AFC North Preview

Baltimore Ravens

Last Season : 12 - 4



Drafted Players

1st Round - Jimmy Smith CB
2nd Round - Torrey Smith WR
3rd Round - Jah Reid OT
4th Round - Tandon Doss WR
5th Round - Chykie Brown DB
5th Round - Pernell McPhee DL
6th Round - Tyrod Taylor QB
7th Round - Anthony Allen RB

Players in

Vonte Leach FB
Bryant McKinnie T
Bernard Pollard S
Casey Rabach C
Ricky Williams RB
Lee Evans WR

Players out

Jared Gaither OT
Kelly Gregg DT
Todd Heap TE
Scott Kooistra OT
Dawan Landry S
Derrick Mason WR
Willis McGahee RB
Tony Moll T

The Ravens shocked everybody this season by allowing very experienced players (Heap, Gaither, Mason, McGahee) leave the team.  Their offence did then look less effective, but they have bought in FB Leach (from the Texans) who is a very effective blocker, and should make Ray Rice's job alot easier this year.  Ricky Williams came in from Miami, and I'm not sure how much he has left, but he will be good cover for Rice.  2nd round draft pick Torrey Smith and Lee Evans (in from Bills) should add a different dimension to the pass game opposite Anquan Boldin.  Boldin will be the possession receiver, and the Ravens hope that Evans and Smith will stretch the field for them.

The Ravens defence should be as good as ever this year.  Their 1st round draft pick CB Jimmy Smith will add some much needed cover in the secondary and their front 7, led by Ray Lewis, should still be dominant.  It will be interesting to see in week one if they can get a jump start over the Steelers, by beating them in Baltimore.

Cincinnati Bengals

Last Season : 4 - 12



Drafted Players

1st Round - A.J Green WR
2nd Round - Andy Dalton QB
3rd Round - Dontay Moch DL
4th Round - Clint Boling OL
5th Round - Robert Sanders S
6th Round - Ryan Whalen WR
7th Round - Korey Lindsey CB
7th Round - Jay Finley RB

Players in

Nate Clements CB
Bruce Gradkowski QB
Thomas Howard LB
Brian Iwuh LB
Max Jean-Gillis OG
Manny Lawson LB
Bo Scaife TE

Players out

Carson Palmer QB
Kirk Chambers OT
Johnathan Joseph CB
Reggie Kelly TE
Evan Mathis OG
Isaac Stowells OG
Clint Stitser K
Terrelle Owens WR
Roy Williams S

The Bengals didn't have a great year last year, but I think that this year, they may be even worse.  I believe this because of the shambles at the QB position.  Carson Palmer has left, leaving 2nd round pick Andy Daulton with the starting job.  I believe that Daulton will be a decent NFL QB in time, but I believe that a couple of years as a back up would have been very beneficial.  They have done a good job though surrounding Daulton with decent talent, most notably 1st round draft pick WR A.J Green.

Very talented CB Johnathan Joseph has left to join the Texans. This is a big blow to an already pretty poor defence.  They did bring in Nate Clements from the 49'ers to replace Joseph, lets hope for their case he is up to the job.  I believe that the Bengals are really going to struggle this year, and will probably be lucky to get up to last years win total of 4 games.

Cleveland Browns

Last Season : 5 : 11



Drafted Players

1st Round - Phil Taylor DT
2nd Round - Jabaal Sheard DL
2nd Round - Greg Little WR
4th Round - Jordan Cameron TE
4th Round - Owen Marecic RB
5th Round - Buster Skrine DB
5th Round - Jason Pinkston OL
7th Round - Eric Hagg DB

Players in

John Greco OG
Brandon Jackson RB
Brett Johnson DB
Richmond McGee P
Dimitri Patterson CB
Usama Young FS
Players out

Kenyon Coleman DE
Blake Costanzo LB
Tyson DeVree TE
Sabby Piscitelli S
Matt Roth LB
Chansi Stuckey WR
Jason Trusnik LB
Lawrence Vickers FB
Floyd Womack OG
Eric Wright CB

I've got to be completely honest, the Browns are a very difficult team for me to get my head around.  They are a team full of relatively unknown players, but the defiantly seem to be moving in the right direction.  QB Colt McCoy has been very impressive throughout the preseason so far, and with RB Peyton Hillis, they should have a very capable offence.

