Balanced Baltimore to dominate in AFC North

I'd like to say that the NFL season is fast approaching, but it isn't. There are still a few months to go before we get back underway with the regular season, but there is still plenty of interest around the league, particularly with star players such as Albert Haynesworth and Darelle Revis holding out for new contracts. One of the stronger divisions in 2010 will be the AFC North, with three teams with legitimate claims to the title. And the Cleveland Browns. Various legal circumstances may have damaged the chances of one of these teams, but that will not prevent some serious competition in the big match-ups. Something for us all to look forward to. Here are my thoughts on these teams:

Cincinnati Bengals - A team with a ProBowl QB who didn't even fire last year, the Bengals bounced back from tragedy to seal an unlikely divisional title in 2009. Then were one and done in the playoffs. Particularly impressive on defense, despite the bereavement of coordinator Mike Zimmer, who lost his wife early in the season, the Bengals will need to keep it tight again, particularly with the improving offenses around them in the division. Any team with a man called Tank Johnson in their line generally means business. Rey Maualuga had an impressive rookie year at OLB and will need to push on if the team are to move forwards. There are no real outstanding individuals in this defense, they are simply organised to be greater than the sum of their parts. The key factor in the Bengals' success last year was retaining the services of free agent RB Cedric Benson, who finally showed his first-round draft capabilities with his first year over 1000 yards. The shift to the running game was necessitated by Carson Palmer's dip in form, where he couldn't seem to find his receivers on several occasions. Of course this was not helped by Chris Henry dying after coming off the back of a truck (did he fall or was he pushed?). Rookie TE Jermaine Gresham will add protection and a viable passing option, but I feel the only way is down for Palmer. New WR from Tampa Antonio Bryant must complement No.85 if they are to win the division again. Which they won't. 10-6 (same as last year but others have improved)

Baltimore Ravens - much as I hate to say this, my brother being a Ravens fan and everything, but they do look good. It is how they've added to the team that impresses me, rather than the strength of what they already had. However, all this talk of a Superbowl is a) premature, seeing as we haven't even had training camp yet and b) unrealistic, given the limitations of their QB. Joe Flacco is a good kid, don't get me wrong, but he is not truly capable of providing his receiving corps with the big plays that they need on a consistent basis. When you have targets like Anquon Boldin, Derrick Mason and Todd Heap, you always have chances but Flacco often prefers to keep it simple. In the defense, the production of Ray Lewis and Ed Reed will not stay so high forever and so cannot be relied upon so heavily to make plays season after season. To that end, the line has been strengthened with Sergio Kindle (also a LB) and the simply massive Terrence Cody drafted. Caution must be given at this stage, don't expect great numbers out of rookie D-Linemen. Give it a little while to settle while they adjust to the brutality of pro O-Lines. All this said, they should comfortably win the division and I reckon defeat in the Championship match is where they'll end up. 12-4.

Pittsburgh Steelers - how we all laughed when Ben Roethlisberger allegedly assaulted a woman in a nightclub. Unless you were that woman, any of her friends or family, Roethlisberger's lawyer (not again Ben!) and anybody associated with the franchise that is the most successful in NFL history. Not to condone assault in toilets, far from it, but the Steelers are the team most people love to hate, so to see their greatest weapon suspended for the first six games of the season amused many! Replacing him with a man who got pushed out by a rookie at Tampa Bay last year is a risk, but that is what Mike Tomlin appears to be leaning towards with Byron Leftwich, purely because of his experience. He will not post the numbers of Big Ben, not even close. However, they could still find success, both in stopping the run and from their own rushing game, if Rashard Mendenhall continues to flourish. With the WRs output reduced by having Leftwich aiming for them early on, the defense looks the better half of the team, with genuine stars such as LaMarr Woodley and Troy Polamalu (much depends on his fitness this year). When Roethlisberger returns, it will take time for him to re-find his feet so he'd better hope the O-Line protects him a bit better, as he took a lot of unnecessary hits last year, although mobility has never really been his thing. Will Heinz Ward continue to put up the big numbers? Hard to say. It could be an unpredictable year of change in Pittsburgh. 7-9

Cleveland Browns - aka team Josh Cribbs if the interview with NFL.com is anything to go by. The man claims to be a WR but is in reality a special teams specialist, with numerous kick-off returns for TDs throughout his 6 year pro career. Best thing to do is just boot the ball out for a touchback! He also claims he'd play defense if asked. Arrogant cock. Incidentally, the Browns' defense looks much improved, particularly at CB with Joe Haden drafted and Sheldon Brown picked up in a trade from the Eagles, much to my irritation as we are struggling for a secondary right now! Jake Delhomme is the new starting QB, so expect a lot of red zone interceptions and near misses. Will Colt McCoy have to step into the breach? No, not in the short-term anyway. Benjamin Watson at TE looks a good acquisition from the Patriots, as does the re-signing on a one-year deal of RB Jerome Harrison, who can do a job in a committee backfield. All this said, aside from CB the overall depth looks too thin on the ground for much progress to be made. They can reasonably expect to go 0-6 in divisional matchups and 3-13 overall.

RM