By Steve O’Reilly

The AFC North has seen a bit of action this offseason and the top teams are gearing up for a Super Bowl run. The Ravens added a great weapon in Anquan Boldin, the Bengals did the same with Terrell Owens. The Steelers are going to have to go without Big Ben Roethlisberger for the 1st 4 games and the Browns have made some changes upstairs with the addition of Mike Holmgren to the front office and a new Quarterback. This Division is indeed one of the toughest, hardest hitting Divisions in all of football. Let’s Breakdown the North and attempt to forecast how it all shakes out.

Baltimore Ravens – The Ravens indeed may just be one player away from the Super Bowl and they think they may have found that guy in the form of Anquan Boldin. The big Wide Receiver formerly of the Arizona Cardinals gives Joe Flacco a go to target that the Ravens sorely lacked deep in the playoffs in 2009. Nothing against Mark Clayton or Derrick Mason but neither offers the dynamics that Boldin brings, especially in the Red Zone. The Ravens are a smashmouth football kind of team. Boldin will offer that “in your face” blocking style when Ray Rice and Co’ run the rock. One of the red flags for Baltimore is the health of the secondary. Fabian Washington and LaDarius Webb are both coming off of ACL injuries and are cleared to play but that injury is major and you can’t expect them to be flawless in their first year back. After speaking to players who have returned after that injury they all tell me it’s in your mind regardless! On top of that, Dominique Foxworth just tore his ACL and is shelved for the season. If it could get any worse, it does. Ed Reed is nursing a Hip injury and has been placed on the PUP list meaning he will miss the first 6 games of the season. Can this Defense handle all the wear and tear in the secondary? They signed Walt Harris but he’s dinged up so he onus falls on the lap of Washington and Webb. Both are excellent athletes and will be able to rely on their natural ability until they get back into the flow of things. Up front, Ray Lewis still anchors the team and Terrell Suggs will be back and in full force which is huge for the pass rush which in turn will help the secondary! Baltimore might just have the top interior Defense in the league when Ed Reed is there. Haloti Ngata anchors the Nose with 2nd Round pick in the 2010 draft big Terrance Cody ready to come in a rotation. The Offense looks complete, the Defense will be ready to rock by seasons end but can they hold it down until Reed returns? I think they will be OK and are as complete a team you’ll find in the North. Don’t forget about the importance of the Kicking game which cost the Ravens a few games in 2009! Ray Rice should be at the top of the list as breakout players ready to shine!

Player to Watch – Tom Zbikowski – The Free Safety has some huge shoes to fill with the departure of Ed Reed. If Zbikowski plays decent then Baltimore will be in good shape and ready to make a run at the crown in 2010!

Schedule – Wins: Jets, Bengals, Browns, Steelers, Broncos, Bills, Panthers, Buccaneers, Browns, Falcons
Losses: Bengals, Steelers, Saints
Could go either way: Patriots, Texans, Dolphins

Prediction – 12-4 (1st in the AFC North)

The Skinny – The Ravens with the addition of Boldin became a bonafide SuperBowl contender. Questions remain about their banged up secondary but if Fabian Washington and LaDarius Webb play well and Tom Zbikowski holds it down till Ed Reed returns the Ravens should find themselves deep in the Postseason. The little things matter, so the kicking game does bear watching. No more missed Field Goals that cost games like in Minnesota in 2009!

Cincinnati Bengals – The Bengals are so close to the Ravens on a talent level that this should be one of the more interesting races to watch this season. The running game is solid with Cedric Bensen and Bernard Scott both capable of controlling the rock. Carson Palmer has plenty of weapons with Chad OchoCinco and Terrell Owens. In addition, Rookie Jordan Shipley is a great addition to the pass corps as is Tight End Jermaine Grisham. Grisham should definitely add a dimension down the seam and keep Safeties from creeping over to double the talented Wide Outs. The Offense looks fine and the Defense is equally as solid. They don’t boast any spectacular players but are solid through and through. The only issue that might arise is who is the dominant pass rusher that is needed to beat the great passing attacks that you’ll face deep in the playoffs. Antwan Odom is very good but after that it gets pretty average. They hope 2nd Round pick Carlos Dunlap from Florida can provide the 3rd Down Pass Rush but you never know till you see them do it. The Bengals have solid Corners and good safeties but their strength is at Linebacker. They have thumpers who roam sideline to sideline and can really disrupt running attacks. For the first time in 4 seasons the Bengals return all 5 starters to the Offensive line which shouldn’t be understated. They clearly bolstered the Passing Attack and realized after the loss to the Jets that they need to be able to score points against top notch Defenses. My biggest concerns is distractions! There is a ton of different personalities on this team from Tank Johnson, TO, OchoCinco and Pacman Jones. If things start to go sour Marvin Lewis might have his hands full keeping the ship together!

