2010 NFL Preview
NFC North

The NFC North was a very uneven division in 2009, initially filled with much promise with the acquisitions of quarterbacks such as Brett Favre and Jay Cutler, and the drafting of Matthew Stafford, the number one overall pick out of Georgia. The results were a mixed bag at best. While Favre’s inaugural campaign with the Vikings was a smashing success, Cutler’s first season in the Windy City was marred by interceptions and criticism. As comfortable as Favre looked in purple, Cutler looked just as out of place in Chicago. Meanwhile, Stafford had his ups and downs with the Lions, but ultimately led them to two more wins than they had the previous season, in which they set a league record for ineptitude with no wins at all. With all three quarterbacks in their second seasons (at least with think so with Favre) with their respective teams, expect them each to look better in 2010. And let us not forget about Aaron Rodgers, who put together a monster season in his second full campaign as the starter in Green Bay, taking the Packers back to the postseason for the first time since Ol’ Number Four departed. All four teams stand to improve this season, but each has
questions that they must answer if they wish to be playing well into January.

The Minnesota Vikings made the offseason move of 2009 signing Brett Favre to quarterback a talented group that clearly lacked credibility at that position. The 40-year old veteran responded like only he could, putting together arguably the most statistically impressive season of his illustrious career, throwing for 4,202 yards, 33
touchdowns, and (can you believe it?) 7 interceptions. As a result, Minnesota’s offense improved exponentially, ranking fifth overall (379.6 YPG), eighth in passing (259.8 YPG), and second in scoring (29.4
PPG), as underrated receivers such as Sidney Rice, Visanthe Shiancoe, and Percy Harvin all enjoyed career seasons. Granted, they proved to be their own worst enemy against eventual Super Bowl Champion New
Orleans in the NFC Championship Game committing six turnovers in a three-point overtime loss, but for the most part this group was great. With Favre coming back for his twentieth season (he’s gotta come back,
right?) expect this unit to be just as dangerous as they sling it through the air and run through the opposition with tailback Adrian Peterson. Defensively, the Vikings wreck havoc, particularly in the trenches where they led the league in sacks (48) thanks to the dynamic defensive line of Jared Allen, Ray Edwards, and Kevin and Pat Williams. In addition to terrorizing the quarterback, these guys snuff out the run, ranking second overall (87.1 YPG), breaking a three-year string in which they led the league in rush defense. The bottom line remains this; the Vikings are loaded on both sides of the ball, and if (or when) Favre makes up his mind they will have all the ingredients to make another run at the team’s first Lombardi Trophy.

The dark horse pick in this division is the Green Bay Packers who flashed just enough promise last season to excite people around the league, and provide hope for their fans that there is indeed life after Favre. Credit should be directly attributed to quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who put together a tremendous season throwing for 4,434 yards and 30 touchdowns, despite playing behind a porous offensive line that gave up 51 sacks. To be fair, the line got better as the season progressed, which should only mean good things for an offense that
ranked sixth overall (379.1 YPG), seventh in passing (261.3 YPG), and third in scoring (28.8 points), featuring arguably the deepest receiving corps in the league. But honestly, offense was never really the issue in Green Bay, for their defense was what was in need of a change two years ago, and with new defensive coordinator Dom Capers at the helm, they got it. The Packers moved to a 3-4 scheme, and needless to say, it paid immediate dividends as they ranked second overall in total defense (284.4 YPG), first against the run (83.3 YPG), fifth against the pass (201.1 YPG), seventh in points allowed (18.6 PPG), and first in interceptions (30). Rookies B.J. Raji and Clay Mathews both made huge splashes in their first seasons with the team, and veteran cornerback Charles Woodson took home the Defensive Player of the Year award after snagging nine interceptions, two sacks, four forced fumbles, and scoring three touchdowns. However, much like Minnesota’s offense laying an egg against New Orleans, Green Bay’s defense got torched by Arizona in a narrow 51-45 overtime loss of their own. With that said, this unit has a great mix of youth and experience, making them one of the more formidable groups in the league, and should play a significant role in the team’s fortunes for years to come.

