The Ravens have won playoff games in back-to-back years and they are only getting better.
While Pittsburgh’s quarterback is suspended to start the season, Joe Flacco should continue his steady ascension as a third-year quarterback. Flacco is going to look a lot better with so many new weapons to throw to, and the Ravens defense shows no signs of letting down.
With the majority of offseason movement over, we take a look at where Baltimore stands among the gaggle of legitimate AFC Super Bowl contender.
rosenthal sounds like he has down syndrome.
I am a Steelers fan and I am fine with having the Steelers not wining the division, but I am surprised you don’t have the Bengals winning the division. I think they are better on paper.
the steelers will win again, thats what they do. ravens+browns lose. thats what they do. ben will beat them again.
thanks for nothing dude. kiss of freaking death.
Why was Shitsburgh mentioned in this article and not Cincy? We are much better than we were last year. We’ll still be a forced to be reckoned with, however you mention a team that showed no promise last year at all even with their rapist QB at the helm. We struggled on passing and it’s obvious we’ve improved that part of our game by leaps and bounds.
Joe Flacco is average at best
Ravens in the North is a No Brainer this year.
And the Bengals will beat them twice this year (again).
Flacco will choke when it counts per usual.
Too bad Cinci has there number. What is Carson like, 7-3 against them? Something like that.. If that’s the best the North can offer against the Champs, we’ll gladly take it.
Keys for Ravens: How soon db Webb and Foxworth get to game speed and if Flacco continues to improve. But I like their chances too. Adding Boldin was huge and should benefit Flacco.
Ravens suck, GO STEELERS!
I forgot they have to murderers on their team now
No question about it.
The Browns are the Browns – no chance
Pittsburgh is imploding
Cincy is a tough team, but not as good as the Ravens
go browns
Bengals
Rosentahl is a GENIUS!!!! Championship……..
Que the Steeler fans!!!
I agree. They should be the favorites, only slightly ahead of the Bengals. In fact, there is no need to pay any attention to the Steelers at all this coming year. That’s right, you all can leave them completely off of the radar screen. Nothing to see here, folks. Move along and divert all of your attention to Baltimore and Cincinnati, as it will not be necessary to concern yourselves with Pittsburgh. I’m just hoping that the Steelers can be competitive, so please just just ignore that 1,000 lb gorilla in the room. He’s just a figment of your imagination.
I completely agree. But then again I may be a little bias. I hope there is no such thing as a Rosenthal jinx. LOL
anyone but the squelers!!!
Yeah that’s rite I hope all yall read this out there and we’re not done make’n moves yet ! I’m love’n PFT rite now “run wit us or run from us or get ran the F**k over” Go Ravens ! The we I see it is if we beat the Jets game 1 n I think we will their best weapon will be out at WR and they got a young pups at RB LT is done for real he need to run wit two knee brace’s on how he gonna do that? Lol and big ben will be out when we play them wk 4 n their best weapon plays for the jets ! We beat those two teams then mayb I can it mo better ! AFC North is ours for the take’n nxt stop the top of the world Ma ! We made it!
Now with talks of a Nnamdi Asomugha trade to Bmore, we are building a “juggernaut”.
Flacco can be good but stinks if he has to move out of the pocket and throw on the run. The steelers will always know how to exploit this.
Scary team.
Ray Lewis and Haloti Ngata talking to Hines Ward before their game against the Steelers.
Ray Lewis: It’s no use, Hines. Compared to you . . . we are losers. And not even the
grown-up kind, the little baby losers.
Haloti Ngata: Ja. You know, you could very easily flick us with your littlest finger and send
us flying across the room until we landed in our own baby poop
Am I having deja vu, or do you guys run this same exact story every year?
i agree ravens are better added weapons but really mason a num3 receiver come on what stallworth is the num2 mason is on of the best to ever play the position stats dont lie
ya because they just replaced depth they still left their terrible secondary terrible.ed reed was debating retirng
don’t quit your day job if you think Ravens are most improved.
Instead of comparing the Ravens to a mediocre team that finished third in the division last year (Pittsburgh), maybe you should match them up against the team that swept them in ’09, the Bengals.
While they did add Boldin as a legitimate weapon for Flacco, their defense continues to grow long in the tooth. Cincinnati was unable to get a receiver that can stretch the field, but ended up with a solid #2 receiver in free agency and a future star tight end in the draft.
