BALTIMORE (AP) — As long as Mike Tomlin is standing on the Pittsburgh sideline
http://www.officialblues.com/authentic-adidas-dmitrij-jaskin-jersey , watching Ben Roethlisberger pass to Antonio Brown or give the ball to Le’Veon
Bell, the Steelers will be favored to win the AFC North.
It makes no difference that Randy Fichtner is the new offensive coordinator, or that Roethlisberger turned 36 in March.
The Steelers are going to score points, and they’re going to play their best against division rivals in big games.
Baltimore knows this all too well. Two years ago, Bell rushed for 122 yards and Roethlisberger connected with Brown for a last-minute touchdown in a 31-27
victory that clinched the AFC North title.
Last December, Roethlisberger threw for 506 yards and two TDs, Bell scored twice and the Steelers beat the Ravens 39-38.
Baltimore hopes to turn things around this year, but if the Ravens are to break a run of three straight years without a playoff appearance, it will likely
be as a wild card.
There are, by the way, two other teams in the division. Cincinnati and Cleveland deserve mention only because one will likely finish in third place and
the other will occupy the cellar.
In Cincinnati, coach Marvin Lewis got a two-year extension despite his NFL-record 0-7 mark in the playoffs. After two straight losing seasons, he’s
getting a 16th chance to finally get it right.
Cleveland is coming off an 0-16 embarrassment and can only hope to be respectable. Since the creation of the current AFC North in 2002
Rickard Rakell Jersey , the Browns are the only team never to finish in first place.
Some things to know about the AFC North:
FOR WHOM THE BELL TOILS: Pittsburgh and its “Killer Bs” — Roethlisberger, Brown and Bell — have reached the playoffs four straight years. Yet all those
trips to January have turned into just three postseason wins and no trips to the
Super Bowl.
While the rejuvenated Roethlisberger believes he can play until he nears 40, this may be his last legitimate shot to win a third championship. Bell is likely
in his final year in black-and-gold after being unable to come to terms with the
club on a new long-term deal.
Bell is one of the most versatile backs in the league and not easily replaceable. He won’t lack for motivation. He believes he’s a unique talent and
wants the paycheck to prove it.
Pittsburgh’s best chance to return to the Super Bowl will rely heavily on having Bell at the top of his game and will certainly take the tradeoff of
seeing Bell elsewhere in 2019 if it means hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in
February.
FAREWELL TOUR: Ozzie Newsome is the only general manager the Ravens have ever had, running the show in Baltimore since the team arrived from Cleveland before
the 1996 season.
Newsome will be stepping aside after this season, to be replaced by current assistant GM Eric DeCosta, who in 2019 will finally get the job he wanted after
spurning offers from several other clubs.
The Ravens have won two Super Bowls under Newsome, who in his final season has assembled a team that appears better than last year’s model.
Having provided quarterback Joe Flacco with a new receiving group, Newsome addressed Baltimore’s most glaring weakness in 2017.
BENGALS ON THE LINE: Cincinnati’s offense finished last in the league in yards last season, the worst showing in franchise history. The focus of their
offseason was overhauling the line, which failed to protect Andy Dalton or open
holes in the running game.
The Bengals fired line coach Paul Alexander, traded with Buffalo for left tackle Cordy Glenn, signed right tackle Bobby Hart and drafted center Billy
Price in the first round from Ohio State. Despite all that, the right side of
the line struggled against the Cowboys in the second preseason game
Womens Tom Pyatt Jersey , renewing concerns that problems remain.
GOTTA BE BETTER, CAN’T GET WORSE: Cleveland coach Hue Jackson is 1-31 in two seasons with Cleveland, but Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam still believe
they hired the right coach in 2016. Time will tell, but the pressure is on
Jackson from the get-go to win or there could be more changes in a team that has
known mostly upheaval for 20 years.
The Browns drafted quarterback Baker Mayfield with the No. 1 overall pick, but the Heisman Trophy winner will begin the year as a backup to Tyrod Taylor,
who helped Buffalo snap a 17-year postseason drought last season.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers sure are getting a lot of attention for a team coming off a six-win season that hasn’t even sniffed the
playoffs the past four years.
