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AFC North Division:
1) Pittsburgh: The Steelers are still the cream of the crop in the AFC North, having won 31 of their last 38 games and been in the playoffs 4 of the last 5 years, however they need to guard against complacency after finally get over it. the proverbial hump and win HC Bill Cowher’s first Super Bowl. The Steelers must overcome not only the distractions that come naturally from winning an NFL championship, but also the distraction of starting the motorcycle accident that nearly ended quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s career. Roster wise Pittsburgh should be fine they lost WR Randal El but would have been third team anyway and they selected him to cover their special team return duties loss to SS Chris Hope free agency will likely damage an already weak secondary. Unless, of course, former Redskin free agent Ryan Clark succeeds and Pittsburgh is once again able to produce a terrific pass rush to protect that secondary. Projected record: 11-5
** Look to play AGAINST the Steelers in their season opener at home against Miami, Dolphin HC Nick Saban brought former Buffalo HC Mike Mularkey on board to run the offense this year and brought former Houston HC Dom Capers on board to running the defense this year both Mularkey and Capers were offensive and defensive coordinators with Pittsburgh and they know Steeler’s schemes inside and out watch the spread in this game because historically speaking Miami is a perfect 7-0 ATS when installs as 6 point doggies or more.
2) Baltimore: The Ravens had a great draft and got a major upgrade at QB with the signing of former Titan QB Steve McNair, who takes over QB duties from Kyle Boller, McNair will rejoin WR Derrick Mason, who was his favorite target while both were still on the Titans’ payroll. McNair has been plagued by injuries in recent years, but overall the guy is only 33 and looking healthy once again, the new environment could give him a much-needed shot of energy. As inconsistent as quarterback Kyle Boller has been in recent seasons, he remains the best backup quarterback in the division because he knows the offense and was the former starter. The Ravens suffered numerous injuries along both sides of the ball last year and that led to a very disappointing 6-10 season, the signing of McNair should give a now healthy Raven defense more rest, Raven’s six wins last year they were at home in Baltimore. And that’s good news considering San Diego, Carolina and Atlanta are on this year’s visiting list. Projected record: 10-6
** Look to play ON the Ravens on November 5th when divisional rival Cincy comes to town, the Ravens were a banged up injury team last year and the Bengals took advantage of that fact to sweep the season series for the first time since 1996 which was The Ravens’ first season in the league, according to the old history book, Baltimore has covered 7 of their last 9 home games against these Kitty Kats.
3) Cincinnati: The Bengals won the AFC North last season with an 11-5 record, but there are signs they won’t reach that mark in 2006, for starters, let’s not forget that the status of quarterback Carson Palmer is still up in the air. the air. Regarding his ability to return in time for the start of the regular season, many media pundits who predicted his return fail to remember that in September he will only be 8 months after the devastating knee injury he sustained. in January. The take here is that Cincy should have held on to backup QB Jon Kitna as insurance instead of letting him go to Detroit, as the Bengals will be forced to use free agent Anthony Wright (who doesn’t know the offense) if Palmer doesn’t. be ready or you should be injured again. Then there is the small matter of all the off-field distractions that have plagued the Bengal organization regarding numerous players getting in trouble with the law or the NFL, including the loss of starting linebacker Odell Thurman, who is suspended for the first four games of the regular season. In the big picture, Cincy came on in leaps and bounds last season, but they have too many problems, especially on the defensive side of the ball, where they finished 28th for shoddy overall defense. Projected record: 9-7
**Look to play AGAINST these Bengals when they visit Baltimore on November 5, the Ravens were an injured and banged up team last year and the Bengals took advantage of that fact to sweep the season series for the first time since 1996, which was the first of the Ravens. season in the league, according to the old history book, Baltimore has covered 7 of its last 9 home games against these Kitty Kats.
4) Cleveland: These Brownies appear to be this year’s AFC “hot pick” by the media for a team that has the ability to come out of nowhere and surprise. Honestly, I think Cleveland will be a much better team this year, but it won’t top last year’s six-win total. They sure have WR Braylon Edwards and TE Kellen Winslow healthy after injury and yes they signed WR Joe Jurevicius and LB Willie McGinest to add veteran leadership on both sides of the ball, however the Brownies wrote off the veteran QB Trent Dilfer (to the 49ers) and will start QB Charlie Frye. To back up Frye, the Browns brought in former 49er QB Ken Dorsey. The Brownies also brought in Pro Bowl center LeCharles Bentley and OG Bob Hallen to bolster a weak offensive line, and wouldn’t they know? On the first play of the first practice, Bentley injured his knee and ended the year by forcing the Browns to convert recently acquired OG Bob Hallen to center.
The Brownies finished last season ranked 26th in total offense and will be hard-pressed to improve on that mark with an inexperienced, inexperienced quarterback under center and a converted guard at center. Cleveland has a tough row to beat this year in regards to having six games against tough division opponents on top of having to face Carolina, San Diego and Atlanta all on the road and hosting Kansas City and Tampa as already mentioned I think these Brownies will be a better team overall this year, but I just can’t see them improving on last year’s win total. Projected record: 6-10
** Look to play AGAINST these Brownies when they visit Carolina on Oct 8th, Cleveland will play on the road for the third time in a span of 4 weeks and will also play jet lag they just played in Oakland the week before, as a side note , according to the old Cleveland history book is a sleazy 1-7 ATS as a non-conference pup on 7 or fewer points.