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AFC North Prognostication

pittbull

pittbull

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I know some here are still hanging thier hopes on the Steelers squeaking into the playoffs this year. For me, that ship has sailed. But regardless of how you see this year playing out there are still huge questions with our Steelers moving forward. I think we have too many holes to fix in one year. I imagine at least a 2-3 year rebuild process given our QB, OL, DL, ILB situations.

But what about our division? Who do you see as the AFCN king in the near future. For me:

BROWNS: Maybe Baker M. isn’t the savior they’ve been hoping for, but these aren’t the Browns of old. They are showing some toughness and can be competitive, but I don’t see them competing for the division crown any time soon.

RAVENS: The Ravens are always tough. I don’t think anyone would argue that. I actually respect Harbaugh as a coach. He’s a whiney piss-ant, but he’s a good coach. But I think L. Jackson has peaked. I don’t see him as a QB that can carry a team on his shoulders to the SB. Good coaching/game planning can shut him down. Exciting for sure, and I’m wouldn’t discount them totally. I just don’t think they will dominate the division, let alone the NFL.

BENGALS: I personally can envision Cinci taking the reigns of the AFCN for the next few years, if not longer. I think they found a winner in Joe Burrow, and as he matures I think they will be the team to beat. But then again…I thought Andy Dalton would do well for them. (I think the team M. Lewis surrounded him with ruined him)
 
UNTIL big things happen in our "non-player" part of the team we will continue to descend. Not being able to develope players won't get you far in the "moving up" catagory.

It was always us that pushed divisional rivals to be better but now Im' afraid that ship has sailed several years ago and we haven't done enough to even keep pace. If you aren't moving forward you are moving backwards and that has been evident for quite some time.

I don't expect Coach Tomlin & Co. to change over night and suddenly develope and draft top tier players, execute great game plans or improve on in-game management.

We will have trouble to what degree we will soon find out. I'm more confident in them trading our 1st round pick for a proven player, similar to Fitz than I a in their draft choice. That will have to change before we become relevant again.

NOT a Debbie downer as we do have opurtunity provided we hit in the draft big and for positions of need then followed up with continum coaching.


Currently the Bungles are the legititate team.




Salute the nation
 
Agree, the Bungles are the best team in the division right now, the Ravens are better than us and Hairball is a better coach than Shades. Steelers and Browns will battle it out for fourth place.
 
Ron Burgundy said:
Agree, the Bungles are the best team in the division right now, the Ravens are better than us and Hairball is a better coach than Shades. Steelers and Browns will battle it out for fourth place.
Click to expand...


Do you think the Browns currently have better drafting capabilities than we do ??




Salute the nation
 
Ron Burgundy said:
Agree, the Bungles are the best team in the division right now, the Ravens are better than us and Hairball is a better coach than Shades. Steelers and Browns will battle it out for fourth place.
Click to expand...
It's time for a new voice here. But, let's not get carried away. If Hairball is a better coach than Tomlin, it's by the slimmest of margins. I just don't get folks that look at Hairball and say "I think he's a great coach", when his results have been very Tomlinesque. Hell, the decision he made two games in a row ... smh.

https://www.footballdb.com/coaches/index.html
 
Our division is now one of the best. We are definitely descending right now and will be in the basement for a few years or longer, depending on how long it takes to rebuild the OL and DL and find a franchise QB. Hopefully, it won't be more than 2 or 3 years but we need some top 10 picks. If we hang around that .500 mark like we always seem to do, it will take that much longer to find our new franchise QB.
 
