I will keep this brief due to the amount that could be written and speculated about but will be changed within sometimes just a few weeks and the fact there hasnt been one preseason game played yet.
This year there are three new coaches in the NFC North division. Minnesota hired Brad Childress, Green Bay hired Mike McCarthy and Detroit hired Rod Marinelli. Each team has made plenty of changes as well. Chicago is still considered by many as the favorite to win the division. The division may also only send one team to the playoffs though as far as I see it.
These predictions are null and void at anytime due to season ending injuries in the preseason to starters:
Green Bay - they drafted A.J. Hawk and signed Charles Woodson to solidify an already good 2005 Defense. In 2005 Green Bay finished with the 7th rated overall defense. The big problems they will have will more than likely be related to the offense and the kicking game. They signed former Cowboys kicker Billy Cundiff and he only had a 62.5% field goal percentage in 2005. Samkon Gado is slated to be the starting running back as well. He will be running behind possibly one of the worst offensive lines this year and have a Brett Favre back at quarterback. The biggest X factor for Green Bay this year is whether they get the Brett Favre of old or an old Brett Favre. My guess is that it is the ladder of the two.
Chicago - The Bears come into the 2006 with a good ole fashion quarterback controversy brewing with the signing of quarterback Brian Griese. He may be the better quarterback as well. Rex Grossman has been injured for the majority of his short career. The Bears will need the quarterback position to be serviceable and Cedric Benson to run the ball well with the defense being ranked near the top again this season. In 2005 the Bears finished with the 2nd overall defense despite the fact they had almost one hundred more plays ran on them with that terrible offense they had and led the league in points against with a mere 12.6 points per game. That is almost three points better than the 2nd best points against team Indianapolis (15.4) and they drafted almost all defense in the 2006 draft.
Minnesota - The Vikings are now Daunte free and will excel because of it. Daunte was exposed when Randy Moss was traded to Oakland and his maistakes and impatience caught up to him (5 td 12 int). They started winning when Brad Johnson took over and he is back this year. The most impressive feature the Vikings will have this year is the running game. They have a massive left side of their offensive line with Bryant McKinnie and newly signed LG Steve Hutchinson with newly acquired Chester Taylor to run behind them and the receiving core is basically them same (solid). The issues they had on Defense however may be better this year. Last season they finished right behind Detroit in total defense 21st overall. If they can get the running game going early and often the defensesive numbers will get better.
Detroit - The biggest changes in Detroit come at the quarterback position and coaching. They brought in two guys that were backups last year and hired Mike Martz to make them and the rest of that anemic offense better. Last year Steve Mariucci did not make many adjustments and played all his running backs regularly taking away a lot of snaps from their best back Kevin Jones. Mooch was in love with Shawn Bryson and anyone not named Mike Williams or Charles Rogers. One thing for sure is that Martz will utilized all the players on offense. This year they will have many different looks and adjustments made that weren’t in the past. The issue may be with the defense which was 20th overall last year and gave up just over 21 points per game. They brought in former Jets defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson to improve their defense, and he probably will. The Lions biggest weakness may be the linebackers inability to play due to injuries. Boss Bailey has been injury prone and Teddy Lehman is still out from last season currently listed in the PUP list and they drafted Ernie Sims who is known for speed (4.5 40 time), hard hits, and concussions. Too bad the concussions have all been his. Rod Marinelli comes in as a rookie coach but he is a no nonsense type of coach which the Lions lacked with Mariucci. This year things will be better in the Motor City but it will be a challenge to contend for the division.
Breakout players in the North -
1. Kevin Jones will get most of the snaps and will get more catches out of the back field. He will be a key to the Lions offensive success. He is a hard runner and new coach Rod Marinelli and Mike Martz are very impressed by him thus far.
2. Chester Taylor is going to have a big year rushing with the type of offense and the offensive line they have built. He already had a 4.3 yards per carry average over the last three years in Baltimore.
3. Ryan Longwell has moved indoors in Minnesota and that will work in his favor. He had success in Green Bay but the offense was getting worse by the day there. In Minnesota they will have a solid running game and that will translate into more kicks for Longwell.
