Even though the Green Bay Packers have won the NFC North division the past three years, there are three vastly improved teams nipping at their heels in 2005.
The Packers have been one of the most consistent teams in the NFL since 1993. Since that year, the Packers have only missed the playoffs twice. That trend will be tough to continue this year because of some crucial off-season moves by the Packers and the other teams in the division.
The Packers offensive line has experienced the most changes with the loss of veteran guards Marco Rivera and Mike Wahle. Unrestricted free agents, Matt O’Dwyer and Adrian Klemm were signed to replace them. They will line up along with Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher, the Packers incumbent offensive tackles. Their job will be to pick up the slack after two key losses by continuing to give Ahman Green running lanes, and to give Favre extra protection. If they can’t do this, then the running game will really suffer and Favre will throw far more interceptions. The Packers offense will need to score near thirty points a game if they’re going to make up for the defenses’ mistakes.
The defense was also affected by the loss of safety, Darren Sharper to the Vikings. New defensive coordinator, Jim Bates will try to install a system that focuses on the fundamentals, such as tackling, a key issue last year. Cornerback Al Harris should be pleased that Bates is installing a new bump-and-run system and more of a man defense. The linebackers, anchored by Nick Barnett, must secure the defense and move around a lot. The defensive ends will line up at an angle to get a better approach at rushing the quarterback, which should give Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila (third in the NFL in sacks in 2004) an even better chance of sacking opposing QB’s. The secondary will rely heavily on some young, but talented players. Arturo Freeman will be crucial to the success of the defense. Freeman, who came over from Miami with Bates must fill the big gap created by the departure of Darren Sharper.
Considering the major losses on offense and the continuing struggles on defense, the Packers will face a tougher task to win the division, but will do it again considering the Vikings end of the season falloff. The Packers will finish with a second consecutive 10-6 record to barely beat the Vikings out by beating the Vikings twice.
The Vikings already potent offense (fourth in the NFL in total offense in 2004) suffered a setback with the farewell of Randy Moss to the Raiders. Nate Burleson will be relied on to take his place as the number one receiver and Troy Williamson will also have to step up in his rookie season. Daunte Culpepper will continue to improve which is scary for opposing defenses. Culpepper features a strong, accurate arm, but can also improvise on the fly by lowering his shoulders and running the ball. The Vikings stable of running backs must provide a good change of pace to the passing attack. If they can all stay healthy, they could do some serious damage.
The biggest thing that turns the Vikings into a Super Bowl contender is their vast improvement on defense. DE Kenechi Udeze is coming off a stellar rookie year and he will be lined up with Pat and Kevin Williams in the tackle spot. Standout Wisconsin DE Erasmus James will fight for a spot as the second end in his rookie year. While the linebackers are perhaps the weakest spot on the defense, they are still very respectable, particularly with the signing of Sam Cowart. The secondary, which already had Chavous and Winfield, becomes arguably the best in the NFL with the additions of Darren Sharper and Fred Smoot.
The Vikings offense will be in the top five in the league and with a vastly improved defense, the Vikings have the potential to be a contender. The only thing that hinders this team is consistency. The late season collapse will once again doom this team as they will finish with a 10-6 record, losing to the division to the Packers by two losses too them.
The Lions have done everything possible to get Joey Harrington to succeed. So far he hasn’t, but maybe this will be his breakthrough season. Jeff Garcia will jump at the opportunity if Harrington doesn’t step it up. The Lions have some incredible talent at running back and wide receiver. Kevin Jones is coming off a great rookie season and should get even better. The receiving corps features Roy Williams and Charles Rogers (if he can stay healthy). They are in a very enviable position when a player like Mike Williams can come off the bench in the third slot. The Lions are even solid at tight end with the signing of Marcus Pollard. If Harrington (or Garcia) can use the pieces that have been put around him then this could be a very potent offense.
While the defense is clearly the weak point for the Lions, there are some solid players there also. Shaun Rogers anchors a d-line with a lot of potential. Whether they can turn that potential into a solid QB rush or run stop is another question. Teddy Lehman who, along with Earl Holmes, had triple digit tackles in ‘04 to lead the linebackers. Dre’ Bly will anchor the secondary which could be vastly improved if they sign Ty Law, which seems unlikely at this point.
