Who is the favorite in the NFC North?

The NFC North will be very different in 2009. New acquisitions like Jay Cutler and Matt Stafford, and big changes like the Packers' 3-4 defense will all be intruiging this season. With the exception of the Lions, I see this division being up for grabs between the Pack, Bears, and Vikings. 

Starting with last years NFC North Champs, the Minnesota Vikings are looking to get another title under their belts and get back into the playoffs this season. The Vikings are continuing to add weapons to their offense except at the QB position, and that will be the area that will be in question for the Queens this season. Tavaris Jackson is still expected to be the Week 1 starter, with Rosenfels waiting in the wings. I expect that either QB will be better suited this season with targets, especially newly acquired Percy Harvin who will be a threat whenever he is on the field. However, the well being of the Vikings will still remain in the hands of Adrien Peterson running the ball. If he can stay healthy and have success running the ball, the Vikings will be tough to stop. I predict, based on the toughest schedule in the division that the Vikings end up at 10-6.

The Chicago Bears finished 2nd in the North last season and have very high asperations for 2009 with the arrival of Jay Cutler. Bears fans are very excited for this season and really expect Cutler to be their franchise QB for a long time to come. The Bears have greatly increased their chances by picking up Cutler, but there are still some holes that exist, most notably, at reciever and at safety. The Bears have picked up a couple recievers in the draft, but at this point, Greg Olson, Devin Hester, and Matt Forte will be Cutlers main targets throwing the ball. It is difficult to say how the Bears will be this season, they have improved their offense and gotten a great DE in the draft, but they have a thin secondary and Brian Urlacher is not what he used to be at MLB. Given the Bears schedule for the season, i'm predicting them to be just behind the Vikings at 9-7.

Next we have the Green Bay Packers. The Pack finished 3rd in the North last season following the 2007-08 season where they advanced to the NFC Championship Game and had a regular season record of 13-3 behind the arm of Brett Favre. I believe that the Packers still have the talent throughout their roster to win the North in deciding fashion. However, poor defensive play in 2008, a young QB, and a switch to a new defensive scheme in 2009 makes me hesitant about putting the Packers atop the division. Aaron Rodgers showed that he could lead the team and be the quarterback of future for the Pack and I only expect him to get better as his career goes along. The Packers have talent in their offensive skill positions but are not very strong on the offensive line. I don't believe that the concern for the Pack is with their offense, but rather their defense. Last season, injuries plagued the defensive secondary, which lead to the biggest weakness on the team. The Packers have added B.J. Raji at nose tackle, and Clay Matthews at OLB.  These two picks greatly improves the front 7 and gives the Pack one of the best linebacking corps in the league. I think that if the veteran defensive backs can stay consistent, the Packers defense will be great. My heart tells me the Pack can end the season at the top at 11-5, but my head tells me they will under achieve again at 8-8. 

The Detroit Lions don't have what it takes to challenge for the title and I will leave it at that!

Kiper gives Pack Top Draft Grade!

Mel Kiper, Jr. has been covering the NFL Draft for decades. Whether you agree with him or not, there is no arguing that he is the authority when it comes to the draft. This morning I came across an article by Mel where he graded each team's draft picks. Kiper gave only two A's, one for the Packers, and an A- for the Jets. 

Going into the draft, every team has needs that they must address. The Green Bay Packers knew what positions they needed and they were aggressive in getting the best players they could at those positions. 

There is a lot of talk that the Minnesota Vikings and the Chicago Bears will be battling for NFC North title. The Packers still have a lot of work to do in order to be in the conversation, but I think that Ted Thompson has made the right moves not only in the draft, but also with the coaching personnel changes that were made as well. The Packers have the potential to be a great team this season, but there are still a lot of pieces that need to fall into place in order for us to be competitive this coming season. Luckily, I think that some of those pieces came into place this weekend.

Packer Draft Highlights: Day 1

Well, I'm happy to say that I think Ted Thompson really out did himselt so far in this year's draft. First of all, B.J. Raji is exactly what the Pack needs to anchor the defensive line this season. That pick was a no-brainer! The surprise came when the Pack traded up to get Clay Matthews from USC at OLB. I love Matthews and I think that this puts the Packer linebacking core among the best in the league with Barnett, Hawk, and now Matthews. I praise Thompson, and i really enjoy seeing the Packers be aggressive in getting solid defensive players.

Mocking the Draft; How hard can it be?

Anyone who is interested in the draft and is excitingly waiting to see who their team is going to draft, they check their favorite online sports sites or watch their favorite sports shows to check the mock drafts of the Professional Draft Analysts. I have checked several different sites and I have seen many mock drafts from different analysts, and it doesn't seem like any of them can agree on who should go where. So I found myself thinking, why am I relying on these people to get insight into the who my team is going to pick with their first round pick? The reason is because I haven't taken the time to do my own Mock Draft!

Over the next couple of days, I will be working on my own mock draft of the first round, and we will see how far off The Malnarn is compared to the "Experts". Granted, I have kept my ear pretty close to the ground when it comes to the Draft, so my picks will not be based on knowledge that I gained through personal interviews i've had with teams, or any knowledge that i've gained on my own. Either way, I think that Mel Kiper, Jr. and Todd McShay have the easiest jobs in sports broadcasting. Check back soon to see me making a mockery of the Mock Draft.

NFL Draft Draws Near

Well, the NFL Draft is almost here, finally! There is still a great deal of uncertainty going into this weekend, as the Lions still have not made it clear which direction they are planning to go with the first overall pick. They must have been spending all of their time working on their new logo. After listening to some of the "experts" on ESPN, I was suprised to hear as many people saying that the Lions should NOT take Matt Stafford with the #1 pick. Their arguments make sense and I would definitely love to see them not take Stafford because it shake things up a great deal. Lets be honest, the exciting thing about the NFL Draft is the suprises! If all of the Mock Drafts were completely accurate in the first round, I know that I wouldn't watch. One thing that I do expect is for there to be a couple trades in the first 10 picks, and also some players traded in the first round, perhaps Anquan Boldin. All I know is that i'm very excited to see what happens, and I hope that Ted Thompson made the right move in saving all of his time, energy, and money on the Draft rather than free agency. Only time will tell!

Bears get a new QB; what can we expect in 2009?

It has been a few weeks since i've put a new post on the blog so I apologize to all of my loyal followers. I live in Chicago now so I have to put up with all of the lame bears fans who think their team is God's gift to the NFL. As everyone knows by now, the Bears have picked up Jay Cutler from the Broncos. There is a lot of talk now about the Bears potentially being the team to beat in the NFC North now, and it makes me sick!

I think that Jay Cutler is a very good quarterback, but I also think that he is a whiny baby and makes me hate the Bears that much more. I don't doubt the fact that he will make the Bears a better team, but I think that the thought of them being the favorite to win the division is a little premature. Bears fans have a lot to be excited about, but they forget to understand that he is only one player, they still need someone to be able to catch the ball, I mean, their TE was their leading receiver in 2008.

I don't necessarily think that the Packers are going to be a huge threat to win the North this season, but you never know. The Packers are a very good team and Rodgers is getting better and better the more snaps he takes. The question mark with the Pack is the new defensive scheme coming into play this season. I have a feeling that there will be some serious growing pains and our defense is going to be a problem for the team this season.

Regardless, I hope that Bears fans are disappointed when Cutler gets pissed for not having the threats that he is expecting and the Bears end up behind both the Pack and the Queens in the North. That would be great!!