AFC North predictions

[BUNSofSTEEL08]

That line last year was middle of the road in run blocking and only had 9 rushing TDs while giving up the second most sacks in the NFL. Do you think replacing Colon with an over the hill Adams is going to help that. Also, while I think Pouncey will be good, using a rookie at center is not a recipe for success either.

Alex mack was Pretty dang good.... And Steelers are a Pass 1st Team so 9 Rushing TDs not out of line.

[BUNSofSTEEL08]

QUOTE (dawgpound3 @ Aug 18 2010, 02:27 PM)

Good point, pizzadeliveryguy but did ever notice that once the Steelers' players leave for a another team, they are not as good... Hmm, I wonder why.... Dick Lebeau certainly has something to do with it.

 

Part of That is The Steelers aint willing to Pay a Guy Market Values IF he is seen as on the Slide by them. Other than Foote who left to Go Home....( and seen his Starting slot was gone) and Randel El who was paid an INSANE amount of money for what he is by the Skins ... seldom do Steelers allow player with a lot to offer go. Its not ALL Coaching. TALENT wins in the NFL... Cowherd say that all the time and the NFL Gurus he has on Agree with him on that point.

[The Gipper]

Pitt and Cinncy could well Switch places. A decent start by Leftwich could result in 10 wins... as Could a decent start by Jake D . and Carson and his Pre-Madonna Receivers. I really see the Division as being pretty Wide open.. The RATS are in the best shape to start off however.

 

A "Pre-Madonna"? Would that be like Debbie Harry and Blondie? Or, more like Suzie Quatro?

[BUNSofSTEEL08]

A "Pre-Madonna"? Would that be like Debbie Harry and Blondie? Or, more like Suzie Quatro?

Not quite sure Professor. ( prima donna ) While I have heard it for yrs...never seen It spelled out. Dang another F ... on my English Test.

[The Gipper]

QUOTE (dawgpound3 @ Aug 18 2010, 02:27 PM)

Good point, pizzadeliveryguy but did ever notice that once the Steelers' players leave for a another team, they are not as good... Hmm, I wonder why.... Dick Lebeau certainly has something to do with it.

 

Part of That is The Steelers aint willing to Pay a Guy Market Values IF he is seen as on the Slide by them. Other than Foote who left to Go Home....( and seen his Starting slot was gone) and Randel El who was paid an INSANE amount of money for what he is by the Skins ... seldom do Steelers allow player with a lot to offer go. Its not ALL Coaching. TALENT wins in the NFL... Cowherd say that all the time and the NFL Gurus he has on Agree with him on that point.

 

Yes, but history does not necessarily agree with that. If say, all those guys from the 70s Steelers had been disbursed around to other teams do you think they would have all been Hall of Famers? Or just maybe pretty good players? I contend that if Jerry Sherk had been on the Steelers and coached by Noll and Bud Carson HE may have been the Hall of Famer, and if Joe Greene had been here he would have been considered just a good player.

It is the superior coaching that has defined the NFL for 80 years and beyond from Curly Lambeau to George Halas to Paul Brown to Vince Lombardi to Chuck Noll to Tom Landry to Don Shula to Bill Walsh to Bill Parcells to Bill Belichick. You need good talent yes, but like I say...you put Jerry Sherk and Randy Gradishar and Jack Tatum on the 70s Steelers instead of Greene and Lambert and Shell, and you might have actually had a better more talented team!

But, the former Steelers are in the HOF and the others are not....all because overall they played with better coaching.

The 49ers dynasty was built on 3 great players, Montana/Rice/Lott. The coaching system of Walsh got them a lot further than the talent. Who are the "great" players of the Patriots dynasty? Brady, yes. But anyone else, really? (Moss did not play on any of the 3 SB winning Pat teams). Belichick's coaching definitely was the key.

[The Gipper]

Not quite sure Professor. ( prima donna ) While I have heard it for yrs...never seen It spelled out. Dang another F ... on my English Test.

 

 

We'll elevate you to a C- for providing good comic relief. So, here is your reward. A littl Suzi:

 

[BUNSofSTEEL08]

Yes, but history does not necessarily agree with that. If say, all those guys from the 70s Steelers had been disbursed around to other teams do you think they would have all been Hall of Famers? Or just maybe pretty good players? I contend that if Jerry Sherk had been on the Steelers and coached by Noll and Bud Carson HE may have been the Hall of Famer, and if Joe Greene had been here he would have been considered just a good player.

It is the superior coaching that has defined the NFL for 80 years and beyond from Curly Lambeau to George Halas to Paul Brown to Vince Lombardi to Chuck Noll to Tom Landry to Don Shula to Bill Walsh to Bill Parcells to Bill Belichick. You need good talent yes, but like I say...you put Jerry Sherk and Randy Gradishar and Jack Tatum on the 70s Steelers instead of Greene and Lambert and Shell, and you might have actually had a better more talented team!

