Buckle Your Chin Straps: An AFC North Preview

The AFC North produced the last two teams standing in last season's AFC playoffs. This year either Cincinnati or Cleveland will have to step up their game if they want to prevent this from being another two-horse race.

When the teams in this division meet, there is no shortage of big hits and heated words. The AFC North has some of the biggest rivalries in the entire league; a lot of this has to do with the teams close proximity to each other.

You will not find another division that has their teams and fan bases so close together. This truly makes for a one of a kind atmosphere at every game. There will fans from both sides filling in to the stadium and tailgating, and there will be no shortage of trash talk.

There are some intriguing story lines within the division this season.

Who will be the Browns starting quarterback? Will Joe Flacco suffer a sophomore slump for Baltimore? How will Carson Palmer follow up an injury plagued season? And quite possibly the biggest and most relevant question league-wide, how will the Steelers follow up their Super Bowl season?

Cleveland was a colossal disappointment last season. Many experts and fans alike had them as the trendy up and coming team on the NFL landscape. It didn't take long for everyone to realize that perhaps this was a few seasons premature.

They really never had any stability at the quarterback position and with a new regime both Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson could be seeing their time in Cleveland coming to an end.

In Cincinnati, they never really had a chance to get anything rolling; anytime that your franchise quarterback has an issue with his throwing arm, it is going to be a long season. The Bengals has the offensive talent and promising young stars like Keith Rivers, but they will need to pull everything together if they want to make an impact this season.

The two teams who produced epic battles game in and game out last season were the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Baltimore was lead by rookie sensation, Joe Flacco, and they really surprised people with the direction their team headed. Flacco has added much needed stability to the team and a strong arm quarterback, with accuracy and leadership, which Baltimore has really never had.

As for the Steelers, we all know how their season ended. Santonio Holmes did his toe tap in the corner of the endzone as Pittsburgh became the crème de la crème of NFL franchises, with their record six Lombardi Trophies.

Pittsburgh has a lot to live up to this season.

Let us take a closer look to each of the AFC North's teams:

Baltimore Ravens:

Offense: Baltimore has kept together the key members of their deep playoff run from last season. Quarterback Joe Flacco should improve even more this season and the running back combination of Willis McGahee, Ray Rice, and Le'Ron McClain should be key contributors again.

Their offensive line did lose center Jason Brown, but he will be replaced by perennial pro-bowler and former Minnesota Viking, Matt Birk.

Baltimore also adds first-round pick Michael Oher to the offensive line. Oher is an experienced player who has is brutal when it comes to run blocking and he has impressive footwork.

One big surprise was a move that was not made. Baltimore still lacks an explosive, go-to-guy at the receiver position. Derrick Mason will be their number one guy again. He was hampered by injuries last season and isn't getting any younger.

It looks like they have all of the pieces in play to return to the power running game this season and keep Joe Flacco in the game manager role.

Defense: This is the biggest concern for Baltimore. They not only lost Rex Ryan to the Jets, but also middle linebacker Bart Scott who brought a lot of attitude to the team.

Defensive end Marques Douglas and safety Jim Leonhard joined Scott in New York and Baltimore parted ways with long-time corner, Chris McAllister.

Middle linebacker now looks like a weak spot on this team. Outside of Ray Lewis it appears that second-year player Tavares Gooden will get the start. Gooden has the talent to be a key player, but I don't think Baltimore was expecting feeding him to the lions so soon in his career.

You can never count out a defense that has Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. While there are those new faces, expect the same attitude and hard hitting mentality that has made Baltimore the NFL force that it is.

Prediction: 10-6, 2nd in the AFC North

Cincinnati Bengals:

Offense: Losing TJ Houshmandzadeh may have been the biggest loss for the Bengals this offseason. Not only is Carson Palmer returning from a serious injury, but now he has to do so without one of his top weapons. Cincy did add Laveranues Coles to the wide receiving corp and as long as Chris Henry can steer clear of his troubled past, they will have a very respectable corp.

Cedric Benson was a pleasant surprise at running back. Not many people were knowing what to expect after his disappointing stint in Chicago, but he really showed up when the Bengals needed him. He proved that he can be a workhorse and feature back in this league.

In order to keep Palmer healthy, a lot will rest on the young offensive line. First-round pick Andre Smith will need to show that he is dedicated to the game and Anthony Collins has continually improve.

One of the biggest additions Cincinnati made this offseason may have been drafting Chase Coffman from Missouri. He is the receiving threat that they have long needed at the tight end position and he should be able to beat out free-agent bust, Ben Utecht.

Overall, the talent is there. It is just up to the coaching staff to keep this unit rolling and put up points to help with their defense.

Defense: The Bengals got excellent value with their second and third round picks in this years draft when they signed linebacker Rey Maualuga and defensive end Michael Johnson.