Strongest links to each team -
Green Bay - defense will be the only chance they have to win any games,
Minnesota - running game will have its best back since Robert Smith retired
Chicago - the defense may be better than last year if it is even possible
Detroit - the offensive will be so improved that the NFL will forget about their defense even if it is mediocre.
Weakest link to each team -
Green Bay - the entire offense from having the best wide receiver being Donald Driver and still having Brett Favre the kicking game may be non existent especially with Billy Cundiff trying to split the uprights
Minnesota - new head coach will be the biggest obstacle with this team. He will be learning on the fly and does not have the best supporting staff in the division which is important for a rookie head coach
Chicago - Offense will and has been the downfall to the Bears for some time now. That won’t change with the way they drafted all those defensive players this year
Detroit - too many questions on defense and more in particular linebackers. They have some injured linebackers and a rookie slated to start but they need to practice together and that may not happen for a while.
Prediction on final standings before pre season games -
team W-L
Vikings 10-6*
Bears 9-7
Lions 8-8
Packers 5-11
Post pre season prediction on final standings -
Chicago 13-3 Minnesotta 7-9 Green Bay 6-10 Detroit 3-13 how is that for waffling?
*only playoff team from the North with three teams from the NFC East making it and the rise of Arizona this year
Do you think you know more about sports than me? lets see you prove it or take a shot. Go to FanIQ.com and lets see what you got!
Thanks Mean Dovine, I think that if the Bears can find an offense they will be almost unbeatable. I may regret picking the Vikings to win it, they seem to find a way to crumble every year
is it possible for every team in a division to finish with a .500 or worse record? the bears SHOULD be better than that, but for some reason, i wouldnt put money on it.
the packers defensive ranking/statistics from last year are misleading. their pass defense was pretty good on paper, largely due to the fact that teams ran all over us all season long. plus, teams started plenty of drives near midfield or in GB territory with all the turnovers, particularly INT's.
I'm still trying to understand this one. Bears schedule is the weakest going into the season. Bears actually have upgraded the defense, gotten a "legit" QB, will actually score points this year. Could you please point out where 7 losses are going to come from. I'm having a hard time finding 5 losses. The Vikes definitely have a favorable schedule and could even go 11-5, but does anyone know anything about this years' version?
Whatever team comes out of this division will most likely lose in the first round of the playoffs anyway. I see Chicago staying put, not getting better or worse. Minnesota and Detroit will be somewhat better, but nothing significant. Green Bay will take a few steps back.
edmon- the packers are against the wall already, the only way we can take any more steps back is to drive a bulldozer through it.
the only thing i see wrong with the overview of the packers is the shot at donald driver. he's a solid receiver with 2 pretty good years to prove it. if he doesnt have better than average stats this year, it'll be because favre cant get him the ball, either because he's throwing it to the other team, or because he's laying on his back with a 325 lb DL on top of him.
Edmon - I am not sure about the Packers taking a step back, not sure if it is possible but I do agree on the NFC playoff team not going anywhere in the playoffs
Smokey - the have a new Qb? who is going to play and how will they play. I think there defense will be better but the Bears are notorious for taking a step back after big seasons. I look for them to do the same. And besides there are suprise teams every year in every sport so dont get too excited over the schedule.
Not a big fan of anything west coast, and Childress never called his own plays so who is going to do it? Vikes ar known for making run in a season and benefitted from a light schedule(Giants beat themselves), Detroit will be better than Minnesota, and Green Bay well they can look toward the future and a new coach.
Any word on the Bears offering a free agent contract to Steve Stenstrom or Moses Moreno or Dave Krieg or Henry Burris or Rick Mirer or Cade McNown or Kordell Stewart or Peter Tom Willis or Shane Matthews or Cory Sauter or Will Furrer or Craig Krynzel for the third-string job?
The last time I checked, #### Jauron and Dave Wannstedt have left for greener pastures. Last year was the first year for the new offense and Orton was leading it. Griese provides a quality backup. Should the Bears get productivity from the QB spot, QB rating of over 80, the team will be 1-2 games better than last year. The argument of falling-off "just because" has as much credibility as Pam Anderson discussing "the evils of multiple sex partners".
