NFC North review

Lord Favre returns, Aaron Rodgers becomes a leader, Jay Cutler bombs and Detroit is.........well Detroit.

My prediction:
NFC North
Green Bay 13-3
Minnesota 11-5
Chicago 9-7
Detroit4-12

Actual finish:
Minnesota 12-4
Green Bay 11-5
Chicago 7-9
Detroit 2-14

Back in September, I expected Brett Favre to suffer the late season failings he normally experiences. Yes, the Vikings lost games late in the season, but Favre threw for over 600 yards, 8 TD's and no interceptions in the last two games of the year. In fact, Favre threw for over 4200 yards while tossing 33 touchdowns and only 7 interceptions. So much for him winding down in the month of December.

Minnesota. As mentioned above, Favre was strong this year. The addition of draft choice Percy Harvin(who was sorely missed by Tim Tebow) made a strong push to be the offensive rookie of the year. Adrian Peterson, didn't rush for the league total yards this season, but the addition of Favre and Harvin allowed him to increase his touchdown production, which is more important.
The Vikings defense still has some gaps, especially in the secondary which will be exploited in the playoffs. Favre had a great season, and I have no doubt he'll return next season in purple.

Green Bay. I really believed that 2 playoff teams would come out of the NFC North this past September. I was correct, but I was wrong in how the teams would evolve from this division. I felt that Green Bay had the easier schedule back in September. That is the problem with looking at schedules before teams actually take the field. The Packers finished the season winning 7 of the last 8 games, but started the season with quarterback Aaron Rodgers getting beaten in the pocket worse than a red headed stepchild. Rodgers has proven himself to be a quality quarterback, and one tough SOB. The Packers defense came around this season as well and produced 40 turnovers. This is a team you are going to have to watch during the playoffs. I believe they will be in the NFC Championship game.

Chicago. What a wasted year. Chicago giving up virtually the entire 2010 draft for players like Jay Cutler and Gaines Adams, what a waste. Former Pro Bowl quarterback Jay Cutler, was sacked 35 times and threw 26 interceptions. Obviously, someone stole his jersey the final two weeks of the year since someone wearing his jersey threw for 550 yards and 8 touchdowns in 2 games. Chicago's defense went downhill as soon as Brian Urlacher was done for the season. The offensive line was non existent. Matt Forte was one of the biggest busts in fantasy football.
As a Bucs fan, I must say the Chicago front office is in much more disarray. The Bears actually gave up a 2nd round pick in this years draft for DE Gaines Adams. Wow. Put down the crack pipe. This is a team which should have finished 4-12 and doesnt have a draft pick until the 4th round, WOW. Maybe Obama will sign an executive order and give you guys 4 first round picks.

Detroit. What is there left to say about Detroit. The Lions are one of the oldest franchises in NFL history, but also one of the only teams never to have played in the Super Bowl. Detroit is 9-39 in the last 3 seasons, only to be outdone by St Louis who is 6-42. Matthew Stafford might very well be a great addition in Detroit, he showed his toughness during a game late in the year, but this team needs help at all positions. When Drew Brees was signed by the New Orleans Saints, he and his wife took out a full page advertisement in the New Orleans paper, and after Hurricane Katrina hit, Brees was very active in the community. Saints fans have filled the Superdome this year and rallied around Drew Brees. If I were Matthew Stafford, I'd take some of that huge guaranteed money from my contract last year, and pay undrafted college free agents from around Michigan to come tryout for the Lions during training camp. It couldn't hurt.