On now to the American Football Conference (AFC) and the two of the power divisions in the conference as the four divisional playoff teams represented just the North and the East divisions as the Steelers faced the Ravens and the Jets took on the Patriots;
Baltimore Ravens – Baltimore are a good team but unfortunately for them Pittsburgh are a great team, the Ravens have been living in the shadow of their AFC North rivals for some time now and although the nucleus of the team, especially on defense, is starting to age they have proven that their strong running game, efficient QB play and that All Pro defense are the keys to success. Baltimore lives off the defense; a group lead by Ray Lewis and Ed Reed and includes game changers such as Haloti Ngata, Terrence Cody and Terrell Suggs only struggled out wide and this is what they addressed in the draft taking Jimmy Smith with their first round pick. The offense features a heavy dose of Ray Rice but QB Joe Flacco will have a few new weapons at his disposal with Lee Evans and Torrey Smith joining Anquan Boldin. There is no real weakness in Baltimore’s game as the O Line is strong and the special teams unit is good, they just need to overcome one small problem in the not so small figure of the Pittsburgh Steelers. 
Cincinnati Bengals – A 4-12 record and a tumultuous off season have left the Bengals once again as the whipping boys of the NFL. Not only were the team poor on game days but the off field incidents continue to add up. Franchise QB Carson Palmer would rather retire than play for the team after being unsuccessful in forcing a trade, Cedric Benson was once again in trouble with the law and has just completed a 5 day jail sentence along with a $4000 fine for assault causing bodily injury to a family member and Chad Ochocinco is finally off the team. Palmer’s loss could be Andy Dalton’s gain as the second round pick should lead the team, he will have first round pick AJ Green to throw to and that’s about it. This is a team that is devoid of playmakers, CB Leon Hall is the only consistent performer in the secondary, although the team has signed Nate Clements and traded for Safety Taylor Mays, both of which were deemed surplus to requirement in San Francisco, in an aid to get more production. Unless Dalton unexpectedly turns into Tom Brady overnight this will be another dismal year for the Bengals as teams will stack the box and force them to throw, maybe Palmer is right and not playing at all is better than playing for the Bengals. 
Cleveland Browns - The Browns took two steps forward and one step back through 2010 but this was never going to be an overnight change when Mike Holmgren came on board two years ago. Cleveland now on their third coach in four seasons have some good young talent, Colt McCoy showed glimpses of a QB that can lead a team to success and breakout player Peyton Hillis was a revelation at RB and could form a devastating one-two backfield with Montario Hardesty if he can overcome injury problems. After trading away the number 6 pick Cleveland took monster DT Phil Taylor and DE Jabaal Sheard as they look to convert back to a 4-3 defense. This isn’t going to be easy with Baltimore and Pittsburgh in the division but fans will need to see signs of improvement and direction after years of suffering. 
Pittsburgh Steelers – The Steelers were the AFC representative in the Superbowl narrowly losing to the Green Bay Packers and when you think that they had to play the opening four games of the season without Ben Roethlisberger that is some achievement. Like the Ravens there are very few weaknesses, the only real are on concern is the offensive line but Roethlisberger does a great job of making plays with his arm, legs or just sheer determination and will power. Rashard Mendenhall brings a power running game and Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown have track speed and Hines Ward and Heath Miller are models of consistency. They have an embarrassment of riches on defense with Cameron Haywood taken in the first round, Aaron Smith who was injured for most of last season joining Casey Hampton, Ziggy Hood and Brett Keisel. They may have the best linebacker group in the NFL with James Harrison, LaMarr Woodley, Lawrence Timmons and James Farrior. They will need somebody to step up and compliment Ike Taylor at corner but Ryan Clark and Troy Polamalu at safety are as good as it gets, Pittsburgh will go deep again. AFC West
Buffalo Bills – Buffalo turned in another uninspiring season and it is only a matter of time and Ralph Wilson’s health before this team is moved to pastures new. The offense is nothing to write home about although CJ Spiller and Fred Jackson could give a one-two punch to ease the pressure on QB Ryan Fitzpatrick who without the greatest array of talent showed quality leadership when given time to shine. The defense could be an imposing group with first round pick Marcell Dareus joining Pro Bowler Kyle Williams on the line. Nick Barnett has been brought in to lead a line backing group containing a resurgent Shawne Merriman along a solid group of corner back could ix it up but they are lacking at the safety position and in a division with the Patriots and Jets. Another long season could be in store for the men from upstate New York but this is a team that will keep battling till the end and could cause a few upsets along the way.
Miami Dolphins – At the other end of the East Coast the Dolphins keep splashing money around but have been unable to get an offense to match up to their solid defensive group. Chad Henne hasn’t been the answer but will be given another chance even though the team tried to bring in Kyle Orton from Denver. Reggie Bush was this year’s big free agency grab to go along with Brandon Marshall last season, the line added first round draft pick Mike Pouncey and free agent Marc Colombo but the biggest impact could come from second round RB Daniel Thomas who will be the big compliment to the speed of Bush. Still the onus falls on Henne, if he can move the chains consistently the team has a chance but as I saw firsthand in Miami last season when the Bears shut out the Dolphins offense isn’t a premium on South Beach.
New England Patriots – The Patriots are still the standard bearers in the East and even though those pesky neighbours from New York put them out in the playoffs it is still their division. While Tom Brady is at the helm the Patriots will be fine, key additions in the draft of Nate Soldier and Ras-I Dowling only strengthen consistent units and the acquisition of Chad Ochocinco could end up another Bill Belichick masterstroke. The young players who struggled in the playoffs will have another year under their belt when the post season next rolls around but the two biggest talking points were the decision to draft QB Ryan Mallett, maybe the best pure QB in the draft but a young man with off field concerns although these were just for public intoxication as a college student but still caused him to drop into the third round and maybe it was just too good for Belichick to pass on. The bigger shock was the release of Pro Bowl Safety Brandon Meriweather, who was immediately signed by Chicago. Meriweather had been to the Pro Bowl the two previous seasons but was deemed surplus to requirement. 
New York Jets – Two straight AFC Championships for the Jets and it is still seen as a job not yet done by their out spoken coach Rex Ryan. The Jets, as with many of the NFL’s best, are led by a strong defense and a good running game but it may be time for Mark Sanchez to take the team to the next level and prove he is worth the big bucks. They were able to keep hold of WR Santonio Holmes and CB Antonio Cromartie and added the imposing Muhammad Wilkerson through the draft, but it will be the acquisition of Plaxico Burress following his release from prison that caused the biggest media attention. Burress could be a great red zone target if he can shake off the rust from his near two year incarceration and another veteran WR in Derrick Mason should provide a solid pair of hands instead of the unpredictable Braylon Edwards. Is this the year the Jets finally make the Superbowl? Rex Ryan would have you believe the Jets have had one foot (pun intended) in the Superbowl since his arrival but I don’t believe so. In my opinion that they are the fifth best team in the Conference and just don’t have the fire power to overcome the Pittsburgh/Baltimore smash mouth style and I believe New England and San Diego also look too strong, playoffs yes, Superbowl no!
No comments:
Post a Comment