Sportsnet's Jim Lang previews each of the NFL's divisions leading up to the opening kickoff on Thursday, Sept. 10. In this installment, he says don't be surprised to see the Steelers back at the Super Bowl.
AFC North
Pittsburgh Steelers
(2008 record: 12-4)
After last year's game for the ages in Tampa, Steelers fans now refer to Pittsburgh, as Sixburgh. As in the Steelers now have six Super Bowl titles to their name. I have covered three Super Bowls for Rogers Sportsnet; in two of those the Steelers have taken home the Vince Lombardi trophy. The Steelers win at Super Bowl 40 was okay. But what happened last year at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa was a game that has already become part of NFL lore. The fourth quarter was some of the best football I have ever seen. Somehow, the Steelers were able to survive Larry Fitzgerald's explosive 64 yard go ahead touchdown. Big Ben Roethlisberger calmly marched the Steelers down the field for the game winning drive. Roethlisberger's game winning touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes ranks as one of the best plays in Super Bowl history. A lot of people still can't believe Holmes made that catch.
Now, Mike Tomlin and the Steelers will be asked to repeat last year's glorious run to the Super Bowl. As recent history has shown us, repeating as Super Bowl champions is very hard to do. If the Steelers are not able to repeat this year, it won't be from a lack of support. From their ownership, to their coaching staff to their front office, everything about the Steelers is first class all the way. As I said earlier, I've covered the last two Super Bowls the Steelers have won and I am constantly amazed at what lengths their fans will go to follow their team. I am quite sure if NASA ever pulls off a manned mission to Mars, the first thing the astronauts will see is a Terrible Towel.
Roethlisberger is one of the biggest, strongest quarterbacks in the NFL. That is probably the only reason he was able to survive the pounding he received last season. Offensive Tackle Max Starks might be one of my all time favourite NFL interviews. However, Starks and the Steelers offensive line have a lot of room for improvement in 2009. Assuming the Steelers O-line can step up their game this season, Roethlisberger and the offence should continue their "Dirty Harry" approach to football; they get results. Holmes, Hines Ward and Tight End Heath Miller are Big Ben's prime targets. Running back "Fast" Willie Parker still has the flat out speed to live up to his nickname. But while the Steelers can still pound the ball occasionally with their famous "Inside Trap" running play, they are more likely to get Parker to the outside so he can use his outstanding top end speed. With Roethlisberger at the controls of the offence, the Steelers have no fear of putting the ball up in the air when they decide to open it up.
No matter what the situation, there is one thing that the Steelers can always depend on, their defence. Under the guiding hand of the kind hearted genius, Dick LeBeau, the Steelers had the NFL's best defence in 2008. Even though LeBeau turned 72 this year, everyone on the Steelers defence freely admits that they would run through a brick wall for the man. Being able to interview LeBeau at Super Bowl 43 was a real treat. What was even more impressive was the reaction of the Steelers defenders when I asked them about the greatness of LeBeau. They truly love the man and execute his 3-4 "Zone Blitz" defence to perfection. Outside linebackers James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley are big time playmakers and combined for 27 and half sacks last year. While he's no Ed Reed, Safety Troy Polamalu is still an impact player who was born to play in LeBeau's defence.
No team is immune from the post Super Bowl hangover, even the Steelers. Every team in the NFL is now gunning for the Steelers. The one thing Mike Tomlin and the Steelers have working for them is a fairly reasonable schedule for 2009. Don't be surprised to see the Steelers in the thick of the AFC race to the Super Bowl.
Amazing fact: If you're planning a road trip to Heinz Field, tickets are awfully hard to come by. The waiting list for Steelers season tickets is now close to 40,000 names. If you put your name on the list way back in 1996, good news, you are now at the front of the line.