The defence should be tougher to run on this year, thanks to their 1st and 2nd round draft picks, Taylor and Sheard.  They also tried to improve their secondary in free agency, bringing in 2 CB's (Johnson and Patterson) and a S (Usama Young).  I believe that the defence will improve as the year goes on.  The Browns may well be slightly better than last year, but in my eyes, they still have a long way to go to catch the Steelers and Ravens.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Last Season : 12 - 4



Drafted Players

1st Round : Cam Heywood DT
2nd Round : Marcus Gilbert OL
3rd Round : Curtis Brown DB
4th Round : Cortez Allen DB
5th Round : Chris Carter DL
6th Round : Keith Williams OL
7th Round : Baron Batch RB

Players in

Jerricho Cotchery WR
John Gilmore TE
Kenny Moore WR

Players out

Nick Eason DE
Keyaron Fox LB
Matt Spaeth TE

The Steelers, Superbowl runners up, should be all set for another assault on the championship.  You know exactly what your going to get with Pittsburgh, tough D, good running game, and QB 'Big Ben' who can make a play out of the blue.  The really impressive thing for me this preseason is the talent they seem to have at the WR positions this year.  Hines Ward, Mike Wallace, Jerricho Cotchery, Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders are all very capable WR's, and don't be surprised if the Steelers throw them all on the field at the same time.  This offence could be very explosive.

On the other side of the ball, the Steelers will be their usual self's.  Hard hitting, quick to the ball, with S Troy Polamalu flying around.  They should once again be one of the top D's in the league.  I think the Steelers will win this division, but the week 1 matchup in Baltimore, could upset their season.

Pre Season Week 2 : Friday Nights Games

Here are the highlights from all the games on Friday night:

Redskins 16 Colts 3



Chiefs 13 Ravens 31



Lions 30 Browns 28



Panthers 10 Dolphins 20



Cardinals 20 Packers 28




Falcons 13 Jaguars 15

Thursday Pre Season Storylines

Tomorrow night will see the beginning of the pre-season.  Five games will happen tomorrow night, with the rest of the teams playing over the weekend.  Here we can take a look at the story lines, and things to look out for in each game.

Jaguars @ Patriots

The big talking point for the visiting Jaguars here is who will be the starting QB.  Previous starter David Garrard injured his back last week at training camp, therefore all eyes turn to rookie Blaine Gabbert.  Gabbert was selected 10th overall in the draft in April, but I'm sure the Jaguars didn't expect him to start so soon.  It will be interesting to see how he copes against a decent Pats defence here.  3rd string QB Luke McCown and recently signed Todd Bouman will back up the rookie.

The Patriots have added many very interesting pieces through the off-season, and it will be great to see how they put them all together.  WR Chad Ochocinco will look to make an instant impact in what is a very talented offence, and look to cement himself as one of Tom Brady's favorite targets.  On the defensive side of the ball I'm really looking forward to seeing what kind of impact DT Albert Haynesworth can make.  Haynesworth's stay in Washington was full of controversy, but if anyone can kick him into shape, the Patriots can.  The formation will suit, lets see what happens. 

Ravens @ Eagles

The visiting Ravens have a few questions to answer on offence.  With the departure of TE Todd Heap, and WR Derrick Mason who will QB Joe Flacco look for?  One player who looks set for a huge year is RB Ray Rice.  He is a great pass catching RB, and with the addition of FB Vonta Leach (who is a fantastic lead blocker) he should be able to run the ball more effectively than ever.  He also has a new spell back in Ricky Williams.  Flacco though, needs someone else to throw the ball to.  Who will it be?

The Eagles will be able to showcase to their hometown crowd, their vastly changed roster.  There is now a whole lot of pressure on the Eagles following all of their additions, and talk of them being a 'dream team'.  This will be our first look at their new look defence (including new CB's Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, as well as DT Cullen Jenkins).  Also it will be interesting to see what kind of playbook new back up QB Vince Young will run.

Seahawks @ Chargers - live on ESPN UK

The visiting Seahawks have a whole host of new faces on offence, and I can't wait to see what they look like.  New QB Tavaris Jackson has alot of pressure on him.  Following the departure of veteran Matt Hasselbeck, HC Pete Carroll decided that Jackson was his guy, but many Seahawks fans aren't convinced.  Tarvaris did though bring his favorite target with him from Minnesota, WR Syndey Rice.  Will he help Jackson through?

The main question surrounding the Chargers is what is going to happen at the RB position.  Ryan Matthews showed promise in his rookie season last year, before getting injured.  Mike Tolbert stepped in last year, and played very well.  Will Tolbert stay as the number 1?  Will Matthews be given that role back? Or will they split time?

