By: Tyler Ward and Stephen Patterson
1. Green Bay Packers (Head Coach: Mike McCarthy)
Key Arrivals: OG Bryan Bulaga (draft), DT Mike Neal (draft), S Morgan Burnett (draft)
Key Departures: LB Aaron Kampman, RB Ahman Green
- SP's Prediction: 11-5
TW: Despite no veteran signings, Green Bay went out and selected well at this year's draft. With their offensive line getting slightly older, the Packers used their first selection on Iowa tackle, Bryan Bulaga. He will not start the season as the starter and will back up Daryn Colledge at left guard. But, Bulaga is expected to be a great offensive lineman - however, he will end up being the backup as of now. Green Bay has a high-powered offense, especially with Greg Jennings currently in the prime of his career. Donald Driver, although he is also getting older, is still a top 20 receiver in the NFL and gives leadership to the young Packers team. Jermichael Finley is expected to get more playing time and start at tight end. Finley has great athleticism and gives Aaron Rodgers another target on the field. Rodgers could be an MVP candidate this season, as he has been a good successor to current Vikings QB Brett Favre. Personally, I think there's a very good chance (as long as the Packers win games) that Rodgers could be the best player in the NFL this season - Brees, Chris Johnson, Peyton Manning, and Adrian Peterson are also in the running. Green Bay also has one of the best defenses in the league and their second-round selection, Mike Neal, will probably be the backup to second-year pro B.J. Raji. Ryan Pickett is a prototypical defensive tackle, but Green Bay has him listed as a defensive end on the depth chart. The Packers are running a 3-4 defense and have one of the best linebacking corps in the league with Nick Barnett, A.J. Hawk, Clay Matthews, and Brandon Chillar as the starters. Their cornerbacks could be the weak link in the Packers' defense, as there is not much depth at that position. They are very young, but could be good in a few years. Charles Woodson, last year's Defensive Player of the Year, is one of the best all-around players in the league, so with him on the roster, it adds so much to the Packers' defense. I think the Packers can be a Super Bowl contender this season, but will have to go through New Orleans and Minnesota if they want to get there. I really like what the Packers have on boths sides of the ball - they may not advance all the way to the Super Bowl this season, but will definitely make it to the playoffs and win the NFC North. Watch out for Greg Jennings this season - I think he will make his way into the Top 5, as far as wide receivers go. I also suspect that Aaron Rodgers will be this year's league leader in passing yards. It seems like since Brett Favre left the Packers, the team has just gotten better and better as the years progress. They will be contenders in the NFC for years to come if they keep at the pace they're at now.
- TW's Prediction: 12-4
2. Minnesota Vikings (Head Coach: Brad Childress)
Key Arrivals: CB Lito Sheppard, RB Ryan Moats, RB Toby Gerhart (draft), DE Everson Griffen (draft)
Key Departures: RB Chester Taylor
SP: Well, Minnesota got their wish. After yet another season of waffling on whether or not he should retire, Brett Favre decided he would come back for yet another season. The Vikings saw their season come to a disappointing end last year when the team fell to the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Championship game. Favre took a massive beating during the game, and had to come off the field at one point when he feared he had broken his ankle after a hard hit by Bobby McCray. The Vikings are banking a lot of faith, not to mention money, on the fact that Favre could reproduce last season's miracle year. Regardless of how well Favre may do with the Vikings this season, his numbers will not be on par with or better than his stats last year. Favre has constantly seemed to whore for media attention over the past few seasons, and especially the offseasons, and this year has been nothing different. While the team seemed to be able to handle all of the attention and publicity surrounding them last season, I'm not so certain the ship will sail so smoothly this season. I'm expecting a few things that could happen to this team: Favre will suffer an injury bad enough for him to miss 1-2 games and end his streak. His interceptions this season will be much closer to 20 than 5 this season. Childress will be gone after this experiment if the Vikings fall short of the Super Bowl, regardless of regular season success. Those are just a few of the very real, and very scary possibilities that could happen this season with this team. It has been reported tonight that Sidney Rice could miss up to half the season with a hip injury. Percy Harvin apparently doesn't understand the concept of a visor on his helmet if looking into a clouded sky makes him collapse or gives him migraines. Adrian Peterson will need to learn to hold the ball during key games and situations after a horrid season for the back in the category. This entire offense is surrounded by question marks, and quite frankly, I'm expecting some very mixed answers to some of those questions. The defense could take them very far, and if both sides of the field can catch fire during the same game, not very many teams even have a chance to stay in the game with them. Health is my major concern for this team, especially on the offensive side of the ball, and I think injuries will eventually cost this team late in the season.
