AFC North expectations

Article by Gordon Dedman

 

ESPN’s Merril Hoge was talking to Steelers.Com and was asked to rate the teams in the division. He declared that the division race was down to three as Cleveland continues to do a wonderful job of messing it up. If they cut Manziel and start working on the team, they might have a chance he added.

Hoge believes that Cincinnati are as complete as they can get while the Ravens can’t keeping changing things as it will eventually catch up with the team.

Naturally he went for the Steelers to win the division in the belief that they have the better quarterback and the better running back of the teams. I couldn’t believe he left out Antonio Brown so I went back and replayed the video to make sure my notes were correct… and they were.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Although you wouldn’t expect an ex-Steeler to say anything different, Hoge does present a good case. The Steelers offense was one of the most powerful in the NFL last season. The silence of the “blame Haley” brigade is now deafening. Those back to back record breaking games against the Colts and the Ravens, plus winning the division has put a muzzle on his critics.

Stability is a great catalyst for success and the Steelers offense has that at the moment. Although to continue that progress, the defense needs to develop this season. Training camp is the ideal environment for the defense to achieve this as daily they will face an offense ranked at the top.

Baltimore Ravens

Having lost two of their top three receiving corps to free agency last season, the Ravens need to address the loss of the 1298 total yards they provided. The number one go to player for quarterback Joe Flacco was Steve Smith, but now aged 36; he might find it difficult to add any extra yards.

Baltimore used the draft to boost their offense and Flacco’s production, but time will be needed for their rookies to contribute. With their new offensive coordinator Marc Trestman, one possibility is the increased use of running back Justin Forsett as a receiver.

Cleveland Browns

The Browns are the Browns and misfortune appears to follow them around. Coach Mike Pettine revealed two of this year’s draft picks wouldn’t be in camp. Cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu is likely to be absent for the entire season in an attempt to allow a serious knee injury to recover while tight end Randall Telfer would be re-evaluated midseason.

Former Oakland quarterback Terrelle Pryor is being mentored as a wide receiver with the Browns. ''We're going to throw him right into the mix,'' Pettine said of Pryor. ''I know that's not an easy transition, but if anybody has the skill set to do it, he does.”

Pryor spent the offseason training with the Antonio Brown, Josh Gordon and Randy Moss, so he will appreciate what will be required to make it. If nothing else, Pryor can provide backup to starter Josh McCown and Johnny Football.

Cincinnati Bengals

Quarterback Andy Dalton has led the Bengals to four straight postseason appearances and is fully expected to make it five, but in one of the toughest divisions in the NFL, there will be no room for error.

This season Dalton will hope to have the additional services of wide receivers Marvin Jones, who was out injured last year, and Denarius Moore from Oakland. The added bonus of an injury free A.J. Green will increase the Bengals’ potential.

AFC North Training Camps

Article by Gordon Dedman

 

 

Cleveland Browns - Training Complex Berea, Ohio

Rookies report July 22nd, veterans July 29th.

The Cleveland Browns Training and Administrative Complex are located in Berea Ohio, on 13 acres of land about twenty miles south of Cleveland. The building, which originally opened in August 1991, was renovated in the spring of 1999, while further renovations and expansion commenced during the 2009 offseason.

The most recent improvements include an expanded locker room, a lobby restoration that pays tribute to Browns' Hall of Famers and a complete renovation of the cafeteria, video room, and meeting rooms, including a new 2,300 sq. ft. auditorium featuring 120 theater seats.

First 2015 exhibition game vs Washington Redskins August 14^th 0100.

Cincinnati Bengals - Paul Brown Stadium, Ohio

Rookies report July 27th, veterans July 30th.

The Bengals don’t travel far for their training camp as they hold it at Paul Brown Stadium and for the fourth consecutive season, the team will hold practices open to the public on the fields adjacent to stadium.

This year’s camp includes joint practices with the N.Y. Giants as well as a free Family Day event inside the stadium on August 8^th when fans will their first look at Paul Brown Stadium’s new scoreboards and concession stands.

First exhibition game vs New York Giants August 15^th 0030.

Baltimore Ravens - Under Armour Performance Center Owings Mills, Maryland.

Rookies report July 22nd, veterans July 29th.

