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QB: Jay Cutler, 3rd yr, Denver Broncos
One of the strongest arms in football.

RB: Marshawn Lynch, 2nd yr, Buffalo Bills
Rushed for over 1,100 yards as a rookie. Improved patience will translate to big things.

WR: Vincent Jackson, 4th yr, San Diego Chargers
Outstanding size augments his first-class athleticism. Came alive in the playoffs last year.

WR: Calvin Johnson, 2nd yr, Detroit Lions
Healthy, more mature, playing in a new offense.

TE: Vernon Davis, 3rd yr, San Francisco 49ers
Even with the Niners’ shaky QB situation, he’ll get plenty of opportunities as one of the focal points in Mike Martz’s offense.

LT: D’Brickashaw Ferguson, 3rd yr, New York Jets
The arrival of Alan Faneca will…

1. Pittsburgh Steelers

They return essentially the same defense that ranked No. 1 last year, plus they have several promising new weapons on offense.

2. Cleveland Browns

The trendiest pick in football this season. A division title is within reach, but what happens if Jamal Lewis or one of the defensive backs goes down?

3. Cincinnati Bengals

It’s nothing but chaos here. There’s enough talent for a playoff run, but that hasn’t seemed to matter the past two seasons.

4. Baltimore Ravens

Too much transition taking place for a team with this kind of quarterback situation.

Click cont. to see All-AFC North team and division awards

The time had come for a change. On the surface, canning Brian Billick after a 5-11 season seemed impetuous. After all, the longtime head coach had gone 13-3 the year before. But it wasn’t just about Billick.

Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti recognized that his franchise was in need of a cultural makeover. Although their record has mostly been strong, the Ravens haven’t been a surefire Super Bowl contender for several years. They’ve regularly toiled around nine and ten wins, sprinkling a clunky season in every so often. They live up to their potential some of the time. If the Ravens were a small market baseball team, this would be fine. But they’re an NFL franchise, and Bisciotti and company are in it for Lombardi Trophies.

Enter John Harbaugh. Forty-six, brother of Stanford head coach Jim and highly respected as a special teams mastermind the past 10 years in Philly. This is the man tasked with changing the culture in Baltimore. It’s a harder job than you think.

NFL.com recently published a list of all the rookie free agent signings for 2008 (view it here).

Few fans realize how many good players in the league today were once rookie free agents. Just take a look at this All Undrafted Team. It’s stunning.

(starters in bold)

QB: Tony Romo, Dal   Jake Delhomme, Car   Jeff Garcia, TB

RB: Willie Parker, Pit   Dominic Rhodes, Ind   Marcel Shipp, Ari  

FB: Tony Richardson, NYJ

WR: Drew Bennett, Stl   Mike Furrey, Det   Hank Baskett, Phi

WR: Wes Welker, NE   Eric Parker, SD  

TE: Antonio Gates, SD   Mark Campbell, NO

OT: Jason Peters, Buf   Tom Ashworth, FA

  G: Brian Waters, KC   Ryan Lilja, Ind   Jason Whittle, Buf

  C: Jeff Saturday, Ind   Casey…

The four NFL head coaching changes that have taken place this offseason have conjured up minimal buzz, thanks to the unusual absence of recognizable big-name hires. Tony Sparano to the Dolphins invoked the expected Sopranos jokes — something America saw coming even weeks before the Cowboys’ O-line coach officially entered the market — as well as additional Bill Parcells chatter (apparently he’s pretty good at “turnin’ things around.”)

John Harbaugh’s hiring in Baltimore will be a lot more interesting in a few years, after he’s proven himself as one of the preeminent head coaches in the league.

Mike Smith was hired to take over the Atlanta Falcons, and it’s safe…

Tony Sparano

Previous Job: Offensive Line Coach, Dallas Cowboys (2003-07)

Contract: 4 years, estimated $10-11 million

Why He’s Here

Disenchanted after a 1-15 extended the once-proud franchise’s playoff drought to six years, owner Wayne Huzienga shook up the front office and brought in Bill Parcells to right the ship. One of the Big Tuna’s first moves was to anoint a new Captain whom he can trust.

What Sparano Brings

A familiarity of coaching in the Parcells paradigm (Sparano was an offensive assistant in Dallas under Parcells, and even called plays in ’06).

Resume Gem

Helped bridge the new coaching staff in Big D in 2007 by guiding an offensive line that boasted three Pro Bowlers.

Glass Half Full

Bill Belichick. Tom…