As we get ready for the Season to Open up , I thought I would go through the good and the bad and the North Predictions.
As the pundits have been going crazy at first with Brett going to Minnesota and then Cutler to Chicago, then again with Brett finally going to the Vikings courtesy of Brads Limo Service...
Good:
Packers:
Rodgers is coming off a great year and a superb Pre-season and has another year under his belt. This bodes well for the Packers and the team and the Fans. He should be more confident in the system, more knowledgeable and more efficient in play calling and audibles.
The WR group has another year in working with Rodgers and now should have better understanding and decision making in regards to what Rodgers will be looking for. Better Timing with Rodgers and a better teamwork and cohesiveness with Rodgers.
The TE position should give us more of an advantage then has been for awhile. If Finley and Lee can do they teamwork and plays they been making thus far , this could be the largest improvement of the team.
RB's Grant has been in camp and the OTA and no more contract issues , he has been able to focus, also another year of Jackson and Wynn along with Sutton will have us some nice change ups and different looks with the batch of WR and TE sets. We should have a more improved running game from last year.
Defense- Dommdy DOM.... What a great addition. This guy has the knack of making players play and execute in a scheme that uses their own abilities to their advantage, it is already showing in the pre-season, and this team as I see it believes in this man. The LB corps is deep and athletic , and as Dom stated in one interview, these are the two best corners he has ever had to work with on a defense.. Dom has had some special Defenses... as far as Safeties and what Nick Collins can do.. well look at Woodsen in Pittsburgh and Troy P in these systems.. and then Look at what Nick did last year in tat Defense.. Handing Dom Cwood and Harris and kampan ,Jenkins , Pickett and Raji and Hawk and Barnett and Bishop and tell him to make us good.. Well lets just say I think he was glad to take a challenge like that with those players as part of his building Blocks.
ST- Having a Punter that is showing signs of improvement and Mason will be fine… ST coverage already appears better and more hyped and psyched then all of last year. I don’t think this will be as bad of an issue as last year. The Excitement and intensity from the D tends to flow over to ST.
BEARS:
Adding Cutler now gives them a proven QB. Not sure if he can grade out in the top five or ten, but the guy can play. Having Forte will help as well as Cutler will not have to do it all.
WR group is not the strength, even adding hester hear and there..I just do not see the bears with Top Flight WR core.
The TE , olsen is good and can create many mismatches. He is tough and has great hands.
Forte is good and as long he is healthy they will have a running game , they have a good line that can open holes.
Defense- Well this has always been there strength, and Lovie always has a good D. I do not expect that to change. There Line and LB group is definitely a strength of their D.
ST- if hester comes back this could once again be a dangerous part of this team.
Vikings:
QB- Well they now have Mr Favre.. He is definitely the wiser one of the bunch. And has more experience then all the rest combined, he does bring a lot of hidden attributes to this team and could be the Spark they need.
RB- Well AD is if not the best in the league, he is real close. He can be a night mare to defend in the run or the pass. He is a beast and runs downhill for most part. He must be contained.
WR- Not sold on this group; they could be good especially with Favre at the helm, just not sure if they are elite. They can be just enough by making the possession type catches as that may be all they need to do.
TE- This is solid, Shiancoe is a solid TE and has versatility to run with a safety or LB and can make them pay.
Defense- Well that WHALE group of lineman is there strength, by the end of the day your front line can be worn down on pushing these behemoths around. The LB corps is not shabby either. The DB’s and secondary is the weakest. If you can attack this team it is in their secondary. Winfield is the DB leader and is savvy vet.
Lions:
Not Much to say Except maybe in a few years. They do appear to be heading in the right direction.
BAD
Packers:
Rodgers goes down, this could turn ugly quick. The O line is young. The D-line could use some steady backups that are knowledgeable. The D could still make some learning curve mistakes and this could be costly at times especially with Cutler and Favre and others....
