Honest guess on how the division goes this year

[Vikeman]

Injuries aside....I think the Pack has a good chance to take the division again.

Who knows what Bears team will show up next year.

The Lions are an enigma at this point.

With average QB play I think the Vikes go 8-8.

What do you all think?

 

[longtimefan]

I think Lions have better season than the Vikings...I want to see what the Bears do in f/a f there is any..

Pack SHOULD win the division

 

[Wood Chipper]

Packers win division.
Lions grab wildcard IF stafford stays healthy.

 

[mradtke66]

As of right now:

1. Packers: Reigning champs. They get the benefit of the doubt.

2. Lions: Young team, young playmakers are hitting their stride. If Stafford stays healthy, they will be our primary competition for the next 5-10 years to take the division.

3. Bears: Very likely to get old fast and have a season like the Vikings just had. Protected from bottoming out because Cutler is good enough to win a few games they otherwise wouldn't (difference between a sub-30 cutler and 40+ favre)

4. Vikings: They're rebuilding or old depending on the position. AP might even be on the decline already--he's a running back with 4(?) years in the league and a lot of touches.

 

[Vikeman]

I think Lions have better season than the Vikings...I want to see what the Bears do in f/a f there is any..

Pack SHOULD win the division

I'll give you "the Pack should win the division". Just not buying the Lions hype yet.

Anyone remember the Lions 2004 draft? When they had the best draft with all kinds if steals....and were the team on "the rise". Here they are.

Mike Williams 1st round

Kevin Jones 1st round

Teddy Lehman 2nd round (projected 1st rounder)

 

[longtimefan]

I'll give you "the Pack should win the division". Just not buying the Lions hype yet.

Anyone remember the Lions 2004 draft? When they had the best draft with all kinds if steals....and were the team on "the rise". Here they are.

Mike Williams 1st round

Kevin Jones 1st round

Teddy Lehman 2nd round (projected 1st rounder)

Matt Millen..All that is needed to be said

Staford stays up they can be in the running

 

[Vikeman]

As of right now:

1. Packers: Reigning champs. They get the benefit of the doubt.

2. Lions: Young team, young playmakers are hitting their stride. If Stafford stays healthy, they will be our primary competition for the next 5-10 years to take the division.

3. Bears: Very likely to get old fast and have a season like the Vikings just had. Protected from bottoming out because Cutler is good enough to win a few games they otherwise wouldn't (difference between a sub-30 cutler and 40+ favre)

4. Vikings: They're rebuilding or old depending on the position. AP might even be on the decline already--he's a running back with 4(?) years in the league and a lot of touches.

I don't get the old bit...Favre and Pat Williams crushed our average age number last year. Two rookie of the year players in the past 4 years and a bunch of young defensive talent. I don't get where that comes from.

 

[Wood Chipper]

I don't get the old bit...Favre and Pat Williams crushed our average age number last year. Two rookie of the year players in the past 4 years and a bunch of young defensive talent. I don't get where that comes from.

is it really hard to break records on a team that cant win a superbowl?

 

[Kitten]

I think the Pack will take the Division.

Lions - Rebuilding. I look them to be super strong on D. Problem is their Oline. Stafford is going to get killed again and until they resolve that situation all the D in the world is not going to help them.

Vikings - Rebuild mode. I'm not ruling them out. I still think they have a lot of talent on that team but a lack of organization. With Ponder, who knows what they will do. I'm glad they went with a young QB, one they can build themselves around for years instead of someone else's veteran (McNabb). I think two things are possible. Either they are gonna flat out suck and have a losing season or surprise everyone and have a great season.

Bears - Cutler Crisis? Bears have a good D. Peppers is awesome. They have one of the best return men I've seen in a long time in Hester. Do not count the Bears out. They were close to going to the SB last year, if not for the Packers they would have.

I think the division is going to go something like this:

Packers
Bears
Vikings
Lions

 

[Vikeman]

I think the Pack will take the Division.

Lions - Rebuilding. I look them to be super strong on D. Problem is their Oline. Stafford is going to get killed again and until they resolve that situation all the D in the world is not going to help them.

Vikings - Rebuild mode. I'm not ruling them out. I still think they have a lot of talent on that team but a lack of organization. With Ponder, who knows what they will do. I'm glad they went with a young QB, one they can build themselves around for years instead of someone else's veteran (McNabb). I think two things are possible. Either they are gonna flat out suck and have a losing season or surprise everyone and have a great season.

