Pittsburgh SteelersPredicted Record: 13-3
Playoff Seed: 3
Key Player: Troy Polamalu, Troy is the glue and the drive of the defense. Last year for parts of the season he was banged up a bit and less productive than in the 2005 season and the Pittsburgh defense struggled because of it. The Steelers need Troy to be healthy all year and flying around the field making plays.
Fantasy Player to Eye: Three Day Old Cheeseburger, I'm a big believer in the Cheeseburger this year. I think he's going to bust out and put up big numbers. Last year his numbers were decent and that was coming off all the off season drama, this year football should be the only thing on his mind.
Why the Record: I believe in Cheeseburger this season. I believe that this is the year that he actually puts together terrific stats. I believe in Santonio Holmes becoming a valuable #2 option at receiver and Willie Parker continuing to show burst and big play ability. I believe in Mike Tomlin reinvigorating the Steeler defense. 13-3 might be a stretch, but they are going to be good this season.
Projected Wins: @CLE, BUF, SF, @ARI, SEA, @DEN, @CIN, CLE, @NYJ, MIA, @NE, @STL, @BAL
Projected Losses: BAL, CIN, JAX
Cincinnati Bengals
Predicted Record: 11-5
Playoff Seed: 5
Key Player: CPD, Yes the key player for Cincinnati is their local police department. The last thing the Bengals need is another distraction, it takes away from their concentration and had Carson Palmer firing out to the media about how his team couldn't behave.
Fantasy Player to Eye: Shayne Graham, Why the kicker is what you're probably asking yourself? Well its simple the Bengals should put up a ton of points this season. The more points a team puts up the more opportunities a kicker has. Maybe the Bengals will be incredibly efficient in the red zone and only offer field goals but chances are Graham gets a lot of opportunities for 3s.
Why the Record: The offense and the fact that they did not win the division last year and don't have to play the remaining AFC #1s like the Raven's do. I personally believe that the three AFC North squads are pretty close to being even but the biggest differences between the squads are the vast differences in their schedules.
Projected Wins: BAL, @CLE, @SEA, @KC, NYJ, ARI, TEN, @PIT, STL, @SF, CLE,
Projected Losses: NE, PIT, @BUF, @BAL, @MIA
Baltimore RavensPredicted Record: 9-7
Key Player: Offensive Line, Two things make the Ravens offensive line so important this season. First they're quarterback is old and has a vast history of getting injured. B) Willis McGahee isn't that good (unless he's playing the Jets). The Offensive line needs to be a force for the Ravens to overcome some of their offensive deficiencies.
Fantasy Player to Eye: Mark Clayton, Clayton last year began to emerge as the #1 wideout on the team. He can be had for relatively cheap in fantasy drafts and if he picks up the pace another notch this season he could be an extremely valuable pickup.
Why the Record: The schedule is amongst the most brutal in the NFL. Their division is arguably the best in the NFL, or at the very least the most top heavy and then they need to play the Chargers, Pats and Colts on top of their hard schedule. Perhaps the defense will lead them through to a shinier record, but their offense is bound to struggle.
Projected Wins: NYJ, ARI, @CLE, STL, @PIT, CIN, CLE, NE, @SEA
Projected Losses: @CIN, @SF, @BUF, @SD, IND, @MIA, PIT
Cleveland Browns
Predicted Record: 3-13
Key Player: Quarterback, who are they going to play at quarterback all season. Last year Charlie Frye played ok but this year he's got Quinn in his shadow this season. Will the added pressure make him thrive or struggle? How long will they wait to pull the trigger on Quinn? This is a team that will need production from its QB.
Fantasy Player to Eye: Jamal Lewis, maybe Jamal returns to his dominant form this year, maybe not. One thing for certain is that he should expect to see the bulk of the carries meaning if he splashes you could have gotten a stud starting running back for cheap.
Why the Record: The quarterback quandary. Who are they going to play? When will Quinn get the switch? Can Jamal Lewis be good again? Can Edwards and Winslow stay healthy? There are too many questions for the Browns.
Projected Wins: MIA, HOU, BUF
Projected Losses: PIT, CIN, @OAK, BAL, @NE, @STL, SEA, @PIT, @BAL, @ARI, @NYJ, @CIN, SF
Comments
And the only reason the math is off is cause blogger douched over my entire post on sunday and I had to copy and paste from the last time I did a copy in word which was mid last week. That was when I changed the Pats from losing to Indy to beating Indy, so the numbers were off.