Vikings:
Favre taking over a game could be costly. If the Williams boys go down or get suspended like any other player in the NFL would already. Any D Line or O line issues could be bad for this team. Or if AD has issues. Start of the year could be easy but if the other teams are more prepared and by week 8 there could be issues in Minny... I mean that stretch of defenses with SF , ST Louis, Baltimore, Pitt, GB
Bears:
If Cutler shows some of that gambling that he has a tendency to do at times or goes down it could be ugly. There D must stay healthy as well to keep them in the games. Also there first Six games are critical , this could easily start them on a tailspin. GB, Pitt, Seattle, Det, Atl, Cinci.. I mean there is possibly 4 losses in that mix , where they could start 2-4 and after that it does appear to stay just as difficult.
Lions:
I think only that things can be better than last year.
Standings at the end of the year:
Pack – 12-4
Vikings -9-7
Bears- 8-8
Lions – 4-12
Full Version: How the NFC North will pan out
QUOTE (jpackman @ Sep 1 2009, 03:50 PM) 
As we get ready for the Season to Open up , I thought I would go through the good and the bad and the North Predictions.
As the pundits have been going crazy at first with Brett going to Minnesota and then Cutler to Chicago, then again with Brett finally going to the Vikings courtesy of Brads Limo Service...
Good:
Packers:
Rodgers is coming off a great year and a superb Pre-season and has another year under his belt. This bodes well for the Packers and the team and the Fans. He should be more confident in the system, more knowledgeable and more efficient in play calling and audibles.
The WR group has another year in working with Rodgers and now should have better understanding and decision making in regards to what Rodgers will be looking for. Better Timing with Rodgers and a better teamwork and cohesiveness with Rodgers.
The TE position should give us more of an advantage then has been for awhile. If Finley and Lee can do they teamwork and plays they been making thus far , this could be the largest improvement of the team.
RB's Grant has been in camp and the OTA and no more contract issues , he has been able to focus, also another year of Jackson and Wynn along with Sutton will have us some nice change ups and different looks with the batch of WR and TE sets. We should have a more improved running game from last year.
Defense- Dommdy DOM.... What a great addition. This guy has the knack of making players play and execute in a scheme that uses their own abilities to their advantage, it is already showing in the pre-season, and this team as I see it believes in this man. The LB corps is deep and athletic , and as Dom stated in one interview, these are the two best corners he has ever had to work with on a defense.. Dom has had some special Defenses... as far as Safeties and what Nick Collins can do.. well look at Woodsen in Pittsburgh and Troy P in these systems.. and then Look at what Nick did last year in tat Defense.. Handing Dom Cwood and Harris and kampan ,Jenkins , Pickett and Raji and Hawk and Barnett and Bishop and tell him to make us good.. Well lets just say I think he was glad to take a challenge like that with those players as part of his building Blocks.
ST- Having a Punter that is showing signs of improvement and Mason will be fine… ST coverage already appears better and more hyped and psyched then all of last year. I don’t think this will be as bad of an issue as last year. The Excitement and intensity from the D tends to flow over to ST.
BEARS:
Adding Cutler now gives them a proven QB. Not sure if he can grade out in the top five or ten, but the guy can play. Having Forte will help as well as Cutler will not have to do it all.
WR group is not the strength, even adding hester hear and there..I just do not see the bears with Top Flight WR core.
The TE , olsen is good and can create many mismatches. He is tough and has great hands.
Forte is good and as long he is healthy they will have a running game , they have a good line that can open holes.
Defense- Well this has always been there strength, and Lovie always has a good D. I do not expect that to change. There Line and LB group is definitely a strength of their D.
ST- if hester comes back this could once again be a dangerous part of this team.
Vikings:
QB- Well they now have Mr Favre.. He is definitely the wiser one of the bunch. And has more experience then all the rest combined, he does bring a lot of hidden attributes to this team and could be the Spark they need.