It’s going to be a knock-down drag out fight between Cincy and Baltimore this year for top spot in the AFCN.
i dont know if this leap should be made,i mean cincy did sweep them last year,and year after year pitt puts a beating on them,its not like the ravens got better and the other teams in the division stayed put,why dont we just wait and see
They’ll have to get through a deep Cincinnati team that swept them last year. The AFC North is going to come down to the Ravens and Bengals.
Doubt they win the division.
Why is it the Ravens are favored like last year and the Bengals swept the North…. We’ll just let it play out. I will say I think this will be the toughest division in football…
Sure the Ravens have won playoff games…but don’t forget they got SWEPT by the DIVISION winner last year (the Bengals) The Ravens did some things to get better for sure, but so did the bengals. Getting Antonio Bryant and Jermaine Gresham to compliment Chad in the passing game will make worlds of difference. Not to mention that young 4th ranked defense has another year of experiance. Not knocking Baltimore, but don’t crown their asses yet.
Baltimore need to figure out a way to beat Cincinnati first. Last year they got swept and scored only 1 offensive TD in each of those games. In each game they only even had one other drive which crossed the Bengals 40. But, no worries, I’m sure two rookie TEs and a WR who was suspended the whole of last year will make a big difference.
No love for the Bengals even though they swept the division last year?
Donte Stallworth wasnt even the number 2 reciever in Cleveland… do you really think he is going to make Derek Mason the 3rd option?????
That being said the division is going to have to come thru the Nati this year!!! Carson got some new toys too and I cant figure out why people are forgetting the Bengals were one of the youngest teams in the NFL last year and they have brought everyone back. This is a very competitive division but to discount the Bengals is a mistake that teams made last year. Lets keep that AFC North win streak going week 2!!!!
I LOVE IT. Overlook the Steelers, that’s how we like it.. Remember the 2005 SuperBowl year? Yup.. Keep talking about the Ravens…….
Wrong. The Bengals beat this team twice last year and will do the same in 2010.
So far the Bengals have soldified and added to the #4 rated D and shored up the passing game (the teams only weakness last year) by adding Antonio Bryant, Jermaine Gresham and Jordan Shipley.
The lesson pro football talk and the rest of the world has not learned yet is the AFC North is and will always be a crap shoot. Every year, everyone flips a coin between the Ravens and Steelers to be the top team and every two years or so they’re right. I picked the Bengals last year and nailed it. I’m picking the Bengals again this year. All AFC North teams no matter how good they are look horrible when they play other teams in their division. If Cleveland had even a slight offense (it didn’t have to be good, just had to exist) prior to the last part of the season they would have ran the table on the AFC North at the end of the year because the other teams looked just as bad as they did when they played the Browns. Baltimore added a bunch of wide recievers, Cleveland added a bunch of DB’s. The fact that the Browns should be abled to score a touchdown or two puts them above B-more in my book but the Bengals would win in a shootout and Pittsburgh has a long road back to the Superbowl
1st Cincy
2nd Cleveland
3rd Baltimore
4rth Pittsburgh
When Flake-O’s eyebrows finally unite in sweet embrace….then I’ll believe it. And Cinci can’t consistently get out of their own way……..but, you have a 4-6 game “head start”. Make the most of it…because the Black and Gold is still the fabric of your nightmares!
Jordan SHipley
As a Bengals fan, I can honestly say I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Ravens sweep the division this year. Cody & Ngata? Good luck running against that.
@Laststarfighter…tha may have been the case with Flacco last year, but the boy had a bruise up and down his entire side. He will be healed and ready this year…
@Danrooney….werent you crying about everyone calling your ben a rapist…just shows how hypocritical most steeler fans are!!!!
kazkal….one more time in english!
As a Ravens fan, your endorsement of my team makes me feel less confident than I did before. After all how did your Redskins pick work out for you last year genius
jackybadass says:
April 27, 2010 2:28 PM
the steelers will win again, thats what they do. ravens+browns lose. thats what they do. ben will beat them again.
The Browns will continue with what they started last Dec. Kick some more of that Steelers ass! The Steelers will finish last in the AFC North. Two teams going in opposite directions.
