Pick ‘Em Monday – AFC North

Quick break from Training Camp to bring you my weekly Pick ‘Em segment – where I rank some other division not in the West and/or not in the good conference. Today I break down the AFC North, where the Ravens, Bengals, Steelers, and Browns will go at it to fight for the division and a hard-to-get Wild Card in the AFC.

1) Baltimore Ravens

No one is talking about the Baltimore Ravens this year, and their 13-3 record from last year could be even better this year. That tied them with the Bears for the second best record in the entire NFL, but for one reason or another they just couldn’t put up the points against the Colts defense last year. Once the Broncos were out of the race, they were my pick to win it all, and I was really surprised they didn’t perform better against their former franchise. Now they’ve brought in a speedier back in Willis McGahee, the self-proclaimed best runningback in the league, and that move could prove to pay them big dividends offensively. With Steve McNair having a full offseason to learn the playbook, this could be a huge year for the Ravens, whom I consider one of the top three teams in the league.

2) Pittsburgh Steelers

Mike Tomlin has been stirring things up over in Steel Town, and everything I’ve heard sounds good. The Steelers underperformed last year with the loss of Jerome Bettis, as well as the lame duck status of their coach Bill Cowher. And while their quarterback situation is a bit of a question mark, the Steelers still finished strong last year, and Ben Roethlisberger found his game again. All that said, I’m still a fan of the defense more than offense – which is why I have them ranked ahead of the Bengals, whose defense is simply pathetic.

3) Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals have an explosive offense – among the top 3 in the league when you consider their talent across that side of the field. Excellent offensive line… one of the best receiver corps in the league… excellent young quarterback and an underrated running game. That said, their defense is the polar opposite. Their defensive line needs improvement – I would never have franchised Justin Smith… he’s good, but not Top 5 or even Top 10 money. Problems at linebacker may have been avoided through the supplemental draft last year, but their cornerback situation is still a question mark, even after back-to-back first round selections focusing on the position. And don’t get me started on safety… Donovan Darius should be a Bengal right now.

4) Cleveland Browns

I think Brady Quinn will be a good quarterback, because he wants to be and has the drive to be… as popular as he was before the draft, in a matter of weeks he became something of a joke to most people. I still think he’ll do well in the league… but not this year. I actually think the Browns can be decent this year. If they had a solution at quarterback they could win 8 or 9 games… they have a ton of talent at linebacker, with rookie Kamerion Wimbley one of the most underrated defensive rookies of last year. But they’re not better than anyone in their division… I expect 5 wins from this team.

Two weeks left of the Pick ‘Ems – the NFC and AFC West.