NFL All-Division Tournament: AFC North vs. AFC South
Dec 8, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers strong safety Troy Polamalu (43) runs with the ball after a missed Miami Dolphins field goal during the second quarter at Heinz Field. The Miami Dolphins won 34-28. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
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If you’ve been paying attention closely enough, you’d have noticed that NPC and the other AFC North Divisional sites collaborated and came up with an AFC North All-Division squad. The time has now come for this all-division team to face off against other all-division teams that were created in the same way throughout FanSided’s NFL team sites.
Here is a recap of the AFC North roster:
AFC North Offense
RB Giovani Bernard
TE Jordan Cameron
WR Josh Gordon
WR A.J. Green
WR Torrey Smith
LT Joe Thomas
LG Andrew Whitworth
C Alex Mack
RG Marshal Yanda
RT Andre Smith
Roethlisberger is the only Steeler on the offensive side of the football much to the dismay of Steeler Nation. Antonio Brown fell just off of the final list even though many can agree that he out performed Torrey Smith (who just squirmed in), even though Smith tips the scales as a bigger playmaker down the field. It’s a very solid squad and Roethlisberger would feel completely comfortable behind and offensive line to the likes of Thomas, Whitworth, Mack, Yanda, and Smith. With an explosive receiving core and Bernard getting the grunt work on the ground – the offense has the potential to score a ton of points. For those new to this roster – the editors decided to allow Josh Gordon a roster spot seeing that nothing has been handed down by the NFL wrist slap department as of yet.
AFC North Defense
DE Geno Atkins
NT Haloti Ngata
OLB Terrell Suggs
ILB Vontaze Burfict
ILB Lawrence Timmons
OLB Jason Worilds
CB Joe Haden
CB Jimmy Smith
S Donte Whitner
The defense is stacked with Steelers – and rightfully so. Even though the defense struggled with the secondary and other isolated positional spots, there are some bright stars still shining in the ‘Burgh. Heyward and Worilds both became beasts in the second half of 2013. Timmons has always been good and consistent, continually showing off his middle of the field pass coverage, and Polamalu (despite having to play a different role for two season) is still one of the best safeties out there. Continue to stack that deck with Atkins, Ngata, Smith, and Haden, and you are looking at a defense that will shut down an offense the closer they get to the end zone.
Here’s the AFC South All-Division roster:
AFC South Offense
QB Andrew Luck
RB Arian Foster
WR Andre Johnson
WR Reggie Wayne
WR Kendall Wright
TE Dwayne Allen
LT Michael Roos
LG Zane Beadles
C Chris Myers
RG Brandon Brooks
RT Duane Brown
AFC South Defense
DE J.J. Watt
NT Jurrell Casey
DE Chris Clemons
OLB Jadeveon Clowney
ILB Paul Posluszny
ILB Brian Cushing
OLB Robert Mathis
CB Vontae Davis
CB Johnathan Joseph
S Bernard Pollard
S Johnathan Cyprien
It’s not a very intimidating group of players – especially on the defensive side of the ball. Clowney, an unproven rookie holds no weight against the AFC North’s offensive line considering he has not taken a snap as an NFL rookie. He and Mathis would struggle to gain the edge around the North’s Smith and Thomas – are you kidding? No contest.
It might be a slightly biased opinion, but the scales are heavily tipped in favor of the AFC North…. and underdogs don’t count in the world of fantasy sports.
Ok Steeler Nation. Time to weigh in and vote. You can vote on this page, or visit NFL Spin Zone and vote there (for a second time, wink wink nudge nudge). Have at it!
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