Some could argue that the AFC North was the best division in football, especially when it was all said and done. Both the Steelers and Ravens made the playoffs, as did the Colts and Titans out of the AFC south. The difference was that both AFC South teams were one and done, losing to the Ravens.

The Steelers got one for the thumb last year, which is the other thumb, as they won an unprecedented sixth Super Bowl Title. Now they look to become the first team to repeat in quite some time. There is competition for the boys from Pittsburgh. The Ravens may have lost some of their defensive players to the Jets along with their coordinator, Rex Ryan, but they will still be strong. Over in Cincinnati the Bengals have quietly put together a tougher defense led by rookies Michael Johnson and Rey Maualuga. The Browns have a new face calling plays from their sideline in Eric Mangini, and are hoping 2008 can be forgotten quickly.

In this division Pittsburgh is still the best. The saying goes, “To be the man, You have gotta beat the man.” Well, the Steelers are the man. However, do not discard a tough group of Ravens, or a hungry bunch of cats in Cincy. This could be once again one of the best divisions in all of football.

Pittsburgh Steelers 2008 Record 12-4 Defending Super Bowl Champions

Things couldn’t be better in Pittsburgh. The Penguins won the Stanley Cup, the Steelers won the Super Bowl, and the Pirates… well are the Pirates. But, for Pirates fans luckily the NFL season is right around the corner and the Steelers are once again the team to beat in the North. Ben Roethlisberger returns for his sixth season at the helm after a 2008 campaign that saw him throw for over 3300 yards. Sometimes Big Ben isn’t earning style points for his performances, but the guy just knows how to win. Roethlisberger has some big play targets to throw to again this season. Hines Ward is back after another 1000 yard season, as is Santonio Holmes, whose 9 catch 131 yard performance was good enough to be named Super Bowl MVP. He also made the game winning catch in case you forgot. Rounding out the pass catchers is the versatile Heath Miller at tight end. In the running game the Steelers have a solid group, led by Willie Parker. Parker spent time on the sideline with an injury, which hampered his statistical output. However by playoff time he was back, and ask San Diego about whether he was fully healthy. Backing him up is Rashard Mendenhall, who many think will get a nice split of the carries this year.

On defense the Steelers are still at the top of the league, with top notch guys at most of the positions. Up front Aaron Smith and Casey Hampton are the first line of defense. Hampton, a solid run stopper is one of the better nose guards in the game. On the edge veteran Aaron Smith does a solid job. The linebacking crew is what makes the Steelers so tough. Leading the way is Defensive Player of the Year James Harrison. Harrison had 101 tackles, 16 sacks, 1 Pick, and forced 7 fumbles. He also made the game changing play at the end of the first half of the Super Bowl. After you get by him, then you have LaMarr Woodley to contend with. Woodley notched 11.5 sacks last year. Then, if that isn’t already enough, James Farrior and Lawrence Timmons are there. In the secondary the Steelers are no slouch either. Troy Polamalu is a ball-hawking, jar wrenching safety, and corners Deshea Townsend and Ike Taylor seem to always make big INT’s. By just looking at this unit on paper, it looks like they will be at the top of most defensive categories again in 2009.

The Champs will again be good. The question is how good? Most experts agree that they will win the division, but the questions arise as to how good the Patriots and maybe even the Colts will be in 2009. Pittsburgh wins the North division and earns one of the top two seeds in the AFC playoffs.

