clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

AFC North: Woman says Browns OL coach tried to strangle her; Steelers prep for Patriots; Ravens getting praise

The Steelers and Patriots will kick off the regular season this Thursday with a matchup of potential Super Bowl contenders.

Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

With the 2015 NFL regular season opening Thursday night when the Steelers face off against the Patriots in New England, here are the biggest stories from around the AFC North.

Pittsburgh Steelers

New Steelers DC Keith Butler ready for Tom Brady battle
Arguably the biggest move Pittsburgh made this offseason was letting go of defensive coordinator Dick Lebeau and replacing him with linebackers coach
Keith  Butler. His first regular-season game will come against Tom Brady and the defending champion Patriots on Thursday night.

Seeing how Butler's scheme works against one of the league's best offenses will be one of the more intriguing Week 1 storylines, not to mention the fact that this is the first NFL game this year. There will be added pressure with the fact he's replacing one of the greatest defensive minds this game has ever seen.

Brandon Boykin slow to climb up Steelers depth chart
New Steelers CB Brandon Boykin is expected to open the season as the team's No. 4 cornerback with William Gay, Antwon Blake, and Cortez Allen believed to be the top three. Boykin, was acquired from the Eagles on August 1, 2015 in exchange for a fifth-round pick, and was expected to become one of, if not the best DB for Pitt this year.

2015 Pittsburgh Steelers game-by-game predictions
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler Jeremy Fowler goes through and projects all 16 of Pittsburgh's regular-season games, and he has them finishing the year 11-5 with a sweep of the Bengals and wins over the Broncos, Colts and Patriots.

Cleveland Browns

Woman says Browns O-line coach Andy Moeller tried to strangle her
The Browns announced this week they had suspended offensive line coach Andy Moeller indefinitely. We now know why, as a woman told police that Moeller assaulted her said Moeller tried to "strangle" her, according to a 911 call released by Berea, Ohio, police.

The Browns said in a statement that, "Over the weekend, Andy was involved in an incident, involving allegations that we take very seriously.  We have followed our internal protocol, determining that right now it is best for the team and for Andy to take time away from the organization to focus on his personal matters."

In 2011, the Ravens suspended Moeller after he was convicted of driving under the influence. He would remain with Baltimore through the 2013 season before he was named the Browns offensive line coach in February 2014. If these allegations turn out to be true, we likely won't see Moeller coaching the Browns again this year.

2015 Cleveland Browns game-by-game predictions
ESPN's Pat McManamon breaks down all 16 of Cleveland's games in 2015 and projects them to finish the year 4-12, while beating the Bengals and 49ers as two of their four wins.

Baltimore Ravens

Ravens get a lot of love in 2015 NFL Triangle All-Stars
Grantland's Robert Mays did his annual NFL Triangle All-Stars, and three Ravens made his list. Wide receiver Steve Smith leads the way after catching 79 passes for 1,065 yards and six scores in 2014. Offensive guard Kelechi Osemele makes the list after quietly becoming one of the NFL's better interior linemen last year. Outside linebacker Elvis Dumervil also makes it after being one of the two or three best pass-rushers in football in 2014.

Ravens still don't know when Breshad Perriman will return
With the 2015 NFL season upon us, the Ravens have pretty much conceded rookie receiver Breshad Perriman won't play this week against the Broncos. Head coach John Harbaugh admitted Perriman is without a timeline for a return, but doesn't believe it's "tremendously far down the road." Perriman has yet to be ruled out for Week 1, but that could happen as early as Wednesday when the team has their first full practice in preparation for Sunday.

2015 Baltimore Ravens game-by-game predictions
ESPN's Jamison Hensley goes through every game for the Ravens in the 2015 season, and he sees them going 11-5 with a sweep over the Bengals in the process.