Broncos @ Cowboys

There is only one thing being talked about in Denver at the moment, Who is the starting QB?  Kyle Orton was on the trading block once the lockout was lifted, and it seemed that the Tim Tebow era was going to begin.  But as no trade was executed, and with Orton out performing Tebow at training camp, Orton seems to be the starter, against many of the fans wishes.  There are reports coming out of Broncos camp that not only Kyle Orton is performing better than Tebow, Brady Quinn is also.

This is a huge year for the Cowboys.  Following a very poor season last year, the very passionate fans will accept nothing less than drastic improvement from Americas team.  QB Tony Romo is back, with all of his major players (WR's Miles Austin, Dez Bryant and TE Jason Witten) and they have to put up points.  But the area the Cowboys need to improve most is their pass defence.  Their secondary was shocking last year.  Have they made the nessiciary improvements?

Cardinals @ Raiders

Of course the big talking point with the Cardinals is new addition QB Kevin Kolb.  Kolb played well in Philly last year when he started, and the Card's payed a high price for him, so here comes the pressure.  I expect him to look for star WR Larry Fitzgerald early and often here, and for the rest of the year.

The Raiders are - the Raiders.  I sadly think that they may have taken a step back this year, thanks to the loss of TE Zach Miller, who was their top receiver last year.  RB Michael Bush is back to share the load with Darren McFadden, and those 2 will have to carry the offence in my opinion.  I hope for Raiders fans sake, that I'm wrong.

So thats what to look out for Thursday night, check back tomorrow, and take a look at what we will be looking out for on Friday night.  If you agree or dis-agree with any of these points let me know email - nflgbview@googlemail.com twitter -  nflgbview or leave a comment.

Ravens 21 Falcons 26

The first 'Thursday Night Football' game of the year was a great game between 2 great teams, but the home Falcons managed to dig deep and get the win in the end.  To be fair to the Falcons, they dominated in the first half, leading 10 - 0 at the break.  Their 2 scores came from RB Jason Snelling (28 yard pass) and a 28 yard FG by Matt Bryant.  Falcons QB Matt Ryan had a great day, and really looks to be developing into the franchise QB.  He finished the game with 316 yards and 3 TD's, 0 INT's.  It was a good job that Ryan had a good day, as the Ravens tough defence was very stingy against the run.  RB Micheal Turner had only 39 yards in the game.

The Falcons defence though was dominant, getting a huge amount of pressure onto Ravens QB Joe Flacco.  Flacco had a good 2nd half, as the Ravens made their comeback attempt.  His numbers on the day were 215 yards, 3 TD's and 1 INT.  The catalyst for the Ravens comeback though was WR Anquan Boldin.  Boldin had 5 catches for 50 yards and a TD on the day.  But it was not particularly his performance on the field that lifted the team, Boldin was seen every time the offence was off the field walking around, talking to his team mates, motivating them.  He actually gathered the offence together before the first Ravens TD drive.  Flacco found Boldin himself from 5 yards out, to cut the lead to 13 - 7.

The Falcons though responded, and WR Roddy White got his first TD of the day, a 4 yard pass from Ryan.  White was the star of the game, catching 12 balls for 128 yards and 2 TD's.  He actually dropped 2 balls that were right at him, one that nearly cost the Falcons the game.  With the score 20 - 14, following a Derrick Mason TD for the Ravens, and just over 3 minutes on the clock, the Falcons faced a 3rd and 4.  Trying to take time off the clock, Ryan hit White right in the hands with a 5 yard pass, which he inexpliciply dropped.  This meant the Ravens got the ball back, and Flacco lead them down the field in 8 plays and 2 minutes, before finding TE Todd Heap from 9 yards.  The extra point from K Billy Cundiff gave the Ravens their first lead of the night, 21 - 20, with just 1.05 on the clock.

This was when QB Matt Ryan came into his own.  He found WR Michael Jenkins for 24 yards, White for 15 yards, before throwing a pass to TE Tony Gonzalez on 3rd down which fell incomplete.  The officials though had thrown a flag for pass interference, and the drive was still alive.  Ryan then looked long for Roddy White, who appeared to push off his defender slightly, before taking off for a 33 yard TD.  This time there was no flag and the Georgia Dome erupted.

