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.

Thursday Nights Highlights

Here are the highlights from last nights games

Patriots @ Buccaneers



Eagles @ Steelers

Fridays Pre Season Storylines

It was great to see live football again last night, after the doom and gloom of the lockout.  All matches from Thursday, Friday and Saturday, will be reviewed here on Sunday.  But for now, what games are happening tonight, and what should you be looking out for?

Dolphins @ Falcons

The visiting Dolphins have a lot of questions to answer on the offensive side of the ball.  Alot of the talk in the off season has been about QB Chad Henne.  Henne's performances last season were not great, and the fans wanted him replaced.  It will be a huge year for Henne this year.  Can he prove that the organisation were right to keep him??  Also keep an eye on the RB situation.  Newcomer Reggie Bush and rookie Daniel Thomas, are looking to replace veterans Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams.

All the talk in the off season in Atlanta has also been about the offence.  During the draft, the Falcons traded multiple draft picks, to trade up and take WR Julio Jones.  Jones is a very talented WR, and the Falcons clearly believe that he is the missing piece that they need to get them to the Superbowl.  Are they correct to think this way?

Bengals @ Lions

The Bengals are almost certain to be starting a rookie QB (Andy Dalton) come the opening day of the season.  To make things worse, their best WR for years (Chad Ochocinco) has left town, and is now catching passes from Tom Brady in New England.  They did take WR A.J Green in the first round of the draft, but with this broken off season, will he be anywhere near as effective as Ochocinco could have been?  It will be very interesting to see the Dalton - Green combination.

The Lions have a very young, exciting team, and were really looking forward to the new season.  Since training camp opened though, they have received injuries to 2 rookies, DT Nick Fairley and RB Mikel Leshore.  Leshore is actually out for the whole season, because of his torn achilles.  The Lions bought in veteran RB's Mike Bell and Jerome Harrison to help Javid Best run the ball.  Tonight it will be intersting to see who catches the eye.

Steelers @ Redskins

The Steelers starters almost pick themselves, and the main objective for them tonight, is to make sure none of the pick up an injury.  I expect that the Steelers starters will only play one series, then take the rest of the night off.  Will be interesting to see what they have lower down the depth chart, but not much to keep an eye on here.

If the Steelers are set up and ready to go, the Redskins could not be further behind.  With last years QB Donovan McNaab now in Minnesota, the Redskins are searching for this years starter.  Up step John Beck and Rex Grossman, o dear!  These 2 are the reason that the Redskins will finish bottom of the NFC East standings this year, no matter who starts.  I'm looking forward to seeing their defence though, I think that they could be very good - they are going to need to be.

Buccaneers @ Chiefs

The Wembley bound Buccaneers, start their 2011 campaign in Kansas City.  To be completely honest I'm struggling quite a lot to pick out an individual thing to look out for, for either team.  The Chiefs and Buccs rosters are loaded up with young players, so expect to see a lot of mistakes in this game.  This off season has been a nightmare for young teams, as they have been unable to practice together.  I expect to see some exciting plays, and some stupid mistakes in this very unpredictable matchup.  One player I am looking forward to seeing is Buccs QB Josh Freeman.  I want to see how he has developed as a leader over the off season.

49'ers @ Saints

The 49'ers decided to stick with what they know with QB Alex Smith, and bought in WR Braylon Edwards to give him a solid option in the pass game.  With Michael Crabtree looking likely to miss most of the preseason, the Smith - Edwards combo is likely to be developed by coaching staff intensely.  Another position to keep an eye on here is the secondary spots.  The 49'ers have bought in S's Dashon Goldston and Donte Whitner, as well as CB's Carlos Rodgers and Madieu Williams.  Improving the secondary was obviously a priority, so has it worked?

The Saints (like the Steelers) are pretty much set at all positions, and their primary goal will be to finish this game injury free.  A couple of new faces though that will be looking to make an impact were 1st round picks RB Mark Ingram, and DE Cam Jordan.  The Saints were praised by everyone following the addition of these 2 players in April.  Tonight is their first opportunity to prove the organisation made the right choices.

Check back here tomorrow for Saturdays story lines.

Surprising Starts!!

