The Mock: NFC North

Minnesota was last year's representative for the NFC North as the division was having an identity crisis. The Vikings narrowly escaped the division as the quarterback spot was just having too many issues with Tarvaris Jackson not finding a flow throughout the entire season. The running game with second year man Adrian Peterson was the anchor for the offense as the young running back carried his squad to wins. The Chicago Bears just couldn't get it together as they barely missed their shot at the playoffs. Kyle Orton just didn't seem like the right path at the quarterback position for the team but Matt Forte slowly began to produce numbers that no one had expected from him. The Green Bay Packers were way too caught up in the Brett Favre drama and finally realized it was time to move on. The man who got the opportunity to replace the former cheese head hero was Aaron Rodgers. The passing game wasn't too bad, but for this team the running game was almost nonexistent. The Lions were just... They didn't win a game. I don't know what else I can say. The general managing office probably spent more than half the season trying to convince Barry Sanders to come back and when they finally understood that Barry's time was up, they spent the rest of the season preparing themselves for the #1 overall pick for 2009.

The Vikings and the Bears will have to
show their dominance in the division by
coming out on top when heads up.

Chicago

The new guy is in town as Jay Cutler will be taking the snaps from the center for the Bears this season. Is he really an upgrade from former Bears like Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton? Yes and no. Rex and Kyle were just kind of there to fill in a spot where there were no answers and when the stars were aligned in the right way, success was there. Then there were those days where you just sat their and wondered how these duds got a starting job in the NFL. As for Jay Cutler, he wasn't much of a hero over in Denver either. He was just another young quarterback with some unreleased potential that could or could never be seen. He had his moments as a Bronco and he also was a headache at times. The former Vanderbilt quarterback doesn't seem like he'll be playing in the pro bowl anytime soon but maybe he'll find his zen in Chicago. Matt Forte will get the ball in his hands plenty of times as he will be a 25+ carries a game kind of runner while still running routes for short play patterns to help out his new quarterback. Devin Hester will be a pest for linebackers and guys in the secondary and with the veteran pro bowler Orlando Pace as a part of the O-line, we may see some fireworks in Chi-town. That's if Orlando can even play a 16 game season. The rest of the offensive line isn't too shabby so, expect this Bears line to be one of the top offensive fronts in the league. Surprised? Oh, I am.



















Could Jay finally be somewhere
he is wanted? Chicago could be
his answer.

You thought the offense sounded impressive? Well check out the defense. Lovie Smith sure knows how to take care of his defensive depth. The front four consists of monsters like Tommie Harris and Alex Brown. They will give the opposing quarterbacks plenty of frustration. As for the linebackers corps, you may be witnessing one of the best trio's of linebackers in a long time. Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs were enough for opponents but with the edition of Pisa Tinoisamoa, they've added even more explosiveness and speed. Pisa is a overlooked linebacker that can produce and with plenty of attention on the two pro bowl linebackers, this could be a breakout year for the new Bears linebacker. Nathan Vasher will coordinate the secondary as he will be the key defender to watch out for in this Bear's secondary. Devin Hester will be a menace on special teams as coaches will strategize in finding anyway to keep #23 out of the end zone.

Pisa just adds more skill to the
elite defense. He should fit
right in.

On paper, this team looks pretty nice but it will all come down to Jay Cutler and the offensive aerial attack. The wide receivers will have to quiet to critics and Jay will have to get comfortable in his new "pocket" real soon. You can say a 12 win game is definitely in the equation. Jay will need some time to adjust. 10-6 and I'm feeling a possibly playoff run.

Detroit

The thought of being a Detroit Lions fan makes my heart hurt. I salute those who have stayed faithful to the drought that this franchise is going through. A new era may be on the rise for the team very soon. #1 overall pick, Matthew Stafford who is coming out of UGA has quite the golden arm to showoff. He will be expected to make an immediate impact for the team as he will take snaps from the center right away. This is no Brady Quinn or JaMarcus Russell situation. This is Matt's team from the get go. Or am I wrong? Daunte Culpepper is a veteran pro bowler and once graced the cover of Madden in 2002 so you can see that the decision on who's going to start won't be that easy. Before the season starts, I see #7 starting games for the Lions and the veteran being more of a mentor role so speaking for the few Lions fans, we'd all like to see the top overall draft pick be used efficiently.

