NFL: 2008 NFC North Preview

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.

On the other side of the ball, the Vikings were ranked dead last, 32nd, in passing yards allowed with 264 yards per game. The Vikings made a few moves to fill their holes.

They did sign former Bear Bernard Berrian at wide out and drafted a safety, Tyrell Johnson, in the second round.  They also signed cornerback Benny Sapp and safety Madieu Williams.

The Vikings' season hinges on Jackson's development as a quarterback. They have the running attack to force defenses to play run first, which will provide Jackson with plenty of play action opportunities.

The addition of Berrian adds a deep ball threat to the offense and could be an excellent weapon coming off of play action. Their run defense ought to be excellent again, as they added DE Jared Allen to an already stout front.

But their Achille's heel is the passing attack on both sides of the ball. The Vikings should run right over the weaker teams on their schedule, but teams like the Colts, Saints, Giants and even Cardinals will take full advantage of their weak secondary. If the Packers struggle, expect Minnesota to come out of the North.

3.) Chicago Bears (5 to 9 wins)

The Bears were a big disappointment last season. Just removed from a Super Bowl appearance, they only won seven games and failed to make the playoffs.

The continuing quarterback carousel did produce 3,362 yards through the air, solid by most standards. But turnovers kept the Bears from getting back to the playoffs. The passing game tossed 21 interceptions, compared to only 18 touchdowns.

It didn't help that the run game faded away without Thomas Jones, gaining only 3.1 yards per rush in 2007. Even worse, their once reliable and fierce defense also struggled. The Bears' defense ranked 27th in passing yards allowed and 24th in rushing yards allowed, though they were only 16th in points allowed.

The Bears did make an effort to improve, but it probably won't pay off this year. They drafted 12 players this year, though four were in the seventh round. They ought to be able to find a number of solid players in that crop.

Cedric Benson has apparently lost weight and is in better shape coming into this season than last. Lets see if the lost pounds combine with another season's experience for better results.

But, the Bears let go of their leading receiver, Bernard Berrian. Their second leading receiver, the other Adrian Peterson, is a running back. Rookie wide out Earl Bennett will probably have to step in and start right away.

The Bears are have too many questions surrounding them to be considered contenders at this point. Their quarterback situation is still very shaky.  Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton will be competing, again, for the starting spot.

Orton and Grossman have been in the league long enough now to expect consistency, whether they deliver is another story.

The Bears' defense wants to prove that last season was a fluke and they are still one of the toughest units in the league, but a drop off that far in a weak division leads me to believe that they might not bounce back all the way this year.

If the rest of the division struggles, the Bears could make a run for the postseason. However, they do not have enough pop on offense to overcome a suddenly mediocre defense. Their uncertainty drops them to third in the division.

4.) Detroit Lions (4 to 7 wins)

Lions' quarterback Jon Kitna was laughed at when he said his team would be disappointed if they didn't win 10 games. Despite a strong start and a productive offense, the Lions fell flat at the end of the year, winning just seven games.

Kitna did his best, throwing for 4,068 yards, but the Lions still had trouble keeping pressure off of him when they needed to. Kitna was sacked 51 times this year, which is still an improvement over the 63 sacks given up last year.

This was one of the reasons Mike Martz was fired. Throwing that much under pressure leads to turnovers and Kitna threw 20 picks, fumbled the ball 17 times and lost it six times for 26 turnovers on the year.

Their defense remains terrible. The Lions were dead last in points allowed, yards allowed and second to last in passing yards allowed. It is impossible to win in the NFL without protecting your quarterback or playing defense.

The Lions have made some moves during the off-season. They traded their best defensive player Shaun Rodgers to the Browns for draft picks. They did sign cornerbacks Travis Fisher from the Rams and Brian Kelly from Tampa Bay. These two will give Detroit a boost in pass coverage.

The Lions used their first round pick on tackle Gosder Cherilus. Expect him to see alot of playing time this season, as the Lions' offensive line couldn't be much worse.

The Lions have a very talented and deep passing attack. Four Lions receivers had over 600 yards receiving, Roy Williams, Shaun McDonald, Calvin Johnson and Mike Furrey. Kitna can make plays with his arm, but he needs more time in the pocket.

The abuse he has taken during his two seasons with Detroit has been brutal and it will continue to wear him down if the Lions don't fix their blocking. Still, I don't think the Lions have enough firepower to overcome their defense. Fisher and Kelly will give Detroit some improved coverage, but they are not stars.

They still won't have much help over the top from the safety spot and neither can be expected to improve the run defense.

The Lions have improved over the past two years, but there is more work to be done. Despite Kitna's best efforts, their lack of pass protection or defense will keep them from becoming serious contenders this season.