So, after 3 weeks, there are only 3 unbeaten teams left in the NFL.  Whats most surprising is the identity of these 3 teams.  In the NFC, only the Chicago Bears remain, following victories over the Lions, Cowboys and the Packers.  In the AFC there are 2 unbeaten teams, the Pittsburgh Steelers, following wins against the Falcons, Titans and Buccaneers, and the Kansas City Chiefs, following victories over the Chargers, Browns and 49'ers.

The fact that the Steelers are unbeaten may not seem like such a big deal to most.  But when you consider the fact that they have won these games without franchise QB 'Big' Ben Roethlisberger, who is currently serving a 4 game suspension, this is quite an amazing fact.  Add to this - the QB who the Steelers selected to replace Big Ben while he was out Dennis Dixon, also got injured in their game against the Titans.  This meant that the game in Tampa this past Sunday, the Steelers had their 3rd choice QB starting Charlie Batch.  So the back up QB's have played well, right!!  Not really.  The Steelers currently rank dead last in the passing offence category and 26th in total yards gained.  So how is this team 3 - 0?  Only 1 word can describe this - DEFENCE!!  The Steelers defence has always been known as a solid defence.  This year is no exception.  They are ranked 3rd in the NFL against the run, 6th in total yards conceded and 1st in points conceded.  This combined with the 3rd ranked rush offence (led by number 34 Rashard Mendenhall - pictured) has been enough to see off their opponents so far.  This unbeaten record may be under threat this week though, as the Steelers welcome division rival Baltimore Ravens to Heinz Field.  This will be the last game the Steelers play without Big Ben, and even if they lose this game, they have surprised everyone without him.

The Kansas City Chiefs are a huge surprise to be unbeaten.  They opened the season with a fantastic home win on Monday Night Football against the division rival Chargers.  Alot of people saw this as a fluke as 2 of the 3 TDs were huge plays.  Jamaal Charles (pictured) scored on a 56 yard run, and Dexter McCluster returned a 94 yard punt return.  The rest of the box score seems to be in the favor of the Chargers, as Rivers threw for 298 yards, compared to Cassel's 68.  Everyone had made up their mind, this was a freak result, and the Chiefs would soon come back down to earth.  The Chiefs though traveled to Cleveland, and pulled out an ugly win.  3 FG's and a INT return for a TD saw them beat the Browns 16 - 14.  This again was seen as a fluke as the Chiefs had not scored any offencive points.  Their 3rd game though, a home clash against the 49'ers, silenced a number of their doubters.  The Chiefs scored 4 offencive TD's including 3 TD passes from Matt Cassel who also had 250 yards.  This was a big performance for Cassel as even Chief fans were questioning his ability.  The Chiefs have relied on big plays and their number one ranked rush attack so far, they have a bye this week, followed by games @ Indianapolis and @ Houston.  How long will the Chiefs stay unbeaten?

The Chicago Bears are a great story this season so far.  They started out with a win that never should have been against division rival Detroit Lions 19 - 14.  I say this as Lions WR Calvin Johnson, in my eyes made a great catch for a TD, which was ruled out.  The Bears breathed a sigh of relief, but fans were worried as they looked poor in the game.  Their next game was a trip to Dallas, where the Cowboys were looking to put right their season following an opening day loss against the Redskins.  The Bears though were fantastic in that game, led by QB Jay Cutler (pictured) who had 277 yards and 3 TD's, who looks like a much better player than he did last year.  But could the Bears follow up against division rival Green Bay?  They did, thanks in part to the Packers self destructing. The Packers committed 18 penalties for 152 yards.  The 20 - 17 win left the Bears 3 - 0, after defeating 2 of the NFC's supposed best.  So are the Bears the best team in the NFC??  They travel to New York to take on the Giants this week, if they win this, you could make a very good argument to back this thought!

So these 3 teams are undeafed for now, but who will last the longest??  Looking at their next games all 3 could lose, but for now, well done to these surprising teams!

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

Tennessee Titans


Last season - 8 - 8 3rd in AFC South


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


Players in - Will Witherspoon MLB, Ricky Schmitt K, Tye Hill CB, Jason Babin DE.


Players out - Chris Davis WR, Kyle Vanden Bosch DE, Alge Crumpler TE.


