NFL Division Preview: Wild AFC North to Have Different Look This Year

Cincinnati 11-5
Baltimore 9-7 *
Pittsburgh 8-8
Cleveland 5-11

*denotes 2006 Super Bowl Champion 

After a wild offseason in which the Cincinnati Bengals made the front pages of more newspapers than they cared to, with charges like boating under the influence (What is that anyway?), it’s time to play football. But no matter what the media does to the Bengals, the fact remains: Cincinnati is in a class by themselves, followed by the Ravens (and this includes off-field behavior). When you think about it, it is somewhat ironic that the two teams that hate each other for obvious reasons (the Ravens were once the Cleveland Browns) are neck-and-neck. Whether or not that’s the case for falling down drunken behavior is news to me. There were other incidents reportedly (like about 20), and Bengals fans should too be ashamed of their behavior enough to report it to the new team hotline from now on. No word on whether or not the Pittsburgh Steelers will go for it, but one somehow doubts it. And there is no way in hell that the Browns would ever agree to something like that. After all Cleveland is known for its “Dawg Pound” which is code for throwing things at opposing teams and getting to the point of falling down drunk before the game even starts. In the end none of it will matter as Cincinnati continues its ascent, Baltimore has a rebirth with yet more veterans who shouldn’t be playing anymore and the Steelers drop faster than anybody Bill Cowher is throwing a sideways glance at (you know the one).