James Walker

  (11:00 AM)

Hello everyone. Thanks for joining in. I know everyone is excited about the first week of the regular season and so am I. So let's get into some questions.

James Walker

  (11:02 AM)

McGahee is a big question mark right now. As recently as last week he was having trouble running. We will know better by Wed or Thurs.

SprungOnSports (Long Island)

What do you think the biggest key is to the Bengals-Ravens game on Sunday?

James Walker

  (11:03 AM)

It has to be turnovers. I did an interview with T.J. Houshmandzadeh yesterday in the locker room and that was his key to the game, so I'm going to roll with that. He said the two teams play so much that they already know each other's schemes. So the team that makes the fewest mistakes will probably win.

Tom (Hackensack)

Most of the reports from Ravens camp describe Ray Rice as a jones-drew type mold player. If this is the case, what do the ravens do in the event mcgahee is unable to go?

James Walker

  (11:05 AM)

The Ravens have to play him. Ray Rice had a good preseason and got better with each game. I'm not sure he is ready to be an every down player just yet, but he would be perfect in the role Balt. drafted him for if Willis is healthy.

Dustin (Washington, DC)

Would it be seriously surprising if anyone other than Pittburgh wins this division? Unless the Browns can somehow mangage beat them twice, I don't see them slipping this year.

James Walker

  (11:06 AM)

I wouldn't say surprising. The Browns have the talent on paper to do and I think those two teams will have a close race right now to the final week(s) of the regular season.

Brad (Richmond,Virginia)

if Joey Harrington signs with the ravens, will that have any impact on joe flacco's playing time?

James Walker

  (11:08 AM)

The Ravens havne't confirmed the signing yet, so I don't want to speculate too much. But if Harrington lands on the roster it will be just as a backup. Flacco is the guy for week one, no matter who they bring in.

Bob (SF)

Hi James, How long is the leash for Derek Anderson this year?

James Walker

  (11:10 AM)

Derek's "leash" will be fine. Brady Quinn missed on a golden opportunity to really shorten that leash with a decent, but not great, preseason. We all saw the difference in Quinn playing against third stringers and first stringers this summer as compared to last year.

John (Fort Myers, FL)

Do you see any of the AFC North teams making a big move in the first few weeks of the season? I know LeCharles Bentley is still available and I'm sure someone could probably use him. Other than that, I know just about every division team except the Steelers has a glaring weakness. Any trade possibilities?

James Walker

  (11:12 AM)

The Browns are still shopping for a cornerback, I'm told. I've been getting mixed signals for the organization on a third WR. The Ravens obviously will have another QB soon. The Bengals may get another WR, although I'm not sure of that just yet. The Steelers are pretty set, unless they decide to add a linemen. The name "Willie Anderson" has been floating around, but I haven't been able to confirm Pittsburgh's interest or lack thereof.

John (Fort Myers, FL)

Hi James, as much as I love talking about football, let's talk about the fans. It's nice to see the AFC North so well-represented in the "NFL fan rankings" that came out this weekend. Obviously, fans of teams like the Packers and Cowboys don't agree with the rankings. Did ESPN get it right?

James Walker

  (11:13 AM)

Well, John. I was on the panel so it's natural for me to say we got it right. We wouldn't have printed it otherwise. We went through a pretty extensive grading process, but there are always things to be debated.

Jay (Burke, VA)

Any news on Willie Anderson? I read that he was meeting with the Ravens today...

James Walker

  (11:15 AM)

Last I checked, I was told he was being look at by "more than a half-dozen teams." The Chargers are the only team I know for sure that are interested. An educated guess would also be Baltimore and Pittsburgh. But that's just a guess from me.

Justin (Cleveland)

What have you heard regarding J Lewis's bad hammy? Will he be ready to play a full game come Sunday?

James Walker

  (11:17 AM)

Mixed signals. Jamal didn't practice Monday, which might be a cause for concern. Wednesday and Thursday are big days for him. Hamstrings are tricky and can be re-tweaked at any moment. So the Browns are being extra cautious.

James Walker

  (11:17 AM)

Mixed signals. Jamal didn't practice Monday, which might be a cause for concern. Wednesday and Thursday are big days for him. Hamstrings are tricky and can be re-tweaked at any moment. So the Browns are being extra cautious.

Chad (DC)

What kind of prodcution should we expect from D. Stalllworth this year?

James Walker

  (11:19 AM)

I think he will have a decent year, somewhere in the 40-50 catch range. There are not a lot of balls to go around in Cleveland's offense, so if he hits that mark he will have more than done his job.

Rick (L.A.)

How do you think this Steelers' team compare to Tomlin's team last year? Do you expect the defense to be better with a healthy Aaron Smith, Polamula, Ryan Clark and expanded roles for Timmons, Woodley and B. Mcfadden?

