Cincinnati Bengals
Love - Youth Meets Experience
Cincy has made a lot of the right moves in amassing quality young talent during three seasons of consecutive playoff appearances. What's more, many of these players now have multiple years of pro experience in critical roles to turn up the dial, especially Andy Dalton, AJ Green and a very powerful pass-rushing unit. New Bengal James Harrison ought to help out in coaching up that high-potential defense as well. With a lot of questions and transitions on other rosters around the division, this season's AFC North title looks ripe for the stable and growing Bengals' picking. I for one look forward to Geno Atkins raising holy terror en route to a memorable Cincy climb in the rankings.
Hey, if Mike Smith's Falcons could do it last January, why not Marvin Lewis' Bengals next time? Cincinnati is fast becoming a trendy pick to take the AFC North in 2013 and make a real run in the playoffs. But after a particularly ugly outing against the Texans this past postseason (and in the 2012 playoffs), it is clear that this Bengals team still has a lot of work to do in the high-stakes, bright light environs of the NFL playoffs. Especially when Andy Dalton attempts to throw anything over 15 yards. Yeesh.
Cleveland Browns
Love - Trent Richardson Stepping Up
Sure, Cleveland is very much a developing team at best, but at least RB Trent Richardson stepped up to his high draft pick status during his rookie year. With new HC Rob Chudzinski at the helm--who served as OC with the likes of Carolina's DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart in previous years--there is good reason to believe Richardson can continue his upward trajectory on a team that desperately needs sustained offensive performance. His bruising style of yards after contact will certainly make a few highlight reels this year.
Hate - Jimmy Haslam, Sketchy Amirite?
Even before the whole corporate-FBI-raid-temporary-resignation thing with Jimmy Haslam's real object of affection, truck stops, the Cleveland faithful were starting to get a bit anxious about their new owner's management style. Less than a year into Haslam's acquisition of the Browns, he has played equal parts front office micromanager and absentee CEO spending most of his days in Tennessee. It seems quite clear now that owning an NFL team for Haslam much more a leisurely distraction than a full-time commitment. Why didn't someone just get him a puppy instead? Good thing Browns fans can handle this kind of misery a lot better than most. In the apt words of SI's Paul Forrester, "For some, the fact that a team's owner is under investigation by the FBI would constitute an impending disaster. For anyone following the Browns, it's little more than a flower of frosting on a cake of disappointment the team has baked its fans for decades."
Baltimore Ravens
Love - Flacco's Opportunity to Sustain "Elite" Status
Sure there's no guarantee, especially after one lands record contract cash like Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco did in the offseason, but this QB put on one of the most flawless performances of all time during the 2012 postseason that we hope will be the rule and the not exception in 2013 and beyond. With so much retooling on defense for the Ravens, Flacco's performance as well as his team leadership will be essential to Baltimore's success this year. More than a few fans are already praying he lives up to those sky high and highly compensated expectations while this team is in heavy transition.
I trust GM Ozzie Newsome more than most with regards to knowing what he's doing right now, but the 2013 Ravens will be an even more starkly different roster than I first anticipated. Among the formerly Lombardi-hoisting names that have since gone elsewhere, Ed Reed, Paul Kruger, Anquan Boldin, Bernard Pollard and Dannell Ellerbe are headed to Benhamin-filled pastures on some other field. With all of these big moves and Ray Lewis' retirement, the locker room will surely experience some level of leadership vacuum for a while. With so much drastic turnover, it makes you wonder how this team could possibly repeat a performance like 2012 any time soon, though I'll grant that Mr. Newsome understands the long term better than just about anyone else in the business.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Love - An Up-and-Coming Steel Curtain
Much like the Ravens, the Steelers were busy overhauling their aging roster during this offseason with notable departures from Mike Wallace and James Harrison. But unlike a few other teams--I'm looking at you, New York Jets--they zeroed in on attending to these needs in free agency and the draft in a smart and substantive fashion. First rounder Jarvis Jones seems like a sure thing in maintaining a scary pass rush in Pittsburgh, and key offensive pieces like Ben Roethlisberger and center David DeCastro will be in much better health in September if the preseason doesn't kill them first. All told, it feels like at least one unknown player on this rejuvenated squad will be making a name for himself in 2013, and the Steelers should be poised to improve on their 8-8 record from 2012.
Hate - Declining Star Power
I don't doubt that we'll be singing the praises of some newbies in Steeler Nation this year, but the biggest names of this franchise's last decade are starting to fade into the background, especially when you think about the Steelers' Super Bowl veterans. Hines Ward is a year removed from the league, Santonio Holmes, Mike Wallace, James Harrison and Rashard Mendenhall no longer call Heinz Field home, and Troy Polamalu and Ben Roethlisberger are quickly becoming decrepit with years of smashmouth wear and tear. The jersey sales office might be starting to sweat, I'm just sayin'.
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