AFC North Primer

Last season the Cincinnati Bengals surprised everyone by taking this division with a perfect 6-0 record. While I don't expect that in 2010, it should still be hotly contested.

A welcome sight for Ravens fans...and Joe
Flacco.

Baltimore Ravens
2009 Record: 9-7, 2nd in division
Head coach: John Harbaugh
Key Additions: WR Anquan Boldin, WR Donte' Stallworth, DE Cory Redding, CB Walt Harris, K Shayne Graham
Key Losses: DE Dwan Edwards, CB Samari Rolle

1. How will this defense hold up?
With all the injuries (again) in the secondary, you would think not very well. The Ravens will come at you in any situation, but with an extremely thin secondary, you have to wonder if there will be a slight adjustment. LB Ray Lewis is still Ray Lewis and don't let his age fool you (35). He's still a force. The one guy the Ravens must have healthy is S Ed Reed and that is a huge question mark. Reed is the quarterback of the secondary. His skills and instincts are the best there is at the position. Yes, Steelers fans. Better than Polamalu.

2. Is Joe Flacco going to improve even more?
Just by trading for Boldin makes Flacco better...a lot. Throw in the stable of tight ends (Todd Heap, rookies Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta) and RB Ray Rice and Flacco has everything around him. The only question will be the O-line and that is solid, too.

3. Can The Ravens make a run at the AFC title?
No doubt about it. Their schedule is a tough one, though. I see four games that they will be highly favored in (2 v. Cleveland, Tampa Bay and Buffalo). They travel to play the New York Jets, New England Patriots (revenge game for Pats), Houston Texans, Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers (always a tough place to play). They also host the defending Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints.

The Ravens are the sexy pick to win this division.

Will the tandem of Ochocinco and T.O.
make the Bengals more pass oriented?

Cincinnati Bengals
2009 Record: 10-6, 1st in division
Head coach: Marvin Lewis
Key Additions: WR Terrell Owens, WR Antonio Bryant, S Gibril Wilson, K Mike Nugent, K Dave Rayner
Key Losses: K Shayne Graham, RB Larry Johnson, WR Laverneous Coles

1. Can this team function with all the "personalities" on the roster?
Ochocinco, T.O., Pacman. They can and it will be up to Marvin Lewis to corral all that. So far, Adam Jones (he doesn't want to be called Pacman anymore and I don't blame him) has been stellar on the attitude front. He realizes this is his last gasp at football. I look for him to give CB Morgan Trent a run as the 3rd corner. Chad and T.O. will be fine. I bristled when I heard Skip Bayless on ESPN's First Take say that the Bengals (most notably Carson Palmer) created a monster in that Palmer targeted Owens so much during the game last night because he's lost confidence in Ochocinco. Not buying that one bit. We all know Bayless has it out for both Chad and T.O.

2. Can the defense duplicate what they accomplished in 2009?
They can and I believe they will. DE Antwaan Odom is back. They drafted DE Carlos Dunlap. The linebackers are outstanding (Dhani Jones, Ray Maualuga and Keith Rivers) and Cincinnati has arguably the best set of corners in the league in Leon Hall and Johnathan Joseph. What's not to like?

3. Repeat as division champs?
Possibly, but we all know when you win your division, your schedule for the next season is tough. Cincy has both Super Bowl teams on their schedule and they have the usual home-and-home games against the Ravens and Steelers. Starting the season on the road at New England is no picnic either. 10-6 may repeat, but it will be a much harder fought 10-6 than last year.

The guys in stripes are every bit as legit can be.

McCoy will learn from one of the best team-
mates in Delhomme.

Cleveland Browns
2009 record: 5-11, 4th in division
Head coach: Eric Mangini
Key Additions: QB Jake Delhomme, QB Seneca Wallace, LB Scott Fujita, T Tony Pashos, TE Benjamin Watson, LB Chris Gocong, CB Sheldon Brown
Key Losses: QB Brady Quinn, QB Derek Anderson, RB Jamal Lewis, WR Donte' Stallworth, S Brodney Pool, G Hank Fraley, G Rex Hadnot

1. Any hope for the offense?
Browns fans, there really is hope for your Browns. Granted, it will be a slow process, but I love what Mike Holmgren is doing. He's bringing in guys he knows can play and play at a higher level than Cleveland showed last season. Delhomme may be long in the tooth and he had a rough go of it the last couple of season, but Jake's always been a team guy. That bodes well for future starter Colt McCoy. If Delhomme goes down, there's the experience of Wallace. We know the Browns can run. They were last in the league in passing last year.

2. What's the strongest position on the roster?
I know there's a nice young stable of running backs, but I'm going with the linebackers. I love this group. Fujita, Gocong, David Bowens, Jason Trusnick, Matt Roth, D'Qwell Jackson and Eric Barton. If you're not listed here, you might not make the squad.

3. Will last season's finish lift these guys?
The Browns won their last four games and if not for a play here or there, they could have won 6 of their last 7. A lot of the guys on that roster are gone, so the momentum will not be as great if the roster wasn't overhauled like it was. Still, the Browns know they can compete and that's more than half the battle. If anyone takes these guys lightly, they will be beaten.

Holmgren will build this franchise. Just give him the time.

Ben will sit at least the first four games of
the 2010 season. It could be six.

Pittsburgh Steelers
2009 record: 9-7, 3rd in division
Head coach: Mike Tomlin
Key Additions: S Will Allen, LB Larry Foote, WR Antwaan Randle-El
Key Losses: CB Deshea Townsend, RB Willie Parker

1. How will the Steelers function without Ben Roethlisberger?
With the reception he has received at training camp (fans and teammates), Ben has been forgiven by the locals but is still reviled outside of Steeler Nation. The Steelers will most likely have to rely on a running game that has stumbled since the days of Jerome Bettis and Willie Parker providing that 1-2 punch. Yes, they won the Super Bowl a couple of years ago, but running the ball is no longer a Steeler staple. It has to become a staple again or the Steelers will have a big hole to dig out of. They start the season with Atlanta, at Tennessee, at Tampa Bay and home with Baltimore. Right now, that looks like 1-3...at best.

2. Will the Steelers defense return as a dominant force?
It has to. You can't run on them, but you can pass even with the talented group of linebackers they have. But here's something to keep in mind. In their seven losses in 2009, the Steelers either held a fourth quarter lead or was tied in the fourth in six of those seven games. Enough said.

3. Was it a good move to give head coach Mike Tomlin that extension?
Excellent move. We know the Steelers are the most loyal franchise when it comes to coaches. Despite "falling" to a 9-7 record last year and missing the playoffs after a Super Bowl win, Tomlin is your prototypical Steelers coach. No nonsense. This season will be Tomlin's most telling. Remember when he said Pittsburgh was going to "unleash hell" last year? It never really happened. This year, hell will need to be unleashed to contend with the Ravens and Bengals.

Note: If I owned a team, I'd hire Tomlin in a minute if it took me that long.

Here we go.

1. Baltimore. Schedule is just a tad easier than Cincy's
2. Cincinnati. Could come down to last game of the season in Baltimore.
3. Pittsburgh. No Ben for at least the first four games hurts.
4. Cleveland. Still needs time.