RB- Well AD is if not the best in the league, he is real close. He can be a night mare to defend in the run or the pass. He is a beast and runs downhill for most part. He must be contained.
WR- Not sold on this group; they could be good especially with Favre at the helm, just not sure if they are elite. They can be just enough by making the possession type catches as that may be all they need to do.
TE- This is solid, Shiancoe is a solid TE and has versatility to run with a safety or LB and can make them pay.
Defense- Well that WHALE group of lineman is there strength, by the end of the day your front line can be worn down on pushing these behemoths around. The LB corps is not shabby either. The DB’s and secondary is the weakest. If you can attack this team it is in their secondary. Winfield is the DB leader and is savvy vet.
Lions:
Not Much to say Except maybe in a few years. They do appear to be heading in the right direction.
BAD
Packers:
Rodgers goes down, this could turn ugly quick. The O line is young. The D-line could use some steady backups that are knowledgeable. The D could still make some learning curve mistakes and this could be costly at times especially with Cutler and Favre and others....
Vikings:
Favre taking over a game could be costly. If the Williams boys go down or get suspended like any other player in the NFL would already. Any D Line or O line issues could be bad for this team. Or if AD has issues. Start of the year could be easy but if the other teams are more prepared and by week 8 there could be issues in Minny... I mean that stretch of defenses with SF , ST Louis, Baltimore, Pitt, GB
Bears:
If Cutler shows some of that gambling that he has a tendency to do at times or goes down it could be ugly. There D must stay healthy as well to keep them in the games. Also there first Six games are critical , this could easily start them on a tailspin. GB, Pitt, Seattle, Det, Atl, Cinci.. I mean there is possibly 4 losses in that mix , where they could start 2-4 and after that it does appear to stay just as difficult.
Lions:
I think only that things can be better than last year.
Standings at the end of the year:
Pack – 12-4
Vikings -9-7
Bears- 8-8
Lions – 4-12
As the pundits have been going crazy at first with Brett going to Minnesota and then Cutler to Chicago, then again with Brett finally going to the Vikings courtesy of Brads Limo Service...
Good:
Packers:
Rodgers is coming off a great year and a superb Pre-season and has another year under his belt. This bodes well for the Packers and the team and the Fans. He should be more confident in the system, more knowledgeable and more efficient in play calling and audibles.
The WR group has another year in working with Rodgers and now should have better understanding and decision making in regards to what Rodgers will be looking for. Better Timing with Rodgers and a better teamwork and cohesiveness with Rodgers.
The TE position should give us more of an advantage then has been for awhile. If Finley and Lee can do they teamwork and plays they been making thus far , this could be the largest improvement of the team.
RB's Grant has been in camp and the OTA and no more contract issues , he has been able to focus, also another year of Jackson and Wynn along with Sutton will have us some nice change ups and different looks with the batch of WR and TE sets. We should have a more improved running game from last year.
Defense- Dommdy DOM.... What a great addition. This guy has the knack of making players play and execute in a scheme that uses their own abilities to their advantage, it is already showing in the pre-season, and this team as I see it believes in this man. The LB corps is deep and athletic , and as Dom stated in one interview, these are the two best corners he has ever had to work with on a defense.. Dom has had some special Defenses... as far as Safeties and what Nick Collins can do.. well look at Woodsen in Pittsburgh and Troy P in these systems.. and then Look at what Nick did last year in tat Defense.. Handing Dom Cwood and Harris and kampan ,Jenkins , Pickett and Raji and Hawk and Barnett and Bishop and tell him to make us good.. Well lets just say I think he was glad to take a challenge like that with those players as part of his building Blocks.
ST- Having a Punter that is showing signs of improvement and Mason will be fine… ST coverage already appears better and more hyped and psyched then all of last year. I don’t think this will be as bad of an issue as last year. The Excitement and intensity from the D tends to flow over to ST.
