When is a broken leg ever a sign of good things to come? Late in the 2007 season, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Willie Parker ended his season after breaking his leg early in a 41-24 road win in St. Louis, a tragic end to a Pro-Bowl season. Because Parker was unable to play in Pittsburgh's playoff run, one that ended with a home loss to Jacksonville, the Steelers entered the 2008 NFL Draft with the 23rd overall selection. Pittsburgh drafted running back Rashard Mendenhall out of Illinoisto provide fresh legs and a power dynamic to its rushing attack. Mendenhall put on a show every Saturday for Champaign fans, rushing for 1,681 yards (an Illinois record) and 17 touchdowns in his 2007 campaign.

Pittsburghalso addressed another major offensive concern in the draft. Prior to the draft, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was rumored to have wished for a tall receiver to throw to in the red zone, rather than looking for five-foot, eleven-inch Santonio Holmes and six-foot Hines Ward. True or not, Pittsburghaddressed the request by selecting six-foot, four-inch Limas Sweed from the University of Texas in the second round of the draft. 

With a relatively young nucleus of offensive talent, Pittsburghcould light up any scoreboard on any given Sunday, which is good, considering the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals also have explosive offensive abilities. What neither team has, however, is a dominant defense. The Steelers ranked within the top-five in YPG (1st), passing yards allowed per-game (3rd) and rushing yards allowed per-game (3rd). With most of their 2007 starters returning for 2008, the Pittsburgh defensive attack could be dominant once again.

The defending AFC North champions will not coast through 2008. In addition to seeing Cleveland and Cincinnati twice, Pittsburgh has eight games against 2007 playoff teams, including consecutive games against the New York Giants, Washington Redskins, Indianapolis Colts, and San Diego Chargers before returning to divisional play with a home game against Cincinnati.

Here's how the rest of the division will play out.

2. Cleveland Browns

The Browns shocked the world last year by winning ten games and narrowly missing the playoffs. With every offensive skill player returning, look for the Browns to score a ton of points. Led by quarterback Derek Anderson (honestly, who would have said that a year ago?) and wide receiver Braylon Edwards, this team should have plenty of success in shootouts.

A major concern for Andersonis his trigger-happy nature and his knack for throwing interceptions-especially late in 2007 while the Browns fought for a playoff spot. This problem needs to go away, which will be seen early in the season as his maturation at the quarterback position reveals itself. That may be on hold as he recovers from a concussion suffered in Week Two of the preseason against the New York Giants. Maintaining Cleveland's offensive success in 2007 starts with and relies upon the play of Derek Anderson.

In trading for 350-pound defensive tackle Shaun Rogers and 320-pound defensive end Corey Williams, the Browns added size and a brick wall to their defensive line in hopes that they will aid a rush defense that ranked 27th in the NFL in 2007 in allowing 129.5 yards per game.

3. Cincinnati Bengals

This team once had one of the most feared offenses in the NFL. Led by Carson Palmer and Chad Johnson, the Bengals had a video-game style passing attack and a solid rushing attack led by the reliable Rudi Johnson. Behind Chad Johnson were TJ Houshmandzadeh and Chris Henry, two receivers that were to develop into stars.

Then something happened. Though Houshmandzadeh has become one of the league's best receivers (and most confusing name in the NFL to spell; H-O-U-S-H-M-A-N-D-Z-A-D-E-H), Henry was cut after multiple run-ins with the law. In 2007, Rudi Johnson played only 11 games after injury problems sidelined him. Palmer, despite throwing 26 touchdowns, threw 20 interceptions. And that once promising Bengals team finished 7-9 and missed the playoffs for the second straight year.

Such exasperation (and to him, apathy) led Chad Johnson to demand a trade, making himself the main spectacle of Bengals offseason news. Though it took extensive reconciliation, including a talk with division rival and friend Ray Lewis about just how valuable Johnson is to Cincinnati, he returned to Cincinnati only to fracture his shoulder during a preseason game. More recently, the Bengals gave Henry another chance and signed him to a one-year contract.

This offense finally has its skill players back, with the exception of Chad Johnson who is still recovering. With a deeper rushing attack which includes Henry Watson and Chris Perry, Cincinnati's offense could be back to form. But like Cleveland, its defense will have trouble stopping anybody. The Bengals did little to upgrade a defense that ranked near the bottom in every major statistical category, and it showed in 2007 losses to Kansas City, Chicago, and San Francisco, teams that ranked near the bottom in statistical offensive categories. Their biggest addition is linebacker Keith Rivers from USC, who should provide a Patrick Willis-like spark if he plays right away.

4. Baltimore Ravens

A new head coach and quarterback controversy seldom equal success. That is exactly where Baltimorefinds itself. After injuries to major skill components on both sides of the ball marred a team coming off a 2006 playoff appearence, Baltimore went 5-11 and fired head coach Brian Billick during the season. It then hired special teams coordinator John Harbaugh  as Billick’s replacement and drafted quarterback Joe Flacco in the first round of the 2008 Draft to usher in a new regime of Ravens football.

That new regime didn't end with Flacco. the Ravens also drafted running back Ray Rice and safety Tom Zbikowski (who could possibly give Houshmandzadeh a run for his money with his last name) to add depth and youth to their skill players. Rice is a small, quick runner who will tandem with Willis McGahee. Zbikowski, a former Notre Dame defensive captain, can make an impact on defense and special teams. During the Ravens Week 3 preseason loss in St. Louis, Zbikowski tipped a punt in the end zone that gave the Ravens favorable field position.

Despite indecision at quarterback (the current starter is former Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith, with Kyle Boller not far behind), the Ravens could find success if its defense can return to its 2006 form. That year it allowed 264.1 ypg, best in the league, and finished in the top-10 in passing yards allowed (188.2-6th) and rushing yards allowed (75.1-2nd), as well as allowing the fewest points in the NFL (201). The defense dropped off last year, allowing 38 points to Pittsburgh following its BYE week and handed the Miami Dolphins its first and only win in 2007. Three major components of the left side of the defense, corner Chris McAllister, linebacker Ray Lewis, and defensive end Trevor Pryce missed significant time in '07 and the success of the defense, and ultimately, the rest of the team, rests on their health.