The Pittsburgh Steelers made it all the way to the Super Bowl last season, but ultimately fell short of the title. The Steelers look to lead the AFC North again this season and earn another shot at the title.
Pittsburgh Steelers (2010 ATS 10-6)
Considering that the Pittsburgh Steelers made it to the Super Bowl, it's unlikely I need to spend a
lot of time recapping their season. It's pretty clear that Pittsburgh
needed to shut people down with their defense in order to give that offense a
chance. Their O-line was atrocious (losing Pouncey hurt a LOT) and they
couldn't sustain drives. When you play a team like Green Bay, deficiencies like
those will kill you every time.
What did get them to the Super Bowl was their dominance on the road and against
their division. Teams had a tough time rushing, passing, scoring, and
sustaining drives on them all year long. Also, Pittsburgh consistently won the
net yards per drive, turnover and sack battles. They added to that
arsenal by drafting another DE in the 1st round and addressed the O-line with a
tackle in the 2nd.
Bodog has the Steelers listed at 12/1 to win the Super Bowl, which is slightly above the 14/1 they have given the Baltimore Ravens on the NFL odds boards. Will Pittsburgh be able to live up to the odds makers predictions and take the AFC North?
To-do list: get younger on defense. Fill needs at RB depth, S
depth, RG and OT.
Biggest post-lockout question: Can they figure out a way to protect Big
Ben?
Baltimore Ravens (2010 ATS 8-7-1)
The Baltimore Ravens were a team that exceeded my expectations in 2010. I'm not
particularly high on Flacco and I thought age and their secondary were going to
be bigger liabilities than they turned out to be. To their credit, they
had a great year stopping the run once again and kept people out of the end
zone.
Special teams was a big factor in their success and they scored a
lot more points from long drives than anyone could have predicted. Baltimore
also plastered anyone who came into their backyard and took care of all the
teams they were supposed to.
In the end though, they relied far too much on Rice to win them games, turned
the Baltimorel over too much, and got sub-par play from both of their lines. This isn't a good formula when you need to go through Pittsburgh each
season. In response, they went out and drafted a CB and WR to
expand their play outside the numbers. I expect them to address the lines
during free agency, but my main concern remains at QB.
To-do list: Find a deep threat WR. Solidify O-line. Resign Landry/Yanda. Fill needs on D-line, G, OT, LB, S, CB depth.
Biggest post-lockout question: Is Flacco really the answer?
Cleveland Browns (2010 ATS 5-10-1)
You won't find a more mediocre team in the NFL than the Cleveland Browns. The only bright spot they had last year was their discipline. 'Average'
defined almost every other meaningful category. The lone exception
might be Haden at CB. One could make the argument that another positive
was Colt McCoy, but was he? Huge question marks remain at the QB position
and who knows what to expect going into training camp.
What is certain is that they need to upgrade their passing game in one way or
another. Stopping the run isn't fair behind either. When you rank
near the bottom in time of possession, plays per game, and net yard per drive,
wins will be few and far between. New head coach Pat Shurmer earned his
wings in PHI as a LB coach and helped Sam Bradford develop in STL after
that. To say that he has his work cut out for him in CLE is an
understatement. The new era officially began as they took two
defensive linemen in the top of the draft.
To-do list: upgrade WR, find a compliment for Haden, fill needs at DE,
DT depth, G/OT depth, LB/S depth, DE.
Biggest post-lockout question: Does CLE finally have a foundation to
build on or is this just another run around the hamster wheel?
Cincinnati Bengals (2010 ATS 7-9)
Things weren't pretty in 2010 for the Cincinnati Bengals and they only got worse during the
lockout. Palmer, Ocho, and T.O. appear on their way out and no one has
any idea who's coming in. Personally, this was the biggest let-down team
last year. The defense was supposed to be solid and the added offensive
weapons should have legitimized them as a real threat. Instead they
imploded like a grenade and it's a miracle that Lewis is still employed.
The only good thing going for them is the play of their O-line. Outside
of that, the entire roster is a work in progress. Benson didn't follow up
on a good season and he just got arrested. Opposing teams had all day and
night in the pocket to pick them apart. Nothing positive happened
on special teams and Palmer turned the Baltimorel over more than Tiki Barber in his
early days.
The painful rebuild began as they took WR and QB one-two in the draft. I
believe Green might be a star in the not too distant future, but
Dalton? Don't hold your breath Cincinnati fans. At least he has Gresham
and Shipley to throw to.
To-do list: trade Palmer, move on from Ocho. Find
pass-rushers. Resign Joseph. Make decision on Benson. Fill needs at
RB, G, C, S, CB, DE depth.
Biggest post-lockout question: What will happen with Carson Palmer, but
more importantly, does anyone care?
What are
your thoughts? Check out the SBR Forum and share your opinions and keep a close eye on the opening
betting odds for the 2011 season.