NFC NORTH 
Chicago Bears – Rex or Kyle? Kyle or Rex? How
can a coach go wrong? Well, considering they got the choice between
Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson wrong… and they got the choice
of which offensive tackle to draft wrong… and they chose to overpay
Lance Briggs and Tommie Harris rather than bring in a great receiver…
well, let’s just say the Bears ain’t too hot at making tough
decisions.
This offense could be the worst in the NFL. QB Kyle Orton is barely
adequate. If the highest praise Bears fans can offer about the guy is
“at least he doesn’t make a lot of mistakes,” then
obviously this team is partly in shock. “Battered Bear Syndrome.”
The Rex Grossman/Cade McNown experiments make them grateful for a guy
like Orton. Bears fans should be praying that Donovan McNabb can come
their way next year to save them from this state. At running back, the
team welcomes rookie Matt Forte, a thumper from Tulane. He and veteran
Kevin Jones will pair to try to make Chicagoans forget about The Drunken
Seaman. The worst wide receiving corps isn’t in Tennessee, by
the way… it’s right here, baybee! Rashied Davis, Marty Booker
and Brandon Lloyd will disappoint for a while, then the team will take
a look at Mark Bradley, Devin Hester and rookie Earl Bennett. None of
them will do much either. The position will be a priority in 2009. At
least the tight ends are solid: Desmond Clark and deep-threat Greg Olsen
will have to carry the load if the team ever hopes to cross the 50-yard
line (without Hester’s kickoff help, that is).
The overworked Chicago defense will be required to cover up the inadequacies
of the offense once again. Led by MLB extraordinaire Brian Urlacher,
the Bears D has the depth that the offense does not. Four-deep at defensive
end and at tackle, the line is beyond set. There is minor concern behind
the starters at linebacker though. Urlacher, Briggs and Hunter Hillenmeyer
are a great trio, but there is a void behind them. With the expected
release of CB Ricky Manning, Jr., there may be a lack of depth behind
the starting corners too. Luckily, Danieal Manning can play CB or safety,
and he makes for a reliable and necessary swing man. Charles Tillman
and Nathan Vasher are above-average cover guys, so Danieal will have
to make due with the playing time he gets.
This feels like a corrective year for the Bears. They were abnormally
successful the year Sexy Rexy was at the helm for their most recent
Super Bowl appearance. But they really weren’t THAT talented.
The defense can’t cover up for the offense much longer before
the team makes an effort to mount an attack. The Bears will sink into
last place in the division and be in position in April to draft an impact
offensive player.
Strength: linebacker
Weakness: wide receiver
2008 MVP’s: Matt Forte & Brian Urlacher
Unsung hero: Danieal Manning
Record last year: 7-9
Record this year: 5-11
Detroit Lions – This long-suffering franchise
felt a glimmer of hope when QB Jon Kitna loudly opined that his team
would be disappointed if they didn’t reach 10 wins. Many laughed…
but Lions fans held their breaths as the team came out to a fabulous
start. Alas, that ol’ Lions curse reared its ugly head once again,
and Detroit finished well out of the playoff race. Kitna’s at
it again this year: another 10 win prediction. I get the feeling the
team can only live up to that lofty goal once they have another starting
QB making the prediction.
Kitna’s last two seasons worth of stats were inflated by the
madcap play calling of offensive coordinator Mike Martz. Martz is off
to San Fran, and the Lions will revert to a more common set of plays.
This should greatly benefit WRs Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson, who
will no longer lose 80+ receptions to lesser receivers. This offense
was supposed to be built around Williams and Johnson, and now it will
be. The question is: can Kitna get them the ball? The Lions gave up
more interceptions and sacks than any other offense last year. A better
blocking scheme than Martz’s will help – as will the drafting
of RT Gosder Cherilus. The INT’s, though, may still dog Kitna.
He’s just not that good. His strong off-season shouldn’t
cloud the fact that the guy has never been able to read defenses very
well. Rookie RB Kevin Smith, all tuckered out after an exhausting campaign
in South Florida, will need to summon enough strength to carry this
team for 25 touches per game. Many 1st year players hit the “rookie
wall” around Week 10 or so… Kevin Smith will hit it earlier
given his enormous workload as a senior in college. There is very little
depth at running back here, so expect a serious drop off for the Lions
late in the year.
The Lions defense is not without talent, but it just hasn’t all
come together yet. Tenacious linebacker Ernie Sims is always around
the ball, and defensive end Dewayne White enjoined a solid first season
in Detroit. Look for rookie DE Cliff Avril to enter the rotation by
mid-season, and he’ll make an impact in the sack column. The defensive
backfield is clogged with injured players and fading veterans. Brian
Kelly and Dwight Smith were with the World Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers,
so you know they’re getting up there in years. Safety Gerald Alexander
will sub for Daniel Bullocks while he heals from ACL surgery. The Lions
traded for CB Leigh Bodden, who played well for the Browns the last
few years, but the Lions have yet to offer him a starting job. There
are definitely players you can build around here, but so far, there
are too many holes and not enough depth to challenge the big boys in
this division.
10 wins is a long shot for any team in this division. It’s especially
distant for the Lions. There just isn’t great depth or quality
at multiple positions here. Don’t tell the GM, but… this
is what happens when you keep drafting wide receivers in the first round!
Strength: wide receiver
Weakness: offensive line
2008 MVP’s: Calvin Johnson & Ernie Sims
Unsung hero: Cliff Avril
Record last year: 7-9
Record this year: 6-10
Green Bay Packers – When the media seized upon
the story of Brett Favre’s Jets jerseys selling out in record
time… I kept wondering how many were being sold in Green Bay.
