Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

- Written by Rich Arleo
- Edited by Marc Caviglia

While the New York Jets (11-5) may have made the most noise, AFC East fans watched the New England Patriots (14-2) once again clinch the AFC East  title in dominating fashion, while the Miami Dolphins (7-9) and Buffalo Bills (4-12) struggled to compete. After a huge playoff win over their division rivals, the Jets have their sights set on the conference title in 2011, but quarterback Tom Brady, head coach Bill Belichick and the Patriots should have something to say about that. The Dolphins will look to put a wrench in both their plans while the Bills will look to address some glaring needs.

BUFFALO BILLS

It was such a bad season for the Bills that they couldn’t even LOSE right. The Bills started the season out 0-8 and looked primed for the No.1 overall pick in this year’s draft, however they decided to go 4-4 in the second half of the season and dropped to third overall where they could potentially miss out on their two top targets. The Bills lost Marcus Stroud to free agency and could also lose arguably their best player, Paul Posluzny, to free agency as well. It’s likely going to be another long season up north for the Buffalo faithful in 2011.

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- Written by Lane Rizzardini
- Edited by Marc Caviglia

The AFC South has been rather easy to predict since its creation in 2002. The Indianapolis Colts have won the division seven out of nine years, with the Tennessee Titans winning it the other two times. The Titans are a bit off the radar now with a new head coach and no suitable quarterback to speak of. The other two members, the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans, have failed to get over the hump despite having promising pieces in place. The Texans are in a much better place than the Jaguars to make a run with an electric offense, but are held back by one of the worst defenses in the league. It is of course the Colts and Peyton Manning who seem to continue getting richer, especially if they can bring back all of their walking wounded. With Matt Schaub and the Texans the only team capable of contending with Indy in 2011, the AFC South shows how important the quarterback position is in the National Football League.

TENNESSEE TITANS

It has been a tumultuous offseason for the Tennessee Titans, who dealt with a very public fight between head coach Jeff Fisher and quarterback Vince Young which surprisingly ended with both members of the team leaving. The team promoted its offensive line coach Mike Munchak to head coach, but it will be hard to replace Fisher who was the longest tenured head coach in the NFL at the time. On top of that, star wideout Kenny Britt has been arrested not once, but twice in a two month stretch. They will also have to find a suitable starting quarterback, as Rusty Smith and Kerry Collins have proved they are not anywhere near being the long-term answer. Filling this important position must be the team’s top priority this offseason, not only to improve the passing game but to keep teams from stacking the box on elite running back Chris Johnson.

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- Written by Lane Rizzardini
- Edited by Marc Caviglia

The AFC South has been rather easy to predict since its creation in 2002. The Indianapolis Colts have won the division seven out of nine years, with the Tennessee Titans winning it the other two times. The Titans are a bit off the radar now with a new head coach and no suitable quarterback to speak of. The other two members, the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans, have failed to get over the hump despite having promising pieces in place. The Texans are in a much better place than the Jaguars to make a run with an electric offense, but are held back by one of the worst defenses in the league. It is of course the Colts and Peyton Manning who seem to continue getting richer, especially if they can bring back all of their walking wounded. With Matt Schaub and the Texans the only team capable of contending with Indy in 2011, the AFC South shows how important the quarterback position is in the National Football League.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

Despite being one of the weakest teams in the division on paper, the Jacksonville Jaguars managed an 8-8 record and a second place finish to the Indianapolis Colts last season. The record doesn’t really tell the story, as the season wasn’t as good as the .500 winning percentage would suggest. Their offense runs primarily through running back Maurice Jones-Drew, who battled knee problems for a second consecutive 1,300 yard season. Yards don’t score points though, and with the poor play of quarterback David Garrard and total flop of a year for 2009 breakout-wide receiver Mike Sims-Walker the team finished in the bottom half of the league in points scored. If it wasn’t for this amazing play to sink the division-rival Houston Texans in Week 10, the Jaguars would have not been a .500 football team in 2010.

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- Written by Lane Rizzardini
- Edited by Marc Caviglia

The AFC South has been rather easy to predict since its creation in 2002. The Indianapolis Colts have won the division seven out of nine years, with the Tennessee Titans winning it the other two times. The Titans are a bit off the radar now with a new head coach and no suitable quarterback to speak of. The other two members, the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans, have failed to get over the hump despite having promising pieces in place. The Texans are in a much better place than the Jaguars to make a run with an electric offense, but are held back by one of the worst defenses in the league. It is of course the Colts and Peyton Manning who seem to continue getting richer, especially if they can bring back all of their walking wounded. With Matt Schaub and the Texans the only team capable of contending with Indy in 2011, the AFC South shows how important the quarterback position is in the National Football League.

