NFL 2006-07 AFC North Division Prediction

The AFC North is the home of the World Champion Pittsburgh Steelers. Black and gold, terrible towels, best fans in football; that’s all you need to know. I grew up, and have live all my life in the Pittsburgh area. However, my favorite team is the 49’ers, although I always root for the Black and Gold (unless they are playing the Niners). Is this why I am picking the Steelers to win the division? No. I think they win because Carson Palmer may not be healthy. If Palmer never got injured last year, I would definitely be picking the Bengals to win the division, and possibly the Super Bowl. But he did get hurt, and he may not be the same player he was last season. In fact, he may not have the best season of all USC Heisman winning QB’s in the league this year. Kurt Warner hasn’t played an entire season since 2001, I believe. As for those other teams in the division…what other teams in the division?

WINNER – Pittsburgh Steelers. Defending champs always get the benefit of the doubt and the tiebreaker edge. This isn’t just a hometown pick. What the Steelers did last winter was nothing short of legendary. They had the greatest playoff run in the history of sports. Granted, Big Ben busted up his face, The Bus has left town for Canton, Randle El is Randle El-Gone, and Bill Cowher may not come back next year, but the Steelers are still going to win. They may not win the Super Bowl, but I wouldn’t bet against them. The Bengals may not be any good at all, the Colts tend to choke late, so it is a safe bet to put the Steelers back in the Super Bowl again. Plus, Big Ben is one tough S.O.B.; he’ll be just fine. In fact, just to prove his manliness, he may play against the Bengals without a helmet. (Side note – I have a good friend who lives near Seattle. During the Super Bowl, and in the weeks surrounding it, he said that people wearing Steelers jerseys outnumbered people wearing Seahawks jerseys by 3-1 in the Pacific Northwest. Greatest fans on all of sports.) Record 14-2

SECOND – Cincinnati Bengals. If it weren’t for Carson Palmer’s injury, I would have them as money to win it all. But he is hurt. He looks bad at practice; bad as in limping and looking like he is in pain. Once he is back to 100%, he will be the favorite. The team is solid. Chad Johnson is the greatest player, to watch, in the NFL, and he backs up his hotdog behavior by actually being one of the top 5 receivers in the game. Coach Lewis is one of the best around. He is what so many other coaches cannot or will not be, and that is a good person. The Bengals are a great team and one that deserves better than what befell Palmer. Here’s hoping they come back. Record 10-6

THIRD – Baltimore Ravens. Steve McNair? I don’t know, the jury is still out. Riddle me this, is there any team in the NFL who depends on one single player as much as the Ravens do with Ray Lewis? OK, the Falcons and Michael Vick, but that’s about it. The only difference is that Ray Lewis has nothing to prove to anybody. Unfortunately, the team only has one Ray Lewis. For the Ravens to win the division, they need another Ray at QB, one at RB, and 2 at WR, plus one with a foot to boot the points through the uprights. Not sure that that will happen anytime soon, so… Record 7-9

LAST – Cleveland Browns. Who’s their QB? Tim Couch, Brian Sipe? I don’t know what to say about the lowly Browns that hasn’t already been said. They stink, end of story. Record 4-12