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In today's edition of Around the AFC North, we take a look at a possible exit from Baltimore for running back Willie McGahee, why a Steelers fan wants Nnamdi Asomugha to be a member of the Steelers, and a rough look back at the linebackers for the Bengals in 2007.
Baltimore Ravens: McGahee to be Cut
The veteran Willie McGahee made $3.6 million as a backup to Ray Rice last year, but there is no way the team is going to dish out $6 million to him for the 2011 season. McGahee will be released on March 3, likely ending his role with the Ravens unless they bring him back with a heavy pay cut. I don't think McGahee will find much success as a free agent beyond being offered a backup role. With how often running backs get injured though, he might find himself starting somewhere at some point next year.
Pittsburgh Steelers: The Latest Pitch for Nnamdi Asomugha
Everyone wants a piece of Nnamdi Asomugha. It'll be very interesting to see who is able to lure him to their team. Here is why one Steelers fan wants him (the full article is much more in depth):
What we need is a 6'2", 210 lbs. corner who can run with anybody, who can maintain tight man coverage as well as play great in the zone. A guy who will step up and put a hit on a ball carrier, and not shy away from contact. Someone with the smarts and veteran savvy to pick up and mentally devour a playbook, maybe not knowing it all, but having the physical ability to make up for what he doesn't know yet while he becomes versed in the rest.
Now picture that player hungry for a championship, and starving for any team success in general at the professional level. Sounds pretty good right? But is there a player of that pedigree even out there, let alone someone that the Steelers might realistically be able to acquire? There may just be.
Cincinnati Bengals: A Look Back at the '07 Linebackers
Here's a bold statement. It was a rough year for linebackers in 2007. Aside from David Pollack being out for the year with an injured neck (and Odell Thurman being suspended indefinitely), the Bengals final roster of seven linebackers during the first week of the 2007 regular season went like this: Rashad Jeanty, Ahmad Brooks, Landon Johnson, Caleb Miller, Lemar Marshall, Andre Frazier and Anthony Schlegel. Injuries quickly wiped out the roster. Marshall suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon rupture early in the season against the New England Patriots and Miller was placed on Injured Reserve by mid-November. Ahmad Brooks only played two games before a groin injury kept him out the rest of the season.
The Bengals had it rough in 2007, but so did Cleveland last year in their front seven by the end of the season, playing without Robaire Smith, Scott Fujita, D'Qwell Jackson, Kaluka Maiva, and playing with a not-healthy Shaun Rogers.