OK, here goes the other North division in the NFL and can be argued as the toughest division, along with yesterday's focus the AFC North. Let's get to it.
NFC NORTH
1. Green Bay Packers. Last season was a dissappointing one for the Packers. When you blow through the regular season with a 15-1 mark, going one and done in the playoffs is a disappointment. No one can argue that the Packers were not the best team in the league last season, but the course of the season took it's toll as injuries kept mounting on their offensive line and eventually left them vulnerable. Aaron Rodgers, fresh off his MVP season, is at the very top of his game and is arguably the best quarterback in the league right now (some may argue Brees or even Brady, but I won't). He has a spectacular receiving corps to target each week. Greg Jennings and Jordy Nelson are the best 1-2 punch at wide receiver in the NFL bar none. Both will run every route, fight for the tough yards and both of them can burn the defense over the top. James Jones would be at least a #2 receiver on any other team, but he is also a valuable weapon and a great vertical threat. Tight end Jermichael Finley has got to regain his confidence and forget about all the dropped balls he had last season; the Packers must have faith in him since he got a $15M extension for 2 more seasons. The running game is the weakness of the Packers offense, mostly because they choose to not utilize it. The addition of Cedric Benson could pay a huge reward for the Packers, if he shows that he can still handle the workload. If not, he will be splitting carries with James Starks who is a physical north and south runner. Fullback John Kuhn is a perfect fit for that offense, becasue he can catch out of the backfield and is a very physical blocker who opens holes for the running backs. He is also a brutal short yardage back, who gets a lot of touches in the red zone. The offensive line is very solid. The battle for the left tackle spot will be very important. Currently, it's between Marshall Newhouse and Derrick Sherrod, both are young and were forced into action last year, but whoever wins the job has to protect Aaron Rodgers's blind side and thatwill be tough in a division full of pass rushers. The addition of Jeff Saturday at center will help build a stronger line. Saturday is a great pass blocker as well as a great caller of the line protection schemes, he will call out the right blocking assignments for his offensive line. The defense for the Packers was an anomoly all of last season. Somehow, they gave up the most yards per game a whopping 411.6 average last year. What saved them was their playmaking ability, they led the league with 31 interceptions and returned 4 of those for touchdowns. So, while teams were able to move the ball on them, scoring became an issue. The Packers run a 3-4 and their front three do their jobs and eat up blockers for the linebackers. B.J. Raji is an exceptional nose tackle, who can also get penetration and a pass rush, he demands a double-team against most centers. The linebackers are young but are very active, the development of rookie Nick Perry will be important for this defensive unit as he is slated to be the starter on the strong side opposite Clay Matthews. Matthews is a complete weak side linebacker. He rushes the quarterback. He can play in coverage. He also plays the run very well. He is already a great player and will only get better. The secondary is loaded with playmakers. They will be aggressive. They will go after interceptions. Tramon Williams has turned into a top level cornerback; he will still get burned every now and again because he is aggressive, but he will make up for his mistakes. Moving Charles Woodson to strong safety is a wise decision. He is still a playmaker, but now plays with his intelligence more than his athletic ability. At safety he won't let anyone get behind him and will pick off any ball that comes floating out in the back corners of the defense. Although the Packers went 15-1 last year, they have a tough schedule at points and I predict they will go 12-4, not that they have dropped off any, just that other teams have caught up to them, but they will still win the NFC North division title.
2. Detroit Lions. Last season the Lions did something they hadn't yet done in this millennium, make the playoffs. That is a remarkable turnaround for a team that 3 seasons before that made NFL infamy by going 0-16. They are led by quarterback Matthew Stafford, who finally got to play a full season last year and show the league why he was #1 pick in the draft. He should come into this season feeling somewhat disrespected after a 5000 yard and 41 TD season, left him as only the 3rd alternate to the Pro Bowl. Considering the Lions have an unproven running game, look for Stafford to throw the ball a lot once again. Normally, that's not something you want to say, but when you are throwing to Calvin "Megatron" Johnson you want as many chances to put the ball in his hands as possible. Johnson elevated his game last year to the heights where it seemed he was impossible to cover (see the TD catch against 3 Dallas defenders last year). His only limitation right now is his route running ability, but he has gotten better each season. Titus Young came on last year as a rookie, but one has to hope he gets his attitude straightened out (preseason fights with teammates as well as some stupid 15 yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalities last year). Nate Burleson is getting older but still can be a scary target, especially is defenses try to double and triple team Johnson. He will be pushed in camp by rookie Ryan Broyles, Broyles is the all-time NCAA leader in receptions and just has a way of getting open. If he is fully healthy from the ACL tear he suffered in his senoir year, he will make a push for the #3 receiver. Brandon Pettigrew is a true tight end. He is a good blocker on the line and he can make plenty of plays in the passing game. His red zone targets are lower than one would like for a big tight end, but when you got #81 out there, everyone is the 2nd option in the red zone. There's not much to say about the running game, theie jobs will be to keep defenses honest, unless Mikel Leshoure can prove that he can handle the load after he comes back from suspension. Jahvid Best is a home run hitter but can not stay healthy and will start the season on the PUP list and maybe head for an early retirement. The offensive line is a solid unit. They do their jobs and are led by veteran LT Jeff Backus and C Domininck Raiola, both were drafted in 2001 so age is starting to be a concern. If the line is healthy they do a good job keeping Stafford clean, although they need to be more effective run blocking. The defense has done much work getting better, but still has room to grow. The heart of the defense comes from their front 4. The Lions have an 8 man rotation here and don't often miss a beat when they rotate in and out. The front four goes as well as Ndumakong Suh goes. If Suh has his head on and is being a disruptive force, then he gets doubled and it opens everything up for the other guys. Suh has to stop getting so many personal foul penalities, but at least he often makes a big play to counter his idoit play. Cliff Avril on the edge has become an elite pass rusher. Avril has the speed and power to play on both end positions on the defense. Avril likes to make plays when he goes for a sack, his 6 forced fumbles last year prove this. The linebacking corps is solid, but need to work on their tackling (see the Saints playoff loss, where they got run through). That is surprising because MLB Steven Tulloch came with the reputation as a tackling machine, he needs to be a great run stopper. DeAndre Levy is a versitile LOLB, he can play all three linebacker spots and can rush the passer as well as cover in zone. The front 7, especially the front 4, have to get pressure on the quarterback, to cover up an average at best secondary. FS Louis Delmas can be one of the best in the game, but he is so aggressive that he oft times misses a coverage or gets injured. CB Chris Houston shows flashes of greatness from time to time, but he does get beat a fair amount of the time, but Houston is a danger to opposing QB's because he does have good interception ability. The Lions will do something they haven't done since the Barry Sanders years and that is make the playoffs in consecutive seasons as they go 11-5 and secure a wild card spot.
