2010 NFL Previews - NFC North

The NFC North is going to end up looking a lot like it did last year. The Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers are clearly the class of the division, while the Chicago Bears and the Detroit Lions are the poo poo platter.

1. Minnesota Vikings

2009 Record: 12-4, 1st place NFC North
Head Coach: Brad Childress (5th season Minnesota, 37-30 career)
Key Additions: RB Ryan Moats, RB Toby Gerhart, WR Greg Camarillo, CB Lito Sheppard
Key Losses: OL Artis Hicks, RB Chester Taylor

2010 Outlook: Everything was looking up for the Vikings last week, when Brett Favre officially announced he would return for his 20th NFL season. However, things have gone horribly wrong since then. WR Percy Harvin continues having problems with migraines and is very questionable. WR Sidney Rice was an idiot and didn't get surgery in the off-season as recommended and now will miss at least half the season. The Vikings will be very thin at wide receiver, and have had to sign the awful Javon Walker, and trade for the mediocre Greg Camarillo. The other big question mark is can the Vikings handle what is unquestionably a brutal schedule? Will Favre hold up or will the law of averages finally catch up to him and force him to miss some time? The Vikings still have the best running back in the game in Adrian Peterson. Hopefully, Peterson has spent his off-season curing his horrible case of fumblitis. Chester Taylor signed with the rival Bears, but the Vikings should have a good player in the drafted Toby Gerhart. The defense should be about the same, amazing up front with the Wiliams wall and Jared Allen, and slightly leaky in the secondary. Despite all these question marks, I still think the Vikings have the talent to win this divisioin and even improve on last season's record.

Prediction: 13-3

2. Green Bay

2009 Record: 11-5, 2nd place NFC North
Head Coach: Mike McCarthy (5th season Green Bay, 39-27 career)
Key Additions: OT Bryan Bulaga
Key Losses: DE Johnny Jolly (Suspension), OLB Aaron Kampman

2010 Outlook: I pegged the Packers as a team on the rise in 2009 and was proven right. They have one of the best QB's in the game in Aaron Rodgers. They have a serviceable RB in Ryan Grant, and incredibly dangerous wideouts in Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, and TE Jeremichael Finley. The Packers can score with the best of them. However, what proved to be their downfall was that they could also give up points with the best of them. Despite scoring 45 points in their Wild Card game at Arizona, the Packers fell in overtime, 51-45. The Packers are counting on the defense improving with another season under Defensive Coordinator Dom Capers, as they didn't really do much personnel wise to upgrade the unit. Like the Vikings, because of being matched up with the NFC and AFC East this year, the scheulde is much harder for the Pack than it was last season. The offense can push this team to the playoffs, but I'm not sure the defense can carry them to Super Bowl glory.

Prediction: 10-6

3. Chicago Bears

2009 Record: 7-9, 3rd place NFC North
Head Coach: Lovie Smith (7th season, 54-46)
Key Additions: TE Brandon Manumaleuna, RB Chester Taylor, DE Julius Peppers
Key Losses: OT Orlando Pace, DE Alex Brown, DE Adawale Ogunleye, CB Nathan Vasher

2010 Outlook: The Bears came into last year with high expectations after trading for QB Jay Cutler. After starting off the season 3-1, the Bears collapsed, going 4-8 in their last 12 games. Cutler led the league in INTs and single handedly cost the Bears many games. They also saw RB Matt Forte go through a sophomore slump as he struggled running behind a leaky offensive line. The Bears have re-vamped their line for this season and are hoping Forte and Cutler can both recapture their past form. The Bears also brough in the much traveled Mike Martz as their Offensive Coordinator. There are still questions for the Bears at wide receiver, as Devin Hester has been unable to prove that he can handle being the number 1 guy. However, Johnny Knox and Devin Aromashodu showed glimpses of being big play wide receivers. The Bears have steadily detoriated over the years on defense and let stalwarts Alex Brown, Nathan Vasher, and Adawale Ogunleye leave the team. The Bears made a splash by signing Julius Peppers. Peppers sometimes looks like the best athlete in football and other times seems disintered. Hopefully for the Bears sake, him getting paid doesn't have an Albert Haynesworth like effect. I think the defense will be better but the offense will continue to struggle and it will be another tough season for Chicago.

Prediction: 6-10

4. Detroit

2009 Record: 2-14, last place NFC North
Coach: Jim Schwartz (2nd season Detroit, 2-14 career)
Key Additions: DT Ndamukong Suh, RB Jahvid Best, CB Dre Bly, WR Nate Burleson, QB Shaun Hill, TE Tony Scheffler, DE Kyle Vanden Bosch
Key Losses: CB Philip Buchannon, S Daniel Bullocks, LB Larry Foote, LB Ernie Sims

2010 Outlook: The Lions won 2 games last year. For most teams that would be embarrasing but considering Detroit didn't win a single game in 2008 at least they showed improvement. However, for the second straight off-season the Lions made a ton of personnel changes. QB Matthew Stafford showed glimpses of greatness last season and the Lions are hoping he can continue to improve. WR Calvin Johnson had a down season and will be looking to bounce back and show why he was given the nickname "Megatron". The Lions drafted RB Jahvid Best from Cal and he could quickly take over the starting RB spot from Kevin Smith. The Lions were atrocious on defense last season but definitely upgraded the defensive line in the off-season, bringing in former Cornhuskers Ndamukong Suh and Kyle Vanden Bosch. The Lions will be starting fresh at cornerback yet again and are hoping they can finally find a mix that will prevent teams from killing them with the long ball and big plays. When you take over a team that went 0-16 you should be given plenty of leeway. Coach Jim Schwartz is going to need it because it is going to be another awful season in Detroit.

Prediction: 3-13