- SP's Prediction: 12-4
- TW's Prediction: 11-5
3. Chicago Bears (Head Coach: Lovie Smith)
Key Arrivals: DE Julius Peppers, RB Chester Taylor, CB Tim Jennings, S Chris Harris, RB Harvey Unga (draft), S Major Wright (draft), QB Dan LeFevour (draft)
Key Departures: DE Adewale Ogunleye, DE Alex Brown, RB Kevin Jones, FB Jason McKie, CB Nathan Vasher, LB Pisa Tinoisamoa
SP: While Chicago definitely upgraded this offseason with the additions of Julius Peppers and Chester Taylor, I don't think they are going to even threaten to win their division. This whole team revolves around Jay Cutler, and if he doesn't learn how to keep the turnovers over down, this team will suffer another disappointing season. The Bears were the "lucky" team to land Cutler after he had multiple disagreements Broncos' head coach Josh McDaniel. He has a decent group of receivers, but none of them are really superstar players. Matt Forte also needs a strong year for Chicago to be successful, but I think Taylor could take a lot of his carries if he is impressive. The Bears have always been known for their defense, but with a Pro Bowl caliber QB in Jay Cutler, they have high expectations for both sides of the ball. Peppers and Brian Urlacher will be the defensive leaders and could have spectacular seasons. While the Bears have many of the tools to get the job done, I'm just still not convinced they can beat Green Bay or Minnesota, both of which are considered favorites to make the postseason. While Cutler has several quality receivers around him, I still think they need one more All-Pro caliber player at WR or TE for him to be successful. - SP's Prediction: 7-9
TW: The Bears did mildly decent this offseason, but they are still not a playoff team. Jay Cutler, who threw 26 interceptions last season, has to do a lot better this season and should with Mike Martz being named the offensive coordinator. Cutler has shown great power, but his accuracy could be a problem. However, if he limited his mistakes, Cutler could be one of the best quarterbacks in the league. It just depends on him if he wants to stay turnover-free and learn the offense that surrounds him. Running back Matt Forte will get the bulk of the carries, but the Bears added Chester Taylor to help carry the load. Forte should be a 1,000 yard back. Chicago is also looking for wide receiver Devin Aromashodu to have a big year, along with Devin Hester and Johnny Knox. Although they aren't name-brand receivers, Cutler should have a solid year if everything goes right. Tight End Greg Olsen should also have a stellar season because he will be one of Cutler's main and most steady targets. The Bears also need solid performances out of tackle Chris Williams, who was a first round pick in 2008 - it could possibly be a make-or-break season for Williams, a teammate of Cutler at Vanderbilt. Perhaps the biggest signing of the offseason, the Bears signed defensive end Julius Peppers to help a defensive line that played inconsistently throughout the season. Mark Anderson will take Adewale Ogunleye's place on the line, as Ogunleye was released earlier this offseason. Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs are back and one, if not both, should have a great season if they stay injury-free. Their secondary could be in trouble, as there is not much depth - Charles Tillman and Zack Bowman will have to be heavily relied on if the Bears want to resurrect a defense that was top of the line a few seasons ago. I just don't see the Bears staying injury-free and I expect at least one key loss happening. I can also see their receiving game hurting the offense, which could possibly hurt Cutler's performances. They have a lot they need to work on if they want to return to their Super Bowl form.
- TW's Prediction: 7-9
4. Detroit Lions (Head Coach: Jim Schwartz)
Key Arrivals: DE Kyle Vanden Bosch, DT Corey Williams, CB Chris Houston, QB Shaun Hill, TE Tony Scheffler, WR Nate Burleson, CB Dre Bly, S C.C. Brown, DT Ndamukong Suh (draft), RB Jahvid Best (draft)
Key Departures: QB Daunte Culpepper, LB Ernie Sims, LB Larry Foote, CB Anthony Henry
SP: Detroit is definitely on the right track to making the playoffs in a few seasons. Eventually Brett Favre will have to retire, meaning their will be a shift of power in the division, although it may only be small changes. The Lions have been a laughing-stock for as long as I can remember being a fan of the NFL. They had to suffer through the Matt Millen era. Millen was the brainchild behind Detroit's moves for eight seasons in the last decade, and he single-handedly help destroy any ounce of respect any fan ever had for the Lions. The differences since Millen left the team are astonishing. The team is now led by Matthew Stafford, who is entering his second season in the NFL. He has veterans such as Calvin Johnson and Nate Burleson as primary targets, along with tight end Brandon Pettigrew. The team also took Jahvid Best in the draft, who I think will be one of the most productive rookies this season. If he isn't the starter in week 1, expect him to be the starter by the end of the first month of the season. Their defense has also seen major upgrades, especially on the line with the additions of Vanden Bosch and Suh. If they can add a few more decent pieces over the next offseason or two, the Lions will definitely be a major threat in the division in the very near future. For now, I can't see any way this team is breaking .500 this season, and they will fall just short of that mark.
- SP's Prediction: 7-9
- TW's Prediction: 5-11
