Ego Number One

So I’m sure you’d have heard about this, but on the off-chance… Terrell Owens has agreed terms with the Cincinnati Bengals and has joined up with them for training. He’s signed a one-year deal and Antonio Bryant has handed him his favoured #81 shirt (in exchange for a donation to one of little leagues) so the Chad and Terrell (and Antonio!) era begins. The CO/TO show.

Owens is 36 now, and not the number 1 option that he was, but he won’t be asked to be. He’ll need to contribute when called on, and be a good team member. You can’t really use last year’s stats as an indicator of his performance as the Bills were pretty bad. What you can look at is that he was a good soldier – the model of a quiet (for him) professional who just got on with it. If he can bring that attitude in, then he should do fine. And it’s difficult to imagine him taking verbal pops at Carson Palmer and have the team stand for it – their QB has proved himself again and again and is a popular leader there.

Ego Number Two

So how does this affect the AFC North, and in particular our predictions there. Craig pointed out that they had strengthened and suggested they could challenge for the division… I think that’s fair, and if they can improve their passing game (ranked 26th overall in 2009) then they are contenders and if they can complete more outside of the division then Craig’s Ravens could be in trouble again.

Craig’s View:

Yeah, they’re stacked with receivers… but they don’t have Ray Lewis on defence.

Image Credits:
CO – Clay Seal
TO – Brad Bethell Photography

Being my first ‘Division’ prediction, ever, I figured I might as well do one for the division I know most about! The AFC North is usually an entertaining and exciting division. The matches are played well, and are usually close. Rivalry is fierce and the bouts are relentless. It’s always difficult predicting without seeing the four pre-season matches, but I’m going to give it a go.

Baltimore Ravens

I’ll try not to be too biased here. We’ve significantly strengthened this off-season, both in the draft and trades. Our offensive line is still as strong, our running game still has a 3-man attack and our defence is still a no-nonsense, hard-hitting gang with additions of massive monster players who I really look forward to seeing in purple (Sergio Kindle and Mount Cody). Joe Flacco will be the one to watch this coming season. He has more weapons than he has ever had, so in my opinion it is make or break for him. If, after this season, our passing game hasn’t improved then I think we need to analyse why that is. With Derek Mason, Anquan Boldin, Todd Heap, Ray Rice and Donte’ Stallworth to throw to we should be putting up big numbers. It’s an exciting time in Baltimore. We’re looking not only for the Divisional Title, but the Superbowl too.

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals played some good football last season. I was impressed. Carson Palmer is an amazing quarterback on his day and I look forward to seeing him again this term. He has the added weapon of Antonio Bryant, which I think is a superb pick up for the Bengals. They also grabbed Jermaine Gresham in the draft, a definite prospect and one who could go straight into the starting line-up. They haven’t exactly weakened over the off-season so I’m expecting much of the same from the Bengals. They’ll prove a worthy foe

Cleveland Browns

The Browns started off the season as expected last term. They didn’t impress anybody. Harsh, but true. Nobody (except me it seems) predicted them to win any games towards the end of last season, but they seemed to settle and looked more established. Brady Quinn is released, Jake Delhomme comes in. Puzzling really. I always thought Quinn had potential. Colt McCoy is a good move in the draft though. He’s young and hungry, and could well find himself playing a part this season. I think I’d trust the rookie over Delhomme any day of the week!
Ben Watson comes in at tight end too. I think he will be a solid option on offence and I always did like him at New England. They have improved defensively and I’m looking forward to seeing Joe Haden playing. That said, I don’t think they have made the moves to rise up in the division and I still feel the other three teams are stronger.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Aaaah, the Steelers. I won’t say anything about the off-field issues; instead I’ll just get to the point. Santonio Holmes has left for pastures new (Jets) leaving Mike Wallace to fill the void he has left. Wallace did show signs of being a good target, but whether he can be as reliable as Holmes remains to be seen. Big Ben definitely misses the first 4 matches of the season, possibly first 6. A massive blow for the Steelers. Their star quarterback and one of their big receiving targets missing. For this reason I don’t think that Pittsburgh will be contending for the AFC North title. They have weakened whereas others have strengthened and it will be their downfall this season.

