Swam's AFC North Preview

When you look at the AFC North the thing that standouts to me is, how in the world did Lou Tillery, who drafted last in the league get the Browns, a solid team, with the 32nd pick? This may have been the steal of the draft. And despite being challenged from Sweat Drop, BabyBoy, and Capone, Tillery is still the class of the division, even with the Browns. The division itself really doesn't have a "weak" team when you consider what the Ravens bring to the table defensively, the Steelers offensively, and the Bengals are probably as balanced as either of the four teams. The Browns maybe the weakest of the four on paper, but in the hands of Tillery, they may have just become the most lethal team.

Sweat Drop - Baltimore Ravens
Sweat Drop is no stranger to the MWS community. While he may not be known in the realms of the community as someone that frequents the boards, and plays in various leagues, Sweat Drop goes back in MWS history, making his debut in MWS competition at Nationals III in New Orleans. Since then, Sweat has been on the perimeter of Madden competition in the MWS, frequently labbing and sparring with Jay Kearney. And while this is Sweat Drops first year in the PFL Online, don't expect him to play like a rookie. Sweat is untested however, and the best thing for an untested rookie is to get a team that brings some serious intangibles to the table. That is why Sweat Drop took his number 20 selection and traded it toTragedy to get the number 2 pick. After much speculation centering around Sweat Drop taking the Panthers, he surprised some taking the Baltimore Ravens at #2. If Sweat Drop was considering the Panthers and the Ravens, the late acquisition of Deion Sanders surely swung the tide in the direction of the defensively load Ravens. With Sanders, Drop has a triple threat, using Sanders on defense, offense and special teams. The only question is how much love will the EA programmers show Sanders on the roster update. Sweat Drop will get to test his game right off the bat opening up with a string of divisional games starting with Lou Tillery's Browns. Other key games outside the division include Reality, John B and Jay Kearney.

BabyBoy Blitz - Cincinnati Bengals
This marks Baby Boys third campaign in the PFL Online. After a mildly successful season in Cleveland in his first year, Baby Boy took his game to the next level last season with the Vikings. The Vikes sported an impressive 12-4 record, and advancing to the second round of the NFC playoffs. Only problem for Baby Boy was that two of those four losses came at the hand of Bacardi Rico, and the loss in the playoffs....well, that too was Bacardi Rico. And looking at the AFC North, one has to wonder if this years nemesis for Baby Boy might be one Lou Tillery? If Baby Boy plans to lock down the north, he has to have a plan to fend off his inter division rival Tillery, who is the odds on favorite to capture the division crown. Thus the key for Baby Boy will be division wins, and securing the better record. That may be tough for the Bengal coach since both he and Tillery basically have the same schedule. Baby Boy kicks off the season facing fellow local BAMA league brother Philly Guy. Aside from critical inter divisional match ups, Baby Boys margin for error is very narrow as he also faces Chuggy, Reality, and John B. Because of the tough schedule, claiming the division title may be a bit of a daunting task for Baby Boy, but I do expect him to contend for another wildcard berth.

Lou Tillery - Cleveland Browns
In a recent topic of discussion at the MWS message board, Lou Tillery has been hailed by many as perhaps the greatest Madden player of all time. And while the living Madden legend hasn't won a major in over two years, it is clear that Tillery still has the respect of the Madden community in general as being one of the best in the game. After all, he is the defending champion of the PFL Online, going undefeated with the Bucs in a tough league last season. Going undefeated with the Browns may be expecting a little much for Tillery this season, but going for the crown is well within Tillery's grasp. The defending champs game will be measured early when he squares off against a stingy Raven defense followed by Reality's Cowboys and John B's Giants in the first three weeks. A late season tilt with Morpheus will be a highly anticipated match up when that time comes. Aside from that, Tillery should have this division well in hand.

Capone - Pittsburgh Steelers
No disrespect to a solid baller but Capone will have his hands full in a tough division this season. The Gametime Philly member enters his third season in the PFL Online as well. Make no mistake about it, Capone is solid in many aspects of the game, but he has not developed the consistency in his game, to elevate him to the next level. And with the North being a real meat grinder, wins will be tough to come by for Capone unless he establishes that consistency this season. Capone's last campaign was a sub par effort with the team of the year in 2004, the Falcons. The key to his game last season was a bruising ground game that featured T. J. Duckett who rambled for over 2000 yards finishing only second to T. O. for the rushing crown. In addition facing Tillery and Baby Boy twice a year will be no picnic. Other games of note include Reality, Philly Guy and John B. If you got the Steelers on the schedule, don't think it will be a cakewalk. Capone has too many weapons in Staley, Burress and Ward not to do some damage. However, playoffs may be a bit of a stretch for the GTP veteran in a division that will be an absolute meat grinder.

Swam's predictions:

• Browns (Tillery)
• Bengals (Baby Boy)
• Ravens (Sweat Drop)
• Steelers (Capone)