OS Madden 10 Preview: AFC North

Feature Article

Submitted on: 08/15/2009 by Jim Harris

Always home to a smash-mouth, hard-fought brand of football, the AFC North is never a fun division for opposing teams to play against. Barring a surprising turn of events, the division should once again belong to the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers, but there are still no shortage of interesting teams and players throughout -- particularly for Madden players. Here's a look at the division, and some of each team's noteworthy players (teams presented in predicted order of finish).

1. Pittsburgh Steelers

The defending champs should be a popular pick once again in Madden 10. Offensively, QB Ben Roethlisberger (93 OVR), HB Willie Parker (86 OVR), wide receivers Hines Ward (90 OVR) and Santonio Holmes (86 OVR) and TE Heath Miller (88 OVR) give players a whole lot to work with. But its on the defensive side of the ball -- featuring cover athlete Troy Polamalu (99 OVR), linebackers James Harrison (97 OVR) and James Farrior (95 OVR) and defensive linemen Casey Hampton (91 OVR) and Aaron Smith (91 OVR) -- where the Steelers really shine. Expect them to remain a force in the AFC.

2. Baltimore Ravens

Second-year starting QB Joe Flacco (81 OVR) and third-year running back Le'Ron McClain (92 OVR) give the Ravens some exciting young players on offense. That young talent should be supplemented by veteran tight end Todd Heap (84 OVR) and wide receiver Derrick Mason (88 OVR) -- who recently decided to come back from retirement. But, as usual, Baltimore will ultimately go as far as its defense carries it. The D will be led by free safety Ed Reed (99 OVR) and linebackers Ray Lewis (97 OVR) and Terrell Suggs (90 OVR).

3. Cincinnati Bengals

If you like to air it out, the Bengals won't be a bad choice in Madden 10, thanks to QB Carson Palmer (88 OVR) and wide receivers Chad Ochocinco (89 OVR) and Laveranues Coles (87 OVR). Unfortunately, the ground game, "led" by HB Cedric Benson (74 OVR) and a pedestrian offensive line, may leave a lot to be desired. Cincinnati's defense is devoid of any standout players, so Palmer and the offense will need to put up big points if this team hopes to be a contender.

4. Cleveland Browns

Somewhere down the line a Cleveland aerial attack featuring Brady Quinn (71 OVR) and Braylon Edwards (86 OVR) could develop into something special. But in the meantime, the Browns will be forced to rely on their running game, led by veteran HB Jamal Lewis (85 OVR) and offensive linemen Joe Thomas (97 OVR) and Eric Steinbach (93 OVR). On the other side of the ball, the Browns will be led by DT Shaun Rogers (92 OVR) and LB D'Qwell Jackson (86 OVR).

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Member Comments

# 1 gomuherdclassof2k10 @ 08/15/09 12:18 PM

This was good. ravens all the way in 09 see you in miami!

# 2 CreatineKasey @ 08/15/09 02:56 PM

Here we go Steelers here we go!

# 3 jmood88 @ 08/15/09 04:18 PM

It's very fun playing against the Browns and Bengals.

# 4 jmood88 @ 08/15/09 04:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stain


	Here's hopy Brady Quinn becomes more than a 71 QB in real life. We're so bummed in Cleveland about the Browns. Everybody just gets depressed. I mean, it is truly tangible. People live and die in this town with football. We were a proud franchise before Modell's move. Since then, we're so very embarrassed. Here's hoping someone, somewhere could provide some small bit of optimism that we had something, anything to look forward to in the Browns' future. I do fear, though, there is no light at the end of this endless tunnel. It just makes an entire city sad. It's cool that we have LeBron but people's excitement over the Cavs compared with the Browns is like 1/10th. There is a reason the Pro Football Hallf of Fame is here. We don't have much in Cleveland and it's depressing to live here. We know people make fun of us but, hey, it's our home. We're praying that Brady Quinn is more than a 71 QB but something nagging tells me that the Madden Devs got it about right with that rating. Is there any reason to keep hope alive, do you think?

