If it hasn't been realized yet, I am a huge Chicago Bears fan, I am also a huge fan of our division especially now that for the most part we are an extremely talented division. So I started thinking, is there another division in the NFL that is as talented as ours?
Everybody talks about the AFC North with the Steelers, Ravens and Bengals but how good is that division really? Sure the Steelers have been to the Superbowl recently and the Ravens are always a threat up until the post-season however, the Bengals are not consistently good and crawled into the Wildcard game then got blown right out of it. Pittsburgh is getting old and Big Ben did not have a stellar end to this season, Baltimore looked great this post-season but once they lose the likes of Ray Lewis, Ed Reid and Terrell Suggs, what do they have left to maintain their strength at defense not to mention all of the criticism Joe Flacco gets when it comes to being a QB in this league. So while I agree that this division is a scary one and has dominated this league before, its going over the hill instead of just reaching the top.
The NFC North is one of those divisions that has spent years climbing to the top of this hill and now that they are close to reaching the top, they are the division to be reckoned with for years to come. Let's start with the teams in the North.
Green Bay Packers: There isn't better evidence than a Superbowl ring. The Packers have the MVP of the league, young talent and an amazing coaching staff. It's no wonder that they are as good as they are right now. The defense could use some work but it didn't stop them going 15-1 on the season (granted the loss to the Giants in the post-season was pretty ugly) or Aaron Rodgers putting up some gaudy numbers offensively so once the defense gets tweaked around, they are going to be a tough team to beat.
Chicago Bears: This team last year would have made it to the post-season if it wasn't for some serious key injuries to Jay Cutler and Matt Forte late in the year. But now that it is all said and done the Bears have done some serious homework and have put 95% of the pieces in place for this team to make it to the Championship game. Firing Jerry Angelo and hiring Phil Emery was a smart move by the front office because Emery was responsible for drafting some big names in the league like Matt Ryan, Roddy White and Brian Urlacher to name a few. The recent acquisition of Jeremy Bates, Cutler's old QB coach from his Denver years was another genius move by the Bears and a sign that this team is serious about their desire to put a ring on it. The Bates/Cutler tandem was responsible for a Denver team that was second in the league in total yards in 2008 so by getting these two back together and mixing in some Matt Forte and Earl Bennett (hopefully they will draft a good WR this year to add to the pot) will make Chi-town's offense high octane.
Chicago's defense is also doing extremely well. Now while the key players on the defense are slightly on the older side, I don't see any signs of them slowing down. Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, Julius Peppers, Israel Idonije and Charles Tillman are not going anywhere any time soon, they look hungry to prove that they want to win and the young corners and safeties that the Bears have looked nothing short of spectacular last year once they worked out the kinks. If this team stays healthy, it's going to be a rough 60 minutes for whoever they play against.
Detroit Lions: This team has learned how to work on all cylinders and they are frightening when they put it all together. Matt Stafford proved this year that he can stay healthy, Calvin Johnson has earned the right to be called Megatron and this defense is intimidating. They do have some little things to work on such as their temper namely Ndamukong Suh's and the Lions also need to find a running back that can take a hit and not get hurt.
Detroit also has something that the two teams mentioned above don't and that is a renewed sense of pride. This team went from being 0-16 on the season to making a post-season appearance and it has revitalized the Lions fans, making Ford Field a deafening arena to play in. Fans are confident that this is the team that they have been waiting for and many experts agree. The amount of support that the fans have put into this team is helping the team itself play better because they want to be the team that Detroit is proud of. The love of football is back in this city and it's adding fuel to the fire.
Minnesota Vikings: Every division has a weak link and for the NFC North, the Vikings is that team but they are not as weak as many people think. Minnesota needs to let the young players get their feet wet and they are scared to do it for some reason. Starting Donovan McNabb was a horrible call and made it really hard for Christian Ponder to learn how to play the game. We all know Jared Allen is a phenomenal defensive player and he is the key to getting a strong team started. He is a motivator. Unfortunately for them, there is a depressing possibility that their superstar running back Adrian Peterson is done for not just the year but for his career. If he gets healthy, then they're fine but if not, Minnesota is going to have to open their wallets to find a veteran that can put up some numbers and teach the young ones how to be great at their position. The receiving corps is pretty good, and the coaching staff is green but definitely learned a lot this season. Minnesota lost some close games last year, went to the NFC Championship game 3 years ago and have potential to grow into something special if they allow the younger players to grow on the field.
There are good teams in every division in the NFL but this is the first time that somebody can talk about the majority of one division as legitimate post-season contenders. The teams in the NFC North are young, strong, smart and prepared. I wouldn't be surprised if the Lombardi trophy came to these cities frequently in the years to come.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Who else thinks it's 50-50 blame for Brady and Welker?
