NFC North Is Starting To Look Black N' Blue

The NFC North has become respectably the most improved and competitive division in the NFL in recent years. This past offseason in particular has seen a lot of big news out of the NFC North with the first pick in the draft for the Lions, Cutler beings traded to the Bears, and Favre possibly joining the Vikings.

With a breakdown of the division, the 2009 season will be big change from what we saw last year.

Detroit Lions (2008 Record: 0-16)

The Lions will improve considering they have no where else to go but up. Detroit has had coaching changes across the board along with 10 picks in the '09 draft. Add 11 free agents with a majority of them making an immediate impact and it's quite believable that these guys could crack into the '09 season with a glimpse of hope at what could come.

If they open the season 0-4, people will probably be talking about grabbing one of the big name coaches (Bill Cower, Mike Holmgren, etc.) to possibly help this team become respectable again. The problem is that until they break that first win, they're still riding the coattails of an 0-16 season.

In 2008, the Lions finished with a 30th ranked offense and a 32nd ranked defense, the Lions are literally climbing from the bottom of the barrel. Being in a very competitive NFC North division doesn't help their cause. In fact, it only proves to make the mountain an even bigger climb.

With the top pick in Matthew Stafford, it is possible that the Lions have finally ironed out a position that has taken them decades to find consistency. Maurice Morris could finally provide some pop with Kevin Smith to a running game that hasn't seen any glory since Barry Sanders retired. Along with other pickups on defense, this team could easily prove to have a respectable defense.

It is conceivable that the Lions could get at best, a 6-10 record in '09, however, that's assuming they play well out of the division. Otherwise, I wouldn't give them much credit past a 4-12 record until they actually prove they can.

Chicago Bears (2008 Record: 9-7)

After falling short in the last week of the '08 season, the Bears have (not so silently) been building a team up to put them over the top in the division to make it back to the playoffs. Along with nine draft picks, despite none being on the first day of the draft.

With a resurrected running game thanks in large part to running back Matt Forte, Jay Cutler will be coming into a decent offense although they have no proven receivers to help Cutler besides Devin Hester.

The Bears are well aware of their porous secondary that was ranked 30th in the NFL last year giving up an average of 241.2 yards a game. Besides fourth round pick D.J. Moore, the Bears have made no legitimate grabs for an answer in their secondary.

Much like the Lions, the Bears may have found a consistent quarterback for the coming years. Jay Cutler has proven to be the real deal in Denver and no one should expect any different in Chicago with exception to the talent surrounding and him catching his passes.

In three seasons in Denver, Cutler amassed 9024 yards, 54 touchdowns and a respectable 37 interceptions. Jay could easily be the franchise name for Chicago for some time now.

To make an assumption that they could make a run at the NFC North title however is a bit of a stretch. The Bears have changed major pieces of their team, but to say change spells immediate improvement is yet to be seen.

Cutler and Pace should bring a strong push to the passing game and provide a good foundation for a power offense much like the Bears of old, but to say they'll be division champs is a stretch.

The Bears shouldn't finish any higher then 10-6 and any lower then 7-9. They have legit shot at a wild card, but the rest of the division is just to well-rounded.

Minnesota Vikings (2008 Record: 10-6)

Minnesota can't help but make the news this offseason. First they trade for journeyman Sage Rosenfels. Second, they draft risky with Percy Harvin. Now, Brett Favre is contemplating coming out of retirement (again) to join the Vikings?

Well, he'll definatly be joining among the most talented teams in the NFC North, thats for sure. After an '08 campagin that boasted the sixth best defense overall, No. 1 against the run, the Vikings have proven they are a force to be reckoned with.

With an offense that has silently been assembling talent in Bernard Berrian, Adrian Peterson and now Percy Harvin, the Vikings could easily clear the playoffs hurdle without as much effort and could possibly go deep into the playoffs.

The offensive line remains a topic for discussion in Minnesota after the departure of pro bowl center Matt Birk and the inconsistent play of right tackle Ryan Cook has been the offensive line. Minnesota's primary offense is centered around their offensive ability to run the ball.

Without Birk, the line will be baptising young center John Sullivan under fire and be putting the weight of the Vikings success almost literally on his shoulders. However, it was Birk that was also a sixth-round pick (like Sullivan) who was put into the starting role.

If the Vikings can figure out their offensive line, figure out how to utilize their explosive talent, and figure out who their quarterback is, Minnesota could find themselves somewhere in the ballpark of a 12-14 game winning season.

But if no one arises with the tenacity for the starting role, then Minnesota could be fighting just to reach the same record they did in 2008 (10-6).

