PIT-CLE Identical SB Odds!$#!

[NorthCoast]

Either the Steelers have badly fallen out of favor or the Browns have everyone absolutely snowed:

AFC North betting preview and predictions
C Jackson Cowart
3h ago
Scott Taetsch / Getty Images Sport / Getty
BALTIMORE, MD - NOVEMBER 04: Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens attempts to stiff-arm Mike Hilton #28 of the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second quarter at M&T Bank Stadium on November 4, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland.
The Cleveland Browns are good, the Pittsburgh Steelers are in transition, and Marvin Lewis is not the coach of the Cincinnati Bengals. What's going on in the AFC North?

Arguably no division saw bigger turnover in the offseason than this one, with Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell leaving town and Odell Beckham Jr. joining the mix in Cleveland. The AFC North is one of just two divisions with a plus-money favorite (NFC North), and while bettors are fading the Browns as division winners, they're pounding them as Super Bowl contenders.

Here are the best bets, value plays, and picks to avoid in the AFC North for 2019.

(Over prices in parentheses)

TEAM WIN TOTAL AFC NORTH ODDS SUPER BOWL ODDS
Browns 9 (Even) 7-5 20-1
Steelers 9 (-120) 7-5 20-1
Ravens 8.5 (+120) 7-2 40-1
Bengals 6 (+110) 20-1 100-1
Odds courtesy of the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook

Best bet
Steelers under 9 wins (Even)

Pittsburgh won nine games last year, then lost the core of what made the team so dangerous the past few seasons. However, bettors are still riding the over on the Steelers' win total and betting them to a tie atop the division at 7-5 odds.

Brown and Bell are gone, and even the biggest fans of JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Conner can acknowledge the downgrade for a team that's relied on offensive firepower for years. The defense was average across the board last season, with a near-worst special teams unit. Is there any reason to expect improvement in 2019?

Ben Roethlisberger led the league with a career-high 5,129 passing yards last year but owned a virtually identical touchdown and interception rate from his 2017 season, so it's hard to expect growth for the 37-year-old quarterback.

Better chemistry is really the only selling point for improvement, and that's not enough to replace two All-Pro offensive talents and fix a leaky defense.

Value play
Ravens to make playoffs (+170)

Baltimore won the division last season despite cobbling together a new offense halfway through the year to fit its rookie quarterback. Yet they're 2-1 to miss the playoffs entirely in 2019.

This defense has some work to do after losing C.J. Mosley, Za'Darius Smith, Terrell Suggs, Brent Urban, and Eric Weddle this offseason. But Baltimore's dominant run on defense has often relied on savvy play-calling and creative blitz packages up front. Evidently, not much will change for defensive coordinator Wink Martindale thanks to secondary stalwarts Marlon Humphrey, Jimmy Smith, and new addition Earl Thomas on the back end.

That's to say nothing of an offense that overwhelmed teams last year with historic rushing numbers and added two-time Pro Bowler Mark Ingram this summer. A full offseason should do wonders for offensive coordinator Greg Roman and second-year quarterback Lamar Jackson in a wide-open AFC North.

The Ravens open 2019 with two cupcakes (Miami, Arizona) and end the year against five straight non-playoff teams from 2018. It's a risk, but there's real value here and on Baltimore's lengthy division odds.

Bet to avoid
Anything on the Browns

Let's be honest here, we have no idea what's going to happen in Cleveland this year. Improvement feels imminent from last season's 7-8-1 record - especially after acquiring arguably the most talented receiver in football - but it's dangerous placing too much stock in a young team.

Baker Mayfield may be a future star, but he also ranked 22nd in quarterback rating (55.7) in his 14-game debut and showed his youth with high INTs (14) and a low completion percentage (63.8). The defense, littered with young stars, ranked 27th in Pro Football Focus' team grades in 2018, and Cleveland's special teams unit was 30th.

It's also foolish to chase the market, which has already pummeled the Browns' odds into the ground to win the Super Bowl (20-1) and AFC (8-1). If you think Year 2 is the time to bet on Cleveland's storybook season, all the power to you. It's smarter to wait.

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https://www.thescore.com/nfl/news/1808463

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

Was listening to radio today and they were saying how strange it is that everyone seems to think that the Steelers would have to "steal" the division from the Browns. This is still the Steelers and this is still the Browns.

I find it funny, and annoying, how people start with "this was a nine win team last year" and then talk about the loss of Brown and Bell. I don't know if any one of these people realize this but Bell did not participate in any way on that nine win team and was nothing more than a distraction. His absence this year is a plus over last year. If they want to say that this was a 13 win team two years ago and has since lost those two guys then that is a legitimate comment. To say that Bell is a loss from last year's team that missed the playoffs is not accurate.

[NorthCoast]

The sharps aren't buying the Browns hype.

That said, the Steelers have a pretty brutal schedule.