Predictions (made 14th June 2010)

Image Credit: Alan Bowser

M&T Stadium, Baltimore

Well, the draft is over and the mini-camps are getting underway. Figured I’d wait until this point to give my opinion on the last few months, well, as a Raven anyway.

The Anquan Boldin Trade:
This really did take me by surprise. I could see us trading for a solid wide receiver, but to be honest I never really expected it to be Boldin. A pleasant surprise by all means though. Boldin really is a quality player. He may have had a few injuries lately but his effort and his production is nothing to be dismissed. I really can’t wait to see him in the Purple of Baltimore. He came at a pretty reasonable price too. A 3^rd and 4^th round draft pick? Bargain, especially since we recouped those by trading down in the draft.

Off-Season pick ups:
We’ve picked up a couple of notable players this year so far. Let’s start with wide receiver Donte’ Stallworth, a player with his share of controversy to say the least. Now, I won’t pretend that I know all the details of his past, but according to the law he has now served his time, he is showing genuine remorse and he wants to make up for what he did. That’s all I need to know. He’s come in looking as quick as he was, he’s been making some good plays with Flacco in training and he is still looking sharp. I’m looking forward to see if he can reproduce this on the field, he definitely gives us a solid option for a pretty minimal cost.

New Raven Boldin

Secondly, we picked up defensive tackle Cory Redding from the Seahawks. A good move after we lost Dwan Edwards to the Bills. He can produce, he’s shown he can. Last season wasn’t his best and I believe he only started 3-4 games for Seattle, but in 7 years he has picked up 18 sacks. He’s a big guy, 6’4” and over 290lbs, but he is versatile and quick on his feet. I expect him to take some downs off Pryce to keep him fresh and mix it up a bit. Redding signed a 2 year contract so let’s see what he can do as Raven.

Ed Reed:
Will he retire, won’t he retire? Well I certainly hope he doesn’t! Ed is an amazing talent who has been hit with injury as of late. So bad there is talk of him calling it a day. Latest reports say he has undergone surgery to try and rectify this problem, hopefully a sign that he isn’t quite giving up just yet. If this is true, and it all goes to plan then I can’t wait to see what he does next year. Ed Reed is a game changer, and you just know the opposition offence hate it when he is playing, and playing well.

I

Re-Signs:
Biggest re-sign of the off-season is definitely Derek Mason. The man is still in amazing shape, more so than probably half the NFL players, and he is 36. He still has his pace, he still has good hands, and he still has that smile on his face when he plays. A 2 year contract hopefully means he will be retiring as a Raven.

Draft:
I’d say the trading down from the first round surprised me, but it didn’t. What DID surprise me is what we got for it and for who the traders got with our pick. Still, it worked out really well; we got 3^rd and 4^th round picks back which means effectively we got Boldin for peanuts. Anyway, here is a breakdown of the picks for the Ravens from the 2010 draft.

Sergio Kindle (OLB) – Pick 43 – A potential 1^st round pick taken in the 2^nd round. Great pick in my eyes. Kindle can slot nicely into the Ravens formation and go straight to work. There was a bit of talk about his knee but it looks like no work is needed. This is probably why he didn’t go in the 1^st round.

Terrence Cody (DT) – Pick 57 – ‘Mount’ Cody as he is known to his friends. This guy is huge and I’m very excited to see him in the Purple of Baltimore. A lot of talk about his weight, but I have no problems putting faith in the Ravens staff to keep him fit and healthy. This bloke can destroy offences.

Ed Dickson (TE) – Pick 70 – The first of 2 Tight Ends taken in succession by Ozzie. Ed is a more traditional ‘block’ tight end. He’s athletic, big frame and can make a catch or two if needed. Would work well and gives Flacco a target who might work himself into some space.

Dennis Pitta (TE) – Pick 114 – The second of 2 Tight Ends. Pitta is more of a receiving tight end. He’s quick, he’s got amazing hands and he can run routes well, probably more of a wide receiver, definitely an exciting player to watch. Flacco will be rubbing his hands together with all these targets for him to hit.

David Reed (WR) – Pick 156 – Didn’t see us picking a wide receiver in this draft but I can see why Ozzie has picked him. He’s a young talent with good potential, and he’ll be practicing with Anquan Boldin and Derek Mason, who better could be learning from? I can see him probably getting a couple of downs, possibly in the slot.

