I was watching a little video spot on NFL.com and Jamie Dukes and Rod Woodson were breaking down which playoff teams from last year won't be there this year, and which other teams will.

Interestingly enough, both Dukes and Woodson had the Vikings out of the playoffs next year, and the Packers in. Dukes also had the Bears in.

Link to video here.

I'll reply just because this isn't a BF topic (yet).

I agree. The Packers and Bears improved this off season while the queens didn't have the picks or $$$ to do so. I think they were playing "all in" last year and came up short. I think Cutler will help the Bears win a couple more and the Packers will keep growing and hopefully can avoid the injury bug this year.

Avoiding the injury bug for the Packers is key of course...

I don't think Cutler is going to help Chicago that much. His receivers are nothing like what he had in Denver and Turner is not Shanahan. I also don't see much inprovement on the defensive side.

The vikes blew it with the Harvin pick IMO. They did nothing to build depth on their defense or OL. Also, as has been noted here (and on other sites) Peterson has not played a full season in about 6-7 years (IIRC). Regardless of what happens this summer, QB is a position of weakness for them.

I don't know, the nfc north will be tough this year.

Seems like teams are loading up the defense against the run this year so AP will have it harder.

If Minnesota develops a passing game, then they are better off.

Their secondary is weak in my opinion, and Brett doesn't play safety, so I think they can be had. Raji, Pickett, Jenkins plus 4 top linebackers and the Minne offense will have its work cut out for it.

I think this will be an interesting season to say the least. I can't wait.

Well, we made it to four before the "B" word came up. Not bad I guess.

Like it or not, it looks like he's going to be part of the nfc north this year. If I was discussing the bears chances, I'd be talking about Jay.

I know. I was kidding. I myself refuse to post any comments before it is a reality.

That Percy Harvin pick scares me. Pretty much everybody says it's a boom-or-bust pick. I just don't want to see it be a boom. If he turns out to be a Reggie Bush-type of player, that will be bad.

C'mon bust!

Why? Reggie Bust has been a bust so far. He has not been no where near they hype they had him at. He is not really a WR nor a RB he is a good player but not a great one.

Agreed...Reggie Bush isn't the savior that everybody thought he would be. But his versatility does a lot for that offense. He's an 80-reception guy who can also get carries, not to mention he opens things up for Marques Colston, Lance Moore, and the like.

Couldn't disagree more, for at least right now.

The Vikings had a good year last year without a QB. And they added one, maybe two in the off season: Rosenfels, and perhaps Favre.

In the draft, they got a really dynamic playmaker in Harvin. Good complement to Berrrian who is more a long threat.

Loadholt may be their answer at RT. The other three picks were pretty good for being down the line, and all for building depth on defense.

So I expect this team to be better this year. How much better depends on who is the QB, and how he does. I do not think it will be Jackson. The other important factor is how well Harvin plays. Harvin has tons of potential. Very good YAC guy. All he needs is to get a step on a guy on a slant pattern, or isolated in the flat. He can break those open for 20 yards.

I agree with Gregg's post, they made themselves a better team.

I just don't know if they improved enough to keep up with improvements in the packers and bears.

The key weaknesses, QB and secondary, are not really any better, except if someone makes a big step forward.

They could fall to third in the nfc north with a better team. Of course they could be first as well.

I feel with improvements on our defense, we are the better team.

I don't know why you are so convinced that Sage Rosenfels is a legit QB. He is a backup QB at best. He is no better than Jackson or Frerotte. Seriously. I don't know why you are so scared of the guy. He isn't any better than Frerotte. He is fully capable of giving up big leads by turning into a turnover maniac. Kind of like the Vikings QBs last year eh? Sage Rosenfels is NOT any better than the QBs the Vikes had last year. Rookie WRs rarely make a big impact their first year.

Rosenfels hasn't been at the top of the league, but as a backup has been ok. Clearly 2008 was not a good year for him, but 2007 was actually ok. The numbers he put up in 2007 would only have been better if he was taking reps with the first team and playing more. I think he actually has a fair upside.

The thing that actually scares me is that Tarvaris Jackson catches fire. He's getting to the point where he's getting enough experience to read defenses better and faster. He's had flashes where he shows ability.

The vikings will be better at QB, I just don't think it will be enough to counter the effect of the teams having another year to change their schemes and personnel to stop Peterson.

Switching to Chicago for a minute here...they are an enigma.

Usually they have a solid defense and non-descript offense. Usually, you say that their defense is good enough to win the division, but their offense can't pull their own weight.

