Graham's 2006 NFC North Preview
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by user PurplePeopleEaters
Well Omar's preview got me thinking so I guess I can't critique until I write my own.
1st Place- Chicago Bears
Let's start out with the best team in this division, the Bears. Although the bears usually have down years after winning the division, this year looks like an exception.
It remains to be seen if Kyle Orton or Rex Grossman can really have a good season at quarterback. I am expecting Grossman to get the starting job and do a good job handing off the ball to Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson. Muhsin Muhammad can be a servicable reciever when called upon. I expect him to have another decent season next year. The defense will be spectacular as usual and will lead the NFL in total defense and other catagories. I expect them to be one of the better teams in the NFC considering that they have one of the easiest records. It is not going to be an easy task for the vikings to pry the NFC north crown from the Bears hands this upcoming season.
Predicted Record- 12-4 (NFC North Champions)
2nd Place- Minnesota Vikings
Yes, I get it, Brad Johnson is pretty old. I don't think the age of brad will keep the Vikings from being a fairly good team this upcoming season. Although Brad is old, he is still a servicable starter, and for the record, he is better than any other starting quarterback in the NFC North. He thrives in the West Coast offense and normally plays mistake-free football. If Brad happens to go down, Mike McMahon is a solid backup at best and knows the offense like the back of his hand. The additions of Chester Taylor, Steve Hutchinson, Artis Hicks, and Tony Richardson will play a huge role in the solidifying of the Vikings running game. Hutchinson is a perrenial pro-bowl guard and Artis Hicks is a solid starter. The additions of those two plus the return of Matt Birk make this re-tooled offensive line one of the better ones in the league. Tony Richardson will continue to be known as one of the greatest lead blockers in the game while Chester Taylor reaps the benefits of great pulling guards and lead blocking on his way to a 1000 yard season. Troy Williamson and Koren Robinson will be servicable in the West Coast offense with Travis Taylor getting some catches as well. Don't expect a 1000 yard season out of any of them but just enough to get the job done. Jermaine Wiggins and Jim Kleinsasser will both do well as tight ends throughout the season. Jermaine will continue to be one of the biggest sleepers at tight end in the league. Unlike in the past, the problem with the Vikings no longer lies in their defense. The biggest problem with their defense last year was the fact that Ted Cotrell couldn't coach himself out of a paper bag and that he wasn't helping any of the players progress. Their linebackers were fairly better last year but didn't fit the new scheme that Mike Tomlin was bringing in. The vikings defense is now built around the cover 2 with the additions of Tank Williams, Ben Leber, and arguably the best linebacker in the draft, Chad Greenway. The Defensive like will only get better as Erasmus James and Kenechi Udeze continue to grow and Kevin and Pat Williams continue to be the two best defensive tackles in the league. Darren Sharper will be in the pro-bowl and Antoine Winfield will likely be snubbed again. And what is this I hear about Fred Smoot with a work ethic? Looks like the secondary got better too.
Predicted Record- 10-6 (Wild Card Berth)
Tie 3rd Place(no particular order) - Detroit Lions
Many people aren't believing that the addition of Jon Kitna was all that great but I am a believer. I have always thought that Kitna was one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the NFL. He is on the downside of his career but he is good enough to keep the lions from getting worse than they were last year. He should mentor Josh McCown for the future.
The Lions still have a great recieving corps. and the finally have a good Quarterback to work with. Kevin Jones is servicable at Running back but the question is whether their offensive line can hold up this coming year. the addition of Mike Martz at offensive coordinator will help at least a little bit. If they fired Matt Millen they would be in decent shape.
The Lions defense is still below average for the upcoming season. I once saw a rising star in Terrence Holt but the same cant be said any more now that he has departed. It is now unclear who will start at either safety position. Dre' Bly showed that he is not the great Cornerback we all thought he was last year. The Defensive line is still well anchored by Big Dan Wilkinson and Shaun Rogers but the linebackers are still poor even with the acquisition of Ernie Sims, the speedy standout from Florida State. I expect the lions to leave us all wondering why we still think this team can take the next step despite the fact that they have an upgraded offense.
Predicted Record- 6-10
Tie 3rd Place- Green Bay Packers
This offseason the Packers fired Mike Sherman and went with the surprise hire of Head coach Mike McCarthy. Now, I have no idea why a team would hire a coach that didn't even have success at their respective coordinator positions. They may have rushed into a hire but that remains to be seen.
As usual during the offseason, Packers quarterback Brett Favre held the team hostage by not declaring whether he would return to the team for 'one last season' or not. In the end (as if it wasn't predictable) Favre decided to return for 'one last season' despite throwing an abismal 29 interceptions. According to most sports analysts, those interceptions were not all his fault.
The loss of Javon Walker for the season last year did not help Favre at all however, Walker will not be back again this season due to the fact that he was traded to the Denver Broncos to make more money. Ahman Green will likely play a three headed monster role at running back with Samkon Gado and Najeh Davenport. As most teams learned in the past, this actually doesn't work well. The worst part of the Packers offense is their offensive line. Nothing on that line stands out to me as spectacular, or for that matter, very good. I mean, come on, William Henderson can't do ALL the blocking. I expect Favre to be just as bad as last season considering that his only real target is Donald Driver.
The packers defense is getting Gradually better but is still not something you would rave about. Nick Barnett, AJ Hawk, and Abdul Hodge look to be one year away from being that scary linebacking corps. Nick Collins and Mark Roman are so-so at best as Safeties. Al Harris is a solid cornerback but Charles Woodson is overrated and (as usual) overpayed. His absense from training camp shows me how much he doesnt care. The team doesn't look to be going in the wrong direction but they are still at the least one year away.
Hey packers GM. Step one to success- get over Brett Favre and let the kid start. It won't be the end of the world in Green Bay if the team starts winning again.
Predicted Record- 6-10
Tell me what you think everyone. This is my first entry so I hope i didn't screw anything up.
Date
Sun 07/09/06, 7:59 pm EST