The top pick in the 2009 draft
will have to earn his spot at
the starting position.

The offense isn't looking too intimidating as the laughing stock of last year's NFL season has little talent with young Calvin Johnson and a Dennis Northcutt (Consistency isn't a part of his game) with some Kevin Smith (He has yet to spark with the expectations coaches once had in the young running back). The offensive line isn't outright terrible but Stafford will definitely have some flashbacks of the disappointing '08 season he had in Sanford with his patched up offensive line.

The defense has had some work done to it and will be the backbone of this team. If the Lions can manage to get out of this losing slump, it will start with this defense (Unless Matt is some golden boy reincarnation of Joe Montana and Bart Starr put together). Chartric Darby and Grady Jackson are "big boy" veterans that tower with size at 300+ lbs and will definitely make it hard for running backs to find inside lanes. They will be one of top defensive line cores in the league if they can stay healthy and their age doesn't catch up to their knees. (Knock on wood) The most work had been done in the linebacker positions as the Lions acquired Larry Foote, Ernie Sims, and Julian Peterson. These are three names that are well known around the league and last year's lone star Lion, Sims will now have some nice help at the position. The secondary is still a question but the office has definitely paid some attention to it as they looked to veteran cornerback Phillip Buchanon for some help. With Buchanon guiding the young secondary, we might see some magic happen in this Lions' defense.

Grady Jackson is just one of a few
great add-ons for a defense
that went nowhere last season.

Buchanon was not only brought in for defense but he will be utilized in the return game. He will look to help out the Lions offense in field position and some extra yardage.

Defenses win games and good defenses win championships. This is a defense that shouldn't be looked passed. They can't be considered a good defense just because they acquired some big names. Now if the new guys can come together and build something, we can talk but I still see some time before the Lions find themselves representing the NFC north in the playoffs. Four wins at most this season. I'm feeling 3-13.

Green Bay

One of the greatest franchises in NFL history will be on a playoff slump for the next few years... As of now... The defense has slowly been picked apart while the offense is adjusting to a new quarterback after having the same guy lead them for the last "50 years". Yes, Brett Favre is 70 years old. A lot of rebuilding and preparing will have to be done for this team to be on top of the league once again. As for right now, they could end with a worse record than the Detroit Lions for all I know.

Aaron Rodgers has learned plenty from ol' Brett and will have a solid season but his offense won't be able to average 20+ a game this season and that will be a tough number for the defense to hold opponents' offenses to. Rodgers has a solid group of receivers with Greg Jennings and Donald Driver. We may even see backup running back Brandon Jackson in the mix this season. Ryan Grant was one of the big disappointments in the league last season and he will need to show that he was not a fluke in 07. With Jackson as his reserve, we may see a two man running game. If I were to do a very random grading for this offense, I would give it a B-minus. With what grading scale you ask? Don't ask... I just wanted to shoot out a letter. There's not much to talk about this offense. Not much has changed and nothing exciting is likely to happen this season.

Aaron Kampman along with Charles Woodson have some talent to work with this season as the defense has some upside for the 2009 campaign. 25 year old Justin Harrel will have a lot of responsibilities as a starting tackle but he will get some help from veteran Ryan Pickett who has some experience under his belt. Mike Montgomery will stand on the opposite end of Kampman as the towering duo will be pests in the trenches. Brad Poppinga will look to crawl out of his comfort zone as he will find chances for blitz packages as well as spy plays with some big hits due to the presence of Nick Barnett and AJ Hawk. This linebacker crew isn't exactly complete but they will show flashes of greatness throughout the season. Green Bay's strong point will probably be their secondary as the corner position is loaded with Woodson, Al Harris, and Will Blackmon. Expect to see some nickel packages that involves all three of those guys. Atari Bigby and Collins are the hard hitting safeties that will sometimes be seen rushing at the QB and mostly saving the team from giving up big plays. A solid defense will be supportive of the Packers in 09.