My take is based on what I’ve seen over the course of several seasons.
The Bengals are now the kings of the division based on some solid drafting and especially their franchise QB. Keep in mind they’ve been drafting in the top 5-10 for a while now because they they had been bad, but they did a good job with their drafting.
Next I have to say the Ravens will be very close to the Bengals. They had some major injuries this year and when those RBs and Ronnie Stanley come back, look out. Plus lost some good defensive players that will be returning. They draft well and find ways to bring in top talent in free agency. They will be neck and neck with the Bengals for division superiority for a long time.
Next we have the Browns who have more and better talent than the Steelers but the coaching like here stinks, Baker is not a franchise QB like Burrow but more of a game manager type which is fine and could work when you have a strong running game. Someone needs to tell the Browns though and make them understand this concept. Good OL, damn good running game, strong defense wins lots of games. Browns already have this but refuse to adapt to it but would rather force this QB into something he isn’t. Just let him manage this offense and rely on his strong running game and not put the ball in the air 35 plus times a game. Keep his passing game simple and efficient and go run heavy. Like the Titans with Tannehill who has Henry. Tannehill doesn’t need to put the he team on his back and relies on a strong running game. Browns should follow suit.
Steelers I’m afraid bring up the rear and have the gloomiest of forecasts. The coaching is a mess from HC on down. The talent is very ordinary with some bright spots but entirely too many holes to fix in a season. Team needs new leadership and direction but it looks like business as usual will prevail here and that’s a bad thing. The drafting hasn’t been anywhere near what it should be, the free agent a acquisitions haven’t been good, poor decision making, no successor to Ben, just has this organization pulling up the rear of the division. Can this be fixed, of course. The question though, do they realize they need to fix it?
 
SteelBuckeye said:
It's time for a new voice here. But, let's not get carried away. If Hairball is a better coach than Tomlin, it's by the slimmest of margins. I just don't get folks that look at Hairball and say "I think he's a great coach", when his results have been very Tomlinesque. Hell, the decision he made two games in a row ... smh.

https://www.footballdb.com/coaches/index.html
Click to expand...
I don't think Hairball is a great coach. I don't think Tomlin is a great coach either. I would call them both good coaches but Hairball is gooder. He has at least got to (and won) a Super Bowl in the last ten years.
Ouch, that's gonna leave a mark.

 
Ron Burgundy said:
I don't think Hairball is a great coach. I don't think Tomlin is a great coach either. I would call them both good coaches but Hairball is gooder. He has at least got to (and won) a Super Bowl in the last ten years.
Ouch, that's gonna leave a mark.

Click to expand...

I think they're about even. If I had to give a nod to one being better than the other, I'd have to give it to Tomlin. Can't say that's based upon anything more than my personal distaste of both Hairball brothers.
 
steelhurt said:
Steelers I’m afraid bring up the rear and have the gloomiest of forecasts. The coaching is a mess from HC on down. The talent is very ordinary with some bright spots but entirely too many holes to fix in a season. Team needs new leadership and direction but it looks like business as usual will prevail here and that’s a bad thing. The drafting hasn’t been anywhere near what it should be, the free agent a acquisitions haven’t been good, poor decision making, no successor to Ben, just has this organization pulling up the rear of the division. Can this be fixed, of course. The question though, do they realize they need to fix it?
Click to expand...
After last season we were clearly the #3 team in the division, ahead of only the Bungles. This year the Bungles got better and we got worse.
 
SteelBuckeye said:
I think they're about even. If I had to give a nod to one being better than the other, I'd have to give it to Tomlin. Can't say that's based upon anything more than my personal distaste of both Hairball brothers.
Click to expand...
At the moment with other things being equal, I think if we play the Ratbirds 10 times, Hairball wins 7.
 
Ron Burgundy said:
After last season we were clearly the #3 team in the division, ahead of only the Bungles. This year the Bungles got better and we got worse.
Click to expand...
Joe Burrow! He was hurt and some third string QB beat us in Cincy. With Joe, they are clearly no one in the division. Without him they can still beat us like last year.
 
SteelBuckeye said:
It's time for a new voice here. But, let's not get carried away. If Hairball is a better coach than Tomlin, it's by the slimmest of margins. I just don't get folks that look at Hairball and say "I think he's a great coach", when his results have been very Tomlinesque. Hell, the decision he made two games in a row ... smh.

https://www.footballdb.com/coaches/index.html
Click to expand...
Yeah I would pass on him. Him and his brother are ok but like Tomlin have a knack for coming up short. We have that now no need to replace it with the same results.
 