Brad Johnson looked pretty good in place of Culpepper, amassing 6 straight victories over the Lions (2) Packers Browns Rams and the Giants.
Show me the 7 teams that my beloved Bearssss will lose to Nostrabobous.
Datstar I hope Detroit is better but they havent had a winning season yet under Matt Millen. no track record or proof as of yet. But like I put at the begining they havent even played a preseason game yet and injuries could change everything. We will see though
Smoke - dabearsss may be the team to beat but they running game and who they start at QB will be what may hold them back. either way they will be better than my Lions
Irish~ no making fun of the Bears QB "Ring of Honor". We Bears fans are quite proud of Steve Stenstrom, Moses Marino, Bob Avellini, Bobby Douglas, Vince Evans, Doug Flutie, Jim "Steroids" Miller, and Steve "Shotgun" Fuller. Few teams have the QB lineage that the Bears can boast.
The Packers have the same weak link as the Vikes, a new coach except the packers also signed Woodson who is always injured andhighly over rated. The Packs will be better, but they will not win the division. Just my opinion.
well the Lions have a great qb montage as well in no particular order Joey Harrington , Jeff Garcia, Scott Mitchell, Chuck Long, Stoney Case, Charlie Batch, Mike McMahon, Andre Ware, Rodney Peete and Rick Mirer
DAT- i agree 100%. and the thing is, bates sort of implied he would be hired as the head coach if sherman were let go. and alot of the fans around here thought he would be as soon as he became the defensive coordinator.
smoke- the thing with brad johnson is, he's 39, and can he hold up for an entire season? i'm not sold on the vikes being much better than 8-8/9-7 even if he can. who knows about detroit, since matt millen says the lions are open to "cutting everyone". that says alot, not only about the talent on the roster, but also millen's own ability to draft solid players, and make smart FA signings.
the fact that chicago has the weakest schedule doesnt mean they're good, it just means they face the #### pile that is the nfc north division 6 times. if they cant sweep the division this year, i wont take them seriously in the playoffs, just like i didnt last year, or back in '02.
besides cuzz and smoke, 85% of the games are decided by 4 points or less. it just comes down to which side of the 4 points is your team going to be. I have learned in the recent past that the Lions are always on the wrong side of the 4 points.
Chicago the last two times they have had great records was because of unbelievable gamebreaker type plays. when teams rely on big plays they have tendacies to under achieve.
which further proves my point that the bears arent really that good, they just play 3 crappy teams 2 times each. beating the lions, packers and vikings by 3 or 4 points isnt saying much if you ask me. now if they beat the cowboys, redskins, eagles and giants by 3 or 4 points, i might be a little impressed.
looking at the Bears schedule they could go 8-8 no problem. they never sweep the division, no one does, and the have ga,es with the Patriots, Giants, Bucaneers, Dolphins and Seahawks. that schedule does not appear to be as easy as some may think. Plus they play an improved Cardinals team in Arizona as well
Nostrabobus~ I CHALLENGE your sports IQ to a duel. You say 9-7, I say 11-5 or even 12-4, we'll keep track. In prior comments I didn't know if you guys were speaking of the Bears or the Seahawks. You said it yourself Nostrobobus, the Bears defense was on the field way too much and was still the 2nd ranked D in the league. Every team knew the Bears were going to run, every team tried to stop the run, and yet the Bears lost only four games (true Bears fans don't give credit to Minn for the final game). We'll see, oh yes, we'll see.
you know, we all know that a few preseason games can change everything with injuries. We can speculate all we want, we will see in 6 weeks who will probably contenders.
Smoke - FanIQ is pretty cool, it is all about predicting games and scores aginst people you know. Lets just say I should really never bet on baseball games in Vegas.....lol
I don't think the Vikings will win the division... actually... I just don't think I can bring myself to predict them to win the division (anything can happen)
There is just too many question marks on the roster, including their ability to adapt to yet another new system, Can Brad hold up?, Can Chester Taylor step up?, do the vikings really have a #1 receiver? etc.
It will be extremely difficult for a first year coach to have that much success, even in the NFC North.
I do like your assessment of the Cardinals. They will surprise many this year.