But, the former Steelers are in the HOF and the others are not....all because overall they played with better coaching.

The 49ers dynasty was built on 3 great players, Montana/Rice/Lott. The coaching system of Walsh got them a lot further than the talent. Who are the "great" players of the Patriots dynasty? Brady, yes. But anyone else, really? (Moss did not play on any of the 3 SB winning Pat teams). Belichick's coaching definitely was the key

.

Hmmmm.... I see what your saying. But dont you think Hall of fame players in general ...not ALL.... but many have received the benefit of the Doubt because of being Good on Great teams. And on the Flip side would Jim Brown have been Less of a Player on a Sorry team ? Great Talent is gonna Shine... but you could have a Point on Sherk , though Greene I think was on another level sort of like Brown .

[BUNSofSTEEL08]

We'll elevate you to a C- for providing good comic relief. So, here is your reward. A littl Suzi:

 

LOL Where is the Fonz ??? was it Leather Tuscadero ? or Pinkie ?

[ITHIKA]

The number of wins on the Steeler balance sheet could depend on how well they do without BR and the number of games he's actually out. A swing of one or two games could make a big difference in how their season turns out.

 

I agree and its well known Leftwich is one of the slowest and lead footed QB's to ever play. Behind that awful line its gonna be hell for him to try to pass the ball to a WR corp that isnt very good as well. Shittsburgh better learn how to run the football again or it will be a long season. Their top 5 defense also wont be as productive because they will be on the field most of the game! Im giving them 6 wins this year..

[pizzadeliveryguy]

Alex mack was Pretty dang good....

Exception, not the rule.

[pizzadeliveryguy]

I agree and its well known Leftwich is one of the slowest and lead footed QB's to ever play. Behind that awful line its gonna be hell for him to try to pass the ball to a WR corp that isnt very good as well. Shittsburgh better learn how to run the football again or it will be a long season. Their top 5 defense also wont be as productive because they will be on the field most of the game! Im giving them 6 wins this year..

Since when is Ward, Wallace, Randel El, Miller not very good?

[The Gipper]

Hmmmm.... I see what your saying. But dont you think Hall of fame players in general ...not ALL.... but many have received the benefit of the Doubt because of being Good on Great teams. And on the Flip side would Jim Brown have been Less of a Player on a Sorry team ? Great Talent is gonna Shine... but you could have a Point on Sherk , though Greene I think was on another level sort of like Brown .

 

 

Oddly, the teams Jim Brown was on were not all that good necessarily. In fact, I think except for his last two years, '64 and '65 the Browns did not see postseason play. Of course that was when only two teams did see postseason play.

 

On Sherk, perhaps you are right. Maybe a better comparison would be between and say Bob Lilley or Randy White.

[The Gipper]

LOL Where is the Fonz ??? was it Leather Tuscadero ? or Pinkie ?

 

That's right. I forgot about that. I think she was Pinkie Tusdadero...in leather. She looked good in leather.

[BUNSofSTEEL08]

That's right. I forgot about that. I think she was Pinkie Tusdadero...in leather. She looked good in leather.

yes she did

[BUNSofSTEEL08]

Heres a Rock N Roll NFL Story for ya all.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpY4k0yT0qo&feature=related

[pizzadeliveryguy]

1. Baltimore 11-5

I think they are the class of the division by far. The defense is a bit overrated these days but is still pretty good. The Offense has possibilities of being very scary. Flacco just keeps getting better, Rice is a stud, and they added two weapons at WR. I look for them to challenge for the SB.

 

2. Cincy 9-7

I'm not drinking the Bengal Kool-Aid. The defense is certainly good enough and the offense is getting a lot of press but until Palmer shows me a glimmer of what he once was, I'm not buying it. I just don't think he has the arm he used to.

 

3. Pittsburgh 7-9

4 games w/o Roethlisberger + counting on Flozell Adams is going to hurt. I don't think losing Holmes is going to be a huge drop but certainly hurts a bit. On the plus side, the defense should be rock solid with a healthy Polamalua.

 

4. Cleveland 6-10

I had a hard time finding more wins than this but I also see this as the floor for the Brown's season. I honestly think the can play with most teams if Delhomme isn't the turnover machine he was last year and the line can continue the road grader like performance that they ended the year with. The defense once again will be a weakness but it should be much improved over last year. I have high hopes but low expectations.

Update through two weeks.

 

Baltimore- The Offense isn't clicking like I thought they would but that should improve. Flacco is much better than what he has showed thus far.

 

Cincy- I think I have them pretty well pegged. Palmer is nothing more than a game manager at this point.

 

Pitt- I didn't figure they would be 2-0 at this point. The defense, as I suspected is championship caliber but gaining a net 127 yards definitely gives reasons for concern if you are a Steeler fan. It will be interesting to see how rusty Roethlisberger is when he gets back.