Will Blackmon will be the first corner off the bench for special formations and depth but he will see even more of the field as he runs from end zone to end zone for the return team in search for some touchdown plays and extra yardage for the Packers. Not a top returner in the league, but he will be effective at the position.

Will Blackmon will be overlooked
by many teams but expect
him to be the next big thing
for the Packers

The Packers are one of those teams that could be good or find trouble from the start. Rodgers has been taught well and the defense will look good if the guys can form a strong bond with each other. Packers fans would like to hear the word playoffs mentioned in the same sentence that involves talk about their team but I'm going to go with 7 wins. Just under .500.

Minnesota

For a team that won the division, they don't exactly seem like a top team in the NFC to the naked eye, but if you dig deep into their depth chart and roster, they may be looking at a second straight appearance in the playoffs. Some of you may be thinking, "of course they are solid enough to make the playoffs". But it's not that simple. To start with all the ruckus that is happening in Minnesota, let's start with Mr. Comeback (Every ^&%#ing year). That's right, after it seemed like Brett Favre was sure to retire for good, a last minute contract was officially signed as the agreement between the 39 year old and Minnesota was confirmed.

So when I first began writing this article, Brett Favre was a retired NFL quarterback. As I was nearing my "two cents" for Minnesota, along came Brett Favre trotting back into the NFL. This old guy changes the entire situation in the NFC north. The Bears just went from the NFC north favorites to a possible dark horse.

Well the offense all starts with the quarterback and Brett Favre should be the main man after all the trouble the Vikings went through. Unhappy Tarvaris will just have to deal with being the back up for the future hall of famer. The speed first quarterback may be able to learn a few things from Mr. Favre and this could actually be even more beneficial to the Vikings that people normally would think. The precision quarterback makes Adrian Peterson even more dangerous as he will more than likely have many opportunities to catch the defense off guard. Bernard Berrian and Sidney Rice are going to be solid targets for #4 but the first round pick, Percy Harvin will add even more firepower for an offense that may be capable of doing things that other teams only dream of doing. The offensive line is experienced enough to give Brett his time and Adrian the holes. This offense could become quite dangerous but it is not guaranteed. Questionable health in the receivers and Brett's ability to still play 16 full games could be the x-factor. For other teams...

A monster line led by Pat Williams could be the biggest starting lineup of a defensive line in the entire league. Pat Williams is the only one short of 6'4" in the group as he stands at 6'3" 317 lbs. Offenses won't be able to find anything easy pass these men among boys. Young Chad Greenway will guide a group of linebackers that isn't a stand out group but will develop themselves into a solid crew at the least. Antoine Winfield will be the impact corner in this secondary as the rest will consist of inexperience and youth. Problems may arise in the deep pass routes but expect Antoine to keep an eye out for his teammates.















As long as this young fella can stay healthy,
the sky is the limit for the revamped Vikings
offense.

Percy Harvin will one of the top rookies to keep an eye on this season as he will be utilized in multiple positions. The return game will be something Percy will stay involved in as long as he is healthy. As for the offense itself, don't be confused if you see #12 in the backfield instead of #28 sometime throughout the season. Is he fast? You better believe it.

The Vikings might be able to run away with this division but it won't be spoon fed to them. They will have to work out some questions early on in the season and figure out their foundation before looking ahead to a postseason. With a diligent leader, the team will be able to pull out 11 or 12 wins. Hoping there are no serious injuries, I'm thinking 11-5. Sorry Chicago.














Tarvaris will learn through trial and error.
Just this time, he's going to have to learn by
watching the man in front of him.

Vikings 11-5
Bears 10-6
Packers 7-9
Lions 3-13

Even though the Bears seem like the most complete team, question marks at the quarterback position lurk and the presence of Brett Favre in Minnesota gives them endless possibilities. Whether it's Detroit vs Minnesota or Chicago vs Minnesota in a tie breaker for the division, every divisional match-up in the NFC north will be a good one to watch.

-Jason C