We haven't had an edition of Around the AFC North for awhile, but without the Daily Dawg Chow on the weekends, the weekend seems like a fitting time to talk about some of the latest hot topics in the division. In today's edition, we take a look at another suspension for the Bengals, the doubt about the future of Ravens safety Ed Reed, and Mike Tomlin's salary.
You might be wondering, "who?" The Bengals drafted linebacker Dontay Moch in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft, but he suffered a broken foot in the first preseason game. Moch did not record a statistic last season despite recovering from his foot injury in October. Anyway, Moch didn't help his chances of playing in year two, as he will be suspended for four games to start the 2012 season for using a banned substance:
If the suspension is upheld, Moch will have missed the first 20 games he was eligible to play to start his career, due to injuries (broken foot in the preseason last year), migraines and now a suspension. It wouldn't be a stretch to suggest that Moch could be a roster casualty due to his overall inability to get on the field for one reason or another.
According to reports, Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs suffered a torn Achilles and "will likely miss the 2012 season." Per NFL.com:
Suggs was working out and doing drills in Arizona, which is his normal offseason plan. It's a huge blow for the pass-rush hungry Ravens, who will be without the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
Suggs registered 14 sacks and 2 interceptions last year. The Ravens drafted outside linebacker Courtney Upshaw in the second round of the draft, but you can't expect him to be the same type of player that Suggs is. ESPN's Adam Schefter also reported that Suggs tore his Achilles, but says that Suggs believes he might not miss the entire season:
In today's edition of Around the AFC North, we take a look at the Bengals adding another former head coach to their staff, how much money Joe Flacco's agent wants for his client, and who will return kicks for the Steelers next season.
On Friday, the Bengals announced the hiring of former Oakland Raiders head coach Hue Jackson. The position he was hired for seems a little unusual given his recent history, though.
If you were surprised that the Cincinnati Bengals hired Hue Jackson on Friday to become an assistant coach with the defensive backs and special teams, you're hardly alone. Jackson has limited (if any) experience as a defensive coach, much less as a defensive backs coach. The last time he was an assistant with special teams was 1991 with the defunct London Monarchs in the World League of American Football, which would eventually become NFL Europe (which is also now gone).
Cincy Jungle thinks that this could set up a scenario in which offensive coordinator Jay Gruden gets hired somewhere as a head coach next year, allowing Jackson to smoothly transition into that position in 2013.
We already knew that Hines Ward's career in Pittsburgh might be coming to an end. He has one year left on his current contract, but is set to make $4 million next season. With his role having been reduced to an injury-filler receiver this past season and guys like Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown being the team's new top threats at receivers, it didn't even feel like Ward was on the team this past season.
We thought that Ward might restructure his contract to stay with the team, something he has said he'd be open to doing. According to Jason LaCanfora of NFL.com, Ward probably won't be brought back in any capacity next year:
In today's edition of Around the AFC North, we take a look at another member of the Bengals getting into trouble, the Steelers releasing a veteran cornerback, and why the Ravens need help at the receiver position.
It wouldn't be busy-as-usual for the Bengals if their players weren't getting into trouble every couple of weeks. In an attempt to keep up with the team's trend, Bengals linebacker Rey Maualuga reportedly punched a guy in the face, leading to a misdemeanor assault charge.
Police cited the 25-year-old Maualuga with the misdemeanor count on Friday after investigating allegations by a bar employee that Maualuga punched him in the face early Sunday morning. Maualuga's arraignment is scheduled for Feb. 17. No attorney was listed for him.
Prior to Maualuga, wide receiver Jerome Simpson was another prominent player who got into trouble. Maualuga could be facing a suspension next season since this is not the first time he's been in trouble.
In today's edition of Around the AFC North, we take a look at who the Steelers' next offensive coordinator could be, who the Ravens' new quarterbacks coach is, and whether Bengals fans want Chad Ochocinco to get a Super Bowl ring, even though he hasn't had to do much all season.
After being fired part-way through the 2011 season by the Chiefs and replaced by Romeo Crennel, Todd Haley could be close to joining the Pittsburgh Steelers as their new offensive coordinator. The Steelers lost Bruce Arians to retirement, which was funny considering he landed the same gig with the Colts a few days later.
Despite the ramblings of naysayers, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is reportedly interviewing Todd Haley for the team's offensive coordinator position. The news came on the Steelers own web site, the first story appearing on there referring to the job opening since a story with quotes from Tomlin after former offensive coordinator Bruce Arians' alleged retirement.
In today's edition of Around the AFC North, we ignore the Cincinnati Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelers to focus only on the Baltimore Ravens losing their defensive coordinator again.
It figures that the Colts didn't need an offensive-minded head coach when you have Peyton Manning under center. Pro Football Talk reports that after interviewing a lot of candidates, Jim Irsay has settled on Ravens defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano as the team's new head coach.
That means that former Browns special teams coordinator Brad Seely did not get the position. However, you can still chalk this up as another former Browns assistant who has become a head coach. I wasn't aware of this, but Pagano was the Browns' secondary coach from 2001-2004, serving under Butch Davis' staff.
In today's edition of Around the AFC North, we take a look at the retirement of a former Browns offensive coordinator, what the Dolphins' recent hiring means for Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, and a couple of keys to a Ravens victory.
After being with the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2004, including the past four years as the team's offensive coordinator, Bruce Arians has retired from the NFL (although other reports indicate that it might have been more of a "forced" retirement). Prior to coaching with the Steelers, Arians was the Browns' offensive coordinator for three years under former head coach Butch Davis. Now, the Steelers will have to search for a replacement in the next couple of weeks. I'd say that more fans than not in Pittsburgh are happy to be getting a new coordinator on board.
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