Now we come to the real conundrum of the division, the Chicago Bears, who quickly found out last season that Jay Cutler was far from as good as advertised. A team that has been starving for a quarterback as long
as the Bears have was expected to be better than 7-9, particularly with a former Pro Bowl quarterback just entering the prime of his career. Hell, Kyle Orton and Rex Grossman were able to pilot this team to a 7-9
record, so what went wrong? Simply put, the coaching staff put way too much responsibility on Cutler, who proved unbelievably turnover-prone and reckless. In his first campaign in Chicago the gunslinger threw
for 3,666 yards and 27 touchdowns, but 26 interceptions. And those interceptions came in bunches, as he threw multiple picks in nearly half of his games. But it’s not like he had much help either. The offensive line was in decline all season, paving the way for the league’s third-worst rushing attack (93.3 YPG), in turn leading to the twenty-seventh-ranked red zone offense (47.1% TD). In an effort to jumpstart this unit, management signed tailback Chester Taylor and blocking tight end Brandon Manumaleuna as well as bringing in passing guru Mike Martz as the new offensive coordinator. It was a curious move for the Bears, since Martz has never shown much interest in running the ball or protecting his quarterback, but some kind of change was needed, otherwise the entire staff could have been without a job. Defensively, these guys just aren’t the same team that they were three to four years ago. Middle linebacker Brian Urlacher missed the entire season after breaking his hand in the season opener, handicapping a unit that went on to rank seventeenth overall (337.8 YPG), twenty-third against the run (126.4 YPG), thirteenth against the pass (211.4 YPG), and twenty-first in points allowed (23.4 PPG). Even the trademark big plays were missing as the Bears could only muster thirteen interceptions all season. Former Panthers’ defensive end Julius Peppers was brought in to make plays along the line and coupled with the return of a healthy Urlacher could prove to breathe life back into this once dominant unit. We get the feeling that Chicago went all in this offseason, giving off the impression of a desperate team that needs to do something, and quickly, otherwise heads are going to roll. Finally we come to the perennial doormats of not just the NFC North, but the entire NFL, the Detroit Lions. However, for the first time in a while there is a feeling of optimism in Motown. Head Coach Jim
Schwartz had absolutely no pressure on his shoulders in Year One of the reclamation project that is the Detroit Lions, and responded by winning two games, which was a marked improvement on their pitiful 2009
campaign where they became effectively the worst team in the long history of the league. It starts under center, where the Lions seem to have the right man in place in the form of Matthew Stafford, after a
laundry list of names that each failed miserably. Stafford has all the intangibles that a star quarterback needs to succeed, and he showed promise in his first year in the Music City. Despite throwing for just 2,267 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 20 interceptions, Stafford won over his teammates and the staff by playing through injuries, and showing poise that is rare in young quarterbacks. Now it’s up to the team to put some weapons around him. Calvin Johnson is a matchup nightmare on the perimeter, and the addition of rookie tailback Jahvid Best should provide some balance to an offense that ranked twenty-sixth overall (299.0 YPG). However, the defense must show some improvement, and defense is supposed to be Schwartz’s forte’. Detroit ranked dead last in total defense (392.1 YPG), against the pass (265.5 YPG), and in points allowed (30.9 PPG) last season, twenty-fifth against the run (126.6 YPG), and thirtieth in interceptions (9). This was largely due
to an utter lack of talent, but the additions of defensive linemen Kyle Vanden Bosch, Corey Williams, and second overall pick Ndamukong Suh should greatly upgrade a defensive line that accumulated just 26 sacks.
Detroit is slowly building a talent base, and should be more competitive than they were last season, but as the old adage goes; you have to learn to crawl before you can walk.