ESPN NFL

Posted by ESPN.com's James Walker

After an interesting weekend of football, here is what's on the mind of AFC North readers:

On the Baltimore Ravens:

Jack from Baltimore writes: Honorable Sir JW, its over. I'm done. I'm sold. The ravens search for a QB is over. Did you see Flacco out there? I'm OOZING happiness right now! He took the big hits, the sacks, but he still stood in there and made the right throws, the smart throws, he hit the small windows, he made all the reads, and he won the game for us! GAME BALL JOE FLACCO!! Say it with me JW! Do you best B-More accent! JOEW FLACCOEW!!!

Chris from Baltimore writes: No matter what the Ravens do, or how well they play I never seem to hear much about them on TV or on this site. Ravens fans seem to think everyone hates the Ravens. I want to know why the Ravens are so disliked by everyone. For Example: In week 8 Troy Smith threw a 40 some yard pass to Joe Flacco, an amazing play although it only went for a field goal. I saw that play on one highlight show and that was it. Now in week 9 Thigpen catches a pass for a TD and its all over the place. WHATS THE DEAL!!!

Steve from Baltimore writes: I know this comment is late, and not taking away from your articles,but why did you give the steelers all the love in the linebacker department when the ravens have one of the best to ever play the game with Ray Lewis and an above average/elite group with Bart Scott, Suggs, and Johnson?

On the Cleveland Browns...

Reader from Youngstown writes: Don't you think it's about time to start putting some of the blame on Romeo rather than the team? He has provided this team with lack of discipline, and the killer instinct that it takes to win in this league.
 

On the Pittsburgh Steelers:

Steelerfan from Ohio writes: James, When will we ever stop hearing the complaining and moaning about Hines Ward and the hits he puts on people? I and other Steeler fans are tired of hearing how this player is going to take out Ward in this game and that player will knock his head off in another game. If they hit him legally (just like he does to others), then good for them. But until then, quit crying and play football!

Amr from Manchester writes: What is with the Steelers' offensive play calls? Heath Miller rarely sees a ball thrown his way, but when he does good things happen. They also tend to take shots down the field too often, resulting in sacks for Big Ben. Why do they consistently call plays that take 4-5 seconds to develop when the o-line can only hold blockers for 2-3 seconds max? It seems that they start every game with a West Coast mindset, then instantly switch to Al Davis' downfield attack, which they have shown they can not pull off.

On the Cincinnati Bengals:

Joe from Columbus writes: Hey James, love the blog. I read your article on improving the Bengals. Very well written overall and as a longtime Browns fan, I can definitely relate to looking at your team and seeing holes at virtually every position. But I don't agree with your ideas about trading down. How often in the past few years have teams wanted out of the Top 5, but nobody wanted to pay the cost in draft picks and money to trade in? San Fran and Miami both openly tried to shop a #1 overall pick and found zero interest. Particularly with the huge costs of top picks nowadays, big trades in the Top 10 seem rarer and rarer. Trading down seems like a great option on paper, but I just don't think you're being realistic with this part of the solution.

D. McCunney writes: I noted your comments on fixing the Bengals, and the need to give the younger players a chance in the second half of the season. I parse this as "The season is lost in any case, and they have no realistic hopes of even making the playoffs. Since they have nothing to lose, they might as well experiment and see what the younger guys can do for them next year." Is that a fair statement? I agree if so. It can't hurt, and might help next year. I don't think anything can help them this year.