The biggest story in the NFC North, and in the NFL, is the retirement of Brett Favre. His presence virtually guaranteed that the Green Bay Packers would be competitive every season. Without him, can the Packers continue to build their success with one of the youngest rosters in the league or will the void left by Favre be too great to maintain their championship contender status?
It is the biggest story, but it is not the only story. The Chicago Bears have had their share of drama this off-season. With Cedric Benson's run in with the police, Lance Briggs's child support cases, Brian Urlacher's push for a new contract and the perpetual quarterback carousel, the Bears have not kept a low profile so far.
It will be interesting to see how it affects the team's chemistry and morale coming off of a disappointing 2007 season.
The final outcome of the NFC North really hinges on the quarterback position. Can Aaron Rodgers play well enough not to lose games for Green Bay?
Can Tavaris Jackson progress enough to keep Minnesota from being completely one-dimensional? Will a starting quarterback finally emerge in Chicago?
Did Detroit make enough changes to keep Jon Kitna off of his back?
The NFC North plays the AFC South and NFC South this season.
1.) Green Bay Packers (8 to 11 wins)
The Packers had a breakout season this past year. Their defense proved to be stout up front, with a very deep rotation of defensive lineman and a solid trio of linebackers.
Their passing attack was one of the deepest in the league, with Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, James Jones, Ruvell Martin and David Lee all making contributions. Their receivers were very dangerous in space and led the league in yards after the catch.
Later in the year, Ryan Grant emerged from the fray to become the starting running back, gaining over 900 yards in the final eight games of the regular season. He alsohad a monster game against Seattle in the playoffs.
However, a repeat 13 win season is far from guaranteed this year. The Packers lost Brett Favre to retirement. Aaron Rodgers will be under center this season and as he goes, so goes this team.
He played well in relief of Favre against the Cowboys last season, but that is a very small sample to judge from.Plenty of bad quarterbacks in the NFL have had quality games from time to time.
The Packers get no favors from the schedule this year, as they draw the loaded AFC South. If Rodgers can play well enough, between 80-90 QB rating most games, the Packers ought to squeeze into the playoffs.
If he struggles, the Packers will not pull out wins against their tougher opponents and they will not go deep into the playoffs, if they make it there.
But, I believe that there is enough talent around him that Rodgers shouldn't need to be superman for them to stay in games and win.
The offensive line is very good and continues to get better inside. Their bookends, Mark Tauscher and Chad Clifton, are an excellent duo and should maintain a high level of play this year.
That, and the continued success of Ryan Grant ought to give Rodgers enough breathing room on offense to settle in. The loss of DT Corey Williams shouldn't affect their defense that much, as they are deep on the line.
Their defense, while vulnerable to the deep ball, should keep games close, giving the Packers a solid chance of another NFC North Title.
2.) Minnesota Vikings (6 to 10 wins)
Minnesota surprised a lot of critics last year by making a good push for a playoff spot. Adrian Peterson had a stellar rookie year and established the Vikings' running game as one of the best in the league with a monster 5.6 yard per carry average, 5.3 as a team.
The addition of guard Steve Hutchinson clearly paid major dividends for this team. Minnesota's run defense also stood out, allowing only seven rushing touchdowns all year and giving up a meager 3.1 yards per rush.
The reason they did not make the playoffs with those numbers, is because the Vikings' were one dimensional on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Tavaris Jackson didn't crack the 2,000 yard passing mark, despite playing in 12 of the 16 games.
Bobby Wade led the team in receiving with only 647 yards and Sidney Rice led the team with just four touchdown receptions. Overall, the team was ranked 28th in the league in passing yards.
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