Draft Positions : 


1st Round : 16th pick
3rd Round : 13th pick, 33rd pick
4th Round : 13th pick
5th Round : 17th pick
6th Round : 16th pick, 38th pick
7th Round : 15th pick, 34th pick

Total : 9 picks


I believe that the direction that the Titans will chose to go here is with a DE.  When you look at their needs list they have addressed the LB need (Will Witherspoon) and the CB need (Tye Hill), leaving OL, DL, S.  The best 2 S (in my opinion) will be off the board here, and the next one will be a reach.  So that leaves OL and DL.  When you look at players lost though and see the name Kyle Vanden Bosch, you realise fast that he has to be replaced.  Also when you think that (again in my opinion) all the DE will still be on the board, it makes sense that they will get the best player in a position of need.  The question now is which DE to pick.  Would it be the in-exposed but highly talented Jason Pierre-Paul from South Florida, or would it be Georgia Tech's Derrick Morgan.  More is known about Morgan, and he is seen as a solid player, but I believe that the Titans will take Pierre-Paul.  His workouts have been very impressive and he is an impressive human being.  Although he hasn't had much big game experience I believe this player could be very special.

Pittsburgh Steelers


Last season - 9 - 7 3rd in AFC North


Team needs - OL, MLB, S, CB


Players in - Larry Foote MLB, Antwaan Randel El WR, Arnaz Battle WR, Jonathan Scott T, Will Allen S.


Players out - Willie Parker RB, Santonio Holmes WR.


Draft Positions :


1st Round : 18th pick
2nd Round : 20th pick
3rd Round : 18th pick
4th Round : 18th pick
5th Round : 20th pick, 33rd pick, 35th pick
6th Round: 19th pick
7th Round : 18th pick, 35th pick


Total : 10 picks 


Looking at the needs of the Steelers against the players in list, the only position of need not addresses is the CB position.  Also with only Joe Haden off the board at this position (again according to my mock draft) I believe they will look at the next best CB, Boise States Kyle Wilson.  Wilson, according to scouts, is defiantly 1st round material, and will be able to start immediately in the NFL.  I think this will suit the Steelers down to the ground.


There is only 6 days left to vote for your team to be announced the 'UK's Team'.  Show your support on the right hand side of the screen.  Also make sure you email in your 1st round mock drafts to - nflgbview@googlemail.com for your chance to win a spot in the 'UK's Best Fan' Fantasy Football competition.  Getting the players draft position correct is worth 1 point, and the player with the most points wins.


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Franchised Players

So lost somewhere amongst all of the combine coverage, last Thursday 25th Feb was the deadline for teams to apply the franchise tag.  Only 6 teams decided to use this option, and here is the complete list.

Aubrayo Franklin   DT   49'ers
Olindo Mare          K     Seahawks
Ryan Pickett          DT   Packers
Jeff Read               K     Steelers
Richard Seymour   DE   Raiders
Vince Wilfork        DT   Patriots

As you can see from this list, defensive tackle is now being seen as a very important position.  All Franklin, Pickett and Wilfork play as the nose tackle, in a 3 - 4 defense.  The league has seen a number of teams change over to the 3 - 4 over the past few years.  The nose tackle is a very important position in the 3 - 4.  Without the nose tackle taking up blockers and space, the linebackers are unable to come through and make plays.  There are very few true nose tackles in the NFL, and this is why these teams are making sure they keep hold of them.  I just wonder how these choices may effect the true nose tackles that are coming into th NFL via the draft this year (i.e Terrence Cody - Alabama etc.)  Surely the draft stock of Cody and company must be rising.

Richard Seymour had a good season in Oakland last year, starting all 16 games, and having 47 tackles an 4 sacks.  The Raiders traded alot to bring Seymour in from the Pats last year, and don't want to lose him so soon.  The decisions I don't really understand is the franchised kickers??  Reed and Mare are undoubtedly 2 of the best kickers in the league.  Reed last year made 27 of 31, and Mare made 24 of 26.  But can you really justify paying these players $2.8 million??

So with franchise tags been handed out, the combine taking place, and free agency on the horizon, the NFL is very busy at the moment.  Come back tomorrow to take a look at a combine wrap-up.  I will take a look at players that I have mentioned before, wether they under or over performed and see if any players have now introduced theirselves at the combine.  If you want to get in touch email -nflgbview@googlemail.com, twitter - www.twitter.com/nflgbview, or search nflgbview on http://www.facebook.com/.

