The AFC North enters a new season with a lot of changes having hit the division, and some still taking place. Eric Mangini's now the man in Cleveland, while Rex Ryan is no longer calling the defense in Baltimore. Thankfully, there haven't been any assistants fired... yet.
Albert Haynesworth's gone. So are Kellen Winslow, TJ Houshmandzadeh, Bart Scott, Nate Washington, and Braylon Edwards. Oh, wait, Edwards is still in Cleveland. I'm sorry. He disappeared so much in the clutch last year I though he had been traded as well.
Anyways, as we head to Week One of the 2009 NFL season, let's take a look at the match-ups in the AFC North to better determine who to play, who to think twice about, and who to sit.
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Tennessee Titans - Thursday 8:30 pm EST
One of these teams had the best regular season record in football last year. The other won the Super Bowl. Go figure. The Steelers get to take the annual victory lap on Thursday night in front of a nation desperate for football to relax their souls, and they get to do it against a Titans team that's out to prove last year wasn't a fluke.
The Steelers have some injury concerns at linebacker, while the Titans get to see exactly how much Haynesworth was worth against a team determined to run the ball. This game might leave fans bruised for a few days.
Who to Play – Definite:
Willie Parker, RB, PIT
Who to Play – Maybe:
Chris Johnson, RB, TEN
LenDale White, RB, TEN
Heath Miller, TE, PIT
Rashard Mendenhall, RB, PIT
Santonio Holmes, WR, PIT
Who to Avoid:
Ben Roethlisberger, QB, PIT
Kerry Collins, QB, TEN
SLEEPER ALERT: Nate Washington, WR, TEN
Minnesota Vikings @ Cleveland Browns – Sunday 1:00 PM EST
Talk about an ideal situation for a team to put a tumultuous offseason behind them. The Vikings, with Brett Favre under center for real this time, get to invade Cleveland. Of course Browns coach Eric Mangini is refusing to name his starting quarterback until closer to game time, but thanks to Terrell Owens and the Cleveland media (with a little help from Captain Obvious), it appears Brady Quinn will be the man for the Browns.
Quarterback isn’t the only position in question for the Browns, though. Jamal Lewis failed to clearly identify himself as the top running back, and could lose carries to rookie James Davis. The Browns are also in search of consistency from their receivers as well, with Braylon Edwards coming off a miserable season. With Kellen Winslow now in Tampa, there will be even more emphasis on Edwards and Joshua Cribbs contributing.
The Browns also had defensive issues last year. They were in the middle of the NFL in points allowed per game last year (21.9), but allowed a ridiculous 151.9 rushing yards per game.
On the other side of the ball, the Vikins are almost the same across the board from last year with two significant exceptions: Favre and rookie Percy Harvin. If Mangini hasn’t cleaned up the run defense, and Minnesota’s elite run defense shuts down the backs the Browns bring to the table, Quinn could have more pressure on him than he might want for the first week of the season.
Who to Play – Definite:
Adrian Peterson, RB, MIN
Josh Cribbs, WR, CLE
Who to Play – Maybe:
Bernard Berrian, WR, MIN
Brett Favre, QB, MIN
Visanthe Shiancoe, TE, MIN
Who to Avoid:
Brady Quinn, QB, CLE
Jamal Lewis/James Davis, RB, CLE
SLEEPER ALERT: Percy Harvin, WR, MIN
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Denver Broncos - Sunday 1:00 pm EST
How has "Hard Knocks" treated the Bengals? How will they adjust to formally recognizing Chad Ochocinco by his quasi-spanglish numerical last name? Can Cedric Benson carry the load for an entire season?
Those are some loaded questions for any team to answer. But, then again, they're playing a team that's asking questions like "Who's our quarterback?" and "Has our head coach started/finished puberty yet?" My personal favorite is "Which All Pro are we trading/punishing this week?"
While the Bengals have a lot of talent considering their recent track record of mediocrity, the Broncos come to Cincy with a lot more baggage than Southwest will let them check at the gate. Josh McDaniels ran Jay Cutler out of town, and his replacement, Kyle Orton, has a dislocated knuckle on his throwing hand. Meanwhile, their best receiver, Brandon Marshall, is acting as old as McDaniels looks, and they still have little answers for a running game.
This could get messy in a hurry.
Who to Play – Definite:
Carson Palmer, QB, CIN
Cedric Benson, RB, CIN
Chad Ochocinco, WR, CIN
Who to Play – Maybe:
Knowshon Moreno, RB, DEN
Tony Scheffler, TE, DEN
Laveranues Coles, WR, CIN
Who to Avoid:
Kyle Orton, QB, DEN
SLEEPER ALERT: Chris Henry, WR, CIN
SLEEPER SPECIAL: Correll Buckhalter, RB, DEN
Baltimore Ravens vs. Kansas City Chiefs - 1:00 pm EST
Rex Ryan left, and took Bart Scott with him. But he left Ed Reed and Ray Lewis behind.
Meanwhile, Kansas City comes in with a new head coach, no offensive coordinator, a new quarterback who's already hurt, a running back that's been down for a few years, a questionable receiving corps around Dwayne Bowe, and a defense that hasn't stopped a pop warner team in a year and a half.
This might be a recipe for disaster for the Chiefs.
The Ravens, meanwhile, have some questionable plays of their own. Derrick Mason retired after Steve McNair's tragic death but has come back. Joe Flacco looks to improve on his stellar, albeit statistically unimpressive, rookie season with a stable of running backs. Ray Rice will get the lead, but Willis McGahee figures to get plenty of action. The fact that the Ravens have lots of average weapons and such an incredible defense might make this a 21-0 victory with two or three defensive touchdowns.
Who to Play – Definite:
Who to Play – Maybe:
Joe Flacco, QB, BAL
Ray Rice, RB, BAL
Who to Avoid:
SLEEPER: Todd Heap, TE, BAL