James Walker

  (11:21 AM)

That's a tough question, Rick. It's hard to be better than last year's top-rated defense. The key will be Troy's health this season. If he's in and out of the lineup, that unit takes a different look. I liked what I saw from Timmons, though. He's going to be good fit.

Michael (Pittsburgh)

Ready to make predictions on DAL-CLE, BAL-CIN and HOU-PIT?

James Walker

  (11:22 AM)

Not ready yet. Too many key players that may or may not play. Check back to the AFC North blog later in the week.

David (Columbus, OH)

Just how heathly are the Browns?

James Walker

  (11:23 AM)

They are getting healthier. The biggest question marks right now are Joshua Cribbs (ankle) and Jamal Lewis (hamstring).

Jay (Burke, VA)

What are the odds that Joe Flacco, who is thrown in to the fire as a rookie due to injury, has a Ben Roethisberger type rookie season, where he faced the same scenario? Thanks.

James Walker

  (11:25 AM)

I doubt it. Ben Roethlisberger has a bit more talent around him where he can just manage a game his first year. Joe Flacco will be asked to do the same, but with very few play-makers he's going to need to shoulder more of the load as a rookie and thus make more mistakes along the way.

Amy (OHIO)

Is Braylon going to be 100% on Sun?

James Walker

  (11:25 AM)

Braylon will be fine. He's itching to get back on the field.

JERRY (ORLANDO)

WHO IS YOUR PICK TO BE IN THE SB?

James Walker

  (11:26 AM)

Dallas-New England. No big shocker, right.

James Walker

  (11:26 AM)

Dallas-New England. No big shocker, right?

Jacob

give me a percent on the likelihood that the Ravens win the division Is 20% just dreaming?

James Walker

  (11:27 AM)

Mathmatically, one out of four would give them a 25-percent chance. So why not?

Lane Kiffin (Oakland, CA)

Are we going to get an upgrade on the OLine - either Bentley or Anderson?

James Walker

  (11:28 AM)

Hey Lane. Good luck this season. I haven't heard any ties to Bentley or Anderson to Oakland.

David (Wooster, OH)

How concerned are the Browns with the lack of getting pressure on the QB during the preseason?

James Walker

  (11:30 AM)

Major concern. This is a big part of Cleveland's defense if it wants to improve. So far the Browns have shown little in that area, although Shaun Rogers and Corey Williams have been in and out of the lineup this preseason.

corey (maine)

who do u got for mvp, rookie of the year, and SB champs?

James Walker

  (11:30 AM)

Tom Brady. Darren McFadden. New England Patriots.

Jay (KY)

Do you think the recent Bengals cuts were done to improve the team this season or with an eye on the future to give younger guys (Perry, Andrews, Hall) more playing time?

James Walker

  (11:32 AM)

Money (as always) has a lot to do with it. The Bengals slashed a lot of veteran salary with those three players. Players like Hall, Perry and Andrews were going to play anyway.

Brian, Pgh

Who do you like on sunday night in week 2? Steelers or Browns? Could set the tone for the start of the season, and could be a big tiebreaker if the division is as close as people think its going to be.

James Walker

  (11:33 AM)

That will be a huge game. I'm still thinking about this week's picks. So I haven't gone that far into the future yet.

JD in CT

Jay Cutler wins how many Super Bowls?

James Walker

  (11:35 AM)

I'd say none. Denver has a long way to go before it starts talking championships.

jason(sugar hill GA)

Hey James, love your blog. Is Lamarr Woodley the next great Steelers linebacker? What are the chances he has a breakout year like James Harrison did last year?

James Walker

  (11:36 AM)

It's hard to breakout like Harrison did, making it to the Pro Bowl. But Woodley will be fine. I want to see him do a little more than rush the passer though.

Rob (Baltimore)

Do you see Mendenhall getting an extensive amount of PT if Parker stays healthy? I know he had some fumble trouble in the preseason, but looked productive none-the-less.

James Walker

  (11:37 AM)

Mendenhall will play a reserve role, but the team will find ways to get him on the field. He wasn't impressive in the first week or two of training camp, then got better after that. But he still has a few things to work on. His cieling is high.

Ben, NY

Breakout year for santonio holmes?

James Walker

  (11:38 AM)

Yes. We have a story up on ESPN.com about Santonio right now. Check it out.

Matthew (NC)

I amazed at how many of you so-called "experts" are missing the boat on Cutler. Next great QB in the league.

James Walker

  (11:39 AM)

I'm not missing the boat on Cutler. I was asked how many Super Bowls will he win? Dan Marino didn't win a Super Bowl.

Michael (Pittsburgh)

What do you expect from Chris Perry this season?

