I think they will be better but if they go 8-8 it will be a good season and reasonable. That still won't get them into the playoffs or past the Steelers, next year.

They're not going to draft 10 rookies and all of those players come in ready to play consistent and form a team that's going to win the division.

Baltimore and Pittsburgh aren't really going anywhere.

The Steelers finished 9-7 and if they don't lose Ben they'll basically have no losses. They'll just be gaining depth through free agency, more young talent in the draft and getting back top defensive players like Polamalu and Aaron Smith, who missed half of the season.

miller45452003 wrote: ^^^^^Will it be a pic of Ben alone or one with him and his next rape prospect??? And also LMAO @ the Squeelers winning 10-11 games. Lay off the needles and bongs dude!!

I've got the Steelers going 11-5. The division will be a fight between the Steelers and Ravens. The Clowns will bring up the rear as usual winning 5 maybe 6 games.

Al Capone wrote:

DeyDurkie5 wrote:

Al Capone wrote:

DeyDurkie5 wrote:

Al Capone wrote: Holmgren will run the Clowns into the ground the same way he did the Seahawks. Then he'll cash in and leave.

Wait a minute.:huh: The Clowns are already in the ground.

I'll take that bet

We already have one bet durkie. I've been thinking about which avatar I want you to use. Either a pic if Ben or a Steeler helmet.

I already have the avatar picked out for you big guy...and it will be magnificent!

Has to Brown related.

How do you figure that? I can pick whatever avatar I want.

Al Capone wrote:

miller45452003 wrote: ^^^^^Will it be a pic of Ben alone or one with him and his next rape prospect??? And also LMAO @ the Squeelers winning 10-11 games. Lay off the needles and bongs dude!!

I've got the Steelers going 11-5. The division will be a fight between the Steelers and Ravens. The Clowns will bring up the rear as usual winning 5 maybe 6 games.

Of course you have it that way, you are the most biased fan in the world. At the current moment, I have it as Ravens, Bengals, Steelers, and the Browns in my head

Heart says Bengals, Browns, Ravens, Steelers

I'd say

Baltimore 12-4 or 11-5
Pittsburgh 11-5, 10-6 or 9-7
Cincinnati 10-6, 9-7, 8-8 or 7-9 (they could go a lot of different ways, tougher schedule after last year and they faded down the stretch)
Cleveland anywhere from 8-8 to 5-11

I really have no expectations for the Browns YET. I am anxious to see how the draft goes. As far as the division goes.....I'm not so sure about the Ravens defense next year. Sure they are usually solid, but their main guys are starting to get up there in age. Injuries could become more of a factor. If they struggle on D I think the division will be very close. Any team could win it. I doubt Cleveland can, but the others could be very close.

Al Capone wrote: I've got the Steelers going 11-5. The division will be a fight between the Steelers and Ravens.

I'm sure you said that exact same thing last year..and well..how'd that work out for ya?

Not sure if this has been posted yet, but for the love of god, please don't draft Clausen.

http://football.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/16422/20100327/browns_will_spend_time_looking_at_qbs/

Al Capone wrote:

BR1986FB wrote:

Al Capone wrote: Good move walrus, you're the best thing that happened in the afc north this offseason.

And you're the worst nightmare of all farm animals in Western Pennsylvania.

Seriously. You cant tell me that you would rather have these buffones over Mcnabb. Poor mismanagement from the brass.

Of course I'd rather have McNabb over Delhomme & Wallace but it was Philly who fucked that up. No GM in their RIGHT mind was going to give up Philly's original asking price (1st round plus more). Philly wouldn't come down on their price so Holmgren moved on. Nobody should blame him because you can't wait around forever.

I think Holmgren would have parted with a 2nd or a 3rd (and a player) which is the FAIR asking price but Philly wouldn't budge. Not Holmgren's fault and a SMART decision on his part.

Al Capone wrote: The division will be a fight between the Steelers and Ravens.

Nope. Steelers & Browns fighting it out for the cellar with the Browns most likely being in last place again.

Steelers are going to be up there with the Colts, Jets, Ravens, Patriots and the other AFC contenders

Browns will be slightly better than last year but still mediocre.

Steelers just won the Super Bowl two years ago. They slipped by a few games last year with two of their great defensive players out. Next year they'll have one of the best all-around teams in the NFL. I would bet like $10,000 that the defense is great next year.

We agree to disagree.

The Steelers have gone:

15-1
11-5 Super Bowl champs
8-8
10-6
12-4 Super Bowl champs
9-7

You can fall off some in a given year depending on injuries and a few bad breaks in close games but the foundation is still there to be a legit playoff team.

You have to take yourself out of being a Browns fan and then break it down logically. You're all just picking the Steelers to struggle because you're looking at it as a Browns fan and hoping that's how it will go.

No, I legitimately think that they will have a falloff. I don't think that Tomlin is a good coach and I think that Lebeau is the "straw that stirs the drink" in Pittsburgh. Eventually he will retire and then they are up a creek.

I think Baltimore WAS ahead of them and Cincinnati has passed them. I think they will finish with a winning record but in third place in the division.

Really has nothing to do with being a "Browns fan" because I still think we'll finish dead last.

For example, in 2007, the Steelers went 10-6 and the Browns went 9-7. That was the year they both competed for the division.

That following offseason, there was plenty of thought that the Browns were coming on and the Steelers were slipping.