BIG DUECE,
YOU ARE A MORON!!!!!
Learn how to type, spell, articulate or better yet just make sense with the words you vomited onto the page. I had to read each sentence 3 times just to decipher your feeble rant.
” The we I see it is if we beat the Jets game 1 n I think we will their best weapon will be out at WR and they got a young pups at RB LT is done for real he need to run wit two knee brace’s on how he gonna do that?”
Mr. Big Douce, what you’ve just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.
I hate some people who give Flacco crap about not being good, excuse me….he’s played in the NFL two years….
Peyton Manning stats:
1st year: 56% completion percentage, 3800 yards, 26 TD, 28 Int, 71 rating
2nd year:62% completion percentage, 4200 yards, 26 TD, 15 Int, 91 rating
3rd year: 62.5 completion percentage, 4400 yards, 33 TD, 15 Int, 94 rating
Joe Flacco stats:
1st year: 60% completion percentage, 3000 yards, 14 TD, 12 Int, 80 rating
2nd year: 63% completion percentage, 3600 yards, 21 TD, 12 Int, 89 rating
If people are gonna talk crap about Flacco please do the research first. It takes a QB typically 3-5 years before he becomes good in the NFL. Keep in mind the Ravens have NEVER had a competent QB or receiving core. Our best receiver was Ray Rice with 78 receptions. How about the fact that Peyton came into the league with well-established receivers and so did Ben Roethlisburger. Don’t be idiots people and don’t belittle a person who plays the hardest position in the NFL after just 2 years….
You forgot the most important factor: That the NFL will rig the S**T out of any and all Ravens games and Steelers games, and ESPECIALLY Ravens-Steelers games. Question: when was the last time the steelers beat* the Ravens when there wasn’t a controversy about the refs? Hmmm…..seems kinda strange doesn’t it?
When the Steelers aren’t expected to do well, they generally win the division, so as a Steeler fan I think you PFT!
HamBurghlar says:
April 27, 2010 3:18 PM
I LOVE IT. Overlook the Steelers, that’s how we like it.. Remember the 2005 SuperBowl year? Yup.. Keep talking about the Ravens…….
————————————————-
Who cares what happened 5 years ago (or even 2 years ago, for that matter?) That’s all irrelavent today.
All the good players on the Steelers are either gone or old now. The pathetic slide they experienced at the end of 2009 says it all. It’s also painfully clear that Tomlin’s success in his first year was due to inheriting Cowher’s team. Now it’s Tomlin Time- and that doesn’t bode well. Prepare for a repeat of the 1980s (or 40s, 50s, and 60s).
Remains to be seen if Flacco can take the step up from caretaker to franchise-type QB… until then, don’t just pencil in the Ravens just yet. I would then mention Cincy, but with Cornholio the Choker at QB, all bets are off. Then there’s Cleveland, which will always find a way to lose.
That leaves…
Clearly the best team in the AFC North. Probably the second best team in the AFC to the Colts with the Chargers Jets and Patriots rounding out the top 5 teams in the Conference and either the Texans or the Bengals rounding out the playof picture.
Ozzie once again just took the competition to school during the draft and the offseason. Ravens added key players like Boldin, Kindle and Cody and lost nobody. Ravens have a great young offensive line that is only getting better and the Defensive front 7 is as talented as any in the league and has better depth than anyone in the league bar none.
The major weaknesses are still the defensive secondary and then Joe Flacco needs to perform this year. Everyone is ready to crown Joe Flacco but he looked horrible the last quarter of last season. I think he was hurt and will play much better now with the offense he has around him.
..brought to you by PFT, who last year picked the Redskins to win it all…
# AllThat says: April 27, 2010 2:37 PM
“Que the Steeler fans!!!”
So… you’re a Ratbirds fan.
After all your piety and Steelers bashing.
Wow…
I’m surprised.
No, really…
/ eyeroll at the hypocrisy
HAHAHA I love it when the Ravens get some love, then all the idiot fans from the other teams come out of the wood work! The stinker fans finally have something to complain about besides yelling at us for saying you have a Rapist on your team.
