Browns, Steelers & Bengals

[Irishraven]

Just wondering with only 3 weeks to go, how good are the other teams in our division shaping up to be?

I haven't been able to see any pre season games except our own. I know Ben was in an accident but is back playing, i've heard a few bengal players have been getting in trouble with the law and that the Browns are in trouble with injuries.

How do you see the division shaping up? Are the 1st rounders selected by our divisional rivals looking as good as Ngata? All feedback is much appreciated:ire: :thumbup:

[Greg]

The Stealers are on NFL Network playing the Vikes right now (delayed from a previous day). The Bengals have looked pretty good on offense even with Wright playing, from what little I have seen, but they were having trouble with the run as expected and we all know what Wright can do when it counts...mostly fold. The Browns have looked good on defense and downright have sucked on offense. They are resting their hopes on a few good throws Frye has had as if eventually they will all be good, but in reality most of his passes are short and his decision making has been horrible at times. The only QB they have with a rating over 68 is Derek Anderson who has been playing against guys who will soon be stocking beer at your local bar. Right now for them to match the 6 wins from last year will be a big win for them, though they are all thinking 8 wins and either splitting with us or sweeping us. From what I have seen from our offense I think we will be a very good team, and I don't think that is overly optimistic.

I think the Browns will have a hard time winning a division game unless they catch somebody off guard. Frankly, I think they are a 4 win team unless Frye really progresses.

The Stealers are probably a 10-12 win team. The Bengals are also, with Palmer, without 6-10. I think we are around a 9-12 win team, depending on how much McNair plays and how well Boller plays when he is in.

This will be a great division race with some great battles between the top 3 teams.

[Greg]

I didn't see the Stealers opening drive but they got a TD. The Vikings just went down the field for 7 and Johnson went through their secondary easily. Travis Taylor caught a 31 yarder burning Polamalu and they got their TD when Polamalu over-played the TE Wiggins and gave up a very easy TD. The ball was batted and he was going for where it would have been and missed the play altogether.

[RavensInBrazil]

Indeed, the only thing that worries me this season is the competition in the division. We have a darn good team, but it won't be easy against the Stillers and the Bungles

[Irishraven]

Thanks Greg, appreicate that! I'm gonna watch some highlights tonight:thumbup:

I wonder if the bus not being around will factor in the Steelers season at all??

One thing is for sure, as you rightly pointed out, it should make for a very interesting division!

[Ravenator]

Based mainly on offseason moves and little glances at preseason of the three teams I have come up with the following perspectives. The Bengals will most likely win between 11-13 games this year with palmer at the helm every game. even if he misses one our two the team will probably get at least 10 wins.
The Browns will continue to miserable this year as they can't even find a center to play on the team. Frye may progress but i don't see him having much better statistics then Kyle Boller after his second year.
Next, The Steelers I believe show the most likely hood to fall in the division. I know they still have Ben and Hines Ward and Heath Miller, but they have lost Van Olhoffen and Randall El. Both of these guys will be big losses to the Defending Champs. They also lost their motivational leader in Bettis. I belive that the Steelers will most likely win somewhere between 7-9 games this year.
Finally, The Ravens could go 6-10 again if McNair gets hurt early in the year. If McNair can stay healthy and start at least 14 games the team will most likely win 10-12 games and compete for the division leader. :cool:

[B-more Ravor]

BurghSouth - (deleted albeit warranted personal slam) a player can be fat and slow, but still be a leader. Whether it will have an impact or not remains to be seen, but, when it comes to Bettis, the Steelers are losing more in the way of leadership and intangibles than actual on field performance.

[GreenWave52]

Last rear Plex loss was supposed to hurt the Steelers also.
Technically he did. You were better the season before when you went 15-1 in the regular season.

[Brandon]

Bettis was "old fat and slow", but I don't think that had anything to do with his leadership role on that team and in the locker room, that now the Steelers are lacking.

[funkmd]

I'm worried about our division. I feel like whoever comes out on top will have been beaten up so badly in intradivision games, that we won't have anything left for the playoffs.

[Losac]

How times have changed. Wasn't it only a few years ago the AFCN was considered one of the weakest divisions in the NFL?

[AZRAVEN]

I thought we weren't supposed to be able to see the drivel BS posts.. I can still see him! :179421:

[RavenScallywag]

The Bengals is the team I'm most worried about...I think the Steelers have too many things going against them, and the Bengals have shown they're playing well with AW as their QB...so when Palmer gets back, they're going to be a tough battle to beat.

[highwater]

The Bengals should be the favorites to win the division. If Marvin can figure out a way to get their defense to play well, they would be one of the elite teams in the league.

The Stealers will also be solid -- the division has three very good teams. I would not be surprised if the Browns don't win a game in the division.

[Sports Steve]

I think all the other teams have some big questions. Steelers how much will they will miss the BUS and Randle El. I think a lot. The Bengals need to worry about Palmer's health. Also how many of the Bengals will get locked up during the season. The Browns will be the Browns however won't beat us this year because McNair is here now. This may be the best year for the Ravens to finish first.


GO RAVENS


:jester: :jester: :jester: :glasses:

[gooselovechild]

Call me crazy, but I think this division is really a two-horse race--Ravens and Steelers.

I don't see the Bengals progressing over last year, with or without Palmer. If their defense can't step up, they could regress significantly. How many times can they score 30+ points, especially now that team know they have to be taken seriously? Factor in the first place schedule, and they could easily be a 7-9 football team.

Cleveland is putting pieces together, but they still have several years to get past the way Butch Davis totally mismanaged that franchise. Injuries have killed them, so 4 wins is probably the best they can hope for.

Pittsburgh is tough to read. They looked awful last year in preseason, too, but they won the Super Bowl. The two keys for them are complacency now that they have won it all, and veteran leadership. Bettis being gone left a huge hole in the leadership of that team, literally and figuratively. I don't think they'll be able to dominate the line of scrimmage offensively, so we'll be able to see if Ben is really that good, or if he's an above average QB who is the product of the Steeler hype that came from having arguably the best team in the NFL the last two years. On defense, their DBs look terrible. If a team can stay within striking distance of them, they could have problems there, too. I still think they're good enough to win 11-13 games, but they could have a Super Bowl hangover and drop back into that 10-6 area as well.

All in all, this will be a highly contested division, but I don't think it's as talented as it looks on paper. The AFC West, NFC East and NFC South all look to be tougher divisions, in my opinion.