AFC North

Pittsburgh Steelers - (11-5) - The super bowl champions look strong as always. The steady Ben Roethlisberger is back for another solid year. Controversy surrounds his personal life but i don't think it will effect him. Willie Parker will be the feature runner. He is very fast but gets banged up alot. Last years first round draft choice Rashard Mendanhall is back from injury. They hope he can take some touches away from Parker. Mendanhall did not look ready for the pros when he played early in the season. The Steelers hope Santonio Holmes can continue to shine after his Superbowl MVP game. Hines Ward is back to lay the lumber on opposing defenses and make catches over the middle. There isn't a better blocking receiver in football. The offensive line isn't dominating. Justin Hartwig had a good season at center in his first year with the team. Kraig Urbik was drafted in the third round of this years draft. He will push for a starting spot at guard. Heath Miller is an excellent player catching and blocking at tight end. The defense is one of the top units in the league. Top draft choice Evander "Ziggy" Hood will bolster and already excellent defensive line. He could take Brett Keisel's job. Casey Hampton is a fixture at the pro bowl. He is a massive Nose tackle at 6'1'' 330lbs. Aaron Smith is an excellent player at end. The linebacking unit is the best in the NFL as far as i'm concerned. James Harrison plays like a maniac. James Farrior is the captain and quarterback of the defense. LaMarr Woodley is an underrated player on the strong side. Ryan Clark stepped up at free safety last season. I think we all remember when he almost took Wes Welker's head off when Pittsburgh came to New England and dominated. Troy Polamalu is one of the best at strong safety. Polamalu is a game changer. William Gay and rookie Keenan Lewis will compete for the vacant corner spot left by Bryant Mcfadden. While Ike Taylor is entrenched at the other Corner spot. This team will go deep in the playoffs. Lead by a great defense and a ton of veteran leadership.

Baltimore Ravens - (10-6) - Baltimore got an accurate and good decision making quarterback by drafting Joe Flacco last year. His biggest problem is the lack of talent at wide reciever. Mark Clayton has the most ability now that Derrick mason has retired. There have been rumors about a trade with Denver for Brandon Marshall. We will see less Willis McGahee and more Ray Rice and LeRon McClain at runningback. Willis took a shot that ended is season and sent him out on a cart in the playoffs. The offensive line got better with the addition of perennial pro bowler Matt Birk who anchored an exceptional line for the Vikings. First Round pick Michael Oher will try to win the right tackle spot. Haloti Ngata is the best lineman on the defense. Tavares Gooden will step in for Bart Scott who was a free agent loss. Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs make this unit very strong. The secondary is a tough unit as well. Ed Reed and Dewan Landry are an excellent combo at safety. Fabian Washington came over from Oakland and had his best season in 2008. The Ravens will battle the Steelers for the top spot in the division and should make the playoffs again in 2009.

Cleveland Browns - (7-9) - Who will quarterback this team is the biggest question. A battle between Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson in training camp should give us this answer. Anderson has had the more success of the two. I was surprised that the browns didn't take a runningback until this sixth round this April. Jamal Lewis is getting old. Look for James Davis to try and takes carries away. He had some success in college at Clemson. They did add Brian Robiskie in the draft to help the receiving core. Kellen Winslow is gone and Dante Stallworth's legal troubles have his career in question. Braylon Edwards can be one of the best in the game. Mohamed Massaquoi was also drafted in the second round and could be o a big suprise this season. Joe Thomas is one of the best left tackles in football. Alex Mack was drafted out of California and should be a starter from day one at Center. The defense is serviceable. Kenyon Coleman was brought over in a trade from new york. He knows new coach Eric Mangini's system and will start at end. So does inside linebacker Eric Barton. He will play next to D'Qwell Jackson who has been a very good player for the Browns. The defensive Backfield will not be giving offensive coordinators nightmares. Brandon Macdonald and Eric Wright are just ok at corner. Pool and Elam aren't anything special either. I think the Browns might win a few games they aren't supposed to. But no playoffs this year.

Cincinnati Bengals - (5-11) - It has been a steady decline for the Bengals since winning the division in 2005. Carson Palmer is back from injury. His favorite target is gone. Leaving Chad Johnson the primary receiver. Johnson's best days maybe behind him. Laveranues Coles was broght into replace Houshmanzadeh. Be he is not the same player. Although Coles still has some gas in the tank. The Bengals hope they found thier runningback in Cedric Benson. Benson resurected his career after being cut by the Bears. They tried to strengthen the line on draft day. Taking Andre Smith and Jonathan Luigs. Luigs may end up having the better career even though he was taken three rounds later. The offensive line is not very good. The defensive line isn't much better. Domato Peko had a career year at tackle. But they lack a pass rush from this unit. They hope to make up in the pass rush at linebacker. They selected Rey Maualuga in the second round this spring. They hope he can play alot on the outside this season. Former USC teammate Keith Rivers is back from injury after taking a vicious hit from Hines Ward. Ward broke his Jaw in week 7 which ended River's season. Roy Williams comes over from Dallas to play Safety. The game is passing Williams by who can't cover very well. Former number on pick Leon Hall is not living up to his potential at corner. This is a below average group. It will be a long season for Cincinnatti. they will have a top ten choice again in 2010.