Player to Watch – Carson Palmer – The talented QB from USC finally has a plethora of weapons at his disposal. The pressure of the offense clearly lies on Palmer’s shoulders to get it done. No excuses in 2010!

Schedule – Wins: Ravens, Panthers, Browns, Buccaneers, Browns, Bills, Steelers, Falcons
Losses: Ravens, Steelers, Colts, Saints
Could go either way: Patriots, Chargers, Dolphins, Jets

Prediction – 10-6 (2nd in the AFC North, Potential Wild Card team battling it out with the Texans)

The Skinny – The Bengals have a solid team but need to prove they can put it all together again. They did it in 2009 and had a stellar season that saw them bow out early in the Playoffs. They added more weapons offensively and need to prove they can get after the QB defensively. This team could be very good, either they are going to put points on Offense and go deep in the playoffs or the little things like silly penalties might lead to self destruction and a fizzle in the postseason.

Pittsburgh Steelers – The Steelers are a proud franchise no doubt but the organization seems to be on a bit of a downward spiral as evidenced by the way they finished 2009. Problems with players and the image of the franchise has taken a hit and because of that, Santonio Holmes was shipped to New York for relatively cheap, bringing in only a 5th Round pick in return. Seems like they wanted to change their image more than get appropriate value. Ben Roethlisberger found himself in a bit of trouble and is suspended through the first 4 games of the seasons. This opens the door for relatively unproven Dennis Dixon. Dixon has the talent and athletic ability to be a solid replacement but he made some suspect decisions in the preseason games, especially vs the Broncos. Without Holmes and with an aging Hines Ward look for this team to get back to their roots which is run the ball hard and often. Rashard Mendenhall is a beast and the O-Line is being geared more toward run blocking than pass blocking. 1st Round pick Maurkice Pouncey will take over the Center position as the team released Justin Hartwig. Also new to the line is Right Tackle Flozell Adams who has struggled a bit in preseason. Left Guard Chris Kemoeatu is a great Run blocker but lacks a bit in Pass protection. All this leads me to believe that Steelers are going to limit their throws, rely on their Defense and play ball control football until Big Ben returns.

Player to Watch – Maurkice Pouncey – The Rookie Center is going to be in charge of helping out his young QB until Ben returns. That means seeing the blitzing backer and pointing out the “Mike”! If he gets confused and lost early, it could be tough for Dixon to get things done.

Schedule - Wins: Titans, Buccaneers, Browns, Ravens, Bengals, Panthers
Losses: Ravens, Bengals, Saints, Jets, Dolphins, Patriots
Could go either way: Jets, Raiders, Falcons, Browns

Prediction - 8-8 (No Playoffs)

The Skinny – The Steelers didn’t get better on Offense with the loss of Santonio Holmes and an Offensive Line that is in flux. Couple that with the fact that Big Ben is out the first month and the Steelers could find themselves behind the 8-Ball early. This Division is very tough and you need to have the team clicking on all cylinders to compete. The Steelers aren’t what they used to be and will find themselves in the middle of the road once again in 2010.

Cleveland Browns – The Browns are a team that is somewhat of a mystery right now. The loss of Montario Hardesty to injury before the season even began hurt more than people realize. He is a bruiser of a Running Back who would have been a big boost the Browns backfield this season. Peyton Hillis, acquired from the Broncos for Brady Quinn, will help fill some of that void and has looked outstanding this Preseason. The QB situation is not exactly top shelf but if Jake Delhomme can limit his mistakes the Browns might surprise some people this year. Their Defense has added some nice talent, the have very good Corners with Joe Hayden, Sheldon Brown and Eric Wright, veteran Linebackers and a decent Front line. The question is how long will the be on the field? Can the Offense sustain drives and keep the Defense on the sidelines? Josh Cribbs and Seneca Wallace will likely see some Wildcat packages that will add wrinkles to the Offense but this team isn’t a “drop back” and pass type of offense. In the Preseason Delhomme looked great! He completed 38 of 48 passes for 345 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Granted, he faced very vanilla defenses but still, that has to inspire some hope for that side of the ball. One main thing to look at is the right side of the Offensive Line. The Left Side, with Joe Thomas at Tackle is solid while the right is retooled. So far so good but when the bullets go live in the regular season, it bears watching. On Defense, the Browns need Shaun Rogers to return from his ankle injury healthy and be ready to go. A 3-4 Defense is nothing without an anchor in the middle. Defensive Captain and 2nd leading tackler from a year ago, David Bowens, is finally healthy and ready to lead this defense to new heights. The unit did struggle against the pass in the Preseason but without exotic blitz packages it’s tough to gauge. Who will be the pass rusher? Kamerion Wimbley is now in Oakland and unfortunately the Linebacking unit, while experienced, is slow. Mangini says it’s built for power and therefor proper placement and alignment is key.

