AFCN

The 2022 NFL Draft will be held at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada April 28-30, viewable as always via ESPN, NFLN and ABC local affiliates if necessary. And it’s still not soon enough. The AFC North’s teams tend to rely on solid drafting and effective prospect evaluation more than most.  The Browns have managed…

Depending on your fan allegiance, you either reveled in yesterday’s approval of the New Overtime Rules by the NFL owners, or you just kind of didn’t care.  Or, like me, you were rigidly against any changes, having seen defenses so drastically undervalued throughout the league for decades that they cannot be counted on to perform…

The NFL’s free agency period for 2022 begins tomorrow, as does the official league year.  It’s always fun to evaluate rosters and project what each needs; this year, each AFCN team’s issues and free agency/draft focus are pretty evident.  While all four teams claim to hew to the “best player available” draft method, it’s often…

By now, you’re fully aware that long-time Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger has announced his long-expected retirement.  “Big” Ben has been the AFC North’s most durable fixture since the Steelers drafted him in 2004, and has outlasted every AFC North player from that era.  Love him or hate him, he’s been an undeniable presence in our…

Well, that took longer then expected. Just about everything concerning the Bengals defied expectations in 2021.  From the restriction-free return of QB Joe Burrow to the career years of Burrow and RB Joe Mixon, to the seismic addition of WR Ja’Marr Chase, to an unheralded free agent signing of a game-changing defensive player, to a…

While we AFC North folks are waiting for the Bengals to finish their business, let’s check out the happenings around our favorite division. Bengals WR coach Troy Walters claims WR Ja’Marr Chase will never become a diva, citing his work ethic and maturity.  While it’s all well and good to convey that impression after Chase’s…

There are no answers.  At least not right now. The 2022 Steelers will have more personnel questions than answers.  As of this writing, QB Ben Roethlisberger is expected to retire, GM Kevin Colbert is stepping down after the 2022 draft, and a number of current players may well be jettisoned in favor of rookies  and…

Expectations, meet Reality. The 2021 Browns, full of promise and direction at the outset of the 2021 NFL season, ran into a wealth of difficulties on many fronts, ultimately finishing third in the AFC North, although it should be noted the division was gridlocked for the majority of the year and the Browns, for all…

Well, glad that’s over. The 2021 Baltimore Ravens presided over one of the biggest late-season collapses in NFL history, having plummeted from the AFC’s top seed in late November to last place in the AFC North and out of the playoffs in six short weeks.  An 8-9 record might not seem that bad given the…

“It hurts to set you free But you’ll never follow me The end of laughter and soft lies The end of nights we tried to die This is the end.” “The End” (c) The Doors, 1967 Indeed, the end of the 2021 regular season is almost upon us.  For some, it can’t arrive too soon;…