But last year their defense wasn't great. Yet their offense wasn't too bad, thanks largely to the fact that Matt Forte looks like the real deal.

Now, they add Jay Cutler to the mix, and a bunch of new O-Linemen.

They had a lot of injuries on defense last year, and who knows but they might bounce back from that. Supposedly Brian Urlacher is stronger and healthier than he has been for years, and as he goes, so goes that defense (a lot of times, at least).

So who knows? It's hard to be scared of them, but they will probably be a formidable foe.

Again, I disagree. I think Rosenfels is a clear improvement over both Jackson and Frerotte. He is more talented than Frerotte and more experienced that Jackson.

To say that he is a legit back up at best is a little ridiculous. Many, many teams would like to have a back up who has his kind of QB rating and experience..

Finally, Rosenfels has never been placed as the number one starter on a team that has the ability the Vikings do. And if Harvin and Loadhoalt play out, he will have the best all around offense he has ever had. So he will not have to take risks. He just has to manage the game. Its when he has to take risks that the screws up.

I do not like to underestimate our rivals. You get into trouble that way.

OK so Rosenfels is a legit starting QB then? Name a team other than the Vikings or Lions that would be happy with Rosenfels as a starter. He single-handedly cost the Texans multiple games. Schaub clearly proved he is the better QB and the Texans caught on after Schaub started. Yes I'll say it again. Rosenfels is a backup QB. He is not a legit starting QB. he is fully capable of routinely coughing up the ball multiple times in a game. Rosenfels single-handedly blew a 27-7 lead in an inexcusable fashion last year. I can't see why any NFL team would be interested in the guy as a starter after that happened. His play was completely absurd in that game. It was one game of course but a QB has absolutely NO BUSINESS turning over the ball like that with such a big lead. I don't see why he is any better than what the Vikings had last year. What scares me is if Tarvaris continues to play as good as he did down the stretch last year. Sorry but Rosenfels doesn't scare me. I see him throwing multiple INTs against our defense. Much like Frerotte. By the way Jackson actually has more starting experience than Rosenfels. Again, Rosenfels just isn't a starting QB. He isn't the Vikings answer at QB.

Sure the Vikings as a whole are better than the Texans but you can't tell me the Vikings have a better offensive supporting cast than the Texans. That is the height of absurdity. Seriously what would make Rosenfels put up better offensive stats in Minnesota? I'm talking about his play itself not winning more games than he did in Houston. Sorry but Minnesota doesn't have an Andre Johnson caliber guy at WR. Percy Harvin has tons of potential but rookie WRs rarely make a huge impact and when they do its usually because a very good QB is throwing them the ball.

I'm more scared of Tavaris Jackson than Rosenfels - by a considerably margin.

Jackson looked really good in his last four games after Frerotte went down. If that was him, "getting it" then he could be a very legit QB IMO. He's got all the physical tools you could ask for, and his actual throwing ability is not as bad as some think. Rosenfels, while I think he's the, "safer" option of the two also IMO, is more limited.

That's off by a wide margin. The Texans had one of the most prolific offenses last year. I think Rosenfels would take the likes of Andre Johnson, Kevin Walter, Steve Slaton, and Owen Daniels any day over Peterson. I think the Texans offense is much better "all around" than the Vikings.

Obviously a viking fan just got back from the purple cool-aid dispenser.

Sage Rosenfels?

And what kind of "trouble" is that?

It doesn't matter if you underestimate the Packers' rivals or not. It means nothing.

What matters is if the Packers underestimate their rivals, and I have a very, very difficult time believing they do.

No kidding. Johnson is arguably the best WR in the NFL. He had almost 1600 yards last year. Owen Daniels is a Pro Bowl TE. Gregg's theory that the Vikings offense is superior to what the Texans have is way off. Bernard Berrian isn't Andre Johnson and Shiancoe is not even CLOSE to the player that Owen Daniels is. Obviously Peterson is better than Slaton but Slaton is no slouch. He rushed for almost 1300 yards with 4.8 YPC and caught 50 passes for almost 400 yards in his rookie season. Harvin at this point is a complete unknown. Rookie WRs rarely make an impact and Harvin is a tweener. It will take a really smart offensive coach to use him the right way. Harvin was a risky pick. It will most likely be boom or bust. He reminds me a lot of Desmond Howard and I think he will have a similar impact on the NFL. He will likely disappoint as a starting WR but will be an electrifying returner and can be used on trick plays. I don't think he's a guy that's going to catch 80 passes year in year out though. He could be used in a similar fashion to Reggie Bush but I just don't think Childress is a good enough coach to use Harvin properly.