AFC North News and Rumors Roundup, 2/14 Edition

Pittsburgh Steelers: Will RB Rashard Mendenhall Miss the Entire 2012 Season?

Easily the top story around the AFC North today is the status of Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall, who tore his ACL in Week 17 of the 2011 season.

Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert spoke to the Pittsburgh media on Monday about Mendenhall and other players, and made it very clear that the fifth-year back will start the year on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list and is likely to not play at all in 2012.

Colbert said of Mendenhall's injury that he "never feel[s] good about an ACL until (after) a year," meaning that Mendenhall could be sidelined until Jan. 1, 2013, if he even plays at all.

That means the Steelers will have to count on their other backs, Isaac Redman, Jonathan Dwyer and John Clay, to carry the load next season, and it puts Mendenhall's future with his team in jeopardy.

Cleveland Browns: The Latest News About Free Agent RB Peyton Hillis

In Cleveland, the talk is primarily revolving around the future of Browns running back Peyton Hillis. Much about the Browns' draft plans will depend on what they decide to do with Hillis, an unrestricted free agent. But at this point, the news coming out of Cleveland is all speculation with little substance.

This indicates that the Browns are taking a hard look at Hillis and are still very much considering whether a long-term deal, the franchise tag or letting the Madden cover boy walk would be best for the team in 2012 and beyond.

The Sporting News' Steve Doerschuk doesn't think the team will try very hard to retain Hillis, with the prospect of drafting Alabama's Trent Richardson a far more appealing option. However, Doerschuk goes on to say, for the Canton Repository, that keeping him should be a priority.

Indeed, the back-and-forth on the issue that Doerschuk has exemplified in these two disparate articles serves to illustrate the underlying conflict that the Browns are likely mired in at the moment regarding Hillis' future in Cleveland.

With teams allowed to use the franchise tag on their free agents starting on Monday, things should start becoming ever more clear about Hillis' status with the Browns. But until then, it looks like speculation is the order of the day.

Cincinnati Bengals: Team Hires Mark Carrier to be Defensive Backs Coach

Just last week, rumors were swirling that the Cincinnati Bengals could be bringing in Rod Woodson, the former Steeler and Raven, to fill the vacant defensive backs-coach position. He held the same position last year with the Oakland Raiders, but became a casualty of the coaching purge that happened after the team hired new general manager Reggie McKenzie.

Instead, the team has gone with Mark Carrier, a former Chicago Bears cornerback, who most recently was the defensive line coach for the New York Jets and spent 2006-2009 as the defensive backs coach for the Baltimore Ravens.

Woodson was thought to be a top candidate for the position, having worked with head coach Marvin Lewis throughout his playing days and spending time as a coaching intern with the Bengals.

However, the Bengals went with Carrier, likely due to having far more coaching experience than Woodson. The Bengals planned to move slowly in filling the vacancy and in doing so, have found themselves a talented defensive backs coach—even if he doesn't have the same name recognition as Woodson.

Baltimore Ravens: Team Issuing Cease-and-Desist Orders to Websites Using the Word "Ravens" In the URL

The Baltimore Ravens have been cracking down on fan sites that use the word "Ravens" in the official name of the site.

This includes Ravens24x7.com, which has been around for nine years, and RavensGab.com, which has since changed its name to BaltimoreGridIronReport.com in response to the request received from the Ravens' public relations department. 

This is not a league-wide policy by any means; instead, it's a grab by the Ravens organization to have total control of its brand, even at the expense of its fans and the community they've legitimately built around these sites.

It's rather disconcerting that the Ravens think they need to protect themselves from their fanbase in such a manner and serves to highlight the disconnect that team management and ownership often has from their highly supportive—and paying—customers.

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