Browns-
Baker has one more year on his contract and I feel the Browns will at the very least go 2nd/3rd round to protect themselves. Desmond Ridder would be a good candidate for them. But I don’t see them being more than a 8-9 to 10-7 team any time soon.

Bengals-
There’s a chance here for a new king of the division. But that’s been said before. Burrows looks good but insert same sentiment for Dalton and Palmer.

Ravens-
Jackson is a knee injury away from being RG3. I hope they lock him up for ridiculous money this off-season but I think they are smart enough to let him play out his 5th year option then tag him before they long term him. If they do lock him up they’ll be screwed for a good few years. I also feel the league is adapting to him. Keep him in the pocket and make him throw. He’s a one read and run QB. Have your ends contain. DT’s push pressure up the middle and keep a fast LB to shadow him. Trick is that LB has to prevent him from breaking a long one. But he’s better on the edge than the middle so if you contain you are better off. Then if you force him to throw at that point you have won more times than not.

Steelers-
Their impending success rides on Rudolph. He’s had his time to sit back, learn, have the game slow down, and now it’s his shot. If he can come in and do more good than bad we have a shot. If in a year or two he’s continued to grow and he’s a top 12 QB we might be able to put a good enough team to make a few super bowl runs. If he’s a top 5 we should have another super bowl or two. If he sucks then I feel 2024 is Tomlin’s last year.
 
FordFairLane said:
Steelers-
Their impending success rides on Rudolph. He’s had his time to sit back, learn, have the game slow down, and now it’s his shot. If he can come in and do more good than bad we have a shot. If in a year or two he’s continued to grow and he’s a top 12 QB we might be able to put a good enough team to make a few super bowl runs. If he’s a top 5 we should have another super bowl or two. If he sucks then I feel 2024 is Tomlin’s last year.
Click to expand...
We kind of know what we have with Rudolph but it's going to be tough to judge because next year's OL is going to be pretty bad too.
All-new OL this year never jelled, I had hopes mid-season that they were getting better, but it didn't happen.
Next season they will replace all or most of them and the OL will be all-new again.
At least the OL coach left on his own. If he was still under contract he'd be back.
I'm thinking they will stay in-house again and promote the assistant OL coach again instead of hiring someone new who knows WTF they're doing.
 
Ron Burgundy said:
We kind of know what we have with Rudolph but it's going to be tough to judge because next year's OL is going to be pretty bad too.
All-new OL this year never jelled, I had hopes mid-season that they were getting better, but it didn't happen.
Next season they will replace all or most of them and the OL will be all-new again.
At least the OL coach left on his own. If he was still under contract he'd be back.
I'm thinking they will stay in-house again and promote the assistant OL coach again instead of hiring someone new who knows WTF they're doing.
Click to expand...
We don’t know what we have in Rudolph. No one does. We’ve seen good and bad. What I do think is Rudolph’s legs vs Roethlisberger’s legs can help a crap offensive line look a little better. I don’t think the line can possibly get worse as I’d be hard pressed to find a worse offensive line in the NFL. I think if we sign one offensive lineman and draft another we probably have an improvement.
 
FordFairLane said:
We don’t know what we have in Rudolph. No one does. We’ve seen good and bad. What I do think is Rudolph’s legs vs Roethlisberger’s legs can help a crap offensive line look a little better. I don’t think the line can possibly get worse as I’d be hard pressed to find a worse offensive line in the NFL. I think if we sign one offensive lineman and draft another we probably have an improvement.
Click to expand...

I agree. Im wondering about tomorrow. Do they even TRY to have plays rolling to the right away from miles garret... Or do we just see Ben getting Whiplash all game?
 
