AFC NORTH 2009 Season Preview

By Adam Barone

The Steelers are easily the best team in what isn’t a particularly strong AFC North overall, and should win it without any problems. The Bengals have talent, and could make some noise with Carson Palmer returning and some quality free agents coming in. The Ravens and Browns both feature significant coaching changes, and are likely to have growing pains. There are no surprises here:

1. Pittsburgh Steelers (13-3): The Steelers’ defense stood out from the pack last season as the best in the league, and led the team to a Super Bowl title. Cornerback Bryant McFadden and linebacker Larry Foote are both gone, along with receiver Nate Washington, but this is virtually the same team as last season.
Rashard Mendenhall is back from being injured when he ingeniously tried to run through Ray Lewis, and will split duty with Willie Parker. Mewelde Moore filled in nicely when both Mendenhall and Parker were hurt last season, rushing for 588 yards on 140 carries. He’s more of a third down back though, and will see time this season in that role.
The biggest weakness is the offensive line, which has seen Ben Roethlisberger sacked 139 times in the past three seasons. The defensive line is aging, but is still one of the league’s best, and there’s a ton of talent in the linebacking corps behind them. This is arguably still the best team in the league.

2. Cincinnati Bengals (9-7): There’s actually reason for a little bit of optimism in Cincinnati for the coming season. Seriously. Sure, T.J. Houshamazoo went to Seattle as a free agent, but he was replaced by Laveranues Coles, and defensive tackle Tank Johnson, fullback Brian Leonard, safety Roy Williams, and backup quarterback J. T. O’Sullivan were all signed. Quarterback Palmer is back and healthy, and still has the potential to be one of the league’s best.
Running back Cedric Benson was signed last season, and is the uncontested feature back. Benson was disappointing when he was with the Bears, and only averaged 3.5 yards per carry for the Bengals last season. The running game may be a weakness, but could also grow with Palmer running the passing game.
Believe it or not, the Bengals had the league’s 12th best defense in the NFL in 2008. Linebacker Keith Rivers is back from injury, and will be joined by rookie Rey Maualuga on the second level of the defense. Considering the upgrades, there’s a good chance that this could be a top ten defense in the coming season.

3. Baltimore Ravens (5-11): The unexpected retirement of receiver Derrick Mason leaves the Ravens’ offense almost entirely unexciting. Le’Ron McClain will move back to fullback, leaving the running game split mostly between Willis McGahee and Ray Rice. McGahee only received 170 carries in 13 games in 2008, but found the end zone seven times. Ray Rice got 107 carries and scored zero rushing touchdowns.
Defensive coordinator Rex Ryan is now the Jets’ head coach, and he’ll be replaced by Greg Mattison, formerly the linebackers’ coach. The scheme should remain basically the same, with an aggressive 3-4 style. Linebacker Bart Scott and safety Jim Leonard each followed Ryan to the Jets, and will be replaced by Tavares Gooden and Dawan Landry. The coaching staff is inexperienced, and Joe Flacco is young and has limited targets. Unless something special happens this season and a playmaker magically emerges, things aren’t promising for 2009 in Baltimore.

4. Cleveland Browns (4-12): Romeo Crennel was fired as the Browns’ head coach following last season, and has been replaced by former Jets’ head coach Eric Mangini. Mangini is likely to go to a spread offense and stick with a 3-4 defense. No one really seems to have any idea who will be the starting quarterback for the Browns though, and that’s a big deal. Both Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson are talented, but Quinn is more of a game manager with an accurate arm, while Anderson is more dynamic and throws a better deep ball. The battle will influence the team’s entire offensive philosophy.
Tight end Kellen Winslow was traded to Tampa Bay in the offseason, and Donte Stallworth will likely be suspended due to his legal troubles. That leaves a lot on Braylon Edwards, who caught just 55 passes and scored only three touchdowns last season, and led the league in drops. He’ll need to step up for the Browns to be competitive.
There’s some talent on defense, which ranked 26th in 2008, including nose tackle Shaun Rodgers and linebackers D’Qwell Jackson and Kamerion Wimbley. The division doesn’t feature any especially explosive offenses, so the Browns do have a chance to be competitive with some quality coaching.

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