Posted by ESPN.com’s James Walker
AFC North teams have yet to face each other this season. But you would be surprised by the amount of trash talk we get every day in our always booming AFC North inbox.
Here is a sample from this week:
DJMJ from Los Angeles, Calif., writes: [Steelers] fans are so soft it's ridiculous. Give Cleveland fans a team that wins 10 games a year and challenges for division titles and has more Super Bowls than anyone else, and we'll pack your freaking stadium. When things get tough for Pittsburgh, their fans melt. They stopped supporting the Pirates almost immediately after the team started to [struggle]. Pittsburgh has been well below the NL average in attendance for 15 of the last 17 years. And don't forget the Penguins, who Pittsburgh stopped supporting and almost went into bankruptcy. If those babies in Pukesburgh ever had to endure a run of futility like the Browns have since our return, they'd stop showing up. That's who they are.
Fionn from Wilmington, Del., writes: I saw that the Steelers yell “Heath” whenever he makes a play now. I just thought I'd let you know that they stole that from Baltimore because we have always yelled "HEAAAAPPPP" every time my man Todd Heap caught a ball. Stop swagger-jacking, you frontrunners!
Jody from Little Rock, Ark., writes: Why is it that these Ravens fan always have something negative to say about the Steelers? If I were a team that got my butt kicked three times in one season by the same team, I would shut up.
Matt K. Louisville, Ky., writes: James, I've got to tell you something about the Browns' stadium: two wows is two too many. Here's a team that hadn't been able to get a rusher across the 1,000-yard mark in what seemed like forever, building a bowl-configuration stadium with an opening to the north, near the lake. Here's the problem with that configuration, especially where it concerns the offensive identity (or lack thereof) of this team: the wind from the lake swirls in Browns Stadium about 30 feet above the field, making it difficult for all but the best quarterbacks to throw on windy days. If you're a team that can't run the ball, why build a stadium where the running game is a key to success? Full disclosure: I'm a Bengals fan. But that doesn't take away from the fact that given the team's personality, the stadium's design makes absolutely no sense. I also hear there are a lot of Browns fans there. That's terrible, too.
Brad B from Atlanta, Ga., writes: JW, as a long-time Bengals fan, I don't understand why everyone seems so concerned about the Steelers running game. A game against the Bengals or Browns has always worked as a perfect remedy to any rushing woes the Steelers may suffer from.
Andy from Minneapolis, Minn., writes: I'm trying to figure out why everyone still feels that the Bengals are better than the Browns? The Bengals lost to a bad Denver team (Denver has a very bad defense), the Browns looked good for one half against the Vikings. But it's a Vikings team that has a top defense and offense. If I were to make any analysis of the teams, Cleveland should be ahead of Cincinnati without a doubt. I'm guessing if Cincinnati played the way they did against Minnesota, it would have been much, much worse.
Ouch! AFC North fans are already in midseason form.
Where’s the love, everyone?
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ABOUT THIS BLOG
James Walker
Walker joined ESPN.com in 2008 after three seasons covering the Cleveland Browns for the Columbus Dispatch. He also covered the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Cavaliers at the Dispatch. Walker grew up in Hyattsville, Md., before attending Temple University, graduating in 2001 with a B.A. in communications and mass media. He resides in the Cleveland area.