Maualuga was a projected first-rounder. He dropped due to concerns of his coverage ability, but expect the coaching staff to come up with a way to hide his weakness.

Maualuga is a huge hitter and a powerful force that will be welcomed in the middle of that defense.

Michael Johnson is a physical freak with unlimited potential. He was being considered by the Buccaneers with their first-round pick, but after they passed he fell to the third round.

Johnson is one of the best natural pass rushers from this class. He needs to bulk up and become a more consistent force. If he does those things, Johnson will be a superstar in this league.

These two rookies will be key members of a young and improving defense. Keith Rivers was on his way to being Defensive Rookie of the Year, until his broken jaw and the Bengals have two young, impressive corners.

I expect this defense to really come on and surprise people this season.

Prediction: 7-9, 3rd in the AFC North

Cleveland Browns:

Offense: Cleveland has the farthest to go out of any AFC North team. They have no clear starter at quarterback and that is only where their troubles begin.

Braylon Edwards wants out of town and Donte' Stallworth is facing serious legal issues.

If Edwards gets traded nad Stallworth misses significant time, that would leave the Browns with a stable of unproven receivers, Mike Furrey, and Josh Cribbs. Cribbs is an electrifying return man and a spark to the offense. He just isn't effective as a pure receiver.

Whatever quarterback gets the starting nod, whether it be Quinn, Anderson, or long-shot Brett Ratliff, will have a rough going this season. All are relatively unproven. Pair that with an inexperienced receivng corp and no real threat at tight end, after trading Kellen Winslow, and Cleveland could be in for a rough offensive season.

Give the Browns credit though. They made some offseason additions to their offensive line and got a great player in the first round, center/guard combo Alex Mack.

Defense: One of the brighter spots on Cleveland's roster would have to be the defensive line. Shaun Rogers had a solid first season in Cleveland, and as long as they can keep him motivated he will continue to be a strong anchor.

New head coach, Eric Mangini, has also brought a handful of his former Jets' players to the team. Defensive end Kenyon Coleman, safety Abram Elam, linebackers Eric Barton and David Bowens, along with corner Hank Poteat.

D'Qwell Jackson is a tackling machine at middle linebacker and paired with new teammate Eric Barton the two could be an impressive duo.

A position the Browns failed to effectively address was outside linebacker. Kamerion Wimbley hasn't been the most devastating pass-rusher and across from him David Bowens is slated as the starter.

This was a great year to pick up a 3-4 pass rusher, but Cleveland failed to do so. They did draft Hawaii's David Veikune in the second round, unfortunately that was a huge reach.

Mangini has added players who are familiar with his system, so the unit should be okay. It just won't stack up to the division's elite.

Prediction: 5-11, 4th in the AFC North

Pittsburgh Steelers:

Offense: The Steelers offense will once again depend on the play of their offensive line. Fortunately for the Steelers, they have a quarterback who does not need top notch protection, but you cannot have him constantly running for his life.

The team has a strong group of running backs returning. Willie Parker looked great when he came back from his injury at the end of last season and Mewelde Moore was a pleasant surprise to all fans.

On top of Parker and Moore, the Steelers will hope to have last year's first-round pick, Rashard Mendenhall come in healthy and contribute.

The biggest loss for the offense was speedster Nate Washington. Washington brought the ability to stretch the field from the slot and now it will be up to Limas Sweed to fill in.

Sweed didn't have the best rookie season, but he has the talent to develop into a productive receiver. Sweed needs to bring his A-game though, because he will be facing stiff competition from rookie Mike Wallace and newly signed veteran, Shaun McDonald.

The offense shouldn't lose a step from last season's form. Expect them to come at you again with a strong running game and spectacular play by one of the NFL's elite, Ben Roethlisberger.

Defense: The heart and soul of Pittsburgh is Dick LeBeau and the Steelers' defense. Last season's Defensive Player of the Year James Harrison will return with a new contract and he will look to improve upon his 16 sacks from last season.

Harrison's return will do wonders for up-and-coming star LaMarr Woodley. Woodley recorded 11.5 sacks last season and he is only getting better.

Pittsburgh suffered minor losses on the defensive unit. Inside linebacker Larry Foote was recently cut, but he was slowly losing playing time to Lawrence Timmons who was poised to win the starting job even if Foote returned.

The biggest loss would be cornerback Bryant McFadden. His shoes will likely be filled by a favorite of the coaching staff, William Gay. The Steelers' secondary has a physical attitude thanks to All-Pro safety Troy Polamalu. Expect this season to be no different.

During the draft the Steelers added quality depth with defensive lineman Ziggy Hood and cornerbacks Keenan Lewis and Joe Burnett. None of these players will be expected to immediately contribute.

The Steelers defense remains intact and they will be feeding off of last year's momentum. I would be surprised if big things were not achieved from this unit once again.

Prediction: 12-4, 1st in the AFC North