Cleveland Browns
(2008 record: 4-12)
Where 2007 was such a great year to be a Browns fans, 2008 was pretty much a total disaster. After a disappointing four-win season, the Browns dropped the hammer on Romeo Crennel and hired the Mangenius, Eric Mangini. The first thing Mangini has to figure out is who exactly is going to be his starting quarterback. On one hand, Mangini could turn to Derek Anderson; tall, strong, big arm, slightly erratic. Or he could hand the reins of the offence over to the golden boy from Notre Dame, Brady Quinn. Speaking to the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, Mangini said he hoped that he could name his starter before the Browns regular season opener against the Vikings. I find it very hard to believe either one of them will be very happy with the decision. This is bound to result in a fractured locker room and some very bitter feelings in Cleveland. The end result is that Cleveland isn't big enough for both Anderson and Quinn. Mangini and the Browns organization have to pick one or the other and anoint him the starting quarterback.
While the Browns quarterbacking situation is far from resolved, at least the Browns know who their starting running back is. Jamal Lewis has a lot of mileage on those massive thighs of his but he should have enough gas left in the tank to provide Mangini with some quality carries. Nobody in Cleveland can really figure what in the heck happened to receiver Braylon Edwards. In 2007, Edwards put up incredible numbers. Last year, Edwards could barely hang on to the football and dropped an alarming number of passes. Not willing to take any chances, the Browns drafted two wide receivers in the second round of the draft. Donte Stallworth is suspended for the entire season in the wake of being convicted for DUI Vehicular Manslaughter. With Kellen Winslow now in Tampa, the Browns are very slim at Tight End.
There are some interesting building blocks on the Browns defence. Linebacker D'Qwell Jackson had 154 tackles last year. Of course, it didn't hurt Jackson having 350 pound Nose Tackle Shaun Rogers playing in front of him. Rogers is so big, and so strong, that there are very few centres in the NFL that can handle him in a one-on-one situation. Despite Jackson and Rogers, there are still a lot of holes on the Browns defence that need fixing. I will give Mangini credit for hiring Rob Ryan (Rex's brother) to take over as the defensive co-coordinator. A quick glance at last year's defensive stats will tell you all you need to know about Ryan's biggest priority: rush the quarterback. The Browns had all of 17 sacks last year.
If there is one area that Mangini and all Browns fans don't need to worry about, it's their kick return game. That's because Joshua Cribbs is one of the best in the business.
Eric Mangini has a lot more to worry about than whether or not to shake hands with Bill Belichick. Now that he's in Cleveland, Mangini has to face Mike Tomlin and the Steelers twice a year. Assuming Mangini ever gets around to naming a starting quarterback, the Browns will still have their work cut out for them to get back to .500. If Braylon Edwards can ever re-discover his "mojo", then maybe the Browns offence can do some damage.
Six degrees of separation: Cleveland Indians General Manager Mark Shapiro is Mangini's brother-in-law. Mark's father, Ron Shapiro, is Mangini's agent.
Baltimore Ravens
(2008 record: 11-5)
You can not talk about the Baltimore Ravens without talking about Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. Ray Lewis might be getting up there in years, but the fiery linebacker can still bring it with the best of them. With all apologies to Troy Polamalu, Reed has become the best playmaking safety of his generation.
Led by Reed and Lewis, the Ravens had one of the best defensive units in the entire NFL. Of course, the Steelers are in the same the division as the Ravens and they had the honour of having the league's number one defence. While they might not number one statistically, the Ravens have earned the respect of every opponent in the league for the vicious way they play defence.
Including the playoffs, the Ravens held their opponents to 10 or less points seven times. The Ravens divisional rivals, the Steelers, pulled off the same trick eight times. One of the main reasons for the Ravens defensive success is a result of the all out dedication of football by Ray Lewis. No matter what anyone says about Lewis, whether you hate him or love him, no one can argue with the amount of preparation that man puts into every game. From the film room, to the weight room to the practise field; Lewis leaves nothing to chance. That's why he's still so good at his job after all these years.
For head coach John Harbaugh and quarterback Joe Flacco, all they can do is hope to build on what were very successful rookie campaigns for both of them.
For a kid who came out of a small program like Delaware, Flacco showed poise and moxy well beyond his years and college pedigree. The six foot six inch Flacco never seems to get rattled during a game, no matter how tense the situation. The way the Ravens play football, their offence is rarely asked to beat the opposition in a shoot out style game. Harbaugh likes to pound the ball on the ground and let Flacco make smart, high percentage throws to quality receivers like Derrick Mason, Mark Clayton and dependable tight end Todd Heap.