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

The story of the Indianapolis Colts season was the substantial number of injuries they sustained, including tight end Dallas Clark, wide receiver Austin Collie, safety Bob Sanders and a myriad of others. Still, behind the always strong play and leadership of Peyton Manning the team went 10-6 and won the AFC South, eventually falling to the New York Jets in the AFC Wild Card Round. Still, it’s continually amazing how well the team does even under such adverse circumstances, and when they get healthy they’ll yet again be a force to be reckoned with.

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- Written by Lane Rizzardini
- Edited by Marc Caviglia

The AFC South has been rather easy to predict since its creation in 2002. The Indianapolis Colts have won the division seven out of nine years, with the Tennessee Titans winning it the other two times. The Titans are a bit off the radar now with a new head coach and no suitable quarterback to speak of. The other two members, the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans, have failed to get over the hump despite having promising pieces in place. The Texans are in a much better place than the Jaguars to make a run with an electric offense, but are held back by one of the worst defenses in the league. It is of course the Colts and Peyton Manning who seem to continue getting richer, especially if they can bring back all of their walking wounded. With Matt Schaub and the Texans the only team capable of contending with Indy in 2011, the AFC South shows how important the quarterback position is in the National Football League.

HOUSTON TEXANS

With all of the offensive weapons the Houston Texans had you would think they would have done much better than 6-10 this season. Alas, it was their play on the defensive side of the ball that sunk them is most of their games this season, finishing No. 30 in points allowed and dead last in passing yards allowed per game. It was truly horrific to watch at times and clearly the team was hurt by the departure of cornerback Dunta Robinson in the offseason. If they can make some moves this offseason to shore up that side of the ball they will surely be able to contend for the AFC South title or at least a Wild Card spot.

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- Written by Ryan Czopek
- Edited by Marc Caviglia

The AFC North much like it’s NFC North counterpart has great rivalries and an ongoing tradition of playing smash mouth defensive football. Players like Ray Lewis, James Harrison and Troy Polamalu are the faces of this division on defense, while Ben Roethlisberger and Ray Rice fit the bill on offense. The majority of the players in the AFC North aren’t glamorous, but are scrappy and hardworking, much like the people of their cities. No team preaches hard work and dedication more than the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are the class of this division. Pittsburgh won the AFC title last season, only to lose to the Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl. Pittsburgh’s biggest challenge each year comes from the Baltimore Ravens, who have made the playoffs in each of Joe Flacco’s first three seasons in the NFL. He has that franchise heading in the right direction. The bottom feeders of the divisions are the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals. The Browns have put together just one winning season since 2003, however with Mike Holmgren running the front office they seem to be on the rise. As for the Bengals, they have talent, but look to rebuilding after their star players Carson Palmer and Chad Ochocinco both want out of town.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS

Despite not having Ben Roethlisberger (suspension) for the first four games of the 2010 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers finished with a record of 12-4 and won the AFC North last season. The team would comeback to beat the Baltimore Ravens and then the New York Jets to reach Super Bowl XLV. The Steelers would end up losing to the Green Bay Packers, but they are primed to make another Super Bowl run this season.  Except for the majority of the offensive line, the Steelers have strengths at virtually every position.

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- Written by Ryan Czopek
- Edited by Marc Caviglia

The AFC North much like it’s NFC North counterpart has great rivalries and an ongoing tradition of playing smash mouth defensive football. Players like Ray Lewis, James Harrison and Troy Polamalu are the faces of this division on defense, while Ben Roethlisberger and Ray Rice fit the bill on offense. The majority of the players in the AFC North aren’t glamorous, but are scrappy and hardworking, much like the people of their cities. No team preaches hard work and dedication more than the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are the class of this division. Pittsburgh won the AFC title last season, only to lose to the Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl. Pittsburgh’s biggest challenge each year comes from the Baltimore Ravens, who have made the playoffs in each of Joe Flacco’s first three seasons in the NFL. He has that franchise heading in the right direction. The bottom feeders of the divisions are the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals. The Browns have put together just one winning season since 2003, however with Mike Holmgren running the front office they seem to be on the rise. As for the Bengals, they have talent, but look to rebuilding after their star players Carson Palmer and Chad Ochocinco both want out of town.

CLEVELAND BROWNS

Another year, another dismal season for the Cleveland Browns. For the second year in a row the team finished 5-11. However, it wasn’t completely terrible for the Browns. They found a running back in Peyton Hillis, who had one of the more surprising seasons in recent years. Young quarterback Colt McCoy also had his moments leading the team to victories over two perennial powerhouses in the New Orleans Saints and New England Patriots. Despite having some promising moments in 2010, the Browns don’t have the pieces they need to compete in the division next season, however team president Mike Holmgren will make sure they’re going in the right direction.