This was a great win for the Falcons, one that will now catapult them into the conversation as one of the best teams in not only the NFC, but the league.  The Ravens were under no illusions on how difficult this game would be for them, but they really acquitted themselves well in defeat.  They to have a great young QB, and are without doubt one of the best teams in the entire NFL.  Was last nights game a 'Superbowl' dress rehearsal??  I certainly wouldn't mind seeing that game again.

Training Camp Update!

So the first week of training camp is complete for most teams now, there can't be much to talk about right?  You couldn't be more wrong.  There are stories braking all over the US all the time.  So lets take a look at a sample of them.

T.O Finds a team!

T.O and new teammate Ochocinco

The first major news that broke in the NFL around training camp was the fact that WR Terrell Owens, who had been searching for a team all off season, finally found a home in Cincinnati.  T.O had been to visit with the Bengals at the beginning of the free agency period, but left without a contract.  Just a few days later the Bengals signed former Buccaneer's WR Antonio Bryant.  This looked to kill off any chance of seeing the T.O and Ochocinco combo - to which I was very upset.  So Training Camp began and something changed the Bengals minds.  Within minutes of this news leaking out Chad Ochocinco was publicly trying to convince everyone, including T.O, that this was a great idea.  T.O signed a 1 year $2 million deal, with the prospect of receiving an additional $2 million in incentives.  T.O himself though understands that those contract incentives are almost impossible to reach, but he doesn't care, he just wants to play football.

Palmer also wanted T.O in

This team looks very exciting on paper now in the passing game. They have a great QB in Carson Palmer.  Palmer actually spent time in the off season working out with T.O, and was also rumoured to be putting pressure onto the Bengals organisation to sign him.  He now believes that he has the weapons around him to take the Bengals back to the playoffs, and maybe to a Superbowl.  Lets think about the offence for a second.  You have Ochocinco on one side, T.O on the other.  In an ideal world you would like to see double coverage on at least one of these players.  But here's the problem.  The Bengals can also put in Antonio Bryant as a slot receiver, and Jermaine Gresham, drafted in the first round this year and a very good pass catcher, in at TE.  Now what do you do as a defence?  I've got it!  You sit back in a zone coverage!  Not possible, don't forget the running presence of RB Cedric Benson.  This team has a huge amount of talent on offence, and if the defence can hold up to last years high standards, then this team WILL win the AFC North.


Defensive troubles in Baltimore

Ed Reed is on PUP

As all the excitement was building in Cincy, the Ravens injury worries kept going from bad to worse.   The first piece of bad news came as it was announced that pro bowl safety Ed Reed would begin the season on the PUP list.  The 'Physically Unable to Participate' list is used by teams so that they don't have to use up a roster spot.  All teams are limited to the amount of players they can have on their roster at any time.  During the season this is 53.  If the Ravens did not declare Reed as PUP, they would either have to name him as one of the 53 players (in essence wasting a roster spot) or put him on IR (Injury Reserve).  If you go on the IR list, you cannot play for the rest of the currant season.  PUP can be used up until week 6 of the season.  It is not clear when Reed will be able to play, but there is no doubt that his presence in the Ravens secondary will be missed.

Foxworth suffered injury

 The next piece of bad news came as the Ravens 2nd round draft pick LB Sergio Kindle could not report to camp.  The reason for this was that Kindle had fell down 2 flights of steps, and suffered a fractured skull.  Kindle is in a stable condition now, but the Ravens are unsure when he will come back.

The news kept coming once camp opened as starting CB Domonique Foxworth suffered a season ending knee injury.  These injuries have seriously damaged the Ravens defencive capabilities for the coming year.  This is not a good thing for the Ravens, as their division rival Bengals, are just getting better.



Darrelle Revis holds out

Revis wants more cash

The Jets defence is seen by many, including myself, as one of, if not the, best defences in the entire NFL.  The additions of Antonio Cromartie and Jason Taylor to an already fantastic defence, has everyone excited.  When they turned up for training camp though there was a big name missing, pro bowl CB Darrelle Revis.  'Revis island' is seen by many as the best CB in the league.  He proved this thought time and time again last season as he was matched up one on one with teams top WR, and completely shut them down.  The reason Revis is not at camp is because he is unhappy with his contract.  Revis is due to make $1 million this year.  To me and you that seems like a hell of a lot of money, but when you consider the fact that CB Nnamdi Asomugha is making over ten times more that that this year in Oakland, you can perhaps see Revis's point.  Just to prove how annoyed he is with the contract, consider the fact that everyday of camp he misses, he is fined over $16,000.  The Jets will be desperate to get Darrelle in camp as his one on one match up skills are a vital part of this defence.  Watch this space!