Green Bay Packers (2008 Record: 6-10)

Free agency for the Packers, like most of the NFC North, was quiet. The Pack, like the Vikes and Bears, chose to fulfill their needs in the draft.

The Pack made solid and big time grabs in their two first round picks of B.J. Raji and Clay Matthews. With some of these grabs in the offseason by the Pack, thier defense will be a force to be reckoned with for sure.

Especially with the Favre noise in the background, no one has really realized how greatly the Packers have worked to build their team for 2009. However, one has to question how the Packers will touch up this offense to get it back to the form that it was before Favre left.

The Packers definatly have a lot to prove in 2009 what with being tossed aside on the downturn of the '08 season and finishing with a disappointing 6-10 record. With all aside, the Pack could be in the mix with the Bears and Vikings for the NFC North title finishing around 10-11 wins if their defense proves to be as good as it looks on paper.

The NFC North, as many know, used to be called the "Black and Blue" division for obvious reasons: hard smash-mouth defense, ground it out running game and fierce rivalries.

With many teams in the NFC North now focusing on those atributes that made the division famous, the division now has become a lot more physical.

The defensive running game is great gauge to see how the physical nature of the North has been a lot more apparent.

Team	Rush Yds Allwd/Game	Rank
Minnesota Vikings	76.9	1st
Chicago Bears	93.5	5th
Green Bay Packers *	131.6	26th
Detroit Lions *	172.1	32nd

*Fulfilled needs through the 2009 Draft or Free Agency.

Besides the Lions, the rest of the division should, to no surprise, be physical against the run. The Lions did address this problem, but not as much as adding to their offense.

The Packers primary objective this past offseason was to make this defensive front an efficient one. Raji and Matthews are just part of the puzzle. With Hawk and Harris figuring into the Packers plans to change to a 3-4 scheme, this defense could vary well make big strides in '09.

The Vikings and Bears however need little work as they personify the defensive run game at its best. The Vikings are currently led by the defensive play of Kevin and Pat Williams and Jared Allen, who together amassed 24 sacks between the three of them making them the spitting image of the original Purple People Eaters (Alan Page, Carl Eller, Gary Larsen, and Jim Marshall).

The Bears, led by middle linebacker Brian Urlacher also are big on the heavy nature of their defense up front. As has been for the past decade, the Bears defense is very balanced and very talented. Although they may soon need to draft some successors.

The Lions have made some great moves in the offseason, particularly with linebacker Larry Foote who was released from the Super Bowl champ Pittsburgh Steelers and in turn signed with his hometown team. Defensive lineman Grady Jackson should also help this defensive squad off the ground.

The running game has also rekindled the Black n' Blue division to its former glory. Once again, all except the Detroit Lions.

Team	Rush Yds/Game	TD's
Adrian Peterson (MIN)	110.0	10
Matt Forte (CHI)	77.4	12 (8 Rush)
Ryan Grant (GB)	75.2	5 (4 Rush)
Kevin Smith (DET)	61.0	8

What can be said about the offenses in the NFC North is that their running backs often are the centerpiece of the offense. Especially when it comes to the Bears and Vikings.

The rivalries also are what made the NFC North (Black N' Blue) division such a hit back in the day.

Between the four teams in the NFC North, the most storied rivalries included the following:

• Green Bay Packer vs Chicago Bears

The Bears/Packers rivalry stretches far back to the year 1921 and is known to be the NFL's longest running rivalry at 177 games, including regular season and thier lone playoff game. The Bears won that first meeting 20-0 in Green Bay.

Since then the two teams have combined for six Super Bowl appearances and 30 division championships.

The longest win streak of the rivalry was between 1994 and 1998 when the Packers won 10 straight games. However, Chicago currently holds the largest margin of victory which was 61-7 back in 1980.

Chicago currently leads the all-time series 91-80-6.

• Minnesota Vikings vs Green Bay Packers

To this day, as the most celebrated player to ever play for the Green Bay Packers finally announces his retirement for good, he considers returning to joining the Packers long hated cross state archrival, the Minnesota Vikings.

Although the Bear/Packer rivalry is the longest running, the Viking/Packer rivalry remains the most heated.

The rivalry is recently remembered for Favre and his games against the Vikes, which would create the ultimate irony if he were to sign with the purple.

The Packers lead the all-time series 47-45-1.

Other rivalries in the NFC North include: Detroit Lions vs Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings vs Chicago Bears.

As teams get ready to break for training camp, the NFC North looks to become a much more competitive division in light of the acquisitions made. Detroit plays for redemption, Green Bay plays for progress, the Bears play for an NFC North title that eluded them in '08 and the Vikings try to repeat as division champs and maybe break deep into the playoffs. Only time and camp results will tell.