I think this could be the Lions breakthrough year. It’s just unfortunate for them that they have two better teams ahead of them in the division. They will come through though with a 9-7 record. I know that’s a bold pick, but if the offense finally lives up to expectations, don’t put it against this team. It also never hurts to have a quality coach like Steve Mariucci.
The Bears, who are probably the worst team in the division, still have a good chance to get to .500. Rex Grossman will be entrusted with that task. Thomas Jones and rookie Cedric Benson will try to take as much pressure off of Grossman by building a solid rushing attack. Muhsin Muhammed leads a group of receivers that could surprise if Grossman can get them the ball. Olin Kreutz must pull his offensive line together if anything is going to happen offensively for the Bears.
The defense, which has been the strongpoint recently, looks fairly strong again. Any team that has Brian Urlacher has a chance to have a good defense. Lance Briggs must step it up and help Urlacher in the middle of the defense. A very young defensive line must hold it down in the trenches to spare the linebackers and the secondary from making all the plays. The secondary is the strength of the unit as it returns all four starters from a year ago: Jerry Azumah, Mike Green, Mike Brown, and Charles Tillman.
Unlike the other teams in the division, the Bears will rely on defense to win. While they probably won’t win the division, they will have a solid 8-8 season. I think the defense will be in the top ten and the offense with Muhammed and Benson will hold it’s own. Everything depends on the development of Rex Grossman and I think he will start to catch on enough to make this a .500 team.
Each team has a legitimate chance to win this division, but I think the Packers will pull it off for a fourth year in a row. Considering the overall strength of the division, I definitely feel that one of the NFC wild cards will come out of the black and blue division. If someone can stop the Eagles, then I definitely think that the winner of the division will go onto the Super Bowl.
2 replies on “Lions- and Vikings- and Bears- Oh My!”
nice preview a couple of minor problems
“If Harrington (or Garcia) can use the pieces that have been put around him, then this could be a very potent offense.”
You don’t need the comma. If you want a comma, leave out the word then.
“The defense, which has been the strongpoint, recently looks fairly strong again.”
Get rid of that comma. That is carelessness.
“The secondary is the strength of the unit as they return all four starters from a year ago: Jerry Azumah, Mike Green, Mike Brown, and Charles Tillman.”
It should read “…as it returns….” Secondary is singular and they is plural. Everyone makes that mistake unfortunately so don’t feel bad.
“In all likelihood, the NFC wild card will come out of the black and blue division.”
There are two wild cards, not one.
“They will have a few very important jobs including giving Brett Favre enough protection to find Javon Walker and Donald Driver, and making lanes for Ahman Green.”
This sentence is awkward. First, just write “They will have a very important job in….” Additionally, this sentence really isn’t even necessary as you are writing for football fans and all football fans know that this is the purpose of the offensive line. It is uneccesary for you to state this. What you should do is write whether or not you think they can do this instead.
In retrospect, I should not have voted for this article yet. It is good, but you can make it better.
I want to know WHY you think these will be the records. You state what you think will happen and what each team has to do, but you don’t predict if they will do it. You make your predictions at the end but they do not tie into the story. You only appear at the end. Tie it in as you go. Write whether or not you think Harrington will be able to lead the Lions, not just what the Lions think.
This can be a very good article.
Also, you are completely overrating these teams. Yes, I agree that the bottom two are improved (I think this is the best division in the NFC), but do you really think that Detroit will go 9-7 and Chicago 8-8 when both teams have young, unproven quarterbacks, inexperienced and unproven offenses, and Detroit has a terrible defense? There is no way you can justify Detroit going 9-7 and your article helps convince me that they won’t. I’m not telling you to change your predictions as that is your opinion, but you definitely don’t prove Detroit to be a 9-7 team. You prove them to be a 4-12 team more than you do 9-7. Your prediction definitely does not go with your summary of the team.
Editor, please change my vote to abstain if possible because I want Stephen A to rewrite this article. It has promise, but it still needs changes. I voted for it and then started commenting and that changed my mind. Thanks!
thanks Thanks for the editing work. I did indeed re-write it and this is hopefully the correct version. I, unlike others, appreciate your constructive criticism. It pushes writers to a reasonable level. No horrible article should be published and I’m glad you’re speaking out on it. Thanks again and I hope you enjoy the edited version.