James Walker

  (11:41 AM)

The Bengals are counting on him to stay healthy the entire season. I'm more in a wait-and-see mode with that.

dave (nj)

hi james,all summer i have been hearing about ota's and i cant figure out what that means.can you tell me what that means,it's been driving me nuts thanks

James Walker

  (11:42 AM)

Organized Team Activities. It's glorified practices and workouts, pretty much.

Steve K (Steubenville Oh)

I think big Ben is the top QB in the AFC north...He has won more big games then anyone in the division and when given the chance his stats are among the top QBS...Your thoughts?

James Walker

  (11:43 AM)

I picked Ben as my All-AFC North quarterback this year. Ben and Carson are very close at this point. I just feel Ben will have a better season.

Matt (Grand Rapids)

Does Rudi Johnson have anything left in the tank? Will he help Detroit?

James Walker

  (11:44 AM)

I feel Rudi does. He was in tremendous shape this summer in Cincinnati. He just didn't get a chance to show it. He should get that opportunity in Detroit.

Tom (Chicago)

James, how do you think Flacco starting will affect McGahee? Will teams be keying more on the run?

James Walker

  (11:46 AM)

I'm not sure McGahee is playing this week. But if he does, the Bengals will stack up against the run and see what the kid can do at quarterback. If Flacco burns Cinci early, it will back off.

Rob (Baltimore)

So if you played fantasy football, you would rather have Kenny Watson than Chris Perry is what you are saying?

James Walker

  (11:48 AM)

You always take the starter (Prerry), Rob.

Paul (Lorain, OH)

Troy Smith is such a gamer! Do you think he ends up starting? Or do they stick with Flacco..

James Walker

  (11:49 AM)

This is Flacco's chance to win the job. If he wins, it's his. If he loses, it's still an open competition.

Dan (Cleveland, OH)

How can the Browns contain T.O. this weekend? It seems like our greatest weakness (DB's) get their biggest challenge in week 1.

James Walker

  (11:51 AM)

This is a huge challenge for Cleveland. Expect a lot of double teams. That's the Browns only shot. But others like Witten will be left one on one, which also isn't good.

Chris (Broadview Heights, OH)

I know the team keeps denying it but WHY aren't the Browns interested in giving Ty Law a 1-year deal? With Eric Wright looking bad and terrible CB depth on the Browns, a one year arrangement sounds perfect for both sides.

James Walker

  (11:53 AM)

The Browns are interested, Chris. But it usually comes down to money. The Browns don't want to break the bank for an older player that may only have a year left in him. Law has other options, too, with the Jets and Patriots where he can drive up his price against the other teams.

Kent (Convoy, OH)

Your thoughts on Antwain Odom injury?

James Walker

  (11:55 AM)

Odom returned to practice yesterday. So although the injury report isn't released until tomorrow, he might play. He's been well rested because he hurt his foot in the first week of camp.

Os (Jersey)

What do you expect from Limas Sweed early on?

James Walker

  (11:56 AM)

The Steelers like Limas Sweed, but they have the luxury of letting him learn early on. The team is fine right now with Ward, Holmes and Washington. Sweed will come on soon, but he's not in the top 3 on that team just yet.

Jim (Pittsburgh)

Do you think the Steeler's O-line will be able to protect Ben?

James Walker

  (11:58 AM)

It's not looking good, Jim. Every quarterback in the preseason got knocked around back there. Batch ended up scrambling and broke his collarbone. Pass protection has been a weakness for a least the past two seasons, and the team is just going to have to deal with it and try to improve.

Dan (Buffalo, NY)

James, given the difficult schedules of both the Browns and Steelers, do you think 8-8 could win the division?

James Walker

  (11:58 AM)

Nope. It's going to take at least nine wins to take the division.

John (Fort Myers, FL)

Okay here's one for you... Maryland crab cakes in Baltimore or a Primanti Brothers sandwich in Pittsburgh? I don't even know what they eat in Ohio... corn or something like that?

James Walker

  (11:59 AM)

I'm a seafood guy. But both are good choices.

Sean (Raleigh, NC)

Barring injury are the Panthers play-off contenders, if not what do they need to address to change that?

James Walker

  (12:01 PM)

I'm one of the few people that are not into the Panthers all that much. They looked good in the preseason but we will see. Missing Steve Smith early will hurt.

John (Fort Myers, FL)

How can the Steelers O-line be so great run blocking but so poor pass blocking? Is it just because of the size of their offensive linemen? We've never had trouble running the ball, but Ben takes a beating each and every week.

James Walker

  (12:04 PM)

It's a much different technique. Most o-linemen are better at one than the other. Alan Faneca was a monster at run blocking, for instance, but sturggled in pass pro. Only a handful of players are extremely good at both. For some reason the Steelers have had an entire group that can't pass block for the past couple of years.

James Walker

  (12:05 PM)

Everyone thanks for checking in. Don't forget to check out our AFC North blog and all the others during the course of the season. I have to get back to writing some stories and will talk to you soon.