BEARS:
Adding Cutler now gives them a proven QB. Not sure if he can grade out in the top five or ten, but the guy can play. Having Forte will help as well as Cutler will not have to do it all.
WR group is not the strength, even adding hester hear and there..I just do not see the bears with Top Flight WR core.
The TE , olsen is good and can create many mismatches. He is tough and has great hands.
Forte is good and as long he is healthy they will have a running game , they have a good line that can open holes.
Defense- Well this has always been there strength, and Lovie always has a good D. I do not expect that to change. There Line and LB group is definitely a strength of their D.
ST- if hester comes back this could once again be a dangerous part of this team.
Vikings:
QB- Well they now have Mr Favre.. He is definitely the wiser one of the bunch. And has more experience then all the rest combined, he does bring a lot of hidden attributes to this team and could be the Spark they need.
RB- Well AD is if not the best in the league, he is real close. He can be a night mare to defend in the run or the pass. He is a beast and runs downhill for most part. He must be contained.
WR- Not sold on this group; they could be good especially with Favre at the helm, just not sure if they are elite. They can be just enough by making the possession type catches as that may be all they need to do.
TE- This is solid, Shiancoe is a solid TE and has versatility to run with a safety or LB and can make them pay.
Defense- Well that WHALE group of lineman is there strength, by the end of the day your front line can be worn down on pushing these behemoths around. The LB corps is not shabby either. The DB’s and secondary is the weakest. If you can attack this team it is in their secondary. Winfield is the DB leader and is savvy vet.
Lions:
Not Much to say Except maybe in a few years. They do appear to be heading in the right direction.
BAD
Packers:
Rodgers goes down, this could turn ugly quick. The O line is young. The D-line could use some steady backups that are knowledgeable. The D could still make some learning curve mistakes and this could be costly at times especially with Cutler and Favre and others....
Vikings:
Favre taking over a game could be costly. If the Williams boys go down or get suspended like any other player in the NFL would already. Any D Line or O line issues could be bad for this team. Or if AD has issues. Start of the year could be easy but if the other teams are more prepared and by week 8 there could be issues in Minny... I mean that stretch of defenses with SF , ST Louis, Baltimore, Pitt, GB
Bears:
If Cutler shows some of that gambling that he has a tendency to do at times or goes down it could be ugly. There D must stay healthy as well to keep them in the games. Also there first Six games are critical , this could easily start them on a tailspin. GB, Pitt, Seattle, Det, Atl, Cinci.. I mean there is possibly 4 losses in that mix , where they could start 2-4 and after that it does appear to stay just as difficult.
Lions:
I think only that things can be better than last year.
Standings at the end of the year:
Pack – 12-4
Vikings -9-7
Bears- 8-8
Lions – 4-12
Pretty much agree. If Rodgers stays healthy, and Adrian Peterson stays plays 16 games, I got the Pack at 11-5(upgraded since I see the D is definetly improved) Minn. at 10-6, and the same record you mentioned for the Bears and Lions.
I lol'd at the Lions analysis. I think we all have a family member like the Lions. You know, the kind where when their name is brought up at the dinner table everyone just goes silent. 
I have not done my "official" picks yet but I think 12-4 is a stretch. I think division play will result in two loses and see 3-6 others. I do think 11-5 will win the division and might even get a home playoff game.
I'd say the Packer 'D is not going to be as good as we hope. I think other teams will game-plan against it and we'll burned at some critical points.
Being conservative I'll go with the following:
1. Bears (11-5)
2. Vikings (11-5)
3. Packers (9-7)
4. Lions (4 - 12)
I hope I'm wrong about that, but Preseason is not a good indicator of the regular season and in the end you're better off looking at what's on paper.
I also predict that by the end of the season, Favre will NOT be the Viking QB. He will either be hurt or benched (leading to a final retirement.)
Being conservative I'll go with the following:
1. Bears (11-5)
2. Vikings (11-5)
3. Packers (9-7)
4. Lions (4 - 12)
I hope I'm wrong about that, but Preseason is not a good indicator of the regular season and in the end you're better off looking at what's on paper.