Let's face it, most of us spent our Monday after the Superbowl talking about Tom Brady, Wes Welker, Eli Manning, Mario Manningham, legacies, Hall of Fame worthiness, revenge and how much this game affected both teams coming into it but nobody thought Wes Welker should catch more heat than he's getting after missing his opportunity to seal in the game. We all thought he should be blamed but not as much as Brady should. Well I'm taking the opportunity to explain why Wes Welker and Tom Brady are EQUALLY responsible for the Patriots loss in the Superbowl.
First of all, the regular season "dynamic duo" regularly made this type of pass and catch before the Superbowl. It was all the rage to watch these two teammates tear the field apart. They were the bread to each others butter. However for some reason, Brady was criticized more for the throw in the Championship game than Welker was for having the ball in both his hands and then spitting it out. In fact, some even defended Welker's attempt at a back shoulder catch by explaining how difficult it is to spin in the air. Welker was wide open and he knew it, he had that ball in his hands and couldn't capitalize on it for whatever reason. Yes, Brady knew Welker was wide open too and that's why he should be blamed for not throwing it as well as he could have but he trusted Welker to make that catch similar to the times he had done before and Welker should get blamed for not making the grab.
Secondly, there have many of spectacular acrobatic catches this season. There have been one handed juggles, forward flips and finger tip grabs all of which were completed, raved about and then never heard of again with the exception of Jerome Simpson's end-zone flip which was ESPN's best of the best play for quite some time. This catch was none of those. Mario Manningham's catch was far more superior in execution and reception. Had Welker made that catch, it would have been the catch of the game even though it is expected for him to make such grabs on a regular basis. In fact, if it was any other game, it would have been a routine throw and catch between Brady and Welker. People talk about how reliable those two are and how dependable Welker is for Brady, what makes this catch any different? This is why he should be more responsible for the loss than he is.
Yea losing a Superbowl is rough enough and knowing that for the next week it is all people are going to talk about isn't making the wound any better . So why does it matter who gets blamed more? A loss is a loss in the Pats book. Forget that they said this game isn't being affected by the memories of SB 42 (which I argue is totally false) because whether or not they thought about the revenge factor, the Pats lost a game they could have easily sealed in with a catch that Tom Brady and Wes Welker made frequently before. Now while Tom Brady is the captain of the team, Welker is the most dependable player for Brady to throw to especially since the injured Rob Gronkowski was more productive on the bench than on the field. If Welker wants to be considered an elite receiver in this league he has to be able to step up and take some of the heat off Brady since it was his fault too that the Giants came back to beat the Patriots once again.
First of all, the regular season "dynamic duo" regularly made this type of pass and catch before the Superbowl. It was all the rage to watch these two teammates tear the field apart. They were the bread to each others butter. However for some reason, Brady was criticized more for the throw in the Championship game than Welker was for having the ball in both his hands and then spitting it out. In fact, some even defended Welker's attempt at a back shoulder catch by explaining how difficult it is to spin in the air. Welker was wide open and he knew it, he had that ball in his hands and couldn't capitalize on it for whatever reason. Yes, Brady knew Welker was wide open too and that's why he should be blamed for not throwing it as well as he could have but he trusted Welker to make that catch similar to the times he had done before and Welker should get blamed for not making the grab.
Secondly, there have many of spectacular acrobatic catches this season. There have been one handed juggles, forward flips and finger tip grabs all of which were completed, raved about and then never heard of again with the exception of Jerome Simpson's end-zone flip which was ESPN's best of the best play for quite some time. This catch was none of those. Mario Manningham's catch was far more superior in execution and reception. Had Welker made that catch, it would have been the catch of the game even though it is expected for him to make such grabs on a regular basis. In fact, if it was any other game, it would have been a routine throw and catch between Brady and Welker. People talk about how reliable those two are and how dependable Welker is for Brady, what makes this catch any different? This is why he should be more responsible for the loss than he is.
Yea losing a Superbowl is rough enough and knowing that for the next week it is all people are going to talk about isn't making the wound any better . So why does it matter who gets blamed more? A loss is a loss in the Pats book. Forget that they said this game isn't being affected by the memories of SB 42 (which I argue is totally false) because whether or not they thought about the revenge factor, the Pats lost a game they could have easily sealed in with a catch that Tom Brady and Wes Welker made frequently before. Now while Tom Brady is the captain of the team, Welker is the most dependable player for Brady to throw to especially since the injured Rob Gronkowski was more productive on the bench than on the field. If Welker wants to be considered an elite receiver in this league he has to be able to step up and take some of the heat off Brady since it was his fault too that the Giants came back to beat the Patriots once again.
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