Player to Watch – Jake Delhomme – If the QB can continue to play at the high level that he did in the Preseason than the Browns might just be the surprise team of 2010. He needs to stay patient and not get rattled like he did in Carolina but I think that Mangini and Holmgren will play to his strengths.

Schedule – Wins: Buccaneers, Chiefs, Panthers, Bills, Jaguars
Losses: Bengals, Bengals, Ravens, Ravens, Steelers, Saints, Jets, Patriots, Dolphins
Could go either way: Falcons, Panthers, Steelers

Prediction – 6-10 (No Playoffs)

The Skinny – The Browns are on the right road but they have a tough schedule and a very tough Division. The Defense is sound but not spectacular. They could use a dynamic pass rusher and some more speed at Linebacker. They play with heart and have great team camaraderie, if they start off hot they might band together and string together some wins. Holmgren knows how to win and Mangini has to know he is up against the wall, that might be enough to put together a solid season but they are still a few key players away from being Playoff bound!

By Steve O’Reilly

Bradenton, Florida is much like any city in the US. This small community, like many others, has been effected by the recent downturn in the economy and as businesses have had to cutback and layoff… big time Bradenton residents stepped up!

The Cornerback Connection consists of Domininque Rodgers-Cromartie, Mike Jenkins and Fabian Washington. Together Fabian and Mike have joined to create the Franchise Kids Foundation and Dominique has his Foundation individually. They have united their fame and celebrity to make a difference in the town of Bradenton, Florida and it’s neighboring communities. Bradenton is a small community but has some big industrial giants in it’s midst. Tropicana Products for example, is one of the world’s largest producers and marketers of orange juice. At one point Tropicana called Bradenton home where they used to haul their famous juice trains, a relationship in effect since 1971.

Rod Harper of the Saints shows off his SuperBowl Ring!!

In some area’s poverty is a reality. The good people that work with these NFL players recently took a tour of their neighborhoods to see the living conditions and Jonathan Styles of the Cornerback Connection told me he was “surprised to see how bad they actually were, here in our own backyard.” So the men that once called Bradenton home decided it’s time to do something about it, it’s time to give back! Fabian, Dominique and Mike all come from this town and all feel the need to do something in an effort to help out.

Throughout the week the two Charities teamed up and in their efforts they provided a Basketball camp, a Football camp, a Food Drive and the culmination was Saturday’s Celebrity Basketball Game. The people of these Foundations felt it was high time for the community to come together and all pitch in to make a difference. They told me that it was important to get the community involved in giving back. The tickets and turnout from the events all week were going directly back to the community. We sat down with Fabian and Mike to discuss when and why they became involved with their hometown…

The local businesses were urged to advertise and the people in the community were enticed with the chance to see some great NFL players like Daunte Culpepper, Rod Harper, Dominique Byrd and others play a little basketball. The benefits go to the charities who help the children and people in the community. Helping parents feed their families and helping the people of Bradenton get through during some hard times!

Please check out the CornerbackConnection to see what you can do to help!

Talking Combine with Fabian Washington!! from Skinnypost on Vimeo.

The NFL Offseason has it’s peaks and valleys of excitement. The first offseason excitement is the NFL Combine held in Indianapolis. Guys train for sprints, drills and weight lifting to prove to NFL scouts and coaches that the are physically superior to their peer at their position.

One man who greatly helped his chances in the Combine some years ago was Fabian Washington who ran the 40 yard dash in the high 4.2 range. We sat down with Fabian on the night before Free Agency started to get an inside look at how it all goes down.

Skinnypost.com had the privilege to catch up with Fabian Washington, the starting Cornerback for the Baltimore Ravens. Selected in the 1st Round of the 2005 NFL Draft we caught up with Fabian to discuss his recent season ending Knee Injury, the Ravens and their always daunting defense and some the finer points of how he plays the game.

Skinnypost.com Interview with Fabian Washington!! from Skinnypost on Vimeo.