FordFairLane said:
We don’t know what we have in Rudolph. No one does. We’ve seen good and bad. What I do think is Rudolph’s legs vs Roethlisberger’s legs can help a crap offensive line look a little better. I don’t think the line can possibly get worse as I’d be hard pressed to find a worse offensive line in the NFL. I think if we sign one offensive lineman and draft another we probably have an improvement.
Click to expand...
Guy has had opportunities. What has he done with them? His attributes do not trump his deficiencies. He can throw a decent long ball. He isn't much of a scrambler and he has problems delivering the football in tight windows. Those deficiencies aren't magically fixing themselves. He looks like he has maxed out. If the Steelers bring in a free agent that will show you what they think of him.
 
Bengals
Cincinnati should be in good shape for the foreseeable future. They got the top pick at the right time as Joe Burrow was about as good as an NFL prospect that you can ask for. He is by far the best QB in the division and should soon cement himself as one of the best in the league. It helps they have their wide receivers locked up for a few years and can now build around this exciting core.

Browns
The Browns are at a bit of a crossroads. This was supposed to be their year and they failed. It is a talented team, they just can't shed that loser mentality outside of last year's blip on the radar. The problem is they have a big decision to make with Baker. It doesn't seem like they're ready to move forward with him, so will they make a big push for a veteran?

Ravens
Baltimore is always in contention. They'll need to rebuild the offensive line and get that dominant ground game going to maximize Jackson's talents.

Steelers
For years the Steelers dominated by having the best QB in the division. Barring some bizarre trade in which they'd acquire Rodgers or Wilson, they'll have the worst. This combined with the worst offensive line isn't a great combination in the near future. They'll be in position to get one of the top 5-6 QBs this year, but that line really needs rebuilt before they're going to have sustained success.
 
pittbull said:
I know some here are still hanging thier hopes on the Steelers squeaking into the playoffs this year. For me, that ship has sailed. But regardless of how you see this year playing out there are still huge questions with our Steelers moving forward. I think we have too many holes to fix in one year. I imagine at least a 2-3 year rebuild process given our QB, OL, DL, ILB situations.

But what about our division? Who do you see as the AFCN king in the near future. For me:

BROWNS: Maybe Baker M. isn’t the savior they’ve been hoping for, but these aren’t the Browns of old. They are showing some toughness and can be competitive, but I don’t see them competing for the division crown any time soon.

RAVENS: The Ravens are always tough. I don’t think anyone would argue that. I actually respect Harbaugh as a coach. He’s a whiney piss-ant, but he’s a good coach. But I think L. Jackson has peaked. I don’t see him as a QB that can carry a team on his shoulders to the SB. Good coaching/game planning can shut him down. Exciting for sure, and I’m wouldn’t discount them totally. I just don’t think they will dominate the division, let alone the NFL.

BENGALS: I personally can envision Cinci taking the reigns of the AFCN for the next few years, if not longer. I think they found a winner in Joe Burrow, and as he matures I think they will be the team to beat. But then again…I thought Andy Dalton would do well for them. (I think the team M. Lewis surrounded him with ruined him)
Click to expand...
Burrow is a lot better than Dalton imo.

The Ravens and the Steelers will always be a rivalry until Harbaugh retires. That rivalry isn’t what it once was, but Harbaugh still brings emotion in those games. And with that I respect him.

The Browns. Idk. They are team if they get it together will be tough. Nick Chubb is DGD and does UGA proud. Hate rooting against the guy.
 
slashsteel said:
Guy has had opportunities. What has he done with them? His attributes do not trump his deficiencies. He can throw a decent long ball. He isn't much of a scrambler and he has problems delivering the football in tight windows. Those deficiencies aren't magically fixing themselves. He looks like he has maxed out. If the Steelers bring in a free agent that will show you what they think of him.
Click to expand...
He’s thrown for 2366 yards, 16 tds and 11 ints with a 9-7-1 record.

Those aren’t trash numbers. They aren’t great numbers. But he throws 1.5 tds per pick and wins more than he loses. I’m not saying the leash isn’t going to be a little short but I think he’s earned an opportunity. That’s all I’m saying.
 
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