Arthur Jones (DT) – Pick 157 – Jones is a big defensive tackle, i’m actually shocked that he made it all the way down to the 5th round. 6’3″ and 300lbs, but he’s quick and he hits hard. I don’t think he’ll be in the team straight away, but he might play a bit part of a few downs to give the other guys a rest.

Ramon Harewood (OL) – Pick 194 – This guy is interesting. He is basically a raw product, but at 6’6″ and 340lbs i’m sure we can do something with him. The guy is massive, a giant, he’s got decent speed for his height and weight (think he ran just over 5.0 in the 40yd dash), so let’s get him settled and get him working at the camp. He’s got drive to succeed so let’s help him reach his potential and scare some opposition.

The one thing I would have liked us to do is pick up a good corner, and I think most Ravens would agree. That didn’t happen but Ozzie did make some great moves in the draft. He hasn’t gone wrong yet and I trust that he will be looking at this position over the course of the remaining off-season. In Ozzie we trust.

Optimism:

Overall I have to say I am very pleased with the way things have gone so far. We have definitely improved in positions we needed to improve in and we have some quality young talent on the roster. We had a good campaign last season that ended too early and with the additions we have made I can’t help but think that we’ll be challenging not only for the Divisional win, but for a Superbowl ring once more.

Image Credits:
M&T Stadium: kevygee
Boldin: xoque
Ed Reed: Keith Allison
Cheerleader: Keith Allison, again.

Nate Burleson to the Lions. This is either a stroke of genius or a real stretch, but Stafford needs receiving options. They’ve also added Kyle Vanden Bosch to their defensive line.

Karlos Dansby is now a Dolphin. Miami have made several changes already on the defensive side but Dansby would be a good addition in any case. They’ve also signed Chad Pennington for another year who is a good option as a backup.

In New York, the Jets and Giants have both improved their secondaries with Antrel Rolle joining the Giants and Antonio Cromartie heading to the Jets. Rolle becomes the highest paid safety in NFL history in the process.

The Ravens have signed Anquan Boldin, adding much needed depth to their passing game.

But Off-Season Champions so far (the ‘Skins haven’t got going yet ) are the Bears, who are making waves like they did last year. As well as snagging Julius Peppers to a monster contract, they’ve picked up Chester Taylor and Brandon Manumaleuna.

A number of teams have resigned players and made tenders, and we’ll be watching what happens with a lot of those. A good number have also been released and we’ll be talking about them seperately later on.

Since it’s too painful for Andrew to continue with his Redskin’s Review articles anymore, let us continue with our Favourite Four series, we are currently looking at Linebackers. It’s been a while, and many pages are now without images as we checked licensing on all content a while ago, but if you want to remind yourself. Check the Favourite Four category, where we’ve previously looked at defensive linemen, defensive backs, running backs and now linebackers.

We reiterate that these are some of our favourite players. We can’t vouch that these will be the best players in absolute terms, have the biggest fantasy football upside or even be any good (though they might be)… but they’re players that we like to watch.

Ray Lewis of the Baltimore Ravens is the next on our list.

While we had a run of selecting younger players for our running back positions, it seems to be the older more experienced guys who are getting the nod at Linebacker.

Ray Lewis has been at the Baltimore Ravens since 1996.  To put that into perspective No.1 draft pick Matthew Stafford was only 8 years old when Ray played his first NFL game.  Experience like this is worth its weight in gold and Lewis is an essential part of the Ravens line up.

Lewis is a Super Bowl winner and ten time Pro Bowl pick. Oh, and he made the cover of the 2005 version of our favourite game ‘Madden NFL‘.  There is nothing left for him to prove, but he still plays like there is.

Yet again he remains an interesting player to watch this season.

Image Credit: nflravens.

These are based on what we’ve been watching, what we’ve been following, some blind faith and our guts. These are are our predictions for the 12 post-season teams of the 2009 season.

This topic and tables will be locked and not edited once it is published. It will then be used for mocking, gloating, fighting (and probably crying) throughout the course of the season. We’ll come back to this every few weeks to carry out at least one of the above acts.