Cincinnati Bengals 2008 Record 4-11-1

Last year was bad in Cincinnati from start to almost the finish. The Bengals did show signs of life late with wins over Washington,Kansas City, Cleveland, and a tie versus Philadelphia. This year will be better. The Bengals had a solid draft on both sides of the ball, and have a returning starter in Carson Palmer. Palmer spent the majority of the season injured and watched as Ryan Fitzpatrick was planted week in and week out. First round pick Andre Smith will be a staple on the O-line for years to come, and will be in charge of protecting Palmer, that is when and if he shows for camp. They also addressed their need at center by drafting Jonathan Luigs out of Arkansas. Those two should be great additions to a line that was in desperate need of a makeover. The running game also needs to improve. Cedric Benson is gonna get the chance to be the guy again. He ran for over 700 yards in 12 games, with back to back 100 yard games to end the season. On third down Chris Perry looks to be the guy after the Bengals waived Kenny Watson. Out on the edge Chad Ochocinco seems to be on board again, after having a sub-par season in 2008. The Bengals added Laveraneus Coles in the offseason to replace Houshmandzadeh. They are hoping he can be the possession receiver that T.J. was. Chris Henry also looks to be in the fold as a guy who spreads the defense out. Also watch for rookie Tight End Chase Coffman to get his share of playing time. He can line up in the slot, or at tight end.

Marvin Lewis has really never had a Marvin Lewis defense during his time in Cincinnati. This year he may have his best unit during his tenure. The Bengals are still looking for pass rushing presence up front. Rookie Michael Johnson fell all the way to the Bengals in the third round. If he gives it his all, he can be a great pass rushing end, according to scouts. The Bengals are also hoping for big years from Robert Geathers and Antwan Odom. In the middle expect for solid depth to be the key at tackle. Domata Peko has proven to be strong inside. He had 67 tackles last season. Add Tank Johnson and a youngster in Pat Simms, and you have three guys that can all play. The linebackers are looking to be a strength. Keith Rivers returns after missing most of last season with a broken jaw. The who deys bolstered this unit with speedy tackler Rey Maualuga with their second round pick. He will compete with Rashad Jeanty for playing time. Rounding out the group is Dhani Jones, who is a solid tackler when he isn’t traveling the world on the Travel channel. The guys in the secondary are going to need to force more turnovers. Jonathan Joseph is a solid cover corner when healthy, and Leon Hall has shown promise. Chris Crocker will solidify the safety position, as he can make tackles and steal passes. This will be a solid unit come year’s end.

Marvin Lewis probably needs a playoff trip to keep his job. The Bengals appear to be better than their four win season of a year ago, but a lot will be determined by whether their line improves. The Bengals will finish second in the AFC North, and steal one of the two AFC Wild Card spots.

Baltimore Ravens 2008 Record 11-5 lost in AFC Championship Game

Things could not have gone better for Head Coach John Harbaugh or quarterback Joe Flacco is their first year. The Ravens came from nowhere to make it to the playoffs, and nearly all the way to the Super Bowl. Leading the offense was rookie Joe Flacco, who was asked to manage the offense and not make mistakes. Flacco threw for almost 3000 yards and 14 TD. The majority of the time he was handing the ball off to one of several backs. Willis McGahee was banged up for most of the year, but still went 671 yards and 7 touchdowns. The man that shined was converted fullback Le’Ron McClain. McClain went for over 900 yards and 10 TD’s last year, and if McGahee is healthy, this presents a dominant 1-2 punch. Also watch for Ray Rice to get his share of the carries after a 400 yard rookie season. The offensive line these guys will run behind has a new piece. Veteran tackle Willie Anderson retired in the offseason and the Bengals addressed this need by drafting Michael Oher out of Virginia. Oher will most likely line up at left tackle and protect Flacco’s blind side. Derrick Mason has decided to unretired and come back to the Ravens for his 13^th season. Last year Mason notched 1000 yards on 80 catches with 5 TD grabs. Complementing him on the other side is fifth year man Mark Clayton who had over 600 yards receiving, and has the ability to make big plays happen. At tight end Todd Heap provides Flacco with a safety valve underneath. Heap’s 403 yards and 3 TD was a down year for Todd, but look for him to have a better season as Flacco matures.

