NFC North: An Early Look

As we are now beyond the MLB All Star Break and into the month of August it means Football is HERE! Preseason NFL kicked off this past Sunday with the Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio. With that game completed and with the “real” Week One of the Preseason underway, it’s an ideal time to continue taking a look at the assessments for the NFL teams for the upcoming 2008 season. After covering each division of the AFC in my first four installments, last week it was time to shift gears and head to the NFC. In that segment we took at look at the NFC East and, in this segment, we’ll take a look at the NFC North!

Chicago Bears – The Bears had some problems in 2007 and those have persisted and will continue into 2008. They just don’t have enough talent at the skill positions on offense and defenses are making them pay for that. Chicago is now trying to rely on youth to rebuild the offense and that will take time. The other concerning issue for the Bears is that their once proud defense is “no more” as they suffered a major drop-off statistically from 2006 to 2007 and 2008 doesn’t appear as if it will be any easier for this team to get back to where it once was defensively. This definitely looks like a rebuilding year for Chicago and we may be able to find some value in fading them early this season!

Detroit Lions – This is another team going through a rebuilding year this season. After starting 6-2 last season, the Lions fell apart and a lot of problems had to do with contrasting styles favored by the coaching staff. The Lions will no longer have Mike Martz as he’s moved onto San Francisco. However, with his departure from the offensive coordinator spot it looks like another learning process will be underway for the Lions and they’ll have to get the proper personnel in place. They worked on that in the offseason but it’s going to take awhile for the group to gel and that is unlikely to happen this season!

Green Bay Packers – Finally the Brett Favre saga is behind the Packers and we were waiting to release this article until that fact was a “done deal”. With the Favre now wearing a different green uniform over in Jersey, the Packers can go about preparing for the 2008 season. Keep in mind that even without Favre, Green Bay has twenty returning starters and so they are positioned well for success this season and, at the QB position, it was indeed time for a change. The problem is that, though this change is good for the long-term, it could certainly make things a little tough in the short-term. QB Aaron Rodgers will have some growing pains and the Packer faithful could grow restless in what will be a trip back down after last season’s 13-3 mark!

Minnesota Vikings – QB is the key here. Will Tarvaris Jackson finally show that he’s ready? That is the key question. Note that the Vikings were #1 running the ball last season and #1 defending the run last season! However, until the QB position stabilizes this remains a mediocre club that has some holes. We like Coach Brad Childress and certainly the running game of Minnesota commands respect. However, the Vikings will continue to struggle until they get better defending the pass as well as improving their own offense. Their schedule looks quite tough this season, especially early on, and this could lead to continued struggles for Jackson in the offense as the tough schedule early on won’t help matters! It looks like the Vikings should win the division but it will be by virtue of winning a ‘battle of attrition’.