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The AFC North blog will conclude its rankings of each position this week with defense. This is a projection on how the group will fare this season. It's not an evaluation based on last year. For Tuesday, let's look at the linebackers. 1. Pittsburg...

BEREA, Ohio -- The Cleveland Browns could've gone with the flashy pick by drafting West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith. They could've played it safe by taking Alabama's Dee Milliner, the top-rated cornerback in the draft. Instead, Cleveland made ...

Some had projected that Chris Gocong would start at inside linebacker next to D'Qwell Jackson, and Usama Young would remain at free safety. Those projections were wrong. The Cleveland Browns released Gocong and Young on Tuesday, wiping out $6.6 mi...

The Browns are right behind the Bengals in salary-cap room with an estimated $50 million. Like the Bengals, the Browns have relatively low cap numbers, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Only five players on the entire team are over $5 ...

The AFC North's top defensive player this year has been Browns middle linebacker D'Qwell Jackson. Well, that's according to this week's SportsNation poll. In one of the closest polls for the AFC North blog, Jackson received 35 percent of the 9,528...

Compared to last year, when all four defenses ranked in the top 10, it's been a down year for defenses in the AFC North. But some of the best defenders in the NFL still reside in this division. So, who's been the defensive player of the year in th...

Here are some notes heading into Sunday's games: RAVENS: Ravens defensive lineman Art Jones was devastated by the news of Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher, who fatally shot his girlfriend Saturday and then committed suicide at Arrowhead Stadium. Jo...

Ravens running back Ray Rice was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week, and Browns linebacker D'Qwell Jackson received the defensive player of the week award. Rice totaled 164 scrimmage yards (97 rushing, 67 receiving) in Sunday's overtime win in...

It's hard to argue against the fact that the Browns are bad. Their 2-8 record this year and their 31 losses since the start of the 2010 season show this franchise has a lot of work to do. But the Browns may not be as far off from a turnaround as m...

Revisiting the Cleveland Browns' 25-15 loss to the Baltimore Ravens: As a coach, you want to be unpredictable. But you want to avoid being confusing. This is where Browns coach Pat Shurmur is getting himself in trouble. In the fourth quarter, t...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Ravens were criticized for winning ugly Sunday in Kansas City. My guess is the Steelers would take a win instead of the pain of losing on a game-ending field goal in Tennessee. The same goes for the Bengals, who were upset by ...

Revisiting the Cleveland Browns' 41-27 loss at the New York Giants: It doesn't take an offensive coordinator to see the Browns are vulnerable to runs up the middle. Defensive tackle Phil Taylor is out with a torn pectoral muscle. Middle linebacker...

Thoughts on the Cleveland Browns' 41-27 loss at the New York Giants: What it means: The Browns remain winless on the season, dropping to 0-5 for the first time since they returned to the NFL in 1999. If it matters at this point, they fall four gam...

Few people are giving the Browns any chance of beating the New York Giants on Sunday. It was the same way in 2008, when the Browns pulled off the 35-14 upset of the defending Super Bowl champion Giants. Can the Browns knock off the Giants again on...

Here are some numbers to remember heading into Sunday's AFC North games: 1 -- Sack needed by linebacker LaMarr Woodley to become sixth Steeler to reach 50 for his career. 3 -- Sacks by Browns linebacker D'Qwell Jackson last Sunday, a career hig...

The Bengals' Adam Jones was named AFC special teams player of the week after he returned a punt 81 yards for a touchdown in Cincinnati's 34-27 win against the Cleveland Browns. He also returned one kickoff for 31 yards. Jones has three career punt...