3. Chicago Bears. The Bears made their big move in the offseason by going all Peaches and Herb with the reuniting of Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall. This move makes the Bears a serious contender. The Bears were looking like serious threats last year til injuries to Cutler and Matt Forte put a kibosh on those hopes. Cutler is quietly turning into an elite quarterback whose number are only going to get better with the addition of Marshall. Cutler can make every throw and is losing some of the gunslinger attitude and has lowered his interceptions. Matt Forte is one of the most versatile running backs in the league. He is a dual-threat; you have to be concerned with him running the ball as well as his ability in the passing game. The addition of Michael Bush gives the Bears a power back, who also can catch the ball out of the backfield. This is a dangerous duo of running backs for Bears opponents. I wouldn't be surprised to see them go to sets with Forte split out as receiver and Bush in the backfield, it would create a lot of creative matchups. Brandon Marshall has the diva attitude, but he does back up his mouth on the field. The guy just produces and now he has a quarterback once again who can get him the ball anywhere on the field. Devin Hester is still a work in progress as a receiver, but he is a threat because he can blow the top off the defense with his speed, not to mention his game changing ability as a kick returner (why people still kick to him, I'll never understand). Kellen Davis has the tools to be a very solid tight end. He won't burn anyone down the field but he will get open and is a good in-line blocker. The offensive line has had problems over the years. They need to keep the pressure of Cutler. Cutler has taken some beatings behind that O-Line and I feel that may continue again this year. The defense has been a strength of this team for as long as anyone can remember. Brian Urlacher continues to lead this defense and has done an amazing job of it. He fills the Chicago tradition in the middle started by Butkus and Singletary. Julius Peppers is an elite pass rusher and was a great fit for the Bears. He needs to continue to apply pressure, but he also has to help in run support a little bit more. Lance Briggs has quietly been on of the top linebackers in this league for a long time. He can do it all on the field and is a very solid tackler. Charles Tillman is a ballhawk, plain and simple. He will do whatever he can to get into an opposing receiver's head and then use that to make a big play later in the game. The Bears are set for a return engagement to the playoffs as they finish the season 11-5 and earn the second wild card berth.
4. Minnesota Vikings. Oh how quick the Vikings have fallen. They were competing for the Super Bowl a few years ago, now they are in compition to not be the worst team in the league. Make no mistake about it, this team revolves around Adrian Peterson. Peterson to his credit is trying like Hell to be ready for the regular season after having his ACL and MCL torn in Week 16 last season. Not even all the ice baths in the land of a 1,000 lakes are going to help him. He is most likely rushing his return and even if he does start, how effective will he be during the early part of the seaon or worse yet, will he get reinjured. If he can't take a hit in practice, then how is he going to take one in a game, when you know people are going to go after his knee. Christian Ponder will have the task of leading the team. He showed some flashes as a rookie, but also showed that he was a rookie, making a lot of mistakes. Percy Harvin will be his primary target and Harvin has game-changing ability, but will most certainly face double teams or safeties rolling over the top, because there is no legitimate threat elsewhere in the Vikings passing game Good news for Ponder the Vikings drafted a left tackle in Matt Kahil to protect him. The bad news is that he is a rookie playing left tackle and will miss some blocking assignments. John Sullivan is solid center and Phil Loadholt is a good right tackle, but the rest of the offensive line is not as good as it needs to be and will hold this team back. The defense is led by Jared Allen, who made a run at the single-season sack record last year. Allen is the type of pass rusher who will pick his spots to make a big play. He seems to be unblockable in moments where the game is on the line. The rest of the defensive line isn't as good as it once once and Kevin Williams is starting to decline without his brother from another mother Pat Williams gone from the team. The linebackers are solid. They will do their job, but they won't make many huge plays. However, they won't give up many big runs through the middle. Antoine Winfield is creeping up on retirement age, but he still has a skill set that can be troublesome for most receivers. He also reads plays well and will jump on a ball if the quarterback telegraphs his throw. Harrison Smith will push for a starting safety job and be a solid player for the future. Overall, there will probably be more noise coming out of the Mall of America, then at Mall of America Stadium as the Vikings will struggle, but they are only a few pieces away from fighting back up to the top of a tough division. A 4-12 season seems likely, with the weak schedule they have, but they are not a threat to anyone this season.
OK, that does it for the NFC North, sorry it took an extra day, but life gets in the way. Tomorrow, look for the AFC South review.
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