Flacco will improve this year, he improved from year 1 to year 2 when most QB’s fall off. That was not the case with him. He will be a top 10 QB this year ( again, look at his stats he was top 10 last year as well ) He could possibly be a top 5 QB as long as everyone stays healthy which is always a hard thing to do. The secondary will be FINE!!!! Everyone, including Ravens fans think we have a horrible secondary. That was true last year… in the first half of the season. Greg Maddison fixed that though in the second half. With limited pass rush we were still the second best Defense in football last year. The Ravens will come to play next year, they have alot of leaders on the team and will take those 2 losses to the Cincy personally. They will not loose 2 again!!
I just love it when another player in the Division gets in trouble the first thing people say is ” the Ravens have a murdere on there team” Now they are saying we have 2 ? lol It just gets better. If you are speaking of Ray Lewis and Donte Stallworth then you need to do some more research. Neither of them were charged with murder. Neither of them were even thought to of murdered someone. Ray was arrested for tampering with evidense by throwing away a bloody shirt AFTER he got in Rays limo covered in blood saying drive they are after me, Sounds like a scary confusing situation to me, not sure i would sit there and ask him to explain what happened either, I would tell my driver to DRIVE! What happened to Stallworth is very sad ( and the guy he hit ) But once again look at the facts. Stallworth had a blood alcohol level that was barely over the legal limit ( .06 of .05 ) the guy he hit was in the middle of a 2 lane road way crossing just after sun up ( still low light ) around a blind curve. In the police statements and testimony on the stand they said it could of happened to anyone, but the fact he was over the legal limit even if by .01 of a point ment he had to be charged with the crime. If he had been under the limit the whole thing would have been considered an accident ( especially since the guy he hit was more that double the legal limit )
Trust me i do my homework when it comes to the Ravens as I am a Fan, But more than that i am a fan of the NFL so i do not have blinders on when it comes to routing for them! I commend Steelers fans calling for the departure of Rothlisberger. They have done the research and seen that even though there are holes in the justice system he is a disturbed individual and most likely commited these crimes.
Flacco raped my dog. Twice.
There you go Roger.
There’s grounds for a 6 week suspension.
Get with it.
Defense is older and doesn’t look the same since Ryan left.
Bungles
Ravens
Squealers
Brownies
j-daddy;
I “think” you too! (you freakin idiot) Typical Pitts-puke, in-bred, sister-lovin, meth-addicted moron.
# mama tried says:
“anyone but the squelers!!!”
mama failed
The offensive upgrades will make the Ravens a tough but balanced team. I don’t think they will be quite the defensive juggernaut that they used to be, but they will still win a lot of games. The Ravens-Bengals games will be fun to watch.
Why are talking heads like Rosenthal OK with picks like Cody if they go to teams like the Ravens? All I hear about the Bengals taking Carlos Dunlap is that he is a risky pick because he takes plays off. Yet Cody is a big tub of lard who can only take 20-30 snaps a game before he need oxygen and a Big Mac IV drip… and he is a “solid” pick? WTF?
# mama tried says:
“anyone but the squelers!!!”
mama failed
I agree it will likely come down to the Ravens and the Bengals for the AFCN. However, the Bengals only got better though the draft and FA as well. We added a bunch of firepower for Carson in Shipley, Gresham and A. Bryant. In light of the fact that the Bengals swept the ENTIRE division last year, which is hard to do in any division let alone one of the best in the NFL, I’d say the road still travels through Cincy. However, I agree that the Bengals still need to show that they can perform in the post-season and win a playoff game.
The only reason that the Cardinals passed to Bolquin is that they had more coverage on Fitzgerald. Wait till He gets into coverage when he is doubled up or more. Ha big joker
Can’t argue with that.
The Steelers have made some good moves in the off season but they went 9-7 last year and will be without their QB at least four games, including one division game. The team will be distracted, as will the QB when he returns, and they’ll be going on the road. They get paid to overcome distractions and in the past have played well under pressure, but that’s a lot to overcome.
Cleveland … well … I’d have to see significant improvement to believe it.
Cincy looked great early in the season but folded in the end. On the bright side, though, Chad’s dancing is improving.
Baltimore was the second-best team in the AFC in ’08 and I’m still surprised they didn’t step in and take the division when we faltered last year.
Obviously at this point you’d have to assume the division will go to Cincy or Baltimore, and I’d probably lean toward Baltimore, too.
But I still believe Pittsburgh can overcome.