Chicago should dominate the NFC North. Their defense was on the field WAY TOO much last year (they were on the field for one more game time-wise compared to Tampa) and still were leading the league going in to the final week of the season. All that despite losing Ian Scott and Mike Brown late in the year. Their DB's are now loaded with depth, which was their weakest spot. Combine that with another year of coaching experience and the third year with the same coaches the Defense looks poised to be better than 2005. Had the Bears adopted the same strategy to contain Smith as did the Seahawks, Chicago would have been playing in Seattle last year.
The offense will be much improved over last year. With a rookie QB under center, the playbook was scaled way back. Orton was terribly inconsistent and although defenses stacked the line the running game was good.
Injuries aside (as they can mean devastation to any team),I can't see the Bears winning fewer than last year. With the NFC East and South having deeper divisions look to week 4 when Chicago hosts Seattle. The winner has the inside edge to home field advantage come January. Yes, only one team from the NFC North will make the playoffs, but you just have the colors wrong.
I also see one wild card team in the East and one from the South.
Bears view - if any teams fans can believe their team has a legitimate shot it is Bears fans. I am going to put up predictions post preseason as well. Maybe Chicago finds an offense, if they do they may go all the way
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Green Bay - they drafted A.J. Hawk and signed Charles Woodson to solidify an already good 2005 Defense. In 2005 Green Bay finished with the 7th rated overall defense. The big problems they will have will more than likely be related to the offense and the kicking game. They signed former Cowboys kicker Billy Cundiff and he only had a 62.5% field goal percentage in 2005. Samkon Gado is slated to be the starting running back as well. He will be running behind possibly one of the worst offensive lines this year and have a Brett Favre back at quarterback. The biggest X factor for Green Bay this year is whether they get the Brett Favre of old or an old Brett Favre. My guess is that it is the ladder of the two.
Chicago - The Bears come into the 2006 with a good ole fashion quarterback controversy brewing with the signing of quarterback Brian Griese. He may be the better quarterback as well. Rex Grossman has been injured for the majority of his short career. The Bears will need the quarterback position to be serviceable and Cedric Benson to run the ball well with the defense being ranked near the top again this season. In 2005 the Bears finished with the 2nd overall defense despite the fact they had almost one hundred more plays ran on them with that terrible offense they had and led the league in points against with a mere 12.6 points per game. That is almost three points better than the 2nd best points against team Indianapolis (15.4) and they drafted almost all defense in the 2006 draft.
Minnesota - The Vikings are now Daunte free and will excel because of it. Daunte was exposed when Randy Moss was traded to Oakland and his maistakes and impatience caught up to him (5 td 12 int). They started winning when Brad Johnson took over and he is back this year. The most impressive feature the Vikings will have this year is the running game. They have a massive left side of their offensive line with Bryant McKinnie and newly signed LG Steve Hutchinson with newly acquired Chester Taylor to run behind them and the receiving core is basically them same (solid). The issues they had on Defense however may be better this year. Last season they finished right behind Detroit in total defense 21st overall. If they can get the running game going early and often the defensesive numbers will get better.
Detroit - The biggest changes in Detroit come at the quarterback position and coaching. They brought in two guys that were backups last year and hired Mike Martz to make them and the rest of that anemic offense better. Last year Steve Mariucci did not make many adjustments and played all his running backs regularly taking away a lot of snaps from their best back Kevin Jones. Mooch was in love with Shawn Bryson and anyone not named Mike Williams or Charles Rogers. One thing for sure is that Martz will utilized all the players on offense. This year they will have many different looks and adjustments made that weren’t in the past. The issue may be with the defense which was 20th overall last year and gave up just over 21 points per game. They brought in former Jets defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson to improve their defense, and he probably will. The Lions biggest weakness may be the linebackers inability to play due to injuries. Boss Bailey has been injury prone and Teddy Lehman is still out from last season currently listed in the PUP list and they drafted Ernie Sims who is known for speed (4.5 40 time), hard hits, and concussions. Too bad the concussions have all been his. Rod Marinelli comes in as a rookie coach but he is a no nonsense type of coach which the Lions lacked with Mariucci. This year things will be better in the Motor City but it will be a challenge to contend for the division.
