Out on a Limb
Fantasy Football Predictions

Sneak Peek - NFC and AFC North

Disclaimer: Out on a Limb in no way represents the predictions of every correspondent on Fantasy Info Central, nor is it a majority prediction organized by our correspondents as a whole. We do not encourage using these predictions for gambling purposes, but it's nice to take a break from the daily grind of fantasy leagues and just let 'er rip and have some fun.

Sneak Peek - NFC and AFC North

That's right, folks! Out on a Limb is back for its second season here on FIC, but there will be a few changes. The Mutt is no more, as the gimmicky nickname is a bit too cliche, but we should still have plenty of fun with the column in 2003. We will be asking for your participation again this season, with a return of our Game of the Week poll, as well as some opportunities for our regular readers to win some sports points on the site.

In our preseason picks, we'll share a brief thought on the team as a whole. We'll then note the biggest position battle to watch, as well as our "Luck of the Draw", where we'll mention the team's two unique opponents from other divisions. Enough with the introduction, though. It's time to kick off with Out on a Limb, as we preview the NFL season region by region, starting today with the AFC and NFC North.

AFC North

Preseason Picks:

Baltimore Ravens (10-6)
Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7)
Cleveland Browns (6-10)
Cincinnati Bengals (5-11)

Baltimore Ravens - Just what the NFL needs, eh? The second most arrogant coach in the league has Ray Lewis back, and he should have Jamal Lewis at 100% to begin the year. The Ravens still look to be a year or two away from seriously contending for the Super Bowl, but they should have a good shot at unseating the inconsistent Steelers as the AFC North champs.

Battle to Watch: Chris Redman vs. Kyle Boller - Redman will most likely hold the job through training camp, as Boller held out and just signed about a week ago. A soft early season schedule should ensure that Redman has his chance to keep the job all season, but Billick would much rather have a gunslinger at Quarterback. Redman's job will be to not lose games, and provided that he can do that, Boller may have to wait until next season.

Luck of the Draw (Jacksonville, at Miami): With a third place finish last season, the Ravens will get an opportunity that no other team in the division will have... a chance to beat up on the rebuilding Jags. The Dolphins should be in the AFC East hunt, as always, and should be tough on the road.

Pittsburgh Steelers - With Kordell gone, the fans in Pittsburgh may be looking for a new whipping boy. Will the Bus finally stay healthy this year, and can he even beat out Amos Zereoue for the job? Can Tommy Maddox repeat last year's surprise success story? Even with money receivers like Plaxico Burress and Hines Ward, there's no telling if Maddox will be a Kordell-like flash in the pan. With a lot of questions offensively, the Steelers will be hard pressed to beat out the up-and-coming Ravens.

Battle to Watch: Jerome Bettis vs. Amos Zereoue - Both backs will certainly have their chances this season, but one will have to get the lion's share of the carries. Amos has been terrific in replacing the Bus in each of the last two seasons, but the Steelers just have too much money tied into the Bus to let him be a healthy backup. Expect the Bus to end up being the feature back out of camp, with Zereoue providing a nice change of pace and spelling Bettis often.

Luck of the Draw (Tennessee, at New York Jets): Considering that they play the first place portion of the schedule, the Steelers may have lucked out here. They'll get their shot at a tough Titans team at home in Pittsburgh, while they'll travel to New Jersey to face a Jets team that could struggle with a lot of new personnel. It would be less than surprising to see the Steelers win both of these games.

Cleveland Browns - After making the playoffs in just their fourth season, the Browns will come back with an even younger team than they had last season. Almost their entire linebacking core and secondary will consist of first-year starters, and there are a lot of questions offensively, starting at Quarterback. On the positive side, William Green should continue to emerge as one of the better backs in the league. Someone needs to tell Butch Davis that he's not coaching college ball anymore, and can keep a few players around more than four (well... he was at Miami... two or three) years.

Battle to Watch: Tim Couch vs. Kelly Holcomb - As well and as gritty as Holcomb played last season, Couch eventually has to step up. It would be less than surprising to see Butch Davis treat this like Bill Cowher used to treat Kordell Stewart in Pittsburgh early on, starting Holcomb at home and letting Couch ease his way back into the starting role on the road where his home fans can't boo him. Expect Holcomb to win the job out of camp and start the first two games (Indy at home, Baltimore on the road), but if he doesn't flourish, don't be shocked to see Couch get a shot at re-claiming the role in San Francisco in Week 3.

Luck of the Draw: (Indianapolis, at New England) - The Browns certainly got stuck with the worst draw in the division here. The high-flying Colts will test all of those rookies on defense right away at home in Week 1, while New England's a tough road game any time during the season, and could be poised to win the AFC East.

Cincinnati Bengals - The Bengals finally seem to have found the man who can turn them around. Marvin Lewis simply won't let these guys quit, and he's already made quite an impact in the offseason, adding some great talent in the draft, as well as signing Kevin Hardy to fill the void left by Takeo Spikes' departure at linebacker. Jon Kitna should have a solid second (and final) season as the field general, while it will be interesting to see how much Corey Dillon buys into an attitude adjustment now that Lewis is aboard as the head coach. They still lack the depth to contend, and they still have several areas of need to fill, but the Bengals are headed in the right direction.

Battle to Watch: Peter Warrick vs. Kelley Washington - Warrick will certainly emerge as the #2 receiver as the team breaks camp, but Washington should take over the job by next season. Lewis guaranteed that Warrick will have more of a role in the offense, but time is starting to run out. Most impact wideouts break out in their second or third season, and this will be Warrick's fourth. Washington's main advantage is his size, and he could emerge as the #2 receiver if Warrick starts out slow again, but the better guess is that the Bengals will run a lot of three receiver sets.