Yeah really, I think the Steelers are going to be playing pissed off, and that does not bode well for the rest of the AFC North.
You gotta give credit to the Ravens, great draft, we will see how it works out. On paper they look much improved.
As a Bengal’s fan, I hate how competitive this division is. My boys made some good moves in the draft as well. Young defense should only get better. O-Line should only get better.
I guess we will see!
Here’s to hoping we the Bengals make history and have to Playoff seasons in a row!
I don’t expect the Steelers to win the division this year, but I think its funny how people are implying they are going to become the Browns or Lions or something. This team won 6 Super Bowls for a reason. This ownership has had like 3 (someone can verify that) losing seasons since like 1990. They are going through a bad time now but do you really think that all of the sudden they are going to go from the most consistent franchise in the NFL to horrible for years and years because of an off the field incident? I bet you they will go 8-8 this year, and then 10-6 the following year, and be back competing in the playoffs the following year.
Ravens superbowl champs 2010-2011 mark it down
BigDeuce says:
April 27, 2010 2:39 PM
“Yeah that’s rite I hope all yall read this out there and we’re not done make’n moves yet ! I’m love’n PFT rite now “run wit us or run from us or get ran the F**k over” Go Ravens ! The we I see it is if we beat the Jets game 1 n I think we will their best weapon will be out at WR and they got a young pups at RB LT is done for real he need to run wit two knee brace’s on how he gonna do that? Lol and big ben will be out when we play them wk 4 n their best weapon plays for the jets ! We beat those two teams then mayb I can it mo better ! AFC North is ours for the take’n nxt stop the top of the world Ma ! We made it! ”
——————-
This post makes me want to claw my eyes out.
I expect the steelers to unleash hell all season like they did last December……yawn……..who knew hell unleashed would be like watching paint dry….
Why do thes Cincinatti fans keep embarrassing themselves. Yes you swept the division last year. But couldnt hardly win a game out of the division. You had a one game lead over baltimore for the division title last year. Looked absolutely nothing like the 07 pats so stop your boasting about how good you were. And quit bragging on carson palmer….because he has won ZERO….count them…..ZERO playoff games. So how great is he?? I mean really?? When your club can win ONE playoff game then respond ….if not shut your faces. As a matter of fact its been almost 20 years since you all won ONE single playoff game. Now your the best team in the NFL?? Try again losers!!!!
Who cares who wins the AFC North? As a Steelers fan all I care about is winning trophies.
Baltimore fans = brag about making the playoffs, eventually lose, blame refs.
Bengal fans = puff out their chest when they have a winning year, brag about sweeping teams within own division, lose in the first round of the playoffs
Browns = beat the Steelers once in 12 tries, brag, realize they are fans of the biggest joke franchise in the NFL, get a staph infection.
Bottom line…if you don’t hold up Lombardi when the final whistle blows, your season really doesn’t mean much.
Did the Ravens really improve thier offense? What if Boldin is a bust like so many other high profile free agent WRs? Honestly the Ravens were just fine on offense last season, it was the D that couldn’t keep them in the game. The Secondary is a liability and they will struggle until they get healthy and stay healthy with some quality young players. Cody and Kindle are back-ups, may help some, but not an upgrade yet.
You can never count out the Steelers, but I admit, they may struggle without Ben, and on paper they should not be any better this season.
Bengals may have been a fluke, but you have to give them the edge. The young defense should only get better, and the passing game should improve, even if Bryant is a bust. Bryant is a deep threat, has to be better than Coles, and more well rounded than Henry. They survived a lot of big injuries last season, but with any team, key injuries could cut deep. They need to remain healthy down the stretch and into the playoffs.
The Browns have improved, but too many changes and too many IFs to count on a winning season.
Until Carson Palmer can warp back in time anyone’s crazy to think Cinci will do the same thing this year.
this class sucks – man, you never let up do you…..if you think the Bengals look better on paper than the Ravens you are seriously dellusional!
I think the Ravens are the most improved team in th AFC North this year but they still do have to beat Cinci.
I think the division comes down to the Week 17 game in Baltimore against the Bengals. That will be the deciding game.
The Browns will be a better team this year and I think they will surprise a few people. The Steelers are going to be weak……they’ll finish third at best…..
