-ranked defense (89.9 rush yards, 191.7 pass yards) lost another key free agent this off-season with LOLB Clark Haggans headed to Arizona. LB LaMarr Woodley (14 T, 4 S) moves to first string alongside Farrior (94 T, 6 ½ S, I) Foote (81 T, 3 S, I), and Harrison (98 T, 8 ½ S, I, 3 FR), LBs Keyaron Fox (FA-KC) and Andre Frazier (re-signed) add depth, plus more help was netted from the colleges. 6’3” 252 UCLA DE Bruce Davis (12 sacks, 15 ½ TFL) projects at OLB while Iowa LB Mike Humpal (127 T) is a hitter suited for the inside of Pittsburgh’s 3-4. Backfield starters LCB Ike Taylor, RCB Deshea Townsend, FS Ryan Clark, and SS Troy Polamalu all return plus DT Booger McFarland – who won a Super Bowl with Coach Tomlin in Tampa – may also yet be brought aboard.

Cleveland (10-6 regular season, missed playoffs) General Manager Phil Savage didn’t have a Day 1 selection, but he still made strong use of the draft. Facing a major quarterback need into 2007, this season’s 1^st round pick moved Cleveland up to grab Brady Quinn who is learning behind Derek Anderson (3787 yards, 29 TD, 19 INT) who recently signed a 3-year deal to lock up the position. Rush defense (129.5 yards per game at 4.5 yards/carry) was a major Browns issue but a 2^nd round pick to Green Bay grabs 6’4” 313 LE Corey Williams and a 3^rd round pick plus RCB Leigh Bodden to Detroit adds 6’4” 340 Shaun Rogers to join with 6’4” 320 RE Robaire Smith in what should be a tough unit to budge. Unproductive or little used defenders DB Kenny Wright (cut, drugs), DE Orpheus Roye (cut, age), CB Ricardo Colclough (FA-CAR), DE Simon Fraser (FA-ATL), LB Matt Stewart (FA-ARI), LB Chaun Thomas (FA-HOU), LB Keith Adams, NT Ethan Kelly, and NT Ted Washington have been let go while legitimate 2^nd stringers with a future CB Daven Holly, S Nick Sorenson, and LB Kris Griffin have been re-signed to welcome run-stuffing LB Beau Bell (4^th round UNLV) and DT Ahtyba Rubin (6^th round Iowa State) who could be a major sleeper. The moves on offense have been equally targeted and effective. RG Rex Hadnot (FA-MIA) joins a starting line that was already superb (4.3 yards per rush, 19 sacks) while key backups LG Lonnie Friedman and C/RG have been re-signed to secure critical interior depth. WR Joe Jerevicius is batting injury but WR Donte Stallworth (FA-NE) and TE Martin Rucker (4^th round Missouri) are big additions to WR Braylon Edwards (80 for 1289 and 16 TD) and TE Kellen Winslow (82 for 1106). Only the lack of help for re-signed RB Jamal Lewis (298 for 1304 and 9 TD) is worth criticism. Coach Romeo Crennel must make the playoffs with this team.

Cincinnati (7-9 regular season, missed playoffs) Thinking about the Bengals’ off-season gives me a headache so let’s stick to what we know. The NFL’s 25^th ranked stoppers (238.4 pass, 118.3 rush) lose 3 of their top 4 tacklers to free agency in LB Landon Johnson (109 T, S), DE Justin Smith (78 T, 2 S), and S Madieu Williams (74 T, 2 S, 2 INT) and keep LB Ahmad Brooks who missed 14 games in 2007 and spent his off-season getting charged for punching some broad. Starting LB’s Rashad Jeanty and Dhani Jones plus key backup Corey Mayes were re-signed while LB Darryl Blackstock (FA-ARI), DE Antuan Odom (FA-TEN), and DT Antwon Burton (FA-DEN) are impact pickups but then GM Mike Brown spends four draft picks on a linebacker that bench presses 260 pounds and limped on a bum ankle all season (1^st round USC LB Keith Rivers), a guy with a club for a hand (3^rd round Auburn DT Pat Sims), a guy thrown off his team early in the season (5^th round Fresno State DE Jason Shirley), and a guy with a drug arrest (7^th round Cincinnati DE Angelo Craig). Throw in a track guy turned football player from the Big South (2^nd round Coastal Carolina WR Jerome Simpson), a personal foul specialist that missed much of the year with turf toe (7^th round Louisville WR Mario Urrutia), and a guy with 4 years experience playing football (4^th round Kansas T Anthony Collins). That’s one hell of a draft weekend! On the bright side, QB Carson Palmer’s (4131 yards, 26 TD, 20 INT) line that surrendered just 22 sacks returns 4 of 5 starters with promoted C Eric Ghiaciuc a decent replacement for Alex Stepanovic (FA-ATL) in punching holes for backs Watson (763 yards/ 7 TD rush, 364 yards receiving) and Johnson (497 yards/ 3 TD rush). We pat the Bengals’ backs for cutting WR Chris Henry, kick them in the groin for keeping WR Chad Johnson, and send their better-deserving fans our condolences.

Baltimore (5-11 regular season, missed playoffs) GM Ozzie Newsome has ensured another top-flight defense, adding up and coming free agents to a slew of re-signings, while building offense through the draft. The franchise tag on ROLB Terrell Suggs (45 sacks in 5 years) keeps a dominating front seven (2.8 yards per rush, 32 sacks) intact, LB Brendon Ayanbadejo (FA-CHI) and LB Tavares Gooden (3^rd round Mia-Fla) will push RILB Bart Scott and LOLB Jarrett Johnson for first string, while the re-signings of linemen Gordon, Jones, and Parker plus backers Greisen, McClure, and Smith stacks the depth chart. Starting CB’s Chris McAlister and Samari Role are healthy but missed 18 total games in 2007 so the Raven’s picked up young cover men in S Jim Leonard (FA-BUF), CB Frank Walker (FA-GB), and CB Fabian Washington (trade OAK) plus brought back CB Prude and FS Winbourne to battle with draftees FS Tom Zbikowski (3^rd round, Notre Dame) and FS Hakuri Nakamura (6^th round Cincinnati) who bring return experience. Steve McNair retired and Kyle Boller (1743 yards, 9 TD, 10 INT) plays his final contract year so Baltimore gave 1^st round love to Delaware’s strong-arm QB John Flacco to battle 2006 Heisman Winner Troy Smith for the future behind a line that parts with 115-game starter C Mike Flynn. C Chris Chester Smith (started 5 games in 2007) takes over next to the re-signed RG Jason Brown while 2^nd round pick RB Ray Rice of Rutgers rounds out the backfield of Willis McGahee (1207 yards/7 TD) and 3^rd down back Musa Smith (264 yards/2 TD). WR Demitrius Williams and TE Todd Heap rejoin the aerial corps of Mason and Clayton after missing much of 2007 plus draft weekend netted big targets in 6’2” 221 WR Marcus Smith (4^th round New Mexico) and 6’4” 198 Justin Harper (7^th round Virginia Tech) Newsome and Harbaugh will build a winner!