Then the Steelers came back and went 12-4 and won another Super Bowl.

I just don't see the Steelers 9-7 as the beginning of a downward trend. They have a good coach. A lot of offensive talent. The defense is still Top 10 maybe even Top 5 potential.

I think the defense will drop off. The key for them is getting a new nose tackle. Hampton's play has slipped considerably.

Dude they lost to the Browns last year, who has 0 offense. I wouldn't exactly be optimistic if I were you.

BR1986FB wrote: I think the defense will drop off. The key for them is getting a new nose tackle. Hampton's play has slipped considerably.

Their defense doesn't stay down. They have too much of a commitment to it.

You take away two of the cornerstone players like Polamalu and Aaron Smith and there is going to be a dropoff.

Hampton had a solid year. Their run defense fell off some because Smith was out.

iclfan2 wrote: Dude they lost to the Browns last year, who has 0 offense. I wouldn't exactly be optimistic if I were you.

If the Browns finished 9-7 and were in the wild card race on the final Sunday would you be optimistic? How about if the Browns were just a year removed from a Super Bowl and still have a lot of the same players?

The Steelers have improved their depth in free agency and they still have 10 draft picks.

Non wrote:

BR1986FB wrote: I think the defense will drop off. The key for them is getting a new nose tackle. Hampton's play has slipped considerably.

Their defense doesn't stay down. They have too much of a commitment to it.

You take away two of the cornerstone players like Polamalu and Aaron Smith and there is going to be a dropoff.

Hampton had a solid year. Their run defense fell off some because Smith was out.

Hampton is showing his age/weight issues. He got manhandled by a rookie Alex Mack) in the Browns/Steelers second meeting.

Aaron Smith is the key to their defense, IMO.

You can't use Polamalu because he's a China doll. Dude is as fragile as glass and can't be depended on. If they get a stud safety to replace him I might buy your argument.

Non wrote:

iclfan2 wrote: Dude they lost to the Browns last year, who has 0 offense. I wouldn't exactly be optimistic if I were you.

If the Browns finished 9-7 and were in the wild card race on the final Sunday would you be optimistic? How about if the Browns were just a year removed from a Super Bowl and still have a lot of the same players?

The Steelers have improved their depth in free agency and they still have 10 draft picks.

And the Ravens added a weapon in Boldin and draft better than anyone in the division. The Bengals also added a weapon in Bryant opposite of Stinko and may have the second best defense in the division.

Every year that Smith and Hampton have played together the Steelers have been Top 3 in run defense.

I think their run defense will be Top 5 next year.

Smith is underrated and Hampton overrated. Smith is the best 3-4 defensive end and his size and strength are impossible to replace.

Polamalu does get injured a lot, so that's a question mark him staying healthy, but when he plays he makes a lot of bail out plays to get the defense off the field.

They're going to add a few defensive players in the draft. I think it's going to be a good defense because there will be the combination of battle-tested veterans and potentially some young guys to come in off the bench and make some things happen.

I realize the Browns won 13-6 but it really is just one game out of 15.

The Steelers still finished 9-7 and the Browns 5-11. That's a four-game difference.

The Browns are improving but I don't see the Steelers not improving, unless Ben is out for awhile.

If you think the Browns are going to be 7-9, for example, do you think the Steelers are going to be 7-9 or 6-10? There's no chance in hell, man.

BR1986FB wrote:

Non wrote:

BR1986FB wrote: I think the defense will drop off. The key for them is getting a new nose tackle. Hampton's play has slipped considerably.

Their defense doesn't stay down. They have too much of a commitment to it.

You take away two of the cornerstone players like Polamalu and Aaron Smith and there is going to be a dropoff.

Hampton had a solid year. Their run defense fell off some because Smith was out.

Hampton is showing his age/weight issues. He got manhandled by a rookie Alex Mack) in the Browns/Steelers second meeting.

Aaron Smith is the key to their defense, IMO.

You can't use Polamalu because he's a China doll. Dude is as fragile as glass and can't be depended on. If they get a stud safety to replace him I might buy your argument.

You're actually saying they should replace Polamalu? What the hell are you smoking tonight?

Non wrote:
If you think the Browns are going to be 7-9, for example, do you think the Steelers are going to be 7-9 or 6-10? There's no chance in hell, man.

I never said that. I said I think the Steelers WILL have a winning record but will STILL finish 3rd in the division. Browns don't have the firepower to climb out of the cellar, yet.

Cincinnati hasn't been a consistent winner so I'm not sure they'll be able to follow up last year.

Pittsburgh and Cincinnati played two close games and their seasons could've changed dramatically based on just those two games alone.

Bryant and Ocho ok.

But the Steelers have Holmes, Ward, Wallace, Randle El, Miller. They have the best receivers and tight ends in the division.

Browns aren't really starting over but it's a challenge blending what they established late last season with the new philosophy brought in by Holmgren.

I don't know how much precedent there is with this kind of team management.

I still think Mangini and Holmgren could clash resulting in either Holmgren just coaching the team or hiring his guy.

You can't just play tough defense one or two games and say we have a defense that's going to set the tone for a winner. The defense played well in spots but still overall gave up a lot in some games and wasn't ranked very high, I don't think.

They don't have a true QB. They still need help at RB and WR and LB and in the secondary.

They traded guys away to load up on draft picks, which is nice, but they're not going to draft a bunch of guys that are going to come in and deliver right away.