I love it. I love it. The bullseye is somebody else’s back – for now. Like I’ve always said before, it’s a good thing polls and sportswriters’ opinions don’t win games. They are won on the field and, as a Steelers fan, I’m looking forward to those wars with the Ravens.
Football season can’t come soon enough.
Ravens – 2010 SuperBowl champs. Ray L and Ray R and Flacco will make it happen.
It’s in Dallas this year baby! GO RAVENS!!
I think everyone (with a real football IQ )knows it will be cincinnati and baltimores division for the next few years…
The bengals pretty much own the ravens even when their not playing well so to give the division to baltimore is assanine.
I honestly think this will come down to the Ravens and Steelers again. If this was the AFC Championship every year I would be happy!!
1000+ lbs in the front 3.
@ONEtrickbunny: So you’re saying that the day the Super Bowl is over it doesn’t matter any longer to a team or their fanbase? Your team must have never won anything.. which is why you’re so bitter on these threads.
That being said, thank you for your nonsensical post and I can’t WAIT to see the Steelers sleeping giant wake and OWN the AFC North as we have been.
# Steelerssuck412 says: April 27, 2010 4:17 PM
“Ravens superbowl champs 2010-2011 mark it down”
That would be a neat trick, being as the 2010 SB was already played and the Ravens weren’t even in it.
# Steelerssuck412 says: April 27, 2010 4:17 PM
# theroc5156 says: April 27, 2010 3:08 PM
“No love for the Bengals even though they swept the division last year?”
The Bungles always return to being well, the Bungles. Last year was a fluke.
Prepare to battle the Clowns for the high draft pick again this year.
@ Frank Burns…can’t believe I’m saying this, but I agree with you 75%…….the only thing you forgot to mention is that your Steelers have a lot to overcome (i.e. losing a Super Bowl MVP, your aging defense, quarterback suspension and an offensive line that is sub par at best). We`ll see how the Steelers (as well as B-More, Cincy and Cleveland) fare come Week 1.
Best of luck to all teams, except New England…(lol)
Go Ravens
I think if it hasnt been said . Its need to be , the AFCN will be the best division in football . It will be tough playing all the teams . Each are improving . With time to delvelop in TC it should be a great season for us all in the AFCN .
Its simple , The Bengals are the team to beat in the division . Until they are dethrowned they own the division . They also had a good draft and got some needed weapons for Palmer . Cant wait to see how good they are this season .
Ravens will be better as well . Added Bolden , Stallworth along with some GREAT draft picks this year . 2 good tightends and some nice defensive pieces . Their secondary is thin though . Any injury along the secondary could make it tough on their D . But if their pass rush improves it doesnt matter to much that their secondary isnt the best . Plus i see their offense better with the additions . So if they score more their defense doesnt have to be top 5 to do some damage in the league .
The Brown are the Browns lol . You might be better this year but until you reach .500 record you are just the pesky little brother that wont go away . I think if the Browns get to 6-10 to 7-9 its a great season for them . Big question with Jack D at QB . If his bad play continues it will be the normal with Cleveland . So lets see how they do .
And that leaves my team the Steelers . I think its well covered with Ben . And that does hurt us somewhat . But i have faith Dixon will get the job done nicely . With the whole offseason and minicamps along with TC and preseason games i think he will be ok . I dont expect us to pass as much early in the season . Help keep Dixon confident with high percentage passing . Allow him to scramble and move in the pocket he should do ok . With a better offensive line in the works i expect our running game to be alot better . Adding Dywer gives us good young depth . I wont be surprised when he is named the biggest steal in the draft . But he needs to take his training wheels off first . It will be a tough first 4 games . But if we can manage a 2-2 or better first 1/4 of the season i think we will be ok .
So dont count us out of the division race too soon . Usually half the teams that make the playoffs last season wont make it back this year . If the trend continues i could see the Ravens or Bengals having an off year . Time will tell what the story will be . So before everyone starts counting us out just remember . We RARELY ever have back to back bad seasons . Cant wait for it to start .
For all you Joe Flacco haters, this story neglects another very important addition this offeason, that of Jim Zorn. Say what you will abot Zorn’s stint in DC, but the guy is a proven winner when it comes to caoching QBs. Hasselback had some great years under Zorn and Campbell improved in DC every year, despite having mediocre talent around him.