Andrew’s Predictions

NFC
If you’ve been following my First and Second look articles, then there shouldn’t be any surprises here.

In the NFC, I have the Giants topping the east. I’m hoping that the Redskins can surprise me here and edge a playoff spot, but I don’t really see it. In the west, I’m calling Seattle after a lot of deliberation. I’m also giving a wildcard spot to the Arizona Cardinals, in one of the divisions I’ve struggled with the most. The North is just as bad, I’m going with Green Bay. I’d really have liked longer to make a call on the Vikings’ prospects but here we are…

Finally from one of the hardest to one of the easiest: The Panthers to win in the south.

The final NFC wildcard is very tricky. It’s between the Falcons and the Eagles and as much as I hate to go against the Falcons, I can’t see the NFC East not sending at least two teams. So I’m going with the Eagles.

AFC
Things are easier in the AFC. A little bit, anyway – I see all four divisions as two-horse races

The Pats to take win the AFC East. I’m taking a gamble here (of a sort) that Brady is back to something like his best, but I’m confident with it. I see the Titans edging out the Colts in the south, though I’m putting the Colts in the wildcard mix and they can never be counted out.

The north will see the Ravens as winners, beating the Steelers into second – this will be a close division though. Finally the west will crown the Chargers, because… well, because there’s really no-one else there who can mount a serious challenge.

The wildcard spot is a three-way battle (sorry Denver) between the Steelers, Dolphins and Colts. Like last year, I see a valiant AFC East team being left out – the Steelers and the Colts going into the post-season. I’m sorry Graham, I don’t see the Dolphins there… but at least the ‘Skins won’t be there either!
I wish there was room for the Texans, but I don’t see it this year.

Graham on Andrew’s Predictions…
Not much to disagree with here (other than the Dolphins not making the play offs). I have gone with some different choices, but it is difficult to predict at this early stage.  It will be interesting to see what our readers think, I am sure there are a few who could beat us hands down.

[table id=11 /]

Graham’s Predictions

NFC
In the East I can see the Dallas Cowboys being bouyed by their new home and looking for a good season to overcome the tragic events at their practice facility. Can they beat the NY Giants in the NFC East? Well I don’t think so, but I do see them taking one of the wildcard spots.

Heading to the North I am going with the Green Bay Packers.  I also think the arrival of Jay Cutler at the Bears will bring some improvement, but not enough for a wildcard.

In the south I have to agree with Andrew on the Panthers.  I am hoping for a good season from Tampa Bay though as I am hoping for a great game at Wembley Stadium this year.  It is a Bucs’ home game so – sorry Pats fans – I will be supporting them.

Finally to the NFC West.  I am going with Arizona.  I am looking for some 49ers improvement this season and was tempted to pick them as my second wildcard, but I think it will be out of reach this time.

With the above in mind, my second wildcard pick goes to the Atlanta Falcons.

AFC
Starting in the East, I am going to upset Pats fans again here.  I would agree that Tom Brady is the best, but he is not Superman.  A year off will leave him hungry but maybe a bit rusty.  Miami will be looking to build on last years amazing improvement and now have a team strong enough to do even more damage.  Yes they have a tough schedule, but I still see them taking the AFC East again with the Pats in a wildcard spot.

In the North I am also going with the Ravens. I also think the South will be as Andrew predicted with the Titans winning and the Colts taking the second wildcard.

In the West the Raiders should storm it… only joking. Sadly I can see the Raiders taking the Lions’ place as also-rans this season, things seem far from settled in Oakland.  The Chargers should wrap the West up without too much trouble.

Andrew on Graham’s Predictions…
I think you’re letting your heart rule your head re: Miami and I think the Steelers won’t make the mistakes of a few years ago and will be in the post-season in some way.

I’m glad you’ve picked Atlanta though. I only just left them out

I have Dallas battling the Washington for 3rd place in the NFC East too, so I’m not sure about that. Otherwise it’s hard to argue with your picks. Like you said: I bet there are readers who could beat us. They should be writing these articles!

