Derrick Mason was the lone bright spot for the Ravens' passing attack last year, catching 103 passes, but at 34-years old, there might not be much left in the tank. It doesn’t help that no one beyond him creates much of any threat to a defense.
Willis McGahee should get the bulk of the work for this offense in 2008. Coming off a 1,207-yard season in 15 games, the former Miami Hurricane standout will have to shoulder the load while the quarterbacks figure out their lives.
It won’t help losing Hall of Fame tackle Johnathan Ogden on the left side, or starting two second-year players Marshall Yanda and Benn Grubbs on the right side.
Suffice to say, if Cam Cameron can get this offense to score points, he deserves another head-coaching job as soon as possible.
Defense: The backbone of this Baltimore team has been its defense. It won them a Super Bowl and almost allowed them to steal a game from the Patriots last season.
However, corners Chris McAllister and Samari Rolle are both on the wrong side of 30, and Rolle in particular appears to be slowing considerably. Beyond those two, pickings are slim at corner.
Luckily, the Ravens still have Ed Reed, Terrell Suggs, Ray Lewis, and Bart Scott. If you can find three linebackers and a safety that creates more havoc in both the running and passing game, let me know. Ed Reed is the best safety in football, while Scott and Suggs represent an elite rush tandem. Plus, Ray Lewis, even at 33, is still Ray Lewis.
While this defense hasn’t gotten any better, it certainly shouldn’t get much worse. That will mean, once again, that the defense must carry the Ravens if they expect to win.
Overall: The schedule is absolutely brutal for the Ravens, with trips to Indy, the Giants, and Dallas, as well as visits from Jacksonville, Philadelphia, Washington, and Tennessee. That does not even take into account the six games against Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Cincy.
Sorry Baltimore fans, things may be more to your liking on the sidelines and in the press box with the coaching staff, but the team on the field is worse in 2008. Even if Cameron can work miracles, this will still be a 4-12 team.
Steelers (2007 Record: 10-6)
Offense: Big Ben’s bounce-back season turned the Steeler’s identity from a smash-mouth running team into somewhat of a finesse, pass-first offense. The guy was unbelievable, with 32 touchdowns to just 11 interceptions, and a passing rating of 104.1.
The quarterback was not the problem last season for Pittsburgh and does not appear to be an imminent concern this season either. The offensive line averages just under two years of starting experience per player, with starters Darnell Stapleton and Chris Kemoeatu having exactly zero full seasons as starters.
That does not bode well for a team that often struggled to protect Ben Roethlisberger on passing downs last seasons, even with Pro Bowler Alan Faneca at guard. With Faneca playing for the Jets, don't expect it to improve.
A healthy Willie Parker and an explosive Rashard Mendenhall give the Steelers one of the best one-two punches in the backfields in football. Hopefully they can relieve some of the pressure on the young offensive line.
Developing offensive linemen tend to learn pass-blocking techniques slowly, so expect to see a little more Steelers smash-mouth from this offense as their line comes together.
Defense: Perhaps the biggest surprise for the Steelers in 2007 was the relatively poor play Pittsburgh's defense when it counted.
While a 9.2 point per game average hardly looks underwhelming, the fact of the matter is that the Steelers gave up 20 or more points in each of their last four games and were absolutely obliterated by the Jags' running game.
Words like “soft” and “finesse” are not part of the vocabulary in Steelertown, but they were being whispered about this team late last year after the Patriots gave them an old-fashioned butt-kicking at Heinz Field.
The basic issue is the secondary.
Ike Taylor and Deshea Townsend are physical corners that can jam receivers and support the run. Troy Polamalu plays safety like a linebacker, but no one will accuse him of being Ed Reed as a ball-hawking safety.
The Steelers' defense relies on their outstanding pass-rush to force quarterbacks into bad decisions. Blitz the linebackers, jam receivers, and stunt the defensive line to throw off the timing and rhythm, and Peyton Manning is having nightmares already.
However, the Patriots showed that if you take your time, pass on running downs, run on passing downs, and any other down you can, this defense is made to get after the quarterback, not stop the run or protect deep. Teams that can do both will continue to give the Steelers problems, even with an outstanding draft class and talented players.
Overall: Young head coach Mike Tomlin didn’t make too many rookie mistakes last season, as he lead the Steelers to the playoffs. However, the division has gotten better, and the AFC remains extremely competitive. Another 10-6 season and division crown look like excellent possibilities.
I have the Steelers as the division winner and the Browns as the Wild Card, with the same record, but by virtue of the Steelers' superior projected record against like opponents. With a split of the head-to-head games, and the same record against the division, common-game Win/Loss differential would be the tiebreaker.
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