Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7)
Last season ended disappointingly for the squad from Steeltown with a home playoff beat down thanks to Jacksonville. Mike Tomlin's first year as head coach was a booming success. With another division title in their hats, Pittsburgh enters the 2008 season as the favorite to win the AFC North.
Predicted Record: 8-8
Upgrade Special: Rashard Mendenhall, RB - in the playoff loss to the Jags, the glaring weakness of depth behind Fast Willie Parker reared its ugly head. The Steelers lost all offensive balance and ultimately the game. Look for Mendenhall to get about 1,000 total yards this year.
Biggest Strength: Pounding the Rock - Alan Faneca may left the squad, but this team just added one of the most NFL-ready backs to come out of the draft to an attack that finished third in the NFL in rushing in 2007. Deep threat Santonio Holmes will stretch the field to keep defenses honest.
Exploitable Weakness: The Schedule - Again, this is not a bad team, or a bad year. It is just a rough schedule. The AFC North as a whole plays a both divisions in the league that placed three teams in the playoffs in 2007 NFC East and AFC South). Adding the Patriots and Chargers to the mix is distressing in itself.
Possible Fantasy Sleeper: Santonio Holmes, WR - Everyone knows who he is, but this, his third season, should be the year that Holmes becomes one of fantasy football's elite receivers. Hines Ward is getting long in the tooth and his days of stretching the field is long gone.
Baltimore Ravens (5-11)
After 9 years of Brian Billick, which included 4 trips to the playoffs and a Super Bowl victory, the Ravens start the year with a new head coach. The Ravens fell to 5-11 after winning the division in 2006. Nagging injuries and lackluster play tormented the Ravens from the start of the season. Usually after a team drops off as fast as the Ravens did in 2007, big changes are to be expected. The 2008 version of the Baltimore Ravens will be almost exactly the same team that took the field in 2007. That's not good news for their fans. Add the fact that the Ravens will likely look to put rookie Joe Flaco on the field as soon as possible, (which would be a huge mistake considering they have a serviceable leader in Troy Smith), the Ravens could be in for another long year.
Predicted Record: 6-10
Upgrade Special: Ray Rice, RB - The former Scarlet Knight has looked the part of a star in the making early on in the preseason. Considering the injury history of Willis, Ray could be a steal.
Biggest Strength: The All Name Team - The most novice of football fans know the names of Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Trevor Pryce, and Terrell Suggs. The old timers on this defense have been to many battles on the field together, so that has to count for something. The Ravens defense alone could easily dominate a few games this year.
Exploitable Weakness: Quarterback - Everyone knows that Joe Flacco is the Ravens' answer for the future of their passing attack, but very few people know what that has to do for 2008. Whoever gets the nod is looking at blitzes from opposing teams right after the National Anthem.
Possible Fantasy Sleeper: Joe Flacco, QB - When he gets a chance to play later on in the season, the Ravens will more than likely be behind and have to throw the ball.
Cleveland Browns (10-6)
The surprise team of 2007, the Cleveland Browns are favored by some (myself included) to take the division this year. After a few draft whiffs, the efforts of GM Phil Savage and Head Coach Romeo Crennel finally began to pay off, and although they missed the playoffs by the slimmest of margins (or Tony Dungy deciding to rest his starters) , the Browns are loaded with young talent and should be playoff contenders this season.
A tough as micro-waved chicken schedule should give the Browns about the same record as last year, but it may give them a division title.
Predicted Record: 9-7
Upgrade Special: Corey Williams, DL - The former Packer will lineup at end with recently acquired Shaun Rogers holding down the middle. Williams has a game that is great at stuffing the run and sacking the quarterback. He is a great addition for the Browns
Biggest Strength: Aerial Attack - Left tackle extreme Joe Thomas helps to keep Derek Anderson upright long enough to fire darts to play-makers Braylon Edwards, Kellen Winslow and Donte' Stallworth.
Exploitable Weakness: As it is well known the Brownies have serious issues at the cornerback position. Anyone who actually watched what Eli Manning did to them in their last exhibition knows what I mean. The Browns trot out two second year CB's in Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald in their starting lineup. The depth behind those two is shaky at best.
Possible Fantasy Sleeper: Eric Wright, CB - Having said that the defensive backfield is a weakness, it would make sense to put someone who will be targeted up in this category.
Cincinnati Bengals (5-11)
Everyone's favorite team of criminals, the Bengals are a wild card in this division. Marvin Lewis finds himself on the hot seat after a 7-9 season. Not one to go down without a fight, Lewis rebulit his defensive staff from a unit that finished 27th last year. The Bengals offense will be good as usual, but as always, the question in Cincy is "Can that defense stop ANYBODY?"
Predicated Record: 6-10
Upgrade Special: Keith Rivers, LB - Rivers will be one of the more productive rookies in 2008. He and Jerod Mayo of New England should compete for Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.
Biggest Strength: Carson Palmer - If the Defense could actually stop someone, Carson may not have forced as many passes as he did last year. With a retooled defense and a little more from the running game, expect great numbers from Palmer.
Exploitable Weakness: Defense - One of the worst defenses from 2007 has lost its three most productive players; Justin Smith, Madieu Williams and Landon Johnson. So, the defense (to print) is in the hands of a bunch of kids like Rivers, Jonathan Joseph, Leon Hall, Robert Geathers and Domata Peko who may or may not be ready.
Possible Fantasy Sleeper: Ben Utecht, TE - Carson Palmer has not used the tight end effectively so far, but now he has one who has produced elsewhere.
One of my favorite BSO nicknames
"Medium" Ben Rothlisberger that always made me crack up
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