The NFC North has, for the past few years, been one of the league’s least competent divisions. Whether it was because Brett Favre threw 29 interceptions or because Matt Millen didn’t get fired (still can’t figure out how he actually got a contract extension), the NFC North simply couldn’t put everything together.
In a league where only the most dominant can survive, the North was mediocrity. Last year, however, the Chicago Bears managed to put everything together (well, almost; I’m looking at you, Rex Grossman) and found themselves in the Super Bowl. Sure, they lost, but it was at least reassuring to see one North team exceed expectations. Green Bay, after all, finished 2nd in the division with an 8-8 record, followed by the Vikings and Lions who combined for 9 wins.
The question now is, who will run away with the NFC North in 2007? At least, who will win it? It might not be who you think.
Each team has expectations. Well, maybe not Minnesota. But the Detroit Lions, for the first time since Barry Sanders chose early retirement over breaking records by remaining a Lion, have one of the league’s better offenses, thanks to a scary good passing game.
Which of the four teams will pull it off? Which will put enough together to skip past their division mates and push into the playoffs?
It’s not the Bears.
Chicago may have been the division’s best team for the past two seasons, but they won’t be in 2007. The defense has already been cast a blow by the blunder of releasing Tank Johnson. Add to the disaster the missed opportunity of resigning Lance Briggs, and suddenly the defense isn’t looking so strong.
Throw in the inconsistencies of Rex Grossman and the strong probability of teams punting away from Devin Hester. The Bears weren’t a great team last year. A very good one, yes. Great, no. Expect a Super Bowl hangover and Murphy’s Law working against da Bears in 2007.
It’s not the Lions. Or the Vikings. Both are rebuilding and neither has a running game that can keep defenses honest.
The only team left? You guessed it, Green Bay. You probably guessed it when you saw the Brett Favre picture above.
Why Green Bay? They didn’t do anything this offseason, right?
That’s not entirely true. Though the Packers didn’t make headlines by trading for Randy Moss or Lance Briggs or signing Keyshawn Johnson, they did subtly continue to fortify themselves for the future.
The drafting of Brandon Jackson in the 2nd round was a smart move. It added a second capable starting running back to the offense to complement Vernand Morency. Improving Green Bay’s running game will pay great dividends after finishing below even mediocrity in 2007.
And while many criticized the drafting of Justin Harrell in the first round, it was because those fans didn’t recognize Harrell. He was a top 10 pick if he had played in 2006, but a torn bicep kept him out of most of the season.
Third round selection James Jones will probably score the team’s third receiver job Coaching personnel has compared him to Anquan Boldin while former Green Bay coordinator Jon Gruden and quarterback Brett Favre both compare him to former Packer great Sterling Sharpe.
It’s subtle drafting like that which wins ballgames. It won’t make headlines. It won’t raise eyebrows. But it fortifies a team for years to come.
And Green Bay has been doing this for three years now. It’s time for some of those moves to take full bloom.
The Packers will be better than they were last season. And they were only 11 points away from winning three more games and finishing 11-5 a year ago. They blew leads in the second half; a year’s worth of experience should repair that broken facet of the offense.
The defense is strong. The offense is better. The Packers are poised to quietly take back the NFC North crown.
Projected Division Finish
- Green Bay Packers (11-5)
- Chicago Bears (9-7)
- Detroit Lions (6-10)
- Minnesota Vikings (5-11)
4 comments ↓
Ok, lets see… I agree with a couple points made. 1. The Bears won’t be as good. 2. The Loins look scary on offense.
Oh and then it ends.
First point made for the Packers winning the north was that they have been building for the future. Because no other team is?
Second point made was that the Packs second round pick was depth at RB to compliment Morency. Morency was a little inconsistent but does have good promise. However when looking at the Pack’s RB tandem compared to the others in the Division, I would have to pick it LAST. This is even below Detroits which was the worst in the entire NFL last year. Kevin Jones healthy with Tatum Bell, Cedric Benson with Rookie Garrett Wolfe, Chester Taylor with Rookie stud Adrian Peterson, all three have starting RB’s that are hands down better than Vernand Morency with backups that could start on any team without question (except for Chicago).
Third and Fourth points, sticking to the same theme of the draft, are the third and fourth round picks. Hmmm, I recall four different sites raving about the picks that the Vikqueens made & that all of them were steals at each round.
Fifth point is that they had three games that they only lost by 11 points. Well Min had three games they lost by only 9 points, Det lost three games by only 13 points, and Chic only lost three games.
Lets recap the offense is better from a RB & a WR. The Defense is strong, and there were 3 close games.
Now lets analyze…
The RB replaces a long time stud that was lost. WR’s rarely contribute much until year three. Now lets look at the other two teams that didn’t win the Div. Calvin Johnson, & Adrian Peterson, um yea. Enough said.
The Defense is strong… Even with the losses Chic has had on Def thats all they ever draft & won’t miss their losses as much as some have said. Det well, their Def is just bad. Min def was 1st against the run which is supposedly the week point in the tampa 2 which they employ, pass def isnt valid because nobody would run against them. 8th in yards allowed, 5th in int’s, 4th in TD’s allowed by pass, tied for 4th in TD’s allowed by rushing. GB’s rush def was 13th, 12th in yards allowed, 3rd in int’s, 27th in TD’s allowed by passing, 13th in TD’s allowed by rushing.
My money would be on Chic, then Min, then either Det or GB.
Strong arguments.
The point I was trying to make is that Green Bay could have been a team that finished with 10 wins had the offense been stronger and the team played with more experience. I think the Packers will no doubt be smarter in 2007 with a better offense, enough so to take a division that is vulnerable.
You guy`s may think Iam crazy .but Iam not lion . Mike Martz cometh an cometh he will! and HELL will follow him. enough talk.
Wow, you are way off.
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