NFL Division Previews: NFC North

NFL Division Previews: NFC North

 Welcome once again, to Tha Weatha Report. So far we have examined a couple of the NFL divisions, and now it is time for us to take a look at the NFC North. This division has some intrigue, and a team that is considered one of the up and coming teams in the league. Before we take a look, we will hit up the Hail Storm.

Hail Storm

 1. Watched the Andre Berto fight Saturday night. I honestly was not impressed. I think he takes too much punishment to stand in front of some of the heavy hitters of the division. I would like to see him improve his defense. However, a knockout is a knockout.

2. I think the NASCAR controversy over some of the drivers going to see President Obama and others turning the opportunity down has been blown out of proportions. Some of the drivers are turning down the White House visit due to scheduling conflicts. This is a busy time for NASCAR, having conflicts shouldn't be surprising. 

3. Usain Bolt is a freak of nature. He is simple unbeatable. Plain and simple. 

4. I'm predicting Novak Djokovic to take the U.S. Open tennis tournament. He's been on a roll all year, and this is his favorite tournament. All of that adds up to a victory for The Joker. 

5. Justin Verlander is the best pitcher in Major League Baseball. I have not seen a man in a zone like this since Pedro Martinez's hey day. Amazing. 

NFC North

The NFC North is the division that produced the Super Bowl champs from last season, however most people forget that the Green Bay Packers did not win the division. That honor went to the Chicago Bears. The same Bears that were just a few plays from going to the Super Bowl themselves. While you have these two teams at the top, there is a young team in the Motor City that is coming on strong and fast with a defensive line that most teams would kill for. Anchored by young studs, the Detroit Lions are trying to erase the recent years of futility by building from the lines out. At the same time there is a team in Minnesota that is trying to pull a playoff run out of an aging quarterback. Seems to be deja vu in Minnesota.

Chicago: The Bears were on their way to the Super Bowl before they ran into the buzz saw known as the Green Bay Packers. The playoffs also produced a controversy when Jay Cutler suffered a new injury that had fans and players around the league questioning his toughness and dedication. I'm not going to get into all that. In my opinion, Cutler is tough. He plays the most violent sport and the toughest position in that sport. If he isn't tough then he's fooled a ton of people over the years. 

Chicago needs to worry about preventing a similar injury to Cutler. That offensive line is leaky, and that's being generous. Keeping the quarterback upright is the key. If they can protect Jay Cutler then the Bears might have a shot. Roy Williams is a new edition that needs to step up his game. Right now Williams is going down as a waste of talent and a bust. He needs to rehab his image by having a big year in Chicago. I'm not counting on it. Marion Barber has been brought in to provide an option when those short yardage situations present themselves. Together they will try to execute Mike Martz's offense and produce a playoff team. 

Lance Briggs wants out of Chicago, but he isn't going to get his wish. Chicago's defense will be good once again, but if the offense struggles and sputters along how much pressure can the defense take before it cannot protect the team? It will be up to the defense to keep the team in games. If the defense fails, then the team will fail. 

Detroit: The Lions are building something special up in Michigan. The defense is continuing to be built up with young studs on the line. Ndamukong Suh is destroying quarterbacks one week at a time. Nick Fairley will be healthy soon and should team up with Suh to produce a dominate Defensive Tackle pair. The secondary should be continue to improve, but I think it will still be the weak link of the defense. It will be up to Suh and friends to put plenty of pressure on the QB to prevent the secondary from getting burned. 

The offense is what really has fans of the Lions excited. Most people expect that if Matthew Stafford can stay healthy, then the Lions are poised for a breakout season. As Lee Corso would say, not say fast my friends. Matthew Stafford has indeed shown flashes of brilliance. However, due to injuries Stafford has yet to play 16 games combined in his career. He has thrown more interceptions (21) than touchdowns (19) in his career. I am convinced that Stafford will be a good NFL quarterback. I just need to see evidence before I anoint Detroit as the next playoff team. The loss of rookie RB Mikel Leshoure to a season ending injury will be a devastating blow to this team. Calvin Johnson aka MegaTron is still there, and as long as you have him you have an impact player. The team has the young talent and is improving, but the key is that they are young. 

Green Bay: The defending Super Bowl champs made improvements to their team, but not by necessarily going out and signing free agents and through trades. The team improved just by getting their players healthy. That is the story of the off season for Green Bay. Charles Woodson and Clay Matthews are both healthy and will anchor a defense that has the potential to be dominating. I am looking for B.J. Raji, the third year nose tackle, to continue his improvement. He went from one to 6.5 sacks in years one and two. 

Green Bay's offense is ran by Aaron Rodgers who finally made it out of Brett Farve's shadow by bringing the Lombardi Trophy back to Lambeau Field. Ryan Grant and Jermichael Finley are healthy and will provide Rodgers with a healthy running back and tight end. The running game will be the key to the offense for the Packers. If Grant can stay healthy and return to his 2008 and 2009 forms where he rushed for over 1000 yards in back to back seasons, then Green Bay's offense could be one of the most potent ones in the league. 

Minnesota: The Vikings are one of those enigmas that you can't really read. Stop me if you've heard this before. The Minnesota Vikings are relying on an aging quarterback to have one last bullet in his pistol and to lead the team to the playoffs and hopefully beyond. Instead of it being Brett Favre, this year it is Donovan McNabb. The Vikings are hoping that McNabb's year in Washington was an aberration and that McNabb still has one more good year in him. McNabb has plenty of talent around him with Percy Harvin, Bernard Berrian, and Adrian Peterson as key personnel. However, the offensive line is overrated and that will hinder the Vikings' firepower. 

The defense is average at best and is also aging. The Vikings essentially have the same personnel that they've had the previous two seasons, and this team might have hit their ceiling already. It is clear that this team is in transition and will become Christian Ponder's team sooner rather than later. 

So Who Wins It?

This is my predictions for the teams records: 

Chicago: 9-7

Detroit: 7-9

Green Bay: 12-4

Minnesota: 9-7

As you can see, I have Green Bay taking the division easily. I have Detroit making a one game improvement which is on par with the progress I think Detroit is making. Chicago and Minnesota will both finish above .500 but clearly not the records that they would like to have. 

End of the Storm

Thanks for reading and taking the time to digest what I think about the NFC North. Next time we will take a look at the AFC North which has, arguably, the NFL's most intense rivalry. Until next time, stay blessed.