NFC North

[purplejokr]

Who is the team to beat??

Lions? It seems like they just may be. I mean, the most important position in the NFL is QB and look at the NFC North. Grossman, Jackson, Rodgers and John Kitna. Kitna is EASILY the cream of the crop with this bunch. Stunning that the dearth of QBs in the North would leave us ranking Kitna as the best one in the division.

Packers? They have QB questions like the other two teams that have not been mentioned yet. However, the Packers were within a single victory of the Super Bowl so that has to count for something. Yes, Favre is gone and that leaves a MONSTER hole in the offense, leadership, and spirit. Being one win away from the Super Bowl is hard to get around with this team. If somehow Ryan Grant can beat 7 or 8 guys in the box to stop him and Rodgers is somehow ready for the prime time, the Packers should be back in the playoffs.

Vikings? Again, the most important position in this league is QB. The Vikings have a third year guy in Tarvaris Jackson. This may be his second full season as a starter but I don't care. He is a third year guy and he needs to start playing like one. It seemed like Jackson had found his groove early on and toward the middle of last season. However, later in the season it seem liked he just fell apart.

Defensively, is where the Vikings also have a question mark. Will their acquisitions give them a pass rush, thereby, making them a complete defense?? Time will tell. They traded for a big time defensive end but he's had some issue with alcohol in his past. Provided he is beyond that and his talents are fully utilized by the coaches, the Vikings defense could be pretty damn good.

I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Bears? Wow. Another off-season with nary an effort to find a legitimate QB. This team had Super Bowl champ written all over it the past few seasons but the front office stood pat with regard to the single most important position in football, Quarterback. I am stunned.

I get how you don't want to give away the store for one player but at the same time, this team is not getting younger. What was once only a need for a QB has now become a need for a solid RB, and an even greater need for O-Line help. There were so close and here we are today heading into the 2008-2009 season where Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton will be the QBs of this team. Incredible! Evidently, the Bears executives believe in these guys a whole lot more than anyone else does.

Honestly, I just don't get the Bears.

[Papa Bear]

i think the nfc north is completely up for grabs this coming season with no one team having much of an advantage over another. it should be interesting to watch!

[JD67]

Well PJ, to me, since all of the teams in the division are QB deficient (Kitna is more like the burnt "floaters" at the top of the commercial fryer), YOUR team would seem to be poised to rule the roost this year. There in lies the problem. This division doesn't seem to like to follow "logic". The question is how will it fall apart for you, or magically fall into place for someone else? That is why we watch.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not hating on the Vikes, no matter how much fun that may be! I am giving you my assessment of the Vikes being favored IMO, and our division's propensity for unpredictability.

[4th and 26]

I think the division is a toss up to any of the 4 teams. The lions are due to be a good team with the stock pile of high draft picks. I think each year they may be a contender but reality sinks in and they stink. Can someone explain to me how Matt Millen still has a job?

The vikings have the best offensive line and running backs. We could combine the lions, packers and bears rbs together and still be second to the vikings. The vikings spent some serious cash on FA's but I still do not think they will be that big of an impact. I think Allen will but Berrian will be the same guy in chicago that either is good one game and the vanishes in another game. I think the vikings secondary and qb are the weaknesses of this team. I also think they need to finish a season strong to convince me that are for real.


The packers I feel are pretenders and with favre retired they will be fighting for the cellar of the division. They won a lot of ugly games last year and they beat up bad teams that made them look great. The bears and cowboys beat them back into reality. Once the packers got toasted by the cowboys I was convinced they are not that good. The giants owned them in the playoffs now they think they will be better this year. Aaron Rodgers had done nothing in the NFL to tell me he is anything good. The vikings and bears defense will give him a very hard time. I think Ryan Grant is going to see alot of 8-9 men in the box this year and force Rodgers to beat teams.


I think people will be over looking the bears because of the offense looking bad. The strength of the bears is the defense and they are returning alot of probowl starters but for how long I am not sure. That defense is what got them to the superbowl 2 years ago and I think they can carry this team IF the stay HEALTHY. If we sustainn injuries like last year then they are done. I think Greg Olsen and Hester will make an impact on offense but I am not sure about the offensive line or running game. I think either Grossman or Orton will do well if they played for a different team. I think the bears coaching staff sucks on play calling and using our offensive weapons. I hope Ron Turner can figure out that the screen pass to hester does not work and running up the middle for no gain a couple times in a row doesn't work. I also hope we can find the TE in more games instead of every other 2-3 games.

