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NFL Tickets - AFC North Preview
Pittsburgh Steelers: The reigning champs will not have a cake walk ahead of them in order to return to the Super Bowl, so they'd better make improvements. The team's running game should be bolstered by second-year running back Rashard Mendenhall, who missed most of his rookie season with an injury. He and Willie Parker look to complement each other very well and the club could move toward more of a platoon situation in the backfield. 2009 could be a breakout year for wide receiver Santonio Holmes. Holmes has a ton of talent and was an integral part of the Steelers' Super Bowl win, but he has to become more consistent on a week-to-week basis. It's the Steelers' defense that really sells NFL tickets and will be the deciding factor on how far this team actually goes this season. If that unit plays like they did last season, this team will be difficult to beat.
Baltimore Ravens: The Ravens look to be one of the better teams in the AFC after making it to the conference title game last season with a rookie quarterback. Joe Flacco's progress from year one to two will go a long way in determining how this offense does as a unit. The Ravens have a strong running game that is likely to feature Ray Rice and LeRon McClain a bit more heavily and any progression by Flacco will help this offense. There is still a chance that the team lands a marquee receiver in some kind of trade, but they seem pretty content going into the season with Derrick Mason and Mark Clayton as their starters if need be. The defense will have to adjust to the loss of coordinator Rex Ryan and linebacker Bart Scott, but the unit is extremely talented and should be one of the better defenses in the league.
Cincinnati Bengals: There is more hope for the Bengals' 2009 season than most people seem to be giving them credit for. The Bengals actually had a good defense last season, but the injury to Carson Palmer was just too much to overcome. Palmer is back and healthy and will have to be the difference-maker for the Bengals. If Chad Ochocinco can stay focused, this team could reclaim their aerial attack of old. Cedric Benson is not exactly a franchise back, but he proved to be effective down the stretch last season.
Cleveland Browns: The preseason story for the Browns will be the quarterback competition between Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn. Quinn looks to be the favorite to win the job, but new head coach Eric Mangini seems set on having a true open competition for the job. Quinn looks to give the team a better chance to win, as he's less prone to turnovers and has more upside. It appears that Braylon Edwards will remain a Brown for at least another season, which will definitely help Quinn, but aside from Edwards there is not much to throw to in Cleveland now that Kellen Winslow is out of town and Donte Stallworth could be reprimanded by the league for his manslaughter offense. It's rebuilding time with the new coaching regime in Cleveland and the team will just be looking to take some positive strides and make some long-term personnel decisions.
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