The Boz will need to win 1 or 2 games this season.

[Steelwolf]

Browns looked fast and that defense has some monsters. Sure its preseason but our guys better come to play I'm thinking

[BURGH86STEEL]

Was listening to radio today and they were saying how strange it is that everyone seems to think that the Steelers would have to "steal" the division from the Browns. This is still the Steelers and this is still the Browns.

I find it funny, and annoying, how people start with "this was a nine win team last year" and then talk about the loss of Brown and Bell. I don't know if any one of these people realize this but Bell did not participate in any way on that nine win team and was nothing more than a distraction. His absence this year is a plus over last year. If they want to say that this was a 13 win team two years ago and has since lost those two guys then that is a legitimate comment. To say that Bell is a loss from last year's team that missed the playoffs is not accurate.I believe the off the field stuff by other players is generally ignored by players on the team. I don't believe that Bell was a distraction for the team. I don't believe that the loss of Bell is a positive. I think fans like to conveniently forget how good Bell was for the Steelers. Bell and Brown losses might be felt on the field.

Only time will tell if the Steelers can compensate for the loss of great players.

[Starlifter]

the browns odds are based on hype and 'what ifs?' the steelers odds are based on actual play, underachieving the last several years and the loss of bell/brown.

who knows how it will play out? guess that's why it's a gamble.

[Oh wow]

the browns odds are based on hype and 'what ifs?' the steelers odds are based on actual play, underachieving the last several years and the loss of bell/brown.

who knows how it will play out? guess that's why it's a gamble.

I think we aren’t far from the “what if’s” without AB.

[RuthlessBurgher]

I believe the off the field stuff by other players is generally ignored by players on the team. I don't believe that Bell was a distraction for the team. I don't believe that the loss of Bell is a positive. I think fans like to conveniently forget how good Bell was for the Steelers. Bell and Brown losses might be felt on the field.

Only time will tell if the Steelers can compensate for the loss of great players.

He's saying that Bell is not a loss this year. Bell was a loss last year.

We got zero out of him on the field all of last season and only distractions out of him off the field.

In 2018, Bell the player was gone. In 2019, Bell the distraction is gone too.

[pfelix73]

Some of these reporters have no clue.

[pfelix73]

I believe the off the field stuff by other players is generally ignored by players on the team. I don't believe that Bell was a distraction for the team. I don't believe that the loss of Bell is a positive. I think fans like to conveniently forget how good Bell was for the Steelers. Bell and Brown losses might be felt on the field.

Only time will tell if the Steelers can compensate for the loss of great players.


Bell is an overrated RB. Glad he's gone. JuJu is gona be a better WR than AB ever wil be. AB's dealing with foot blisters already. They leave the Burgh and chyt starts to happen. Positive- they are both gone!

[RuthlessBurgher]

Antonio Callaway suspended four games

Posted by Josh Alper on August 9, 2019, 2:30 PM EDT

Browns wide receiver Antonio Callaway has been working with reserve units during training camp and he won’t be playing at all during the first four weeks of the regular season.

Callaway has been suspended for the first four games of the 2019 season because of a substance abuse policy violation. Callaway can practice and play with the team in the preseason before going on the suspended list.

“I take full responsibility for my actions,” Callaway said in a statement. “I made a mistake and I own that. I have taken steps to make myself better and I appreciate the Browns standing by me and supporting me during this time. I know there’s nothing I can say to regain trust; it will all be about my actions.”

Callaway was cited for marijuana possession charges last summer, but had those charges dismissed earlier this year. Callaway was also cited for marijuana possession while at the University of Florida, where he had several other off-field incidents that led to him being suspended for the entire 2017 season.

Callaway caught 43 passes for 586 yards and five touchdowns during his rookie season. He had three catches for 42 yards against Washington on Thursday night.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2019/08/09/antonio-callaway-suspended-four-games/

[RuthlessBurgher]

Graziano: Fantasy tips and nuggets from Colts, Bengals, Browns and Steelers camps

6:55 AM ET

Dan Graziano
ESPN Staff Writer

Back at home after this year's training camp trip, and I thought I'd pass along some notes from my final few stops. Last week, I filled you in on what I learned at Vikings, Packers and Bears camps. After that, I hit four more stops in Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania before wrapping up the trip.

Saw some practices, did some interviews, tried to get a sense of what's going on with the Colts, Bengals, Browns and Steelers as training camp rolls along. So here's some of what I picked up along the way:

Stop 7: Pittsburgh Steelers Camp

Aug. 7 in Latrobe, Pennsylvania

This is the only camp I've been to in which players have been allowed to hit and tackle each other to the ground this much. Coach Mike Tomlin believes in practicing the way you play, and in the past he has used a boxing analogy -- "You wouldn't get in the ring if you hadn't done some sparring" -- to explain his reasoning. It's jarring to see it. Kind of like walking into a restaurant where they allow smoking these days; you're a little bit shocked that there are still places where this goes on.

