The Rust Belt: NFC North Predictions by SteelDrama

NFC North Predictions by SteelDrama.

1st Place: Green Bay Packers

Things I like:

*Aaron Rodgers. Had MVP caliber season last year and will only get better. Much more durable than I thought playing behind an offensive line decimated by age and injury last season.

*Jermichael Finley- Honestly the best pass catching TE I saw last season and he too will only get better.

*WRs. Deep, talented and Rodgers throws to them all.

*Pittsburgh’s own Mike McCarthy.

*Lambeau Field. I hope to visit there before I leave this earth.

Things I don’t like:

*Green Bay got swept by Favre and the Vikings last year.

*The defense. In particular the aging secondary. Woodson didn’t look like the NFL defensive player of the year when Ben put up 500 yds against him and a putrid looking Packer secondary. However, the Packers’ defense played surprisingly well to start the season given it was their first year playing the 3-4 under Dom Capers. They should improve in year 2…after all Rome wasn’t built in a day.

*The offensive line did a terrible job protecting Rodgers last season. Bryan Bulaga fell into their laps in the draft. He should immediately upgrade their RT spot.

*Ted Thompson. Despite having limited resources to attract quality free agents, Thompson has provided Mike McCarthy with some talented young players. However, he came off as a complete incompetent while mishandling the Favre fiasco a couple seasons back. I’d say Favre exacted a measure of revenge last year.

2nd Place: Minnesota Vikings

Things I like:

*Steelers handing Favre and the Vikings their first loss of the season.

*Brett Favre. He has a lot of detractors. I’m not one of them.

*Adrian Peterson. Fumbles a concern but this man is a beast with the football in his hands.

*WRs. Sidney Rice had breakout year thanks to Favre and Percy Harvin Rookie of the Year.

Things I don’t like:

* I’m not a fan of “Chili.”

*The defense. Some big name players in the front 7 namely Kevin Williams and the overrated Jared Allen. Ray Edwards had a nice season at LDE. But injuries to Antoine Winfield, Cedric Griffin, and EJ Henderson leave this unit with some major question marks going into the season.

*Brett Favre drama. I don’t care if he waffles about retirement. I care that I have to hear about it every night on Total Access leading up to the season. If Favre doesn’t come back the Vikings don’t win this division IMO.

3^rd Place:  Detroit Lions

Things I like:

*Ford Field. After all the Steelers did win a Super Bowl there.

*Martin Mayhew. While Matt Millen was a complete and utter failure as Lion’s GM, Mayhew has had 2 consecutive solid off seasons in trying to resurrect this woeful franchise.

*Jim Swartz. This guy doesn’t exactly have to live up to legends like Lombardi, Noll, and Walsh with Wayne Fontes being the winningest coach in Lions history. But I think Swartz was a quality hire and if given the time and the talent, he’ll get the Lions back to respectability and ultimately the playoffs.

*Matthew Stafford. I’m not certain he’ll ever become a franchise caliber QB. Just like at UGA, the couple games I saw him play I saw the same indecisiveness with the football that led to careless ints. What impressed me about Stafford was his toughness and leadership. Kid took an absolute beating behind a horrible OL. Game he separated his shoulder he refused to come out and scored game winning TD. That’s how you earn the respect of your teammates. Anyway, kid can flat out throw the football. I think if he’s given some protection in the form of a good running game and a good defense he can eventually be a very effective NFL QB.

*Young talent on defense. I like safety Louis Delmas and LB Deandre Levy. Ndamukong Suh joins FC’s sleeper pick last season Sammie Lee Hill to give the Lions 2 big, young DTs to build their defense around.

Things I don’t like:

*The offensive line: While the Lions have really worked to upgrade several positions through trades, free agency, and the draft, the OL has been largely neglected with the exception of the trade for Robb Sims. When the Lions traded back up into the 1st round I thought for certain it was for Roger Saffold to take over at LT but they took what Swartz hopes will his version of Chris Johnson in Javid Best.

*Calvin Johnson. Incredible talent. Saw him play a few times in person at GT. My problem with him is he’s not very tough or durable and disappears in too many games. The Lions need him to step up and be the star player they’ve lacked since Barry Sanders retired.

*Matt Millen. Ford had no problem laying off thousands of auto workers the past few years. How did Millen manage to keep his job so long?

4^th Place:  Chicago Bears

Things I like:

*Not much. Greg Olson a nice pass catching TE and if they play to their potential, Tommie Harris and Julius Peppers a couple nice albeit expensive playmakers on the DL.

*The 85 Bears defense.

Things I don’t like:

*Jay Cutler. Does anybody like this kid?

*Jerry Angelo. For whatever reason this guy has Matt Millen- like job security.

*WRs. Devin Hester is still Cutler’s top WR. That’s not good.

*Terrible OL. Give Cutler credit he made it through a full season behind this unit.

*The ugly orange jerseys.

Bottom line for the NFC North: Green Bay a team on the rise. The offense will be potent. If the defense improves I can see Green Bay sneaking past the Vikings for the division title. The Vikings even without Favre are a playoff team, but I think they need Favre to win the division. Detroit has some nice young players and could be better than most people think if Stafford can remain in one piece and the defense continues to improve.