Quinn is lucky to have a 71, he's shown absolutely nothing in the NFL or in college, other than showing that he can get wins against bad college teams.

# 5 KaptnKirk12 @ 08/15/09 05:43 PM

Joe Flacco's rating is well deserved, can't wait to see what he can do this season to up it even more.

# 6 Aimbrogn @ 08/16/09 12:29 PM

The Browns are fielding pretty much the same squad that almost made the playoffs in 2007 and I believe that the problem can be attributed to the mismanagement of former head coach Romeo Crennel and general manager Phil Savage. With the exception of drafting Joe Thomas the Browns have drafted poorly and I still think Brady Quinn has something to prove. The Browns were such a painful disapointment last season due to the instability at quarterback, injuries, and the fact that Braylon Edwards could not catch a beach ball if it was tossed to him. I expect the Browns to be a suprise team that could reverse some negative sentiments in Cleveland if they find stability at QB, Jamal Lewis gets more then .5 yards per carry, and if Eric Mangini can do a good job of motivating the team. I think Cleveland is capable of finishing in 3rd place because the Bengals have no offensive line, running game, defense is unproven, and Carson Palmer is coming back from another major injury, and Ocho Cinco is past his prime. The only offensive player I think could stand out is Chris Henry.

# 7 jmood88 @ 08/16/09 01:03 PM

That's a lot of if's.

# 8 wwharton @ 08/17/09 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aimbrogn


	The Browns are fielding pretty much the same squad that almost made the playoffs in 2007 and I believe that the problem can be attributed to the mismanagement of former head coach Romeo Crennel and general manager Phil Savage. With the exception of drafting Joe Thomas the Browns have drafted poorly and I still think Brady Quinn has something to prove. The Browns were such a painful disapointment last season due to the instability at quarterback, injuries, and the fact that Braylon Edwards could not catch a beach ball if it was tossed to him. I expect the Browns to be a suprise team that could reverse some negative sentiments in Cleveland if they find stability at QB, Jamal Lewis gets more then .5 yards per carry, and if Eric Mangini can do a good job of motivating the team. I think Cleveland is capable of finishing in 3rd place because the Bengals have no offensive line, running game, defense is unproven, and Carson Palmer is coming back from another major injury, and Ocho Cinco is past his prime. The only offensive player I think could stand out is Chris Henry.

Browns have almost the same team as 2007 while other teams have drastically improved. Take away one of the many lucky wins they got back then and consider the Ravens and Steelers are much better teams (and that's talking about in the division only) and you can see why expecting the same results is a bit of a stretch.

# 9 mmorg @ 08/18/09 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmood88


	Quinn is lucky to have a 71, he's shown absolutely nothing in the NFL or in college, other than showing that he can get wins against bad college teams.

Well, it did take USC an illegal push into the end zone to beat Notre Dame that year.

# 10 jmood88 @ 08/18/09 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mmorg


	Well, it did take USC an illegal push into the end zone to beat Notre Dame that year.

That's the closest he got to a marquee win and it was a loss.

# 11 MattieShoes @ 08/18/09 02:00 PM

Four games against the two best defenses in the NFL, year in and year out... Browns and Bengals are just plain unlucky.

# 12 SoxFan01605 @ 08/18/09 02:37 PM

This list seems good to me. I will say that I think the Bengals could surprise a lot of people this year, even without TJ. Still, barring key injuries, it comes down to a 2 team race yet again. And, if Flacco doesn't have a sophomore slump, the Ravens are very close IMO.

# 13 Aggies7 @ 08/19/09 04:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MattieShoes


	Four games against the two best defenses in the NFL, year in and year out... Browns and Bengals are just plain unlucky.

Agreed kinda feel bad for them.

# 14 Computalover @ 08/19/09 11:16 AM

WHAT TIME IS IT??
ARE MY DAWGS IN THE HOUSE?!?

LOL!

OH YEAH.. WHATS OUR NAME?? (from last season btw)

GO RAVENS!

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