Albert Haynesworth can't run

Haynesworth fails again

If you have kept in touch with nflgbview over the off season you will have heard about the problems in Washington.  Basically Albert is unhappy in Washington, and has not turned up at all during the off season.  So the time comes - training camp!  The first day all players who have not been in during the off season - just Haynesworth - have to complete a fitness test.  This test involves 2 sprints, with a slight rest in between, that have to be completed in a certain amount of time.  Surprise, surprise, Haynesworth hasn't been keeping hiself in shape during the off season, and fails the test.  Head coach Mike Shannahan Tells Haynesworth he cannot practice until he passes the test.  We are now 7 days in, and Haynesworth is still not practicing.  He has not been taking the test every day, and has also claimed that he has a knee problem.  If you ask me, 'Fat Alb' needs to grow a pair, and get into shape.


Cowboys lose Bryant

T

Bryant out for 4-6 wks

The Dallas Cowboys took WR Dez Bryant in this years draft, which caused a huge amount of interest.  The Cowboys are 'America's team' and Bryant is a very gifted player, who happened to be suspended for most of his senior year in college due to meetings that took place with Deon Sanders.  With all this hype, and the Cowboys opening camp first, everyone wanted to see Dez.  The first few practices were great, Bryant making plays, beating CB's and catching passes from QB Tony Romo.  He also looked very talented in the kick / punt return game.  Then disaster struck!  Bryant went up to catch a pass, came down funny, and suffered a high ankle sprain.  Bryant is currently wearing a protective boot on his right foot, and is likely to be out for between 4 - 6 weeks.  This will see him miss most of training camp.

As you can see the first week of training camp has been anything but dull.  I will now be writing updates more regular so make sure you keep checking back to nflgbview for the latest news.  You will notice I have not wrote about a certain QB that wears number 4.  This is because the whole story is up in the air at the moment, I will cover this story in detail, when more details are avaliable.

The Keys to Training Camp - AFC North

Baltimore Ravens

 The Baltimore Ravens finished last year with a 9 - 7 record, which gave them the runners up spot in the division, but was enough to give them a playoff berth as a wildcard team.  They won their wildcard game against the Patriots, in New England, before getting eliminated by the Colts in Indianapolis.  What do the Ravens need to do, to take this team to a Superbowl?

How good is the secondary, without Ed Reed?

 A major talking point this off season has been whether or not S Ed Reed (pictured) will return.  Reed is without doubt one of the most influential players (along with Ray Lewis of course) on that defence.  Reed underwent a hip operation over the summer and it is not clear if he will return for the season.  At the moment Reed is on the PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) list, and if his name is still on it come the start of the season, he will not be able to play for the first 6 games.  Couple this operation, with the operations on 2 CB's (Fabian Washington and Lardarius Webb) knees, and you have a huge problem in the secondary.  The Ravens struggled against the deep ball at times last year, but without Reed, they could be in huge trouble.

 What is the philosophy of the offence?

 Last year it was very clear what the Ravens strength was offensively - RB Ray Rice (pictured).  Rice helped them become the 5th best rushing attack in the NFL.  Also Rice was the leading receiver on the team (out of the backfield) with 78 catches.  This solid play from Rice has helped young QB Joe Flacco, grow into his leadership role.  Everyone has said for a long time, how good would the Ravens be with a star WR?  Well, this year, we will find out.  During the off season the Ravens bought in WR's Anquan Boldin and Donte Stallworth.  These players will give the Ravens a legitimate passing attack, to balance with Rice and the running game.  It will be interesting to see in camp, just how much the Ravens will push the ball through the air, and just how much they will go to their bread and butter - Rice.

Where will the pass rush come from?

 Last year the Ravens really struggled at times to get to the QB.  Terrell Suggs (pictured) had signed a HUGE deal, but then really struggled to excel during the season.  It is not up for debate that the Ravens have a great defence.  To run against this unit is almost impossible.  That will not be a concern.  The concern is that with the worries in the secondary, the Ravens have to rush the QB, and get the ball out of his hands quickly.  If they don't do this, opposing QB's will have loads of time to sit in the pocket, and pick this team apart.  The Ravens have addressed this issue in the draft, taking LB Sergio Kindle in the 2nd round.  He is a fantastic pass rusher and will surely put the pressure on Suggs for that job.  Suggs needs to step it up, and earn those huge dollars that the Ravens are paying him.