[table id=12 /]

Favre Said - “I may not finish the year. If you would have asked me my first year if I would finish I’d have said, ‘I may not,”’ Favre said. “No one thought I’d play 18 straight years without missing a game, me included. I have no idea what’s going to happen. ”

Not really big news, he ‘might’ get injured; he ‘might’ have a week off?  It made the headlines though, so I am just passing it on.

Cleveland Browns
Oh no, another ‘might’ story.  I get the feeling that preparations are so tight now there is little in the way of news filtering out of each organisation.  Anyway, Brady Quinn ‘might’ be the No.1 quarterback at the Browns.  Most of this stems from Derek Anderson’s comment at Wednesday’s training camp, where Anderson was asked if it was difficult to keep the secret…

“No,” Anderson said, “because after this next two minutes are over I’m not going to be talking to you guys. It’s pretty easy. Obviously, the rest of us have to go about our regular preparations and continue to do what we always do and just not talk to our families.”

Kansas City Chiefs
Matt Cassel ‘might’ miss the first game against the Baltimore Ravens.  Cassel is suffering with a knee injury and has been unable to workout fully this week

Brodie Croyle is ready to step in, but it would be a blow against the team has been designed to play around Cassel this season.

Detroit Lions
This is the news I was itching to see – Matthew Stafford is the Lions starting quarterback. It’s not that I have anything against Daunte Culpepper, it’s just that on a personal level I want to see what Stafford can do and how he progresses through the season.

From the Lions point of view I think it is the right choice. It is a symbol of a fresh start, and that is something the whole of Detroit need right now. 2008 saw the team and the citys biggest industry on its knees.

I am very tempted to pick a Lions win in this weeks predictions, but I think that is coming more from the heart than the head.

Cleveland Browns
Eric Mangini has decided to stay tight lipped about his decision over starting quarterback. Brady Quinn or Derek Anderson has it, but he is not telling who.

Mangini said – “In terms of announcing it publicly, that’s not something I plan to do,” he said. “It will be internal. I understand everybody has a different opinion on it. I respect that. I understand the excitement in relationship to that and I respect that as well. But that will be something that will be internal.”

I suppose it is a tactic to keep their week one opponents the Vikings in the dark. Cleveland are the underdog for this game, so Mangini will be using everything he can.

Kansas City Chiefs
Matt Cassel returned to practice after his knee injury which he picked up in pre-season. It is not yet known if he will be fit to face the Baltimore Ravens in their opening game.

We will be keeping an eye on his status as the week goes on. This season is Cassel’s chance to prove what he can do with out the Patriots behind him, let’s hope that it is not hampered by injury.

Has anything changed?


Ben Roethlisberger has a civil suit hanging over his head, though by most reports he’s not let it affect him and has shown considerable poise in being the leader of the team.

Hines Ward is sitting out practice. Not, you might think, to save injuries to any defensive backs, but because he’s earned it and can be trusted to be in shape come the pre-season. With Santonio Holmes hoping to reproduce his post-season form in the pre-season, it falls to those two to lead the receivers with Nate Washington plying his trade in Tenessee now.

Along with Washington, Bryant McFadden and Larry Foote are also playing in new cities (Arizona and Detroit) which is going to need to see some adjustment on the defense. On the brightside, they still have Mactalksnfl favourite Troy Polamalu tearing up the backfield.

As with any defending champions, they start the season with nothing to prove yet everything to lose. After their last championship, they went a disappointing 8-8 but will surely have learnt lessons from that.

Baltimore Ravens' QB Joe Flacco lets one go

Joe Flacco will go into his sophomore season entrenched as starter and will look to build on his fantastic first season that took the Ravens deep into the post-season. With a little bit more protection, he can do great things as long as he keeps his form up. Something that is by no means certain for a second-year QB.

The Ravens second place finish last year means that they have potentially tricky matchups against the Colts and Patriots on their schedule this year (The Steelers have the Dolphins and Titans) those will be all games to watch to see how they’ll affect the division table here.

I was initially tough on the Bengals’ receivers, then I changed my tune and it’s one of the main things I’m looking out for from training camp. If healthy and productive, they could be a real threat as long as the running game backs them up.

If Andre Smith and the team can sort a contract out, he could be an immediate starter at tackle. The longer a deal isn’t in place is going to affect his gametime early in the season.