Zorn has a West Coast offense background, which is based on quick reads- Flacco’s biggest weakness. If Zorn can help Flacco make quicker reads then with these weapons our offense will be among the most dangerous in the league and we will be overwhelming favorites to win the division, if not the AFC (as long as we dont have to play Peyton in the playoffs since he is invincible against us).
I am sure the Steelers will be competitive because that’s the nature of thier franchise, but it’s going to be hard for them to rebound if they get off to a poor start while Ben is out.
As for the Bengals, last year was a fluke. Sure they played great early on and got out so far ahead that no one in the division could catch you, but we saw how good you were during December in January. No way ‘Dey’ finish in the top two in the division, let alone win again. Talk to me in 6 years Bengals fans- your next likely winning season.
As for the Browns, Big Show might get you there someday…
you cant be the “new” favorites when you are already the existing favorites. Plain and simple. A big F/U to the other AFC North towns who think they got game. Bring it.
No such team as the bungles…aholes.
Please, Hardesty is going to run right over Ray Lewis making him so upset he and his buddies are going to get into a limo and murder another guy. He goes to prison, the defense falters and voila. The Bengals Bengal out, and the Steelers are freeeeeeeee, free faaaaaalin….welcome to the new AFC North ruled by the Browns baby! Just like god intended…if there was a god.
Keep discounting the Bengals everybody. Who-dey comes in under the radar again and goes 6-0 in the Division. 4th ranked defense this year.
Come on Pittsburgh, keep screwing up and Ravens cont. to suck on offense.
Who-dey!!!!
The Bengals fans who are pounding their chests are kind of funny. Joe Flacco in his first two years in the NFL has more playoff wins that Carson Palmer in his first half dozen. Yes the Bengals beat the Ravens twice last year and yes Carson seems to have our number, but until you start winning playoff games you should tread lightly. The only teams in the AFC North that have any right to talk are the Steelers and the Ravens. The Piggsburg/Bmore rivalry is the best in the NFL. I know that the Clown fans think that theirs with the Squealers is better, but lets be honest – you need to win a few of the games once in awhile to be considered a rival.
Personally I think we have a great division. The Steelers are never down for more than a year. Marvin has the Bengals playing well, but it will be interesting to see if he can do it for two years in a row. Harbaugh was in the playoffs in his first two years as a head coach. And then there is Cleveland. Well…. every division needs its doormat and the Browns are the doormat of the AFC North.
Look forward to the year. Really look forward to paying back the Bengals for two losses last year. I think the Wizard of Oz really helped our team by shoring up our defense. Kindle will have 10 sacks this year and Suggs if he gets his fat ass back into shape will have at least a dozen. Cody and Ngata will let NO ONE run on us. The real question is the secondary. But if you get pressure on the QB it makes your secondary better. Flacco will progress in his 3rd year and having a sure handed Boldin to go along with Mason will put him over 20TD and 4000 yards guaranteed. We have a really tough schedule especially in the first 5 games. We go 3-2 in the first 5 and we will win our division.
Just one man’s humble opinion.
@GoBrowns19 ….
Oh, honey, bless your heart. No faith to comfort you after all those years spent bearing the burden of the bitterly bad Browns? And now you’ve drafted young Cart … I mean, Colt. It will be the first time the NFL has issued a poster of a player photographed from the back–to depict him running from oncoming pass rushes. But until he matures, you have Jake. I like Jake. Jake likes opposing defenses. He’s always throwing them the ball.
Oh yeah, this should be your year
Rosenthal is right, and it’s probably not even going to be close. Adding Boldin and Stallworth, TE depth, retaining bookend TEs and RB depth. Plus watch Ray Rice as MVP this season with 2000+ total yards.
Bengals played over their heads early last season, then faded. Steelers are imploding and Browns are wallowing in perpetual rebuilding:
Ravens 13-3
Bengals 10-6
Steelers 6-10
Browns 6-10
@GoBrowns19
This is what happens when people try to run over Ray Lewis:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXdKh9QOjDk
On a side note, do you people that still make Ray Lewis murder jokes actually think you are clever or are you all so mentaly challenged that you cannot come up with something new 10 years later?
If that isn’t a jinx, I don’t know what is.