Cincinnati Bengals

Last season, for the first time in their history, the Bengals went undefeated in the division, 10 - 6 overall, and won the division  for the first time since 2005.  They transformed themselves into a very strong, smash mouth, run first team, and became very good at it.  They did though disappoint in the playoffs, losing their wildcard game to the Jets.  So what do we need to look at, when it comes to training camp?


 What happens if Cedric Benson gets suspended?

 Cedric Benson had a breakout year in 2009.  Released by the Bears after never rushing for over 700 yards, he managed to rush for 1,251 yards and 6 TD's.  He carried this team forward, and in tough situations, the Bengals knew he could run out the clock for them.  This year the Bengals will be looking for more of the same.  He has however got into a spot of bother over the off season.  He has allegedly punched a bar worker in the face after a fall out in that bar.  This is the 3rd time during his career that Benson has been in trouble with the law.  NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell does not have a  high tolerance of persistent trouble makers, and has already met with Benson.  The result of this meeting is not known at time of  press, but be assured nflgbview will keep you informed.

What will the offensive philosophy be?

 This is a very similar situation to the one in Baltimore.  The Bengals got through last season bring a run first team.  They did though have the amazing talents of the colourful Chad Ochocinco (pictured) at WR, but now they have added another couple of talented guys, to catch the ball.  WR Antonio Bryant has been bought in from the Buccaneers, and TE Jermaine Gresham was selected in the 1st round of the draft.  With these 3 very talented players looking to make plays, and a very talented QB in Carson Palmer, will the Bengals become a pass first team again?  And turn their back on what served them so well last year?  In all honesty, this change may be enforced on them, should Benson have to serve a suspension.


Can the defence improve?

The Bengals defence was fantastic last year, ranking in the top 7 in all defensive categories.  The 2 CB's are fantastic, they stop the run extremely well, but the only question is about their pressure on the QB.  Last year Antwan Odem (pictured) managed to get 8 sacks in the first 6 games, before getting injured.  His return should help the Bengals in this area.  The Bengals have also added DE Carlos Dunlap from Florida to the mix, so I can see this problem going away fast this year.  If this is the case, look out AFC North, the Bengals defence may just be the best in the division. 


Cleveland Browns

O dear, where to start!  The Browns actually finished last year on a 4 game winning streak, taking their overall record to 5 - 11.  This, unsurprisingly, saw them at the bottom of the division.  The Browns must try and use the confidence gained from this winning streak and take it into the new year, because they will need it!!!


 How long will they stick with QB Jake Delhomme?

The QB saga in Cleveland is a joke.  Mike Holmgren, is now at the top of this organisation and there is no doubt the QB position was at the top of his list.  He shipped out Derek Anderson (good move) and Brady Quinn (not so sure) and bought in one of his own Senaca Wallace and Jake Delhomme.  I completely understand the Senaca Wallace signing.  Wallace is a solid, dependable QB, who has spent alot of time in Holmgren's system in Seattle.  The confusing signing for me is Delhomme.  DELHOMME - your kidding right Mike??  We have been informed that the interception machine that is Jake Delhomme will be the starter for the Browns.  How long till the very ferocious 'dog pound' is shouting for him to be benched.  This is where Wallace may come in, or it may be 3rd round draft pick Colt McCoy.  I fear that McCoy may end up being thrown into this horrid situation way to early, and we may have another Brady Quinn situation on the horizon.   

 Can the defence improve?

Last year the Browns defence was, well.... shocking!  They ranked 29th against the pass, and 28th against the run.  You cannot be this bad in both these categories, and expect to do anything in this league.  To the Browns credit they drafted CB Joe Haden (pictured) and S T.J Ward with their first 2 picks in the draft.  They also got S Larry Asante in the 5th round.  This shows that the Browns understand they have to stop the chunks of yards given away that they had last year.  This though is not as simple as just selecting talent in the draft.  These players have to be bought on and gel together.  I'm sorry Cleveland, but this may be a long and painful process.

Where will the points come from?

  As well as struggling defensively in 2009, the Browns were a mess offensively.  They where so bad in fact that they ranked dead last in the total yards per game and passing yards per game categories.  This really highlights the problem of bringing in Delhomme.  Now not only have you got a receiving corp that can't make plays, you have added a QB that has thrown 30 INT's in the last 2 seasons (compared to just 23 TD's).  The rush attack was actually quite good (ranking 8th) and they have bought in another RB Montario Hardesty to support Jerome Harrison.  They better hope these 2 can get it going again, or else points will be at a premium.  I believe that, yet again, their best offensive weapon will be Josh Cribbs (pictured) as a kick returner.  Cribbs has 8 kick returns and 2 punt returns for TD's in his career.  At least the Browns have one threat.