I also predict that by the end of the season, Favre will NOT be the Viking QB. He will either be hurt or benched (leading to a final retirement.)
From AccuScore, a prediction but objective and the simulation repeated 10-20 thousand times per game:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ys-a...o&type=lgns
NFC Playoff Chances W L Playoffs Wild card Win Div OPP '08 OPP '09
Minnesota Vikings* 10.4 5.6 73.5% 22.7% 50.7% 51% 42%
Arizona Cardinals* 9.0 7.0 65.2% 3.5% 61.7% 53% 44%
New York Giants* 10.1 5.9 65.1% 28.3% 36.7% 51% 53%
Green Bay Packers 9.7 6.3 60.7% 26.7% 34.0% 50% 43%
Philadelphia Eagles 9.8 6.2 60.6% 29.8% 30.8% 53% 54%
Dallas Cowboys 9.6 6.4 54.8% 27.7% 27.1% 50% 52%
New Orleans Saints* 8.4 7.6 41.8% 7.9% 33.9% 50% 56%
Atlanta Falcons 8.2 7.8 38.0% 6.5% 31.5% 47% 59%
Carolina Panthers 8.0 8.0 33.8% 6.5% 27.3% 49% 59%
Chicago Bears 8.5 7.5 33.8% 18.6% 15.2% 48% 41%
Seattle Seahawks 7.1 9.0 22.6% 3.7% 18.9% 50% 46%
San Francisco 49ers 7.0 9.0 22.2% 3.6% 18.6% 45% 44%
Washington Redskins 7.5 8.5 16.8% 11.4% 5.4% 48% 49%
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 6.2 9.8 10.2% 2.8% 7.3% 48% 58%
St. Louis Rams 3.9 12.1 0.9% 0.2% 0.7% 53% 46%
Detroit Lions 3.9 12.1 0.2% 0.1% 0.1% 56% 47%
*Highest Probability of Winning Their Division
The Packers season rests on how well their O line can run block and how well the 3-4 defense stops the run.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ys-a...o&type=lgns
NFC Playoff Chances W L Playoffs Wild card Win Div OPP '08 OPP '09
Minnesota Vikings* 10.4 5.6 73.5% 22.7% 50.7% 51% 42%
Arizona Cardinals* 9.0 7.0 65.2% 3.5% 61.7% 53% 44%
New York Giants* 10.1 5.9 65.1% 28.3% 36.7% 51% 53%
Green Bay Packers 9.7 6.3 60.7% 26.7% 34.0% 50% 43%
Philadelphia Eagles 9.8 6.2 60.6% 29.8% 30.8% 53% 54%
Dallas Cowboys 9.6 6.4 54.8% 27.7% 27.1% 50% 52%
New Orleans Saints* 8.4 7.6 41.8% 7.9% 33.9% 50% 56%
Atlanta Falcons 8.2 7.8 38.0% 6.5% 31.5% 47% 59%
Carolina Panthers 8.0 8.0 33.8% 6.5% 27.3% 49% 59%
Chicago Bears 8.5 7.5 33.8% 18.6% 15.2% 48% 41%
Seattle Seahawks 7.1 9.0 22.6% 3.7% 18.9% 50% 46%
San Francisco 49ers 7.0 9.0 22.2% 3.6% 18.6% 45% 44%
Washington Redskins 7.5 8.5 16.8% 11.4% 5.4% 48% 49%
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 6.2 9.8 10.2% 2.8% 7.3% 48% 58%
St. Louis Rams 3.9 12.1 0.9% 0.2% 0.7% 53% 46%
Detroit Lions 3.9 12.1 0.2% 0.1% 0.1% 56% 47%
*Highest Probability of Winning Their Division
The Packers season rests on how well their O line can run block and how well the 3-4 defense stops the run.
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