Why Matts AFC North Prediction Was Wrong
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by Dukeboy999
Matts Season Prediction for the Browns:
"I want the Browns to be the surprise team of the league. They made giant strides on Defense, and now have a solid O-Line. They have a RB that has produced in the past and WR that can catch. They have a TE that could make the jump to superstar and the drafting of Joe Thomas AND Brady Quinn should help this squad break their recent record of feebleness.
Their defense will be their Achilles Heel this season. It is made up of mostly no-namers. The players that ARE known are OLD. Ted Washington at Nose tackle…2 of the starting 4 LB are 2nd year players and their safeties have a combined 7 years of experience.
They have a tough road ahead, but if they can click, they can turn some heads.
2006 Record: 4-12 2007 Prediction: 6-10 4th in the AFC North "
Reality : Matt starts off by saying that the Browns have made huge strides on defense. Later in the article he states that the defense will be the Achilles heel. Im pretty sure the second prediction is a bit more accurate. Lets be honest about the Browns. They don't have a quarterback ready to start, and Brady Quinn is more a plan for the future. In terms of being solid, the O Line is nowhere near solid. Joe Thomas is a nice addition, but without LeCharles Bentley for at least 6 weeks, the rest is average at best. AND Thomas is just a rookie. Jamal Lewis is past his prime and old, and as for Braylon Edwards, he is alone in that recieving corps. Kellen Winslow is a nice player with huge potential, but still has not come close to fufilling that potential. The average football fan could not name one of the defensive starters. And don't Ted Washington is way past his prime. I just can't see multiple areas where this team is alot better than opening day last year.
2007 Prediction: 3-13 4th in the AFC North
Matts Steelers Prediction
"This team is so weird because, if you say they are good they will blow it; if you say they are bad they will surprise you.
Their offense needs some work. Their O-line is older and their WR are overrated. Hines Ward is a solid player, but he can’t be counted on as a number 1 anymore. He needs some help and this won’t be Santonio Holmes breakout season. I do believe Big Ben will play better this season without the Superbowl Winner’s pressure on him, and Heath Miller is going to be special. I don’t trust Willie Parker yet. I don’t think he is the answer, but he could prove me wrong.
I always saw Joey Porter as the face of the defense and he is gone. They will not be a terrible defense, but I don’t think that they will be the powerhouse they will, and with the division they are in this will be tough.
I don’t think they will have a winning season unless new Head Coach Mike Tomlin can patch up the losses of Whisenhunt, Grimm and Cowher. That is quite a task.
2006 Record: 8-8 2007 Prediction: 7-9 3rd in the AFC North"
Reality: Before I even get started, we all know that Ben Roethlisberger had a horrible year last year, no matter what was going on off the field. I expect he will do better this year which makes a huge difference on the team. Matt is right about one thing, the O Line is probably the weak point of the team last year. Hopefully it can come together to be at least average or the team just might struggle. But saying that future Hall of Famer (Better stats than Swann and Stallworth) Hines Ward can't be counted on as a number 1 is somewhat off. The Steelers aren't the usual average offense. They don't need a star reciever to prosper. Hines Ward will have a solid season in the 1,000 yard neighborhood, and Santonio Holmes won't become a star but he will become a solid 2. Willie Parker is one of the top 5 backs in the league behind Tomlinson, Jackson, Addai, and Johnson. Timmons and Woodley are young, but Farrior is a stud and Haggans is solid. The one really bad point of Matts prediction is that he did not mention one of the two best defensive players in the league Troy Polamalu. (The other being Champ Bailey) And Whisenhunt, Grimm and Cowher combined are barely equal in value to Dick Labeau.
2007 Prediction 9-7 2nd in AFC North
Matts Ravens Prediction:
" This team is strange. It seems that they are always an “underdog” because people are used to a solid defense and an anemic offense. That has changed. This offense is dangerous with McNair at the helm, Heap at the TE position, Mason (one of McNair’s favorite targets) and the addition of McGahee. McGahee has something to prove, which is why, to me, this is the most underrated signing of the offseason.
The downside, though, is that the defense has gotten older and lost Adalius Thomas to New England. This may make more of a difference then you think. He was their most athletic and versatile defender.
I don’t see a huge drop off because of it, though. They are still a top 3 defense and their offense has gotten better. They are starting to meet in the middle.
They will have a couple tougher matchups this season but will still be the winners of this division.
2006 Record: 13-3 2007 Prediction: 11-5 1st in the AFC North"
Reality: Steve Mcnair is really old and Adalius Thomas is gone. Just saying those two things are reasons the Ravens won't win 13 games again this year. However McGahee is a nice addition, as Jamal Lewis was to old. The O Line is still very good and the recieving corps isn't bad. Even without Thomas the defense is still very good and Haloti Ngata is becoming one of the best D Linemen in the league. However old Ray Lewis is, he is still a very good player. Not to mention a slightly old but still very good secondary. This team will have a strong season, again winning the division. The Ravens and Steelers will be very alike in the fact they will both run the ball and rely on good defense, the Ravens will just be slightly better at it than Pittsburgh. The Division is average, and will be a pretty easy task for the Ravens.
2007 Record: 11-5 1st AFC North
Matts Bengals Prediction:
"On paper, this team should be the best in the division, but they have yet to live up to their potential. With a WR core like this, a Pro Bowl QB and a consistent RB, their offense will be in the top 5 for the foreseeable future.
Their defense, though. It is not that great. Their corners have a lot of talent but NOT a lot of consistency. They ranked 15 th in YPA/G, 8 th in RYA/G and 16 th in PYA/G in the AFC! That won’t work. (30 th, 15 th, and 31 st in the NFL respectively)
If they can’t stop the other team, their offense will struggle. They have those WR in Johnson and “Who’s Your Momma” but with the loss of OG Eric Steinbach in free agency and no solid back up RB, this team WILL struggle when playing from behind.
Their schedule isn’t going to hurt terribly, but they will have to show that they are a tough team if they will have any chance of getting over the 8-8 hump. If they can do this, they will be in the hunt for the division.
2006 Record: 8-8 2007 Prediction: 10-6 2nd in the AFC North"
Reality: Matt says that this team will struggle when playing from behind. Well if that is the case then this team will struggle alot. I think most football fans would agree that this offense is one of the best in the league. But most would also agree that the defense is one of the worst in the league. It flat out has no strong points, although Leon Hall is a nice addition for the future. I just don't see a player on that side of the ball that can make a big play. The secondary has a little potential, but Wins come from production not potential. Again, this team hasn't really made any strides forward from last year. Steinbach is gone, as well as Henry for 8 games. The only way this team reaches 9 wins is if the offense puts up 50 a game.
2007 Prediction: 7-9 3rd AFC North
Summary: In the end, Matt has only a couple of major flaws in his thinking. One is he doesn't take into account just how bad the Bengals defense has gotten, and that no matter how good the offense is, it just won't make up for that. The other flaw being that there is no way the Browns finish the season within 1 win of the Steelers. The Browns are one of those teams whose most exciting day of the season is draft day. 5 wins will be a major victory for the Browns, with no legit option at quarterback. As for the Ravens, they will still be the class of the division, despite an aging roster. Finally, for the Steelers who were 8-8 last year with horrible play from Ben Roethlisberger. Porter and Hartings were losses, but both were aging, and along with the Patriots the Steelers are the best at knowing when to cut ties with old players. Timmons is a solid player, and Woodley will be a good starting linebacker by the end of the year. And having Troy Polamalu on defense is like having Peyton Manning on D. Unless Ben has another horrible year, the Steelers win at least 9.