 

Cleveland- Not good. On the plus side, they were in position to win both games but that doesn't really mean much at this point. I do like the way the defense is playing but the offense is woefully in need of playmakers (thank you captain obvious).

 

Readjusted records...........

Baltimore 11-5

Pittsburgh 10-6

Cincinnati 8-8

Cleveland 4-12

 

[Vagitron]

Update through two weeks.

 

Baltimore- The Offense isn't clicking like I thought they would but that should improve. Flacco is much better than what he has showed thus far.

 

Cincy- I think I have them pretty well pegged. Palmer is nothing more than a game manager at this point.

 

Pitt- I didn't figure they would be 2-0 at this point. The defense, as I suspected is championship caliber but gaining a net 127 yards definitely gives reasons for concern if you are a Steeler fan. It will be interesting to see how rusty Roethlisberger is when he gets back.

 

Cleveland- Not good. On the plus side, they were in position to win both games but that doesn't really mean much at this point. I do like the way the defense is playing but the offense is woefully in need of playmakers (thank you captain obvious).

 

Readjusted records...........

Baltimore 11-5

Pittsburgh 10-6

Cincinnati 8-8

Cleveland 4-12

 

Flacco is suspect and has been suspect if you ask me. He finally has a load of offensive weapons and he can't put it together. He barely escaped the Jets and lost to the Bengals. I'm sorry but when you have a solid o-line, a very good RB and 3 pro bowl caliber receivers even if Housh is on the back end, PLUS Todd Heap what reason is there to throw 4 INT's? I'll tell you Flacco simply isn't as good as he was made out to be leading in to this season. He's still certainly good but he's not great, at least not yet. The Bengals aren't much different. Palmer once again can't get it done and even the defense is meh despite picking apart Flacco and his heinous performance.

 

As far as Pittsburgh is concerned I don't think anyone is worried about the offense as long as the defense continue to play ridiculous football. Tampa Bay is in for a rude awakening and Baltimore will be a coin flip. Now on to Ben. He's been training with a hired Coach throughout the suspension. I'm drawing blanks on his name but he's legit and has NFL quality receivers training with him. He returns on the bye week so he'll have 2 weeks to prepare for the Browns. I'll be shocked if he comes out Rusty. Our offensive woes last two more weeks. After that the sky is the limit. The Steelers will be damn hard to beat.

 

Either way very fair assessment. Although the Ravens aren't going to win 11 games and Pittsburgh will win more than 10. I honestly think it's Pittsburgh's turn to blank the division. The Ravens game without Ben is the real test but I think our defense and Leftwich will get us through with the "W".

[pizzadeliveryguy]

1. Baltimore 11-5

I think they are the class of the division by far. The defense is a bit overrated these days but is still pretty good. The Offense has possibilities of being very scary. Flacco just keeps getting better, Rice is a stud, and they added two weapons at WR. I look for them to challenge for the SB.

 

2. Cincy 9-7

I'm not drinking the Bengal Kool-Aid. The defense is certainly good enough and the offense is getting a lot of press but until Palmer shows me a glimmer of what he once was, I'm not buying it. I just don't think he has the arm he used to.

 

3. Pittsburgh 7-9

4 games w/o Roethlisberger + counting on Flozell Adams is going to hurt. I don't think losing Holmes is going to be a huge drop but certainly hurts a bit. On the plus side, the defense should be rock solid with a healthy Polamalua.

 

4. Cleveland 6-10

I had a hard time finding more wins than this but I also see this as the floor for the Brown's season. I honestly think the can play with most teams if Delhomme isn't the turnover machine he was last year and the line can continue the road grader like performance that they ended the year with. The defense once again will be a weakness but it should be much improved over last year. I have high hopes but low expectations.

Revisiting this thread.

 

1. Baltimore currently 11-4 Was dead on here. Flacco has been quietly one of the better QBs in the last 10 games and has this team right where they need to be.

 

2. Cincy 4-11 I had them pegged lower than most but it wasn't nearly low enough. Even with Palmer's great game today he has been pretty horrible for the year.

 

3. Pitt 11-4 They definitely have had all of the bounces their way this year. That being said good teams make their own luck and this team has proven me wrong . The defense with Polamalua is second to none. Even with the shoddy Oline, they have a chance at the SB due to the defense and Roethlisberger's play.

 

4. Cleveland 5-10 Couldn't have been more correct here.

[PurpleReign52]

Again, good call Browns fans. I'm not knocking you for being optimistic for your team but I just don't like all the unnecessary trash talk towards the other teams in the division. Especially Pittsburgh and Baltimore when, no offense, they are both so clearly better than your team. Thats a true statement even before the season.

[pizzadeliveryguy]

Again, good call Browns fans. I'm not knocking you for being optimistic for your team but I just don't like all the unnecessary trash talk towards the other teams in the division. Especially Pittsburgh and Baltimore when, no offense, they are both so clearly better than your team. Thats a true statement even before the season.

Reading is fundamental.