Pittsburgh Steelers 

2009 was a very disappointing year for the Steelers.  Coming off a Superbowl win the previous year, the Steelers struggled to stop the pass following the loss of superstar S Troy Polamalu.  This left them with a 9 - 7 record, out of the playoffs, and most embarrassingly, in 3rd in their division.

How will they cope without 'Big Ben'?

 When it comes to Training Camp questions for the Steelers, there is only one place to start.  Ben Rothlisberger got into alot of much publicised trouble, and has received a minimum 4 game suspension from commissioner Goodell.  It looks like Byron Leftwich will be given the starting job, ahead of Dennis Dixon.  They will definitely have to try and run the ball more during Ben's absence using Rashard Mendenhall, and the 6th round draft pick Jonathan Dwyer.  Both these players are big loads that will pound the ball up the middle.  They just need a good line infront of them......

How good can the 'O Line' be?

 The absence of 'Big Ben' is obviously going to be a big blow to the Steelers, but their plan had to be to do what the Steelers do best, and run the ball.  They have 2 young pounding RB's in Mendenhall and Dwyer, so if the impressive O Line can open up the holes, the Steelers should be fine.  They selected C Maurkice Pouncey with their 1st round draft pick, and he will probably start.  This line was looking set, and the Steelers worries were easing.  Then - T Willie Colon (pictured)  picked up a season ending injury.  How will the Steelers deal with this?  Keep checking up on nflgbview for updates.

Can the secondary make the much needed improvements?

After Troy Polamalu's (pictured) injury last year, the Steelers secondary really struggled against the pass.  They have bought back CB Bryant McFadden from Arizona to help ease this problem.  This coupled with the return of Polamalu should help to eliminate the problem altogether.  There are though 2 major concerns here; 1. Polamalu gets injured again, 2. The WR's in the division are alot better now.  The struggles the Bengals and Ravens had in the pass game forced them to bring in WR talent.  Can the Steelers secondary compete against this better level of competition?
 
 Check back tomorrow for a look at the AFC South

Draft Previews

Cincinnati Bengals

Last season - 10 - 6 1st in AFC North


Team needs - TE, S, OL, DL, LB

Players in - Antonio Bryant WR.

Players out - Shaun Smith DT, Larry Johnson RB.

Draft Positions : 


1st Round : 21st pick
2nd Round : 22nd pick
3rd Round : 20th pick, 32nd pick
4th Round : 22nd pick, 33rd pick
5th Round : 21st pick
6th Round : 22nd pick
7th Round : 21st pick

Total : 9 picks

New England Patriots


Last season - 10 - 6 1st in AFC East


Team needs - LB, RB, TE, T, DE, CB


Players in - Damion Lewis DT, Alge Crumpler TE, Torry Holt WR, Marques Murrell LB.


Players out - Ben Watson TE, Jarvis Green DE, Chris Baker TE.

Draft Positions : 

1st Round : 22nd pick

2nd Round : 12th pick, 15th pick, 21st pick

4th Round : 21st pick

6th Round : 21st pick, 36th pick

7th Round : 22nd pick, 24th pick, 40th pick, 41st pick, 43rd pick

Total : 12 picks

Green Bay Packers


Last season - 11 - 5 2nd in NFC North

Team needs - OL, LB, S, CB

Players in - 


Players out - Matt Giodano DB, Aaron Kampman DE, Mike Montgomery DE.

Draft Positions : 

1st Round : 23rd pick

2nd Round : 24th pick

3rd Round : 22nd pick

4th Round : 24th pick

5th Round : 23rd pick, 38th pick

6th Round : 24th pick

7th Round : 23rd pick

Total : 8 picks

Philadelphia Eagles

Last season - 11 - 5 2nd in NFC East


Team needs RB, OL, DT, LB, S


Players in - Mike Bell RB, Hank Basket WR, Marlin Jackson CB.


Players out - Sean Jones FS, Will Witherspoon MLB, Jason Babin DE.

