Photo Credit: http://www.steelersgab.com
The AFC North is full of fierce competitors except for maybe the Browns. The Ravens, Bengals and Steelers are all contenders for making the playoffs and have some of the best players in the AFC. Training camp is just the start of a division full of talent, ready to win.
Baltimore Ravens: The Baltimore Ravens always have a pretty good chance at the Super bowl and this training camp seems to uphold that chance. Flacco has been having a pretty productive camp which is to be expected, but this year seems to be all about improvement and second chances. RB Justin Forsett had a productive year last year and it looks like he is set to repeat it again which HC John Harbaugh backed up how hard Forsett is working.
Along with Forsett, Harbaugh commented on TE Crockett Gillmore’s continued improvement from his 2014 rookie debut. LB C.J. Mosely has seemed to recover from his wrist surgery and is participating even though he has a splint, but unfortunately S Matt Elam left practice before finding out that he torn his biceps, ending his season. The spotlight seems to be on first-round draft pick, TE Maxx Williams who was set to make an impact initially, but now it looks like the Ravens are going to have to help him sharpen his skills a little more before letting him hit the field. Williams did catch a 40-yard pass, though, so Williams could still have a chance.
Cincinnati Bengals: Opinions on Andy Dalton will always be mixed, but HC Marvin Lewis praised Dalton as a leader which is contrary to most opinions on Dalton, “I think Andy Dalton has made tremendous strides for us this offseason as the leader of the team. In general, I think Hue has been very, very forward in asking him to do more to become more of a leader, and I think Andy has embraced that. I see it in the interaction with the players. I see it in the interaction with us as coaches”.
In terms of defense, Darqueze Dennard seems to be the stand-out, confident, smart and almost 6 foot which is an unusual but perfect combination. The offensive stand-out has to be TE Tyler Eifert who seems to be slipping into AJ Green’s place, because Eifert was all over the field, making up for all of his injuries and acting as if he had never been injured. If Green can’t get back on the field soon, Eifert seems to be a prime candidate to be Dalton’s right-hand man and will hopefully aid Dalton into becoming a better-rounded quarterback too.
Cleveland Browns: The Browns seem like the oddball out of this group since the other 3 have made pretty recent playoff appearances, but it looks like Browns are slowly trying to redeem their reputation. Obviously, all eyes seem to be on Johnny Manziel and it looks he has improved from last season, but most of the first team reps were given to QB Josh McCown. Right now, it looks like McCown is going to be the starter, but McCown wasn’t the only one throwing passes on the field.
Wide receiver Terrelle Pryor ran two trick plays, once with Manziel and once with McCown which surprisingly worked in Pryor’s favor. A while back, I predicted that Danny Shelton would be an impact rookie and it looks like that prediction is coming true a lot sooner. It is like the defensive line has had new life breathed into with Shelton. Instead of just relying on his size (6’2” and 339 pounds), Shelton uses his size and his abilities to essentially blow up his opponents which is what the Browns need.
Pittsburgh Steelers: One thing that stands out about the Steelers training camp is their attitude towards veterans and rookies. QB Ben Roethlisberger and DE Cameron Heyward both sat out one practice to rest which HC Mike Tomlin explained as giving the veterans a chance to rest. He also said that it give the rookies a chance to show more of what they could do too. The defense is full of relatively young guys but surprisingly the defense is actually pretty decent.
Rookies seem to be in the spotlight for the Steelers including first-round draft pick, Bud Dupree. Dupree still has a lot of work ahead of him, but the aggressive he’s showing at camp only solidifies his first-round status. Another rookie in the spotlight is WR Sammie Coates who is garnering praise from Tomlin, “The big thing is he comes every day with the attitude geared to working and improving” which is a big step in the right direction for Coates and the offense. While the veterans have time to rest, it looks like the rookies are really taking over for them except for Senquez Golson. CB Golson was drafted in the second round by the Steelers, but now it looks like his season could be over. It has been reported that Golson could need shoulder surgery that would end his rookie season. If his season is over, the Steelers made sure to find a quick replacement in obtaining CB Brandon Boykin from the Philadelphia Eagles.