Baltimore's 200,000-square-foot training facility is about twenty miles north of Baltimore It has a 90,000 square feet field house that includes a strength-training area and a full-size indoor practice field.

The headquarters, outdoor practice fields and field house on 32 acres was completed in October 2004.

The facility includes a full-service kitchen, cafeteria, player support functions, basketball and racquetball courts and TV studio, plus state-of-the-art requirements for NFL training. There are executive offices, meeting rooms, media areas, three outdoor fields and a full-length indoor practice field.

First exhibition game vs New Orleans Saints August 14^th 0030.

Pittsburgh Steelers - Saint Vincent College Latrobe, Pennsylvania

Rookies report July 25th, veterans July 25th.

St. Vincent is 40 miles east of Pittsburgh and is the second oldest camp site in the NFL behind the Green Bay Packers’ camp at St. Norbert College, which has run since 1958.

This year, the Steelers will celebrate their 50^th anniversary of holding the team’s training camp in the tranquil setting that is Saint Vincent College, Latrobe. Originally a retreat and school run by Benedictine monks, the Steeler fans among them were only too keen to see the Steelers use the facilities as their training camp when they were first consulted about the possibility.

The Steelers train and scrimmage on Chuck Noll field within the college and are billeted in Rooney Hall, which when completed in 1995 introduced the team to the luxuries of air conditioning and elevators.

First exhibition game vs the Minnesota Vikings August 10^th 0100, Hall of Fame game, Canton, Ohio.

All exhibition game dates/times are UK times.

John Smith - Part of Eighties Football in the UK

Article by Gordon Dedman

For those of us that watched football when it first hit our television screens via Channel 4 on a Sunday night, you’ll remember the kicker John Smith. For five years of that coverage, Smith played a major part in the presentation.

Everyone knew he had a successful career with the New England Patriots, but while conducting my Steelers research, I was surprised to discover that he spent a week in Pittsburgh during the 1973 exhibition season.

 

In May that year, an American agent on behalf of the Patriots contacted Smith, who was playing soccer with Wealdstone, and invited him over for a trial. With nothing to lose, Smith flew over thinking it was a short holiday at someone else’s expense.

Smith had spent three summers coaching soccer in the USA and that’s when he came to the attention of the Patriots. After his trial, he was offered a contract, but the team felt he was too raw to ply his trade just yet in the professional league.

Adhering to a league rule that prevents a club from re-signing a free agent in the same year unless he’s been cut by another team, the Patriots let him go to the Steelers, who obligingly dropped him within a few days. It would appear that an old pal’s agreement was in place.

The Pittsburgh newspapers recorded his acquisition in early August, suggesting he had been traded to Pittsburgh for a lowly draft choice and also noted when he was cut within five days.

A week later after the Steelers let him go, the New England Colonials announced his signing, stating he was from “South Hampton” (sic), England. The Colonials had started their season in the Atlantic Coast Football League as the new kids on the block. At the time, their kicker was former Harvard star Richie Szaro. A few days later, Szaro was gone; joining rivals the Bridgeport Jets and Smith was in place to make an impression.

The Colonials were the feeder team for the Patriots so Smith’s progress was monitored closely by the pro team. As his team put together a 10-2 record for the season, he fought Szaro to be the leading kicker in the league while their teams won their respective divisions and faced each other in the championship game.

With an admission fee of $3, 10,000 fans turned out to see the Colonials thrash the Jets 41-17 with Smith contributing ten of the Colonials points including field goals from 25 and 30 yards.

 

The next year, Smith began his NFL career with the Patriots and when they played the Steelers in 1976, he reminisced to the Pittsburgh Press about that previous week in training camp.

He acknowledged he received some valuable kicking advice from Steelers kicker Roy Gerela while he was providing an insight on British social graces for one of the Steelers most uninhibited personalities, bachelor Dwight White.

“I got on real well with the players,” Smith recalled. “Dwight White kept trying to take off my accent and always wanted to know what an Englishman says to the ladies.”

Smith spent ten years with the Patriots pre-Brady and certainly made an impression on our screens when football was making its first impact in the UK.

1973 was the final year of the Atlantic Coast Football League. With the World Football League beginning, there would not be sufficient resources for all the leagues.