Ravens fans, just roll with it. What else can we do?
(Ahem)
“That’s right, that’s right. We bad! We ain’t gonna take no sheeeeit!”
See y’all in the fall.
as soon as some clown said the Browns would finish in 2nd ahead of pitt and balt I stopped reading and realized what morons post on here.
Who exactly are the browns going to get in a “shoot out” with, with Delhomme their QB and every single WR pretty much average to below average?
I gotta hear this.
Pittsburgh can trot out Dennis Dixon and their offense would still be better than Cleveland’s.
Bengals won’t sweep the division next year, more than likely 4-2. Ravens will go 4-2 as well. Cleveland? 1-5 at best. Pitt is the unknown right now, so I’m saying 3-3.
The thing about the Bengals is… who is going to score on them this year? I mean.. that D is legit…. and mostly very young.
Steeltown….nicely said!!!! No one is counting out the steelers!! While I think Dixon is a good QB dont count out Byron from starting. The guy looked good for you guys the last time he played!!!
Like I always say…AFC Championship game…Ravens vs. Steeler…this tims in Bmore!! There is no better game in the NFL when these 2 teams get together!!
Go Ravens!!
And based on the “extrapolation theory” used here – Ravens have won two playoff games so that must mean they will now win the division – we are here to announce the stock market is going to infinity, your newborn will grow to 100 feet tall, the Canadian dollar will soon be worth a gazillion dollars to every US dollar and Tiger Woods will bed every woman in the world, including Dez Bryant’s mom.
Well, there is a reason they play the games. Looking good on paper is one thing. Getting it done on the field is another.
at least Joe Flacco won 3 playoffs games in his first two years compared to carson’s… wait a minute…
Bungles are due for another 8-8 year, a Marvin specialty. The playoff drought continues…six wins in the division meant a whole lot of nothing last year.
All you Cincinnati fans want to do is hold on to the fact that you swept the Ravens last year. Congrats, but BIG WHOOP. You won the division and still couldn’t win a playoff game. The Ravens limped into the playoffs and still pulled off a win.
The reason the Ravens are favored, out of the North, is because they know how to win in January.
Do we really need to discuss the playoff history of the Bengals?
BigDeuce says:
April 27, 2010 2:39 PM
Yeah that’s rite I hope all yall read this out there and we’re not done make’n moves yet ! I’m love’n PFT rite now “run wit us or run from us or get ran the F**k over” Go Ravens ! The we I see it is if we beat the Jets game 1 n I think we will their best weapon will be out at WR and they got a young pups at RB LT is done for real he need to run wit two knee brace’s on how he gonna do that? Lol and big ben will be out when we play them wk 4 n their best weapon plays for the jets ! We beat those two teams then mayb I can it mo better ! AFC North is ours for the take’n nxt stop the top of the world Ma ! We made it!
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This guy doesn’t represent all Ravens fans… He is pretty much one of the dumbest individuals in the world. You know besides all those idiot Steeler fans.
Ahhh you can always rely on PFT for the best Steelers hate in the world. It’s going to make this season so much sweeter, all the trials we’ve gone through in the off-season this year.
Ben is only out 4 games. And our defense has had it’s holes shored up. Were only down, what, Holmes? OH MY GOD WE ARE FALLING APART!
One bad year does not a trend make.
In 2009
Steelers in every game they played in their division looked like they had no clue what to do on both sides of the ball. The only reason they beat Cleveland in their first meeting was because they had the help of Brady Quinn who seemed to have no intent on moving the chains which is a requirement to reach the endzone.
Bengals did not dominate anyone but just like in 08 did what they needed to do to just get by. Thats more than enough to win the AFC North with how the rest of the teams in the division were playing.
Ravens are the opposite of the Bengals, as the season goes so does the Ravens offense and defense. See the final scores of their division games at the beginning of the year and the end. They dominated in the beginning, they couldn’t beat the Steelers who couldn’t beat anyone else by the end of the season. They didn’t change enough to keep that from happening again.
Browns are the wildcard. Couldn’t get a win whether their starting QB played well or not but went undefeated when the QB was not allowed to pass at all so theoretically getting rid of the QB should have solved the problem and solidifying their defensive backfield should clinch it. Big Question becomes will they have a passing game. If they do, that team will be 2007 scary.