And were they outselling Aaron Rodgers jerseys there? I wouldn’t
be surprised if they were. As great as Packers fans are, they are certainly
forgiven for wishing this Favre situation had never happened. Favre
completely brought it on himself, but the real victim will end up being
Rodgers. He will never be good enough for this crowd, and his teammates
will turn on him eventually. Rodgers never really had a chance…
but Favre’s indignant attitude this off-season sealed his fate.
Aaron Rodgers would have been a perfectly functional and adequate option
for most NFL teams. He’ll never dazzle like Favre. He’ll
try to force the ball the same way, but he’ll make fewer of those
plays. He’ll try to dance around in the pocket, unload the ball
with all of his effort, and wing it like he’s playing street ball.
But he’ll fall short of Favre’s mastery. He will lose the
confidence of the young position players first. Greg Jennings, James
Jones, Donald Lee? All they will remember is how the offense moved with
Favre. Donald Driver and the o-line will try to keep the peace, but
even they will wish for the good ol’ days. A divided offensive
locker room awaits the 2008 Green Bay Packers.
On defense, the Packers have undergone a few changes from the startling
2007 campaign. Gone is DT Corey Williams, who did a great job of clogging
up the middle of the line. They’ll miss him. The Pack were hoping
2007 draft pick Justin Harrell could fill in, but the oft-injured Volunteer
has already been placed on the PUP list. Nick Barnett and A.J. Hawk
are a formidable pair of linebackers, but there isn’t much other
help behind them. The once-promising Abdul Hodge has fallen out of favor
in Green Bay, and he’ll need to hook on somewhere else to revive
his career. The strong cornerbacking duo of Charles Woodson and Al Harris
are still dangerously old. A hodgepodge of unheralded backups crowd
the bench: Tramon Williams, Will Blackmon, Jarrett Bush and rookie Patrick
Lee. After bouncing around the Dolphins and Jets training camps without
catching on, safety Atari Bigby finally found a home in Green Bay, and
he made the most of his chance, posting big tackle numbers and impressing
with huge hits. The other safety is Nick Collins, who probably doesn’t
like to be known as ‘the other safety.’ He’s better
than that.
If this were any other team replacing any other quarterback, Aaron
Rodgers could probably keep the engine revving with the same intensity
as his predecessor. But the pressure of the situation will probably
cost this team in the win column… and maybe it will cost them
a pretty good quarterback in the long run.
Strength: wide receiver
Weakness: defensive line
2008 MVP’s: Ryan Grant & Nick Barnett
Unsung hero: Aaron Rouse
Record last year: 13-3 (playoffs)
Record this year: 8-8
Minnesota Vikings – When the Vikings hired offensive
guru Brad Childress as head coach, they didn’t expect the team
would adopt one of the best defenses in the league. And when hotshot
defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin left town to take over the coaching
in Pittsburgh, the Vikings D certainly didn’t expect to get better!
But they did. And with the acquisition of DE Jared Allen, this could
be the piece that gets the Vikes over the hump and solidifies them as
the best team in the division.
Allen led the league in sacks last year – all while missing the
first two games to a suspension. If Allen’s wicked ways are behind
him, a 16-game season with DTs Pat and Kevin Williams taking on blockers
in the middle, this could be a scary-effective pass rush. However, the
other defensive ends on the team are hobbled a bit by injuries. Brian
Robeson and Ray Edwards will be great compliments to Allen once they
overcome their nicks and bruises. Linebackers E.J. Henderson, Chad Greenway
and Ben Leber got much better together as the 2007 season went on. Henderson
is the anchor, Greenway the big playmaker and Leber supports admirably.
E.J.’s little brother, Erin, should make the squad as an undrafted
free agent, and he has tremendous upside. Old-man Darren Sharper had
a resurgent year, and he’ll be joined by 2nd-round pick Tyrell
Johnson at safety while free agent acquisition Madieu Williams recovers
from his neck injury. If the Vikings have a defensive concern, it’s
at cornerback. They were the last-ranked passing D in the league. Antoine
Winfield is still a decent cover man, but Cedric Griffin got burned
quite a bit last year. Sophomore CB Marcus McCauley may be too raw to
fill in as a starter, but he’s a better-than-average nickel back.
Teams with a pair of strong wide receivers could tear this D up. The
problem is: Detroit and Green Bay fit that bill, and they’re in
the same division.
On offense, QB Tarvaris Jackson is coming into the season with nagging
injuries and big expectations. He’s got to follow his unimpressive
2007 season with marked improvement. The team has finally given him
some receiving help with the free agent pick-up of WR Bernard Berrian,
the legitimate deep threat the team lacked last year. WR Sidney Rice
will prowl the underneath routes and first-down markers. Look for speedy
punt return specialist Aundrae Allison to be worked in at wide receiver
toward the end of the season too. Of course, this team is built upon
the run. Adrian Peterson lived up to all the hype and then some. He
displaced a very good back in Chester Taylor too, so there is no drop-off
in talent when one gives another a breather. It’s all thanks to
the best left side of an offensive line in the NFL. Matt Birk and Steve
Hutchinson hold down the interior; Bryant McKinnie is the massive left
tackle. McKinnie may be facing a four-game suspension to start the year,
so watch that situation carefully. Backup Marcus Johnson is adequate,
but he’s not nearly the talent that McKinnie is. This one setback
could knock the Vikings down a peg.
Last year, the Vikings clawed their way to an 8-8 season, and they
only lost two of those games by more than 10 points. They were very
close to doing something special last year. If they can improve the
passing game and the pass defense – and I think they will –
this team could edge out enough wins to bury the rest of the division.
Strength: running back
Weakness: wide receiver
2008 MVP’s: Adrian Peterson & Jared Allen
Unsung hero: Marcus McCauley
Record last year: 8-8
Record this year: 12-4 (playoffs)
- Uncle Scurvy - RotoKingdom Staff Writer