There have been a number of changes on the defense, but nothing that shouldn’t be able to be catered for. That said, I don’t like the look of this unit – they were weak in 2008 and could easily be weak again.

A big factor when considering their finishing spot is that the Bengals have four of their last five games on the road. This will be a tough run and if they’re still in contention at that stage it will be an important sequence of games. I feel they’ve improved since my First Look – certainly on offense – but am leaving them projected at third spot for now.

The rebuilding is well under way in Cleveland, with ex-Jet’s coach Eric Mangini making his mark. He’s also delved deeply into the roster from his old club in an attempt to improve the team across the board.

The big story here is Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn in the quarterback battle. You’d hope that it would be settled as soon as possible, but with both guys putting up similar numbers last season I wouldn’t be surprised to see them sharing time through the early part of the pre-season. My money is on Quinn at this point.

With so much happening with the team, they’re tough to get behind as contenders.

Summary
Like I said before, the crunch match is in week 16 when the Ravens travel to Pittsburgh in a match that will probably decide the division (assuming that one of them has not fallen apart by then).

I do like what’s coming out of Cincinnati, but not enough to bump them at this point. So it’s no change so far.

[table id=7 /]

So… It’s easy to think of the AFC North as Pittsburgh’s division, but the Ravens and the Bengals have won it within the last five years, and the Browns… well, the Browns haven’t been so good but have made the playoffs this decade.

The reigning champs go into the season in bouyant mood, on the back of the Superbowl win and as AFC North winners for the last two years.
They’ve lost some players to free agency, but have drafted well. Bar one, the players that have left do not jump out as big losses: many have had injury problems or are fringe players at best. The ‘one’ is Bryant McFadden, who they’ll miss at corner. Keiwan Ratliff has been signed from the Colts and the Steelers have drafted at this position too. Someone will have to step up. However, McFadden aside, this is a team that has retained its core.

The Ravens did a good job last year, turning their record around from 2007 and mounting a strong playoff challenge: defeating the Dolphins and Titans on their way to the conference game.
Movers and shakers: Matt Stover has left, and I’ll miss him (in the fantasy game at least). Matt Birk comes in from the Vikings to shore up an O-Line that doesn’t really need a lot of shoring up. Last term they were a top 5 rushing team, and although they could do with getting the sack count a bit lower, it wasn’t at an alarming high by any means.

For the Ravens and Steelers, the crunch match is week 16 where the two team meet in Pittsburgh in a match that will probably be a divisional decider.

Dear oh dear oh dear. That pretty much sums up the Bengals for 2008.
No team is going to recover from a 0-8 start, and the Bengals did the sensible thing in letting Carson Palmer rest and heal up in preparation for the 2009 season. He’s announced he’s “100% ready” to go, and this team will live or die with his form. He has Laveranues Coles joining Chad Ochocinco at receiver… when fit and wanting to play, and five years ago… that’s a great pair. If they can both perform today remains to be seen but is an exciting prospect.
Chris Henry has been impressing so far in OTAs and if there was a player in ‘last chance saloon’ it’s Henry. He could be a factor… as could Cedric Benson. The former Bear had a steady season in 2008 with the Bengals and has now signed a two year contract. Like Henry, if he can keep his nose clean and play to potential this is a team that will be entertaining to watch.

The Browns started four different quarterbacks in 2008, watching each go down to various injuries. Consequently, their offensive performance was pretty bad – their overall record was better than only the Bengals, who were having similar problems.
The suspension of Donté Stallworth will hurt them at receiver, but they have a proven weapon in Braylon Edwards and if they can use Jamal Lewis wisely, then they can be competetive. Defensively, this wasn’t a bad unit; decidely mid-table, but not bad by any means.
Still, this season I see them propping the table up again, though improved on 2008.

Summary
It’s tough to call between the Steelers and the Ravens. These two teams are strong defensive units (ranked 1 and 2 overall last year) who can score when they need to and control the game. That the Bengals and the Browns have the two worst offensive records is an interesting side-note.

I’m going to go with my gut for now and give the Ravens the edge, with the Steelers making the playoffs as a wildcard. But I’ll follow both teams closely in the off-season.

3rd and 4th is a coinflip too, and I’m going with the Bengals at the moment.

[table id=7 /]