The Ravens solidified their enormous offensive line with the shrewd signing of first rate free agent centre Matt Birk. While the Ravens rotate Ray Rice and Willie McGahee at running back, it was actually 260 pound fullback Le'Ron McClain that led the team in rushing. Much like their defence, there's very little that is subtle about McClain and the Ravens running game.
The entire Ravens organization takes pride in the fact that teams that face them sometimes hope and pray that they will be able to survive the physical pounding they're about to receive. While it may not be enough of a factor to win the AFC, it should be enough of a factor for the Ravens to get back into the post season.
The Amazing Ed Reed: Reed is the first player in the history of the NFL to return an interception, a blocked punt, a punt and a fumble for a touchdown. In total, Reed has scored 11 touchdowns. Reed has scored touchdowns on a 106 yard interception return, and then again when he broke his own record with an impossible 108 yard interception return.
Cincinnati Bengals
(2008 record: 4-11)
Good news for Marvin Lewis and his hard luck Bengals, Carson Palmer has returned and his golden Californian arm is approaching mid season form. Not only is Palmer healthy, but OchoCinco is still a Bengal. That means the Bengals dynamic duo have the potential to put up big numbers once again. Palmer threw for over 12,000 yards and 86 touchdowns in the three years before last year's injury plagued season. While the Bengals lost TJ Houshmandzadeh, they did gain veteran receiver Laveranues Coles in the off season. Assuming Chris Henry doesn't get arrested again this year, he will give Palmer another potent target to work with.
Just to make sure I wasn't over stating the importance of Palmer in Cincinnati, I e-mailed Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis and asked him what makes his starting quarterback so valuable to his team, both on and off the field. His answer confirmed what I had always thought about Palmer;
"Carson has tremendous skills, of course, but he is so down-to-earth, you used to think it was almost an act. And he's never changed. He is what he is. That's part of his makeup, and it probably always has been. He's so unflappable. He can focus in and see right through the eye of that storm, and that may be the greatest quality he has. I think everybody around him feels the confidence that kind of oozes out of him, and it makes them feel good about things."
With Palmer's improved health, even a dysfunctional franchise like the Bengals are allowed to feel pretty good about themselves. The Bengals took a bit of a chance when they drafted Alabama offensive tackle Andre Smith in the first round. While he has tremendous size and potential, Smith also comes with a fair bit of baggage. Of course, these are the Bengals, and it took forever to get him under contract. Cincy finally signed Smith to a contract worthy of a first round draft pick on the last week in August. That means Palmer and everyone else involved with the Bengals offence have to give Smith a crash course in the playbook because they need him to get up to speed in a real hurry. If Smith gets into shape and gets a decent grasp of the offence before September the 13th, he will be a welcome addition to the Bengals offensive line, and to Carson Palmer.
Another reason for some of the optimism in Cincinnati is a defence that features some promising and talented young studs. A pair of young linebackers from USC anchor the Bengals front seven. Before Hines Ward broke his jaw with a blind side block, Keith Rivers was enjoying a solid rookie campaign. This year, he's joined by fellow Trojan, Rey Maualuga. One of the biggest issues with the Bengals defence is their lack of ability to sack the opposition's quarterback. The Bengals had a brutal 1q7 sacks in 2008. There's hope in Cincy that their two young studs from USC can help bring the heat in 2009.
The Bengals are facing a killer portion of the schedule in mid-December as they have to take on the Vikings and the Chargers on the road in back to back games during weeks 14 and 15. While the Bengals should improve on last year's six wins, it still won't be enough to get into the playoffs. That being said, I will be looking long and hard at drafting Carson Palmer for my perpetually struggling Fantasy Football team.
Interesting fact: Rounding out the Bengals defence is backup defensive lineman Frostee Rucker. I am not making it up, that is the man's name. While he had a number of questionable off field incidents in College, Rucker has one of the great names in the NFL. Frostee said his dad came up with the name as way to distinguish his son from everyone else. Mister Rucker, you did a fine job.
