Bengals make analyst's NFL top 10; Browns 24th

By foxsports
Published

The 2013 NFL season is nearly here, and that means predictions and projections galore. 
The latest comes from FOX NFL game analyst Brian Billick, who as you might expect has a positive view of the Bengals but not so much the Browns. 


Billick, who became familiar with the two AFC North clubs during his eight season as head coach of the Baltimore Ravens from 1999-2007, rates the Bengals the No. 9 team in the NFL. 
That is only good for No. 2 in the division, though, as Billick has the defending Super Bowl champion Ravens at No. 5. 
"The Bengals won seven of their last eight regular season games and their defense allowed just 12.8 points per game during that span," Billick writes. "The Bengals return everyone on that defense except Manny Lawson while adding James Harrison." 
As for the Browns, Billick rates them No. 24 in the NFL but praises their offseason coaching moves in his brief write-up. 
"The Browns got better as soon as they reached agreements with Norv Turner and Ray Horton. The two may be the best coordinator tandem in all of the NFL, but that doesn't mean the Browns will be any more competitive in the division this season." 
On the bright side for Cleveland: Billick rates the Browns only four slots behind the Steelers, and he has six AFC squads – Miami, San Diego, Buffalo, New York, Jacksonville and Oakland – behind the Browns.