Thursday Night Football

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Cleveland Browns

‘Thursday night football’ this week comes live from the Dog pound as the 1 – 11 Browns host their divisional rival 6 – 6 Steelers. This game is absolutely vital for the Steelers playoff hopes. If they lose this, they can pretty much forget making the post season. The Browns have not been making the playoffs for a long time, so a prime time game, at home, against a divisional rival is as good as it gets for them. I’m sure that they will be relishing playing spoiler in this game. To be completely honest, I don’t think they have a chance.

A big talking point surrounding the Cleveland Browns is who will be the QB next year. Will it be Brady Quinn? Derek Anderson? Or will they use draft picks (which will obviously be high ones) to select somebody? I personally believe that Brady Quinn should be the future. The problem he has had this year is that he has a very poor surrounding cast, and the coaches are very conservative. I would like to see Quinn, with a decent receiver, and being allowed to air the ball out a bit. I think you would see a different player in this situation. Quinn may be able to throw the ball a bit easier than expected in this game as the Steelers are still without Polomalu. This, of course, makes this defence a lot less scary than normal. I think Quinn has an ok game, but as I said before, the supporting cast are not up to much. One interesting thing to look out for is kick returner on the Browns Josh Cribbs. He is one of the elite returners in the league, and may run riot against this poor Steelers coverage unit.

The Steelers will have Big Ben back at QB for this game. This obviously drastically improves the offence. Ironically, after criticising Big Bens toughness when he missed the Ravens game, WR Hines Ward looks to be out of this game. Wonder what Ben makes of this?? The loss of Ward would decrease the effectiveness of the Steelers passing game, but they should easily win this game on the ground. The Browns defence ranks 29th in rush defence. Also they have now lost nose tackle Shaun Rodgers, who was a beast in that defensive line. His loss undoubtedly increases the Steelers ability in the run game. Steelers RB Rashard Mendenhall is getting 5 yards/carry this year and have 5 TD’s. I expect him to have a big game here.

Lee’s Prediction: Steelers 24 Browns 7

Bengals 18 Steelers 12

So your ‘Game of the Week’ choice was the AFC North battle for top spot. Both teams stood at 6 – 2, the Bengals at 4 – 0 in the division, and with a shot at sweeping the Steelers for the first time since 1998. This game turned out to be a defensive battle with 2 of the best defences in the NFL. A major blow was dealt to the Steelers in the 1st quarter, when safety Troy Polamalu went down with a knee injury. Polamalu had missed the first meeting between the 2 sides, and was seen as the key to the Steelers being a lot more competitive this time around. The Steelers took a 3 – 0 lead through a Jeff Reed field goal, but on the following kick off, Bengals backup RB Bernard Scott ran the ball back 96 yards to give the Bengals the lead.

In the 2nd quarter though the Bengals chances of winning were dealt a huge blow as their star player of the season, and their hope against a Polamalu’less Steeler defence, Cedrick Benson went out of the game with a hip injury. Those worries were unfounded though as RB Scott came into the game, obviously encouraged by the run back earlier in the game, and churned out a hard 33 yards. The Steelers did go in at half time with a 9 – 6 lead (Bengals missed the extra point attempt) following 2 more Jeff Reed field goals.

The Steelers did struggle to get their run game going at any point during the contest. Rashard Mendenhall, who has been so impressive in recent weeks, ran for just 36 yards against a tough Bengals defence. The Bengals defence also managed to get 4 sacks on big Ben, and the young secondary looked very impressive. In the 3rd quarter just 2 FG’s were scored, both by Shayne Graham and the Bengals, to take a 12 – 9 lead.

Going to the 4th this was obviously a very close game. But surely at home, with the opponent’s best player out, the Steelers were still favourites. They went down the field, and levelled the game at 12, through Jeff Reeds 4th FG of the game. But the Bengals offence did enough to get 2 more FG’s, and that amazing defence held out the defending Superbowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers, to take control of the AFC North. I now believe that the Bengals will sweep their division (they only have to beat the Browns) and go to the playoffs as AFC North champions. They must also be a threat to take a number 1 or 2 seed in the AFC, which would mean a ‘Wild card Weekend’ bye. Well done Cincinnati, you are now a tough, hardnosed, proven football team, a real threat down the line.