What Does Each AFC North QB Need in the 2012 Offseason?

Every team in the AFC North has needs that they are going to try to meet in the offseason, most of which revolve around fielding, or continuing to field, a winning squad.

Much of that has to do with the teams' respective quarterbacks.

With quarterbacks receiving both the majority of the blame for losses and the majority of the credit for wins, meeting their needs is generally of the utmost importance when teams embark upon their offseason evaluations and rethinks.

With that in mind, here's what each AFC North quarterback needs to happen in the offseason in order to have success next season:

Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens

What Joe Flacco needs more than anything is consistency. The Baltimore Ravens have managed to make the playoffs each year he has been their starter, but he hasn't played a terribly large part in their overall success.

Flacco has shown flashes of the quarterback he could be throughout his career, and 2011 was no different. His 306-yard performance against the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game was certainly impressive and nearly netted the Ravens a Super Bowl appearance.

However, if the Ravens are going to remain competitive in the AFC North, let alone the AFC as a whole, Flacco will have to look a lot more like the guy who came close to besting the Patriots and not the guy who completed fewer than 60 percent of his passes in nine games last season.

That can happen a few ways.

One is that he needs to get in a good deal of offseason work with his receivers, especially the soon-to-be second year players Torrey Smith and Tandon Doss, as well as tight ends Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta.

He'll also need more time with Lee Evans, who spent seven games sidelined with injury in 2011 (if he sticks around, that is).

He also simply needs more talent around him at the receiver position. Whether the Ravens achieve this via free agency or the draft doesn't matter; what matters is that the team brings on players who will complement Flacco's playing style.

Neither the Ravens nor Flacco can afford to have running back Ray Rice be the team's leading receiver for yet another year.

With Cam Cameron as offensive coordinator, the Ravens have shifted to a more pass-oriented offense that is meant to showcase Flacco's arm.

He needs to fully embrace the new responsibilities assigned to him and have a breakout year in 2012 in order to silence critics and prove that he's no longer the AFC North's equivalent to Mark Sanchez.

Colt McCoy, Cleveland Browns

What doesn't Colt McCoy need? He needs a bigger, more accurate arm, better receiving targets and a stronger defense that doesn't have to lean so heavily on him to win games. He needs a reliable tandem of running backs and a coaching staff that is unequivocally all-in on him as their starter.

Alas, McCoy doesn't have any of these things at the moment. What he needs more than anything this offseason is patience and a strong work ethic.

It's almost a foregone conclusion that the Browns will be looking either to a veteran free agent quarterback or a rookie in the draft to compete with or replace McCoy as starter.

If it's competition that the Browns decide is best, then McCoy needs to spend a lot of time this offseason working to improve his mechanics and ability to read defenses, because as a 2010 third-round pick he'll likely be the underdog headed into camp.

If the team decides to go in an entirely new direction at quarterback, then McCoy needs to embrace his role as a backup, hope to catch another team's eye in 2013 and again, continue to work on his game every chance he's given.

McCoy is in a tough position in the highly competitive AFC North division. Whatever happens with the quarterback situation in the offseason, McCoy has to understand that all decisions are being made with the team's best interests in mind and not just his.

He hasn't earned that privilege, though he still has a chance to—he'll just have to make some serious strides fairly quickly.

Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals

After the rookie season Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton has had, the main thing he needs to do this offseason is refrain from resting on his laurels.

He had a stellar first year in the league and performed well beyond expectations, but he will have to continue working hard in the offseason if he wants to escape a potential sophomore slump.

Dalton will have to spend time in the offseason working with fellow second-year player, wide receiver A.J. Green. Something tells me that won't be a problem—the two developed unheard-of chemistry in a short period of time headed into their rookie seasons, and should only get better as a duo with time.

Dalton needs stronger support in the run game, but that's something the Bengals can easily shore up between free agency and the draft. The Bengals have nine 2012 draft picks and the best salary cap situation of any team in the league. They could also use another receiver, whether it's a free agent or a draft pick.

With smart maneuvering, the Bengals could use the 2012 offseason to build themselves a team that can hang with—and defeat—even the highest level of competition for years to come.

Dalton has to continue being the player we saw him be in 2011 and then some, but that doesn't seem like too much to ask from a player who may just be the division's best quarterback by the time next season is over.

Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers

Of all the quarterbacks in the AFC North, the Pittsburgh Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger hasn't been left wanting for receiving talent.

While top wideout Mike Wallace is an unrestricted free agent, the Steelers are working to clear up cap space to make him a long-term deal, and if unsuccessful, will likely give him the franchise tag.

What Roethlisberger needs, really, is to calm down. He was clearly upset about the team parting ways with offensive coordinator Bruce Arians, leading the quarterback to meet with owner and team president Art Rooney II after the Pro Bowl to discuss the direction of the team's offense and what he needs to do to improve.

The Steelers just hired former Kansas City Chiefs head coach Todd Haley, a man known for his fiery tirades directed at his offensive players, and quarterbacks aren't spared from these rants.

For Roethlisberger, this is a major change of pace, but one he will have to adapt to quickly lest the entire franchise's chances for success in 2012 be dashed.

Though the Steelers may feel like Roethlisberger's team, they're not—they belong to the Rooneys first and foremost and the coaching staff second.

While he's one of the most—if not the most—important player on the roster, he still needs to buy into the direction ownership and staff want to take the team, and lead his teammates by embracing those decisions.

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