Bears - Cutler Crisis? Bears have a good D. Peppers is awesome. They have one of the best return men I've seen in a long time in Hester. Do not count the Bears out. They were close to going to the SB last year, if not for the Packers they would have.

I think the division is going to go something like this:

Packers
Bears
Vikings
Lions

Nice post...agree with alot of it.

 

[Jess]

Packers - Still young, only going to get better.
Lions - This is the year Stafford stays healthy and with Fairley they'll dominate the line of scrimmage in every game.
Bears - Regression after last year. Cutler will throw 20+ picks.
Vikings - Ponder turns out to be pond scum, Peterson is overused and gets hurt.

 

[mradtke66]

Age is relative. AP is, for a running back, getting old.

The entire offensive line is old (though didn't they draft a center last year?)

Allen will be 30 before the season ends. Not the end of the line for a d-lineman, but getting up there when a big part of your game is speed.

Pat Williams: older than dirt, possibly retiring.

Ray Edwards: Likely free agent (depends on next CBA?)

 

[Raptorman]

I don't get the old bit...Favre and Pat Williams crushed our average age number last year. Two rookie of the year players in the past 4 years and a bunch of young defensive talent. I don't get where that comes from.

I don't the old bit either. Right now counting out the FA the Vikings D starters are younger than the Packers. But hey, they are getting old. Let's see what the roster brings at the start of the year. Fat Pat won't be back, I doubt Edwards will be either. Everyone thinks they have no one to replace them. What they don't know is Fat Pat only played about 33% of the downs last year.

 

[Raptorman]

Age is relative. AP is, for a running back, getting old.

The entire offensive line is old (though didn't they draft a center last year?)

Allen will be 30 before the season ends. Not the end of the line for a d-lineman, but getting up there when a big part of your game is speed.

Pat Williams: older than dirt, possibly retiring.

Ray Edwards: Likely free agent (depends on next CBA?)

And the Packers O line is spring chickens? How old is Taucher? Clifton? Are they going to bring back the O line again this year. Who did the draft to replace anyone of thos guys? Peterson will be 26, Grant will be 29. Pat W. is gone. Are the Packers going to keep Jenkins? Wait, he's 30.....getting up there...

 

[Jess]

And the Packers O line is spring chickens? How old is Taucher? Clifton? Are they going to bring back the O line again this year. Who did the draft to replace anyone of thos guys?

Bulaga last year, Sherrod this year.

 

[Big E]

And the Packers O line is spring chickens? How old is Taucher? Clifton? Are they going to bring back the O line again this year. Who did the draft to replace anyone of thos guys? Peterson will be 26, Grant will be 29. Pat W. is gone. Are the Packers going to keep Jenkins? Wait, he's 30.....getting up there...

Bulaga was drafted in the first round last year, and replaced Tauscher when he went down. Derek Sherrod was drafted in the first round this year and will be Clifton's replacement (or will switch sides with Bulaga). Jenkins seems like he'll be gone. We drafted Mike Neal last year and he'll replace Jenkins if need be.
But I don't understand the people saying that Peterson is getting old. He's been heavily featured, yes, but he's only about midway for a running back. Not getting old. He's still got 4 years til he hits the 30 wall.

 

[Lunchboxer]

Packers
Lions
Bears
Vikings

In that order. The Lions are getting some good players finally. Packers will Battle The Lions for Division.

 

[Wood Chipper]

The Packers prior to the drafts average age was 26.
We had only 3 players on our starting roster over the age of 31.

 

[Future]

My take:

1. Packers
2. Bears
3. Lions
4. Vikings

I'm already sick of all the Lions talk. Nick Fairley - supremely talented? Yes. Lazy, dirty and only one good college year? Yes. 1st round DTs have a very high bust rate and the Lions took a big risk with Fairley. He will also be suspended if he continues to play like he did in college. In a game against UGA this year, Fairley speared UGA QB Aaron Murray, intentionally put a helmet on Murray's knee after he'd thrown the ball, and launched himself helmet-first into Murray's back after a throw. All 15-yard flags and would definitely have kept him out of at least a game if he was in the NFL. Not to mention his numerous vicious facemask yanks.

I know some Lions fans who were actually upset by the pick. Fairley and Suh are both under tackles and will probably leave Suh to play more nose tackle than he should. Screens, draws and stretch plays are all great ways to neutralize those two.