Luck of the Draw: (Houston, at Buffalo) - Hosting Houston is obviously a very winnable game for the Bengals. The Texans still shouldn't put up a whole lot of points this season, and the Bengals main strength early on this season should be an offense that put up 20 points or more in six of their last eight games last year. Buffalo could be scary, but at least it's in October, so they shouldn't have to deal with the snow in Orchard Park.

NFC North

Preseason Picks:

Green Bay Packers (11-5)
Chicago Bears (7-9)
Minnesota Vikings (6-10)
Detroit Lions (4-12)

Green Bay Packers - The Pack should enjoy yet another season atop the most mediocre division in football. The offense shouldn't be a problem at all. Although he's in the twilight of his career, Brett Favre remains one of the top five signal-callers in the game, and Ahman Green had 1,600 yards in what most would consider an off year for him in 2002. The Pack remains strong in the trenches, and their strong secondary makes up for some of the question marks that they have in their linebacking core. Throw in the massive homefield advantage known as the Frozen Tundra, and the formula is still there for a run at the Super Bowl.

Battle to Watch: Javon Walker vs. Robert Ferguson - With Terry Glenn's departure to Dallas, one of these two receives will need to emerge as the starter opposite Donald Driver for the Packers. Walker would provide them with a great deep threat, while Ferguson would be more of a possession receiver. Both should see plenty of time in three receiver sets. Ferguson looks to be the early favorite to win the #2 job at the start of the season, but Walker is certainly the more intriguing fantasy player.

Luck of the Draw (at Tampa Bay, Philadelphia): Tough luck for the Packers here. Both the defending champion Bucs and the Eagles should be tough draws again this season, and they don't even get the advantage of facing the Super Bowl champs at the frozen tundra, where the Bucs haven't won since 1989.

Chicago Bears - After a horrendous letdown last season, the Bears will be out to prove that 2001 wasn't a fluke, and they have the talent in several key areas to compete. They'll rely heavily on a strong and balanced defense, but the offensive weapons just don't seem to be there. While the A-Train is certainly a solid running back, he has a long way to go to prove that he's an elite back. The biggest factor offensively, though, will be how Kordell Stewart gels with his new team, and whether he can keep his head on straight. Stewart thrives on his confidence, and if he's not given a chance to build it early on (four of the first six games will be on the road, and there's not a single slouch among their first six opponents), the Bears could be in for a long season.

Battle to Watch: David Terrell vs. Dez White - White should be the clear winner out of training camp as the #2 receiver opposite Marty Booker, but Terrell needs to either emerge this season or forever be known as a first-round flop. Terrell has shown off his poor work ethic all offseason, and it looks like he may settle for the latter. While White has better speed, Terrell is capable of being the best receiver on this team... he just has to want it.

Luck of the Draw (at New Orleans, Washington): None of the teams in the NFC North will end up with favorable draws for their two unique games. Both New Orleans and Washington should be capable of putting plenty on the board, and while the Saints head into camp with kind of a suspect defense, the Bears will have to face them in the Superdome. Both opponents are teams that seem to be on the way up, while the Bears appear to be in transition.

Minnesota Vikings - While many will question how many plays Randy Moss decides to take off this season, the Vikings main problem will still be their defense. While they've made some definite improvements to their woeful secondary and the linebacking core has had another year to gel, they still look to be another year or two away from putting together a defense that can take them to the next level. Losing Michael Bennett for the year on the offensive side of the ball certainly won't help to keep an inexperienced defense off the field, but Onterrio Smith should emerge as a nice replacement.

Battle to Watch: Onterrio Smith vs. Moe Williams - Williams may have a shot at holding the job through camp, but Smith should take it over by Week Three. Williams will continue to get a lot of the goal-line and short yardage carries, as Smith relies more on speed than power, but Smith is the much better option as a feature back. He's the better receiver, and he's much more likely to bust out the big play.

Luck of the Draw (at Atlanta, New York Giants) - The matchup with the Falcons at least figures to be intriguing, with possibly the best two running quarterbacks in the league squaring off. Both the Giants and Falcons are more balanced teams than the Vikes, and Minnesota will have to try and turn both games into a shootout.

Detroit Lions - Now that Marty Mohrninweg is gone, the Lions can only get better, right? Steve Marriucci will take a year or two to bring this franchise back to prominence, but he has two of his key offensive elements in place to turn this team around. His predecessors left him Joey Harrington, who should continue to establish himself as a solid QB, and he brought in explosive wideout Charles Rogers with the team's top pick in the draft this season. The two should gel and become one of the better QB/WR tandems in the league by the end of 2003. Unfortunately, the defense (particularly the secondary in a pass-happy division) just isn't going to be ready to help out much.

Battle to Watch: Shawn Byrson vs. Artose Pinner - While James Stewart will remain the starting running back, Bryson and Pinner should have a nice battle for the backup spot, and the winner could see plenty of action. Marriucci was reluctant to stick with one back in San Francisco, and he's said that he'd like to keep Stewart a little more fresh than Mohrninweg did in year's past. Bryson is the more intriguing option if he's completely healthy, as he's the fastest of the three and should see plenty of chances on third down whether he wins the backup job or not. Pinner is cut from the same cloth as Stewart, and likes to run between the tackles. Assuming that Bryson's knee is OK, he should end up winning the job here.

Luck of the Draw (at Carolina, Dallas): Both the Panthers and Cowboys should improve a lot this season, and while Detroit is on the way up as well, the Lions are just a couple of steps behind. Both teams should be able to smother the Lions' offensive attack, but neither of them shoot the lights out offensively themselves.

Be sure to check back next week when we preview the AFC and NFC South divisions, and possibly being our second season of the R.D.C.I.

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