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.
No comments:
Post a Comment