I can't put the Lions ahead of the Bears for many reasons -

1. Stafford can't stay healthy/hasn't proven that he's anything beyond mediocre.
2. Lions offensive line is porous. Their best lineman is 33 years old (Backus).
3. The Lions have possibly the worst back 7 in the NFL. Delmas is the only consistently quality player among them. They have a few guys who can make plays (Levy, Alphonso Smith) but they generally get burned quite often as well.

I doubt many took time to read this novel but to those of you who did -

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I'll go further in detail about the Bears and Vikings later.

 

[GBPack2010]

NFC North will be a bloody battlefield for supremacy. By far closest division in NFL and arguably its best in terms of talent.

 

[packerstl101]

packers
lions
bears
vikings

 

[Incubes12]

Even with how well the Lions are drafting and how much improved they look, they're still the Lions and I won't say anything until I see otherwise: Pack, Bears, Lions, Vikes.

 

[SpartaChris]

And the Packers O line is spring chickens? How old is Taucher? Clifton? Are they going to bring back the O line again this year. Who did the draft to replace anyone of thos guys? Peterson will be 26, Grant will be 29. Pat W. is gone. Are the Packers going to keep Jenkins? Wait, he's 30.....getting up there...

Bulaga will replace Tauscher, same as he did last season and Derek Sherrod will sit at least part of the year as he gears up to replace Clifton. Depending on if/when there's a training camp, he could become the starter sooner than later.

I doubt the Packers will keep Jenkins. He'll want too much money and is injury prone.

Part of the concern with Peterson is the wear and tear he's had over the years since he started. Except for that one magical season, Peterson has had to do it all for the Vikings since there's been a total lack of skill at the game's most important position. That's not to say he won't be able to continue at a high level, because I don't believe you just fall off a cliff over night, but I do believe it won't be too much longer (Read: two seasons or so) before we start to see him slow down a bit due to wear and tear.

 

[PackisBack]

Pack takes the division. Even with the pending departure of Jenkins and Jones, we have the depth and talent at most positions to do everything we did last year. Remember, we won everything with a sub-par Oline and virtually no run game until the postseason (and even then it's still not like we had AP or CJ2k). The offense will thrive under Rodgers, and the defense will be as good as always.

Most people will disagree, but Vikings go second. 9-7 or 8-8. Remember, they won the division in 2008 with nobody but AP on the team. Granted, the Williams wall was younger and not facing a suspension, but I think Leslie Frazier will do a decent job with that defense. Also, in 2008, Tarvaris Jackson was their QB. Regardless of how you feel about Ponder, don't you guys think he'll be at least as good as Jackson?

Lions go third. Up and coming team but I question Stafford's durability, and yeah Fairley and Suh will be monsters, but their back 7 on D is below average at best. QBs like Rodgers and Manning and Brady don't care how much pressure they are under if they have 3 or 4 receivers they know will be open. Also, as good as Calvin/Titus Young and Best/LeShoure will be, you still need an Oline to give your QB time and open holes for your RBs. I don't think the lions have that.

And finally, Da Burrs. I don't care if Carimi is the next Walter Jones, because the rest of that Oline is still awful. Cutler takes too long to deliver the ball, and their receivers are all C+/B- at best and they're only that good because of speed. The pass rush in the rest of the division keeps getting more intense, and I don't think Chicago can handle it this season. I wouldn't take anyone on that offense other than maybe Forte to start on my team, and even he is not elite. On defense, Peppers, Urlacher, and Briggs will be solid to pretty good as always, but aside from that there is no real presence on the Dline and their secondary is nothing to write home about.


Of course, everything I just said is based on the fact that nothing has happened in free agency yet and more than likely rookie players won't have as much of an impact this year to to the possibility of shortened pre-season activities.

 

[The Real Pack Attack]

Packers
Lions
Bears
Viking

Packers have to be the favorite. With all the injured players returning to a Super Bowl Champion plus add in a couple of interesting rookies and the sky is the limit again this year!
Lions are on the verge of being a very dangerous team. There DL gave the Packers fits last year and now they added Nick Fairley to the mix, yikes!
Can the Bears get on the same page with Cutler? Defense is aging and offense is always a question mark. Bears are usually good for a stinker year after a playoff year also.
Vikings, just can't see them winning. Who will be the QB?