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Originally Posted by transplant99
Ahhhh....week 1 where every teams fans have all kinds of optimism and hope.
Bears winning the NFC North? Not sure what you can base that on, as anytime there is a new coach and an entirely new system, that will take time to come together if it ever does. Add on to that they still have the same issues they have had for years now, along with the perrenial turnover machine in Cutler...hard to understand how they improved at all. Add to that a quickly aging defense who wont be any faster than last year and likely to get slower and in no way will they replicate the turnover for touchdown numbers of a year ago...well...yeah.
I actually think the Vikes will be very good this year. Ponder is learning how to manage games properly, when to take his shots and when to take what the defense gives. Its all about AP though, so we will see how far he can take them. Their D is pretty solid all over. Could easily be the team at the top when all is said and done.
GB is a bit of a mystery to me though. Obviously Rodgers will do his thing and the team will score points, dont think thats at all an issue. The one thing though, and much like the Bears, the Oline is a complete unknown. Losing Baluga for the season was devastating for what MM wanted to do. If they dont come together, AR may not be around to score points all season. The defense was fine last year until that SF PO game when they got completely schooled. They have worked against the run/option all camp, so they should be better there. Having a healthy Mike Neal and Nick perry should improve the club in all facets this season...along with Johnny Jolly being back and doing what he does so well.
Detroit..again a bit of an enigma. Can they get some help for CJ? Will Bush give them a real weapon to offset a lack of a running game? On D...that line should destroy everyone they play...but they dont. IF everything comes together for the Lions they will be anywhere from good to great....but it is the Lions and so hard to believe they will do much of anything.
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That defense has been too old for you for about three seasons now Transplant. If they get any older they might have to send 5 to the Pro Bowl next season.
The point was, that anyone has a shot to win that divison, and despite what you would like to believe, the Bears, with their shoddy offensive line mind you, would have won the division in 2011 if Cutler didn't break his thumb. Then again going 7-2 before Cutler got injured after the first half in Houston and then missing the Monday night game in San Francisco. He may play teribly vs the Packers and throw picks, but he still wins games.
Despite what you may think, Green Bay is no longer up there on a pedestal either. Nick Perry coming back may be wonderfull, but missing Casey Heyward for a reportedly 6 weeks wont help that sieve of a secondary, and unlike the Bears' 'unknown' offensive line as you call it, the Packers' offensive line is completely 'known'. It's crap. It was the league's worst last year with Buluga healthy so I dont see how the status has upgraded with him on IR.
I think Chicago has as good a chance as anyone in that division this year and I dont think its the stretch you're making it out to be. I guess we just have to see how the games play out