AFC Central
Team	Hoge's analysis
	They kept their defensive nucleus intact, including defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis. The Ravens improved their offense with the addition of quarterback Elvis Grbac. He has the arm strength that allows Billick to design an offense to attack the whole field. Grbac also throws a great deep ball, so they will attack vertically, something Billick loves to do. Their passing game will be much more efficient. Jamal Lewis will be better coming off a great rookie season. Their receivers are on the verge of being a strong corps. Their first-round pick, tight end Todd Heap, will immediately impact the team. The Ravens will have fewer troubles scoring points and will continue to allow few points to opposing teams.
	Overall, they are a complete team. What has hurt them has some inconsistency at receiver. People have criticized Steve McNair's ability to throw downfield, but the receivers are more responsible for the lack of a vertical game than McNair. For the last few years the Titans have rarely had the same two receivers start. That really affects a quarterback and his ability to be consistent and go downfield. If the Titans were to correct their problems at receiver, McNair would go down the field more and complete himself as a quarterback. The defense will still be terrific and could be better with the addition of defensive end Kevin Carter. But which Carter will show up, the he-man who would whip someone on every down two years ago or the one who played last year? Jeff Fisher is one of the NFL's best coaches. I expect him to get the most out of his team.
	The Steelers will generate more offense next season. Kordell Stewart should excel in Mike Mularkey's offense. The new offensive coordinator has already established a trust, a belief and a confidence that they will be successful offensively. He wants Stewart to dump the ball off, taking the first option he sees, and then attack down the field. That's how Stewart has to play. Otherwise, he presses and gets into trouble. Jerome Bettis is still "The Bus"; he has not slowed down. The offensive line should be better. Mularkey will play to the strengths of the Steelers' young receivers. Their defense made some changes, losing linebacker Levon Kirkland and could be a question mark. But head coach Bill Cowher and defensive coordinator Tim Lewis have developed a scheme and a style that will continue to be relentless and put pressure on offenses, despite the loss of players. The defense could be solid, especially if two rookies, defensive tackle Casey Hampton and linebacker Kendrell Bell, can contribute right away.
	Everybody has been caught up in the players Jacksonville has lost. I like to look at what the Jaguars still have. They have the best pure runner in football when healthy (Fred Taylor), one of the league's best quarterbacks (Mark Brunell), and one of the top receivers (Jimmy Smith). Their offensive line will be much better than the patchwork unit of a year ago. The Jaguars will still have an explosive, scary offense. Defensively, the return of one healthy player, Carnell Lake, will change the team's complexion. His absence last year killed the Jaguars. Offenses were able to create mismatches in the passing game and run on the Jaguars. Lake will help the Jaguars regain more of an advantage. When teams put players in the slot, Lake can cover them and play them like a corner. With Lake healthy, the defense doesn't have as many issues as it had last year. It won't be a powerhouse defense, but it should be solid.
	Corey Dillon is the stability of the Bengals. With Darnay Scott coming back from injury, Peter Warrick should be able to play a truer position and not have to be the go-to player. Head coach Dick LeBeau had a chance to establish his philosophy and his style last season, but it will be engrained this season. Offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski is a huge plus. But the key for Cincinnati is getting consistent play at quarterback from Akili Smith or Jon Kitna. With Dillon and their offensive line, the Bengals can run the football, taking pressure off the quarterbacks to win games. Kitna has limitations with his arm strength, but it's more important for either Smith or Kitna to be consistent and make solid decisions. Their defense has good young talent, like Takeo Spikes, one of the up-and-coming linebackers in the league. I expect their youthful mistakes to be gone, replaced by an improved defense.
	The Browns are back to square one. Under a new head coach, Butch Davis, they have to learn a new offense and a new defense. That's the biggest negative for the Browns. Their coaches are excellent, and the Browns will eventually be very good. But when there's new learning for any team, it's a struggle and a long process. The Browns have talked about all the offensive weapons they have for Tim Couch, but they have not addressed the one key area -- running back. A good running back takes pressure off a young quarterback. The Browns made good moves to add guard Tre' Johnson and tackle Ross Verba to solidify the offensive line. But until they establish a consistent running game, Couch won't be able to win games for them. He needs help, but the Browns have no proven quantity at running back. The Browns drafted defensive tackle Gerard Warren and signed Mark Smith to help their run defense. But if the running game struggles, the defense will as well. The best run defense is a good run offense because it will keep the defense off the field.