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- Written by Ryan Czopek
- Edited by Marc Caviglia

The AFC North much like it’s NFC North counterpart has great rivalries and an ongoing tradition of playing smash mouth defensive football. Players like Ray Lewis, James Harrison and Troy Polamalu are the faces of this division on defense, while Ben Roethlisberger and Ray Rice fit the bill on offense. The majority of the players in the AFC North aren’t glamorous, but are scrappy and hardworking, much like the people of their cities. No team preaches hard work and dedication more than the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are the class of this division. Pittsburgh won the AFC title last season, only to lose to the Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl. Pittsburgh’s biggest challenge each year comes from the Baltimore Ravens, who have made the playoffs in each of Joe Flacco’s first three seasons in the NFL. He has that franchise heading in the right direction. The bottom feeders of the divisions are the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals. The Browns have put together just one winning season since 2003, however with Mike Holmgren running the front office they seem to be on the rise. As for the Bengals, they have talent, but look to rebuilding after their star players Carson Palmer and Chad Ochocinco both want out of town.

CINCINNATI BENGALS

You can sum up the Bengals’ 2010 showing in one word…disappointing! With the addition of Terrell Owens, many football gurus had the Bengals contending for the AFC North crown last season. They couldn’t have been more wrong. The Bengals finished in last place with a 4-12 record behind the lowly Cleveland Browns. And, it’s not looking any better for the Bengals in 2011. The team isn’t likely to resign Terrell Owens and rumor has it Chad Ochocinco has played his last game in Cincy as well. Plus, Carson Palmer is so upset with the Bengals’ franchise he rather retire, and forfeit millions of dollars, than play for the team. The Bengals are a massive rebuilding project going into next season and even their strengths come with question marks.

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- Written by Ryan Czopek
- Edited by Marc Caviglia

The AFC North much like it’s NFC North counterpart has great rivalries and an ongoing tradition of playing smash mouth defensive football. Players like Ray Lewis, James Harrison and Troy Polamalu are the faces of this division on defense, while Ben Roethlisberger and Ray Rice fit the bill on offense. The majority of the players in the AFC North aren’t glamorous, but are scrappy and hardworking, much like the people of their cities. No team preaches hard work and dedication more than the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are the class of this division. Pittsburgh won the AFC title last season, only to lose to the Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl. Pittsburgh’s biggest challenge each year comes from the Baltimore Ravens, who have made the playoffs in each of Joe Flacco’s first three seasons in the NFL. He has that franchise heading in the right direction. The bottom feeders of the divisions are the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals. The Browns have put together just one winning season since 2003, however with Mike Holmgren running the front office they seem to be on the rise. As for the Bengals, they have talent, but look to rebuilding after their star players Carson Palmer and Chad Ochocinco both want out of town.

BALTIMORE RAVENS

After dominating the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first half of the playoffs in the AFC divisional round, the Baltimore Ravens collapsed in the second half and the Steelers advanced to the AFC title game. If the Ravens didn’t let that lead slip through their fingers we could be talking about them as Super Bowl champions, however that was not the case and now it’s back to the drawing board in Baltimore. The Ravens are once again in excellent position to be a contender next season. Despite aging, they have a solid defense that is anchored by Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs and Ed Reed. They have a playmaking receiver in Anquan Boldin and Ray Rice is one of the more complete running backs in the league. Let’s not forget that quarterback Joe Flacco is only getting better. As much start power as the Ravens have, they still have their holes, though not as glaring as some of the other teams in the AFC North.

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- Written by James Burulcich
- Edited by Marc Caviglia

Over the past few seasons, the AFC West had more imbalances and mediocrity than any other division.. From 2006-2009, the San Diego Chargers were the kings of the division and outside of a late surge in 2008 they handled business with ease, however that changed in 2010. The Kansas City Chiefs combined stellar decision making from quarterback Matt Cassel with a high powered run game to win their first division title since 2003. Also, the Oakland Raiders finally played .500 football, which marked the first time since 2002 they accomplished this feat. As for the Denver Broncos, they were one the worst teams in all the NFL record wise, however showed plenty of signs on offense. All four AFC West teams ranked in the top 13 offensively in 2010 and have a shot to do it again this year. The AFC West has the longest drought of sending a team to the Super Bowl (Oakland in 2002), and for that to change each team needs to address some glaring needs.

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS

The San Diego Chargers’ 2010 season was like an enigma wrapped in a riddle. They were the league’s most potent offense racking up 6,329 yards (395.6 yard per game) and also the league’s best defense giving up only 4,345 yards (271.6 yards per game), however they finished the season only 9-7; missing the playoffs for the first time in five seasons. When crunching the numbers you can find that the most likely cause was probably San Diego’s inability to force turnovers. The Chargers finished the year at minus-six in turnover differential, when in comparison five of the six AFC playoff teams (Indianapolis Colts excluded) finished plus-seven or better. San Diego has far and away the most talent within the AFC West and will look to get back in the playoffs in 2011 behind their stellar quarterback Philip Rivers. However, for this to happen they need to address some needs, ranging from staying healthy to forcing more turnovers.

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