Hochuli's Preview: NFC North
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The NFC North.
In Alphabetical Order
The Bears have become the best Defense in the league (sorry Ravens fans). They added some depth in the draft and singed a few in the off season.
I am NOT enamored with their safeties, especially since Adam Archuletta is starting. He has not been a force in years, and even then it could be seen as a fluke. He has a total of 3 CAREER interceptions and only 1 season over 90 tackles. I don’t believe that he will be an upgrade, but I guess you don’t need one when you have the corners that they have. The problem I have is that they are a “ball-hawking” defense and he is not a fit for that. He isn’t good at tackling; he is a hitter not a tackler.
Their offense on the other hand…I have never liked it. Never. And now they will be starting Benson at running back when he has yet to show consistency. With him and Thomas Jones last year they only averaged 3.8 ypc. That is NOT enough when you remember how streaky Grossman is. He averaged 54.6% last year with a rating of 73.9.
Barring a massive explosion, they will return to the playoffs, but their defense can NOT carry them again. Teams now have a few years of film on the domination and smart coaches will figure it out. They did get lucky with their schedule, though, and winning the division should be simple.
2006 Record: 13-3
2007 Prediction: 13-3
1st in the NFC North
Detroit should finally get out of the hole this season. They aren’t going to win the division but they will NOT lose 13 games again.
Calvin Johnson will be a great player…unless of course the black hole that is the WR core takes him down with them. If it does, the Lions should fire the entire staff. EVERYONE. If it doesn’t, we all know what Kitna can do in a short-term starting role. Right, Bengals fans? He led them out of the gutter into an 8-8 record.
Their defense is suspect, though. They are starting a CB (Fernando Bryant) who hasn’t played a full season since 2003 and has only a total of 5 interceptions in an 8-year career. Let me guess who people will throw at. On the other side is a CB in Stanley Wilson who will be in his 3 rd year and has a total of 37 tackles in 22 games. If I were a Detroit fan I would be prepared to see some deep balls.
They have a decent out of division schedule which may help them out more then you can expect.
2006 Record: 3-13
2007 Prediction: 7-9
3rd in the NFC North
Yes they crushed my Seahawks in the PRESEASON, but I do think that this defense will be pretty decent this year. They have had time to gel and learn the system.
Their D Line is nothing to write home about, but they are consistent; which as we all know counts more then anything else in this league.
Their DBs are not top-tier, but they fit this system well.
Their LB core is better then it has been in years. AJ Hawk is definitely the better of the people that are related to Laura Quinn.
The Offense is weird. I can’t get a read on them. They still have Favre but Driver is injured, and they don’t have a proven running back. I feel that of all the pieces that might fail, it is the offense and if that happens they will plummet faster then Maurice Clarrett’s career.
2006 Record: 8-8
2007 Prediction: 8-8
2nd in the NFC North
Again this is a team with a solid defense and a “so-so” offense. If you just look at the names on the Defense you might think that they would be top-tier, and maybe they can make that leap this year.
But their Offense is a different story.
They are starting someone who is pretty much a rookie at QB and they seem to be placing most of their hopes on a rookie RB. Don’t get me wrong, I like both Jackson and Peterson, but this will not be their year.
2006 Record: 6-10
2007 Prediction: 6-10
3rd in the AFC South
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Afraid of Ed Hochuli: Matt's Season Preview - NFC South
Afraid of Ed Hochuli: Matt's Season Preview - AFC South
