NFL Trimester Report: NFC North "Contender or Pretender"

Continuing on a segment that was started yesterday, here is a breakdown of the standings in the NFC North through 1/3 of the season...

Chicago (4-1)
The Bears brought in offensive genius (and QB killer) Mike Martz in the off-season to get their passing game in order. What have they gotten so far? Ranking 24th is passing and 23th in rushing offense. Yes, they have beaten both Dallas and Green Bay already, but it only took 4 games for Martz to get Jay Cutler concussed. Defense is still top 10 in the NFL but you have to score to win games. Pretender

Green Bay (3-2)
The Packers have a very talented squad all around, but they have been hit big time with the injury bug (Ryan Grant, TE Jermichael Finley, LB Nick Barnett, etc) and QB Aaron Rodgers has taken a ton of hits so far. Their remaining schedule is challenging, but I think they have enough healthy bodies left to take the division and limp into the playoffs. Contender

Minnesota (1-3)
I bet Brett Favre in the picture above is thinking to himself, "this isn't what I signed up for..." Their lone victory so far has been against the Detroit Lions (who were winless at the time), but to their credit they have managed to stay close in the 3 losses they have suffered to potential playoff teams. Adrian Peterson is still a beast and Randy Moss will be a bigger factor once he learns more of the play book, but Favre is looking every bit of his 41 years so far. Warm up the tractor. Pretender

Detroit (1-4)
The Lions clearly are still in rebuilding mode and they weren't expecting to contend for another couple of years. One down fall is that 2nd year quarterback Matthew Stafford can't stay on the field enough to progress into the franchise QB the Lions are hoping he is. One positive is that the Lions have some nice weapons at the skill positions with RB Jahvid Best, WR Calvin Johnson and TE Brandon Pettigrew. Detroit is still a couple season away from relevance. Pretender

-ALR

2010 Green Bay Packers Preview

The Green Bay Packers shocked a lot of football fans last season with their unexpected success so soon after the highly publicized divorce with that old guy that's now in Minnesota. The Packers ended 2009 with a playoff berth (although they lost in a shootout with the Saints), the best defense in the NFC and a rising star at quarterback. Not too bad of a season, no?

Offense
Give almost any NFL starting QB time, and he can pick apart a defense, except maybe Matt Leinart (sorry, but that was too easy). Thanks to one of the top offensive lines in the league, QB Aaron Rodgers has responded with two excellent seasons as the Packers franchise signal caller. Rodgers is extremely accurate, nimble and athletic enough to gain yards via the scramble and also has a very strong arm to get the ball down the field. He has all the tools to take advantage of Green Bay's nice stock of receivers, led by veteran Donald Driver. Driver has been nothing short of consistent throughout his career and at 35 doesn't appear to be slowing down. Explosive WR Greg Jennings is the perfect complement to Driver and is capable to put up big numbers weekly. Green Bay tecnically has two #1 recievers. Throw in backup wideouts Jordy Nelson and James Jones and the Packers have in my opinion the deepest receiving corps in the NFL. Don't sleep on Nelson. Snatch him and stash himon your fantasy football roster. Trust me.

One particular player to watch is Jermichael Finley. The third year tight end has a ton of talent and is poised for a breakout year. Finley has a matchup advantage no matter who opposing defenses line up to cover him. He reminds me of a bigger version of Marques Colston. The running game has been consistent the last couple of years with Ryan Grant and third down back Brandon Jackson. Grant is one of those solid running backs that just gets the job done and should be able to again surpass 1,200 yards on the ground.

Defense
Green Bay fields a defensive 3-4 scheme that is riddled with first rounders and play makers. They were excellent against the run with B.J. Raji and Cullen Jenkins up front. Former USC linebacker Clay Matthews had a nice rookie season with 10 sacks and he should produce much of the same in 2010. A.J. Hawk & Nick Barnett are athletic middle linebackers that are good in both pass coverage and against the run. Former Heisman and Defensive POY winner Charles Woodson is a ball hawk in the secondary and is said to be in the best shape of his career. CB Tramon Williams and S Nick Collins are emerging as bonafide interception threats against the pass and shouldn't be underestimated.

Prediction
11-5
Green Bay can score light up the scoreboard with the best of them, and their defense is good on paper. One thing to be weary of is that they did give up 51 points to the Saints in the playoffs last season, so their gambling to make big plays on defense is capable of being exposed by a top notch QB. Still, the Packers are a solid contender for a Super Bowl berth in the NFC. Brett who??

-ALR

2010 Chicago Bears Preview

After trading starting QB Kyle Orton for hot shot Jay Cutler in the 2009 off season The Bears were supposed to challenge The Vikings for the NFC North title. But as the saying goes, hindsight is 20/20. The erratic Cutler ended up leading the league with 26 INTs and too many times put a tired defense in tough situations. Head coach Lovie Smith is hoping for better results this time around, but without any major changes to the offense that will be tough to accomplish...

Offense
This off season, Chicago brought in coordinator extraordinaire Mike Martz to add more punch to the offense. Martz was the mastermind that engineered the high scoring Rams offenses from 1999-2001 (the famed "Greatest Show On Turf"). The Bears traded for Cutler hoping his strong arm would open up more downfield opportunities in the passing game but the move produced mixed results. Yes, Cutler is capable of some gaudy yardage numbers, but also a ton of turnovers as he attempted to force the football into heavy coverage to get picked off. In his defense, Cutler didn't have the best weapons to work with. Converted WR/KR Devin Hester was his main target but missed a few games due to injuries. Hester has great speed and is an excellent open field runner but his lack of size hurts his value as a true #1 receiving option. His skill set is better suited for the slot position. Second year receiver Johnny Knox is poised to have a solid season as he is penciled in as the starter opposite Hester, and Earl Bennett actually has history with Cutler from his days as the quarterback's favorite target while at Vanderbilt. Greg Olsen is a reliable option at TE as a receiver and a blocker, although tight ends do not have a history of heavy usage in Martz's offensive sets.

After a solid rookie campaign that saw him gain over 1,200 yards, RB Matt Forte slumped a bit and didn't manage to reach the 1,000 yard mark. The Bears are hoping the addition of veteran Chester Taylor can take some carries and keep Forte fresh for late game situations. It remains to be seen if the offensive line can give Cutler enough time to allow the receivers to get open and deliver the pass successfully.

Defense
Lovie Smith's Bears have always been known to field a good defensive unit and this trend will continue in 2010. The run an effective 4-3 base defense and the addition of DE Julius Peppers is a big plus, as Peppers has amassed double-digit sack numbers in six of his 8 NFL seasons. Chicago is also hoping LB Brian Urlacher can return to form after missing virtually all of 2009 with a wrist injury. Lance Briggs and Pisa Tinoisamoa help man the linebacker corps. CB's Charles Tillman & Zack Bowman are the main playmakers in the secondary and are both solid in zone coverage and Tillman is above average in man coverage.

Prediction
5-11

Despite the new offensive coordinator and new toy on defense, Chicago Bears fans should prepare for a rough 2010 season. Until Jay Cutler can learn to throw to his check down receivers and backs instead of forcing tough throws, the defense will be put in too many lose/lose situations and give up a lot of points. The 'Mike Martz' coaching era may soon be on the horizon in Chicago. Best of luck to you, Lovie.

-ALR