Draft Positions : 

1st Round : 24th pick

2nd Round : 5th pick, 23rd pick

3rd Round : 6th pick, 23rd pick

4th Round : 7th pick, 23rd pick

6th Round : 31st pick

7th Round : 36th pick, 37th pick

Total : 10 picks

Baltimore Ravens


Last season - 9 - 7 2nd in AFC North


Team needs - WR, QB, TE, C, DT, S, CB


Players in - Corey Redding DE.


Players out - Dean Edwards DE, Justin Bannan DE, Adam Terry T. 

Draft Positions : 

1st Round : 25th pick

2nd Round : 25th pick

5th Round : 25th pick, 26th pick

6th Round : 25th pick

Total : 5 picks

Arizona Cardinals


Last Season - 10 - 6 1st in NFC West 


Team needs - OL, DL, QB, TE, LB, RB, ILB, DT, S, CB


Players in - Derek Anderson QB, Joey Porter OLB, Paris Lennon OLB, Jay Feeley K, Rex Hadnot G.


Players out - Neil Rackers K, Jerheme Urban WR, Karlos Dansby MLB, Antrel Rolle S, Sean Morrey WR.

Draft Positions : 

1st Round : 26th pick

2nd Round : 26th pick

3rd Round : 24th pick, 25th pick

4th Round : 25th pick

6th Round : 26th pick

7th Round : 26th pick

Total : 7 picks

Dallas Cowboys


Last season - 11 - 5 1st in NFC East


Team needs - S, T, DE


Players in - 


Players out -

Draft Positions : 

1st Round : 27th pick

2nd Round : 27th pick

3rd Round : 26th pick

4th Round : 27th pick

6th Round : 27th pick

7th Round : 27th pick

Total : 6 picks

San Diego Chargers


Last season - 13 - 3 1st in AFC West


Team needs - RB, DL, C, CB, LB, S


Players in - Donald Strickland CB, Nathan Vasher CB, Marcus Mason RB.


Players out - Brandon Manumaleuna TE, Eric Ghiaciuc C, Jamal Williams NT, Kassim Osgood WR, LaDainian Tomlinson RB, Charlie Whitehurst QB.

Draft Positions : 

1st Round : 28th pick

2nd Round : 8th pick

3rd Round : 27th pick

4th Round : 28th pick

5th Round : 28th pick, 37th pick

7th Round : 28th pick

Total : 7 picks

New York Jets


Last season - 9 - 7 2nd in AFC East

Team needs - DE, CB, WR, RB, OLB, S


Players in - LaDainian Tomlinson RB, Antonio Cromartie CB, Jason Taylor LB, Lance Laury LB, Brodney Pool S, Santonio Holmes WR.


Players out - Jay Feeley K, Wallace Wright WR, Thomas Jones RB, Marques Murrell LB, Donald Strickland CB, Howard Green DT.

Draft Positions : 

1st Round : 29th pick

2nd Round : 29th pick

4th Round : 26th pick 

6th Round : 29th pick

7th Round : 29th pick

Total : 5 picks

Minnesota Vikings


Last season - 12 - 4 1st in NFC North


Team needs - S, CB, C, ILB, FS


Players in - Rhys Lloyd K, Mike Montgomery DE.


Players out - Chester Taylor RB, Karl Paymah CB, Artis Hicks G.

Draft Positions : 

1st Round : 30th pick

2nd Round : 30th pick

3rd Round : 29th pick

4th Round : 30th pick

5th Round : 30th pick, 36th pick

6th Round : 30th pick

7th Round : 30th pick

Total : 8 picks

Indianapolis Colts


Last season - 14 - 2 1st in AFC South


Team needs - T, G, DT, CB, OLB, FS

Players in - Adam Terry T, Andy Alleman G.


Players out - Aaron Francisco S, Tim Jennings CB, Ryan Lija G, Jim Sorgi QB, Hank Baskett WR, Marlin Jackson CB.

Draft Positions : 

1st Round : 31st pick

2nd Round : 31st pick

3rd Round : 30th pick

4th Round : 31st pick

5th Round : 31st pick

7th Round : 31st pick, 33rd pick, 39th pick

Total : 8 picks

New Orleans Saints


Last season - 13 - 3 1st in NFC South


Team needs OLB, DL, S, T


Players in - Jimmy Wilkerson DE, Alex Brown DE.


Players out - Scott Fujita LB, Mike Bell RB.

Draft Positions : 

1st Round : 32nd pick

2nd Round : 32nd pick

3rd Round : 31st pick

4th Round : 32nd pick

6th Round : 32nd pick

7th Round : 32nd pick

Total : 6 picks