[mjm]

Ron Turner can't even figure out how to zip his pants up without getting his pubs caught.

[barbedwireman54]

Originally Posted by mjm

Ron Turner can't even figure out how to zip his pants up without getting his pubs caught.

LOL!!!! that is great

[mjm]

His pubs have to be the biggest thing he has in his pants.

[GSH-30]

kyle orton led his team to the playoffs as a rookie. rex grossman helped his team to the superbowl.

aaron rodgers has never started a game, and probably had any confidence he had destroyed by the pack drafting a 2nd round qb.

john kitna will throw for 4000 yards, but will throw 25-30 interceptions doing so. their qb of the future spent last year on IR

the vikings have a qb who is streaky, and a 5th round qb who couldnt consistently beat lesser teams with NFL talent surrounding him.

so why is it that the bears have no chance whatsoever with their qbs who have proven more than any of the others, and have the support of the most well rounded defense in the north, even the NFC? i dont get it.

[mjm]

Originally Posted by GSH-30

kyle orton led his team to the playoffs as a rookie. rex grossman helped his team to the superbowl.

aaron rodgers has never started a game, and probably had any confidence he had destroyed by the pack drafting a 2nd round qb.

john kitna will throw for 4000 yards, but will throw 25 interceptions doing so. their qb of the future spent last year on IR

the vikings have a qb who is streaky, and a 5th round qb who couldnt consistently beat lesser teams with NFL talent surrounding him.

so why is it that the bears have no chance whatsoever with their qbs who have proven more than any of the others, and have the support of the most well rounded defense in the north, even the NFC? i dont get it.

Two words.......Ron Turner

[The Benjamin]

Turner isnt that bad. Give him actual talent, and he will do good. Dont forget he was the OC in 1995 when the Bears broke the club record for passing yards, and also produced a 1,000 yard reciever and 1,000 yard rusher in that same season. So while he looks like he is failing miserably right now, give the man credit for doing as well as he is with the crap that he is being given.

[mjm]

Is it that. Or he doesn't know how to work with what he's got??? Could go either way.

[The Benjamin]

the best of OCs couldnt do crap with what we have had the past few years.

Eric Krammer and Rashaan Salaam were the QB and RB in 1995, so he can work with bad players. It just goes to show that Grossman/Orton and Benson are no where near as good as Krammer and Salaam, and thats sad

[The Benjamin]

and the HC, OC, DC all get way too much credit and blame for what happens on the field. They call the plays, the players run them. If they work, the coaches are genius and if they dont, they are incompetant.

Ever notice that? The first people that are blamed when something isnt working is the coaches. Not the players.

The QB cant throw a pass to his own team blame the OC

the D. cant stop the other teams running game, blame the DC

the team has a losing record, blame the HC

in baseball, a pitcher cant throw strikes, blame tyhe pitching coach.

the cant hit the dang baseball blame the hitting coach.

Its rarely the players fault in the minds of the fans

[4th and 26]

Originally Posted by The Benjamin

Turner isnt that bad. Give him actual talent, and he will do good. Dont forget he was the OC in 1995 when the Bears broke the club record for passing yards, and also produced a 1,000 yard reciever and 1,000 yard rusher in that same season. So while he looks like he is failing miserably right now, give the man credit for doing as well as he is with the crap that he is being given.

Sorry Benjamin but Ron Turner is that bad. We do have talent on offense yet he is way too stupid on how to use it. I think we should have used Gregg Olsen way more than he was used last year. I think his screen passes to hester were the dumbest plays a OC could call. Hester has to be going forward instead of going side to side to be effective. Run him deep if we want to use him as a decoy. There were a lot of stupid play calls he made with our running game. I was extremely pissed when he did not throw deep against the vikings second meeting with orton playing. I think the best thing that happened to the bears was cutting Moose. I really though he was a great pick up but in fact we was pathetic for the bears. I can still see that pass that orton threw to him in the endzone that hit him in the numbers yet he dropped it. I question Ron Turners play calling the fact that he needs to go.

[mjm]

To use a technical term....We are in doo doo.