Early NFL Predictions – AFC North

The AFC North will be a strong division this year.  In fact, I think it is one of the Top 3 divisions in the NFL this season.  Continuing with the series, here are my predictions for the AFC North.

Joe Flacco

The Baltimore Ravens look like absolute Super Bowl contenders this year.  Joe Flacco, who is only in his third season, is turning into a Top 10 NFL quarterback.  This year, he has some great weapons to throw to with Anquan Boldin and Donte Stallworth coming to Baltimore.  Their famous defense can match up with any offense in the league.  With big name players like Ed Reed and Ray Lewis, look for the Ravens to win the AFC North and make a deep playoff run.

Picking a second place team is tough with this division.  I’m going to go with the headline-making Cincinnati Bengals.  The obvious storyline here is the signing of Terrell Owens.  I don’t think he’ll have the impact that others think he will, but I could be wrong.  Camp reports say that Carson Palmer is looking great, and the Bengals’ defense looks to be in the Top 5 this season.  Cincinnati will finish second in the AFC North, and may fit in to a Wild Card spot.

Pittsburgh falls to third simply because of off-the-field issues, mainly Ben

Ben Roethlisberger

Roethlisberger, and a state of limbo with the team.  They may finish much higher, and if everything goes right for them they could even win the division.  However, aging veterans like Hines Ward won’t hold up for the whole season, and I expect the Steelers to hover around the .500 mark this season.

Finally, we have the dismal Cleveland Browns.  It’s tough to ever find a bright spot on this team.  When Jake Delhomme is your starting quarterback, and really your only option at QB, you have a problem.  There’s not much to say about Cleveland, other than they will be bad.

Posted by Ben

Early NFL Predictions – NFC North

The NFC North is full of headlines and great teams.  I’ll try to stray away from the most obvious (Brett Favre) because the decision hasn’t been made yet, but here are my predictions.

This will be the year the Green Bay Packers have put everything together in the post-

Aaron Rodgers

Favre era.  They have a franchise quarterback (who is a fantasy football superstar) in Aaron Rodgers.  The receiving core is great with Greg Jennings and Donald Driver.  Add a dangerous runningback in Ryan Grant to an already explosive offense, and the Packers can  take down any defense.  All the pieces are in Green Bay to be Super Bowl contenders, and they will win the NFC North.

The Minnesota Vikings are in a state of limbo at their quarterback position.  Yes, Brett Favre still hasn’t decided whether he is returning or not.  However, if he decides not to come back, the Vikings are still poised for a playoff run.  They have a capable backup quarterback in Tavaris Jackson, who has had experience as an NFL starter.  Also with Adrian Peterson, Sidney Rice, and Percy Harvin, explosive plays won’t be a problem either.  The Vikings’ defense is spectacular.  They may even finish first in the NFC North.

The Chicago Bears are rebuilding, and they have made some positive steps.  The Jay Cutler experiment has yet to prove a good trade, but they have a shut-down defense.  Their

The Jay Cutler Experiment hasn't been successful for the Bears.

schedule isn’t difficult at all, with games like Seattle and Washington at home, and at Detroit.  I think the Bears will finish third in the NFC North and finish the regular season with a record around 9-7.

Finally, we have the dismal Detroit Lions.  This team can’t ever seem to get it together, honestly.  Matthew Stafford is a solid player, and Calvin Johnson is a star wide receiver.  But there just isn’t enough defense (or offense, for that matter) to win a lot of games.  The Lions will finish last in the NFC North, and with a grueling schedule, they may just win 1 game.

Posted by Ben

Basketball Recruiting News…

Summertime is a hot time for college basketball recruiting.  Here are some updates on the nation’s best high school players.

Austin Rivers

Austin Rivers continues to show strongly as one of the best in 2011.  He had stellar performances at the major July basketball tournaments, and very may well

become the number 1 ranked player in his class.  By most accounts he is considered a Duke lean, but is reported to be considering Kansas, Florida,

Will Barton is academically ineligible to play college basketball.

Kentucky, and North Carolina too. If you remember, he de-committed from Florida a few months ago.

Several high-profile recruits still haven’t been cleared by the NCAA to play next season.  Will Barton, the most

heralded recruit in Memphis’ Top 5 recruiting class, has been declared ineligible due to academic reasons, and it is unlikely he will play next season (Barton is allowed to appeal, although an appeal is considered a long shot).

Superstar recruit Enes Kanter, who is committed to Kentucky, hasn’t been cleared to play either.  The NCAA is reviewing his affiliation with a professional basketball team in Turkey, where he is from.

Josh Selby's amateur status is being questioned by the NCAA.

Finally, Kansas commit Josh Selby’s eligibility remains unclear.  The NCAA is checking into the legitimacy of his amateur status (affiliation with an agent has been alleged). Selby is considered by some as the best player in his class.

Chicago phenom Anthony Davis will reportedly commit to Kentucky, reported by the Chicago Sun-Times.  The Sun-Times also alleged that the commitment “cost $200,000”, although they later retracted that statement.  Kentucky has threatened legal action against the newspaper for irresponsible journalism.

Check back later for more information on recruiting and college basketball!

Posted by Ben