But it's the Steelers way, and the players buy in. And while everybody is locked in on the Browns in Ohio, they're out here in Latrobe doing what they always do.

"It's calm," guard Ramon Foster told me. "Guys are settling in. It's exactly what you want camp to be. It's dirty, grimy and hard, but what other situation would you rather be in?"

Foster is a good guy to talk to on these trips because he helps with the big picture. Ask him who looks good, and he has a list. He rattles off wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster ("just as sharp"); running back James Conner ("He's comfortable, more sure of what the hell he's got going on"); rookie linebacker Devin Bush ("I'm highly impressed"); and rookie wideout Diontae Johnson ("very savvy").

Foster is especially fired up about linebacker T.J. Watt.

"He's still looking like a god and doing the same exact things you expect him to," Foster said of Watt. "The biggest thing he's doing right now is chasing his brother. So as long as he's chasing him, I think we're in a good situation. He was telling me a story about how he ran up on his brother's notebooks -- how he had stacks and bundles of notebooks and how he just sat there and read through them and was like, 'Whoa, I've got to step my game up.' He realized what it actually takes to do the things that he wants to do from one of the greatest to ever do it."

On defense, the big add is Bush, the first-round pick out of Michigan whom the Steelers hope can stabilize the middle of their defense. They're expecting a lot out of Bush in Year 1, as his position carries much responsibility. But Bush told me the offensive linemen are helping him with tips and that playing for Jim Harbaugh while with the Wolverines was a huge help in getting him ready for a big rookie role in the pros.

"It was like a pro schedule," Bush said. "Obviously having Coach Harbaugh as our coach, everything was kind of pro-style, you know, from our special-teams concepts to our defenses to our offenses. So seeing two-back sets and seeing three tight ends in the game is not unusual to me."

And finally, I had to ask Foster about the Browns hype. Not surprisingly, he had thoughts.

"There's always a team here and there every year, escaping injury, escaping a losing skid," Foster said. "The bigger the bull's-eye, the harder it's going to be for you as a team if you're not right-minded. That's the only thing I have to say about that. When you think you have a team you're supposed to beat convincingly and they come out and play you hard as ever, it's because they think you're a team that's really good and you can change their season around. So that's my only hint of advice for a team that's getting that type of press. We've seen other teams. We've been that team. We know there's no off days. You have guys asking questions, 'How did you lose to this team?' Well, it's because you have the bull's-eye. So I have no problems with it. I'm glad it's off of us. It should be exciting. The AFC North is going to be a hard division this year."

More fantasy notes

▪ Smith-Schuster is the No. 1 wide receiver, but as second-year wideout James Washington told me, the Steelers expect teams to key on Smith-Schuster with Antonio Brown now off in Oakland fighting the league on helmet safety. The question is who picks up all those passing-game targets that went to Brown, and while some will surely go to Smith-Schuster, there is opportunity here for Washington, Johnson and even guys such as Donte Moncrief and Ryan Switzer. The sense I got was that Moncrief was the front-runner for the nominal No. 2 wide receiver spot, but again, it depends on who you talked to. Conner said Washington was greatly improved from last season. Foster brought up Johnson unsolicited. There's some stuff to sort out here yet.

Click here for Colts, Bengals, and Browns info:

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/27368305/graziano-fantasy-tips-nuggets-colts-bengals-browns-steelers-camps

[Mark]

JUJU going to be better then Brown? What are you smoking?

[Eich]

JUJU going to be better then Brown? What are you smoking?

IMO, it's possible to be better and not have the numbers AB had. Take Hines Ward for example. You could count on him for the tough catches. Move the chains. You could count on him to deliver crushing blocks in the run game. He was much more of a team guy than AB.

I think that's what we have in Juju. He may never put up the number AB did. But he just might be a better football player who wants to win more than he wants personal stats. A guy that makes the people around him better. A guy that will deliver a crushing block when it's needed. A guy that contributes more than just personal stats.

[RuthlessBurgher]

In other words, if you own a fantasy football team where stats are what matters most, you would likely prefer AB to Juju.

However, if you own an actual NFL franchise where team success is more important than individual accolades, you would likely prefer Juju to AB.

[Steel Maniac]

IMO, it's possible to be better and not have the numbers AB had. Take Hines Ward for example. You could count on him for the tough catches. Move the chains. You could count on him to deliver crushing blocks in the run game. He was much more of a team guy than AB.

I think that's what we have in Juju. He may never put up the number AB did. But he just might be a better football player who wants to win more than he wants personal stats. A guy that makes the people around him better. A guy that will deliver a crushing block when it's needed. A guy that contributes more than just personal stats.

If Juju can just be effective in the AFC championship game and get us the Super Bowl, he'll have achieved more then Brown ever did. Numbers are only great if they lead you to where you want to ultimatly go.