That’s what a season-ending five-game winning streak and the presence of a potential franchise quarterback in Jimmy Garoppolo will do.
One group not buying into all the hype is in the San Francisco locker room.
“There’s no one (here) who thinks we arrived,” said left tackle Joe Staley, the only player left from the Niners‘ last playoff team in 2013. “We have a ton
of work to do. We were a 6-10 football team. We were happy with the way we
finished last year, but that’s in the past.”
San Francisco put together that sterling 5-0 finish after a dreadful start to the first season under coach Kyle Shanahan that featured nine straight losses to
begin the schedule, including a record five straight by three points or
fewer.
That all began to change after the team acquired Garoppolo before the trade deadline from New England. After a few weeks to learn the offense, Garoppolo
stepped in and showed why the Patriots had groomed him as Tom Brady’s
successor.
He completed 67.4 percent of his passes last season, averaging 8.8 yards per attempt with seven TDs
Nazem Kadri Jersey , five interceptions and a 96.2 rating to improve to 7-0 in his career as a starter.
Among quarterbacks with at least 100 attempts last season, Garoppolo ranked first in yards per attempt, fourth in completion percentage. His 308.4 yards
passing per game in his five starts also would have led the league had he played
a full season.
But more importantly, he changed the mindset of a whole franchise.
“Jimmy is confident in himself,” Shanahan said. “I think everyone felt that right away. That’s why guys gravitate to guys. It doesn’t matter what people say
or how they act. People can tell when people believe in themselves and when they
don’t. But, it shows the most on the field. When you’re having success as a
quarterback, as a receiver, as anybody, that confidence is only going to grow.
When people start seeing you, the more plays you can put together the higher it
gets.”
Here are some other things to watch this season:
SHERMAN’S HEALTH: One of the most high-profile moves San Francisco made in free agency was signing Richard Sherman after his release in Seattle. After
years of tormenting the Niners, Sherman has flipped sides in the NFC West
rivalry. But how effective he will be will depend heavily on his health. His
2017 season was cut short by surgery on his Achilles tendon. Sherman hopes to
overcome that at age 30. He was slowed by a hamstring problem in camp, so it’s
uncertain how much speed he’s lost from his days as the league’s top cover
cornerbacks.
REUBEN’S ROLE: Reuben Foster showed signs of being an elite inside linebacker as a rookie when he was on the field. The problem was he missed five full games
with injuries and left several others for periods of time. Having Foster at
middle linebacker is key and the Niners have tried to get him to use his hands
more to limit the wear and tear on his body. But Foster already will miss the
first two games because of a suspension following two offseason arrests, and San
Francisco can’t afford to be without him much more.
RUSH THE PASSER: San Francisco failed to generate much pass pressure last year
Youth Dion Phaneuf Jersey , getting only 30 sacks. Elvis Dumervil was cut after leading the team with 6 ½, and no one else had more than three. Despite
the lack of production, DeForest Buckner is one of the league’s top defensive
linemen. He generates consistent pressure and could get more opportunities
outside to get one-on-one matchups that could lead to more sacks.
DEEP THREAT: One of the most impressive 49ers last year was speedy WR Marquise Goodwin, who smashed his career highs with 56 catches for 962 yards in
his first season with San Francisco. The former Olympic long jumper proved he
can be more than a deep threat as he ranked in the top six in catches (29) and
yards (384) in five games with Garoppolo.
“He’s continued to get better in every facet of his game,” Shanahan said. “He probably hasn’t gotten faster, he’s always been fast. But his hands have gotten
better, he’s gotten more consistent. He tracks the ball well. It’s not just
catching the easy ones now, he’s starting to make some tough ones.”
RUN THE ROCK: The Niners let Carlos Hyde leave in free agency and replaced him with a more versatile back in Jerick McKinnon. But McKinnon went down with a
season-ending knee injury, leaving a big hole on the offense. Alfred Morris was
signed midway through camp and could be the main back with little-used Matt
Breida and Raheem Mostert the other options.
Authentic Detroit Lions Jerseys