The Ravens’ defense was where games were won last season, and that may have to be the case again if they are to contend. The leader for the last decade has been Linebacker Ray Lewis. Lewis returns for his 14^th NFL season after a 2008 campaign that saw him record 117 tackles, 85 of the solo variety. Leading the way on the outside is sack master Terrell Suggs, AKA the highest paid linebacker in the game. Suggs had 68 tackles and 8 sacks last year, and provides the Ravens with a great pass rush from the linebacker spot. Up front Trevor Pryce and Haloti Ngata lead the way. Ngata is a run stopping machine, recording 43 solo tackles form the nose guard spot last year, and Pryce is a solid pass rushing end, if he stays healthy through training camp. In the secondary Chris McCallister is no more, and there are questions about Samari Rolle’s health. Fabian Washington and Domonique Foxworth should end up at starting corner with either Frank Walker or Chris Carr starting as the nickel. The Ravens are hoping that Ed Reed can continue to be the big play man in this unit. Reed had 9 picks last year, 2 returned for scores, including one that was returned for 107 yards. Reed will be the key to a successful 2009 season in the defensive secondary.

The Ravens can still win games by running the ball, and playing good defense. But, sooner or later they are going to have to be a more effective offensive unit and incorporate the big play, which they started doing more towards the end of the season. But, with a unit that is already banged up heading into camp, I can’t see them getting off to a good start. The Ravens finish third in the AFC North and will battle it out until the final week for a wild card spot.

Cleveland Browns 2008 Record 4-12

Things in Cleveland are getting a big change this season, and new head coach Eric Mangini takes over the helm as he looks to get the Browns back to the playoffs for the first time since the 2002 season. Starting at QB this year should be Brady Quinn. Quinn got some starts last year towards season end, and looked like a solid starter until he got injured. The success of the Browns will have a lot to do with Quinn’s ability to step in and lead this team. There was much controversy surrounding Browns receivers this offseason. Braylon Edwards was rumored to be traded just about every other week, and Donte Stallworth had legal troubles from a DUI manslaughter charge in Miami. To make matters worse, Josh Cribbs has also expressed his wishes to be traded. The Browns addressed this position in the draft by grabbing Brian Robiskie out of Ohio State and Mohamed Massaquoi out of Georgia. Both were solid playmakers in college, but how long will it take for them to learn the system and adjust to the NFL game? The O-line is solid on the left side. Tackle Joe Thomas is as good as advertised and Eric Steinbach is a solid left guard. Taking over at center will be rookie Alex Mack, who was the top center on everyone’s draft board and will fill a hole in the middle of the line. Jamal Lewis continues to run strong. Lewis just barely made 1000 yards, and will get more on the ground if the Browns passing game make strides. The Browns also drafted a young man from Clemson in James David that could come in and share some of the carries with Lewis.

The 3-4 defense is going to have to do several things to be a better unit. One, they need to better stop the run, and two; they need to get pressure to the quarterback. It seems so simple. Nose Tackle Shaun Rogers was brought in to do just that, and had a solid season, with 61 solo tackles and 4.5 sacks. But the defensive ends will have to step up and make more plays for this unit to be effective. At linebacker Kamerion Wimbley is entering his fourth season and needs to more productive than his 66 tackle 4 sack performance of last year. Eric Barton comes over from the Jets and should have an immediate impact. Last year Barton had 119 tackles, 93 of which were solo. This is a unit that will be better with Barton, but they still need some sacks out of the outside backers. In the secondary a young group of players will look to lock down starting jobs and make an immediate impact. Eric Wright returns at one corner after a solid 66 tackle, 3 INT performance in ’08. Joining him is Brandon McDonald, another third year player. McDonald was a 75 tackle 5 INT cover guy that should be able to make some big things happen if the Browns can apply more pressure. Mike Adams and Brodney Pool fill in at safety. They combined for 5 picks last season.

The Browns have the ability to turn it around, and turn it around soon. It depends on Quinn’s performance at quarterback, and the defensive front seven making plays. Eric Mangini is thr right guy for this job, but it may take a year or two. The Browns will finish fourth in the division, but scare some top contenders along the way.

The AFC North could have any of the three other teams behind Pittsburgh make a run. Who do you think will have the best chances of making the playoffs? Are the Ravens a contender again? Will the Browns turn it around quickly? Are the Bengals for real again?