The North

Let's head North for a double dose of good times as we cover both the AFC and NFC divisions in an attempt to meet the kickoff deadline on Thursday. The decision to do both comes mostly based on my apathy towards the NFC North as a division, however. Without further ado...

NFC North

Minnesota Vikings- These guys surprised a lot of people last year with a late-season bid for a wild-card spot after starting out lousy. Quarterback instability hampered them throughout the season and ultimately the offense (not to mention the terrible secondary) couldn't make the grade. This year the team returns as a favorite to make the playoffs with free agent acquisitions on both sides of the ball. Bernard Berrian of Chicago was signed to be a deep threat for incumbent starter Jackson, and Jared Allen was picked up in a trade to shore up the pass rush. Safety Madieu Williams was also picked up and should provide immediate help for the secondary. Had the quarterback questions been answered (as many thought it would with Favre's return) this team would certainly have become a favorite to many analysts as a Super Bowl contender, but I would hold my hopes for another year or two.

Chicago Bears- There's little to say about this team. Underachievers are abundant on offense and it will be shocking if this squad gets down the field at all. The #1 receiving job has been handed to Marty Booker, a free agent acquisition who was signed after Chicago lost both starting wideouts to free agency (who allowed that to happen, anyway?). That's just sad. Chicago's collective hopes lie in rookie Matt Forte, who has received early buzz and may be one to surprise a lot of people. It's a lot of weight to put on a rookie however, as his backups include an inconsistent Adrian "The Other One" Peterson and a fragile Kevin Jones. One can't help but get the feeling Chicago's management is asleep at the wheel. The defense could return to form but needs to prove last year was nothing more than an anomaly.

Green Bay Packers- Aaron Rodgers needs to prove he's the man Ted Thompson thinks he is, and this team is primed for another Super Bowl run. Simple as that.

Detroit Lions- In all likelihood, Detroit has another year of mediocrity to look forward to. In a hilarious turn of events, the offense has been switched to a more run oriented attack, and yet this team has NO quality/proven runners. Two potentially elite wide receivers, but no proven running back. Anyways, this is likely Jon Kitna's last chance to be productive and cut down on the interceptions before the organization starts thinking replacement. A unit which was second only to Minnesota in receiving yards allowed last season has been rebuilt with some guy from Cleveland who in reality probably won't be the playmaker they need. This team is forever irrelevant. Prove me wrong.



AFC North (aaah that's better)

Pittsburgh Steelers- On the other end of the spectrum from Detroit is this Pittsburgh team which always seems to find it's way into relevance. Even if the team is underperforming, a loud mouth defender will openly guarantee a win against a previously unbeaten team a week before they're due to play each other. As usual, the defense will be stout, particularly against the run, and Troy Polamalu should be back to normal after a season in which he was hampered by injury. There's a few questions at the O-line with the loss of guard Alan Faneca, but this remains to be seen. In my estimation this will be the year in which Santonio Holmes takes over as the premiere wideout above incumbent Hines Ward. His preseason has been impressive and he showed many flashes of potential last season. Rookie Rashard Mendenhall will immediately contribute and may be seen in the all-too-common runningback by committee. Willie Parker is already being seen as on his way out. He may prove some people wrong a la Fred Taylor of Jacksonville last season (more on that tomorrow). They make the playoffs again.

Baltimore Ravens- You heard it here first: The Ravens are actually interested in building a quality offense! Jim Harbaugh's first moves as head coach has been to stress the importance of a dominating offense which isn't overpowered consistently in practice by the ever-awesome defense which single-handedly won them a Super Bowl. Unfortunately, they still don't have anyone to throw the ball. With a first round pick the Ravens gambled their future on 1-AA Joe Flacco out of Delaware, but have since eliminated him from the open competition due to the vast adjustments necessary. This leaves Troy Smith and Kyle Boller, who we're all sick of seeing. Troy Smith, on the other hand, is too short, whatever that means. I asy go with the Heisman winner. Willis McGahee will be the center of this offense while a quarterback is born, with rookie Ray Rice of Rutgers (alliteration!) backing him up competently. Oh, the defense is pretty good, too. Welcome back to the AFC North basement, boys.

Cincinnati Bengals- If this offense coupled with the Ravens' defense, the end result would be a quality team capable of being a dynasty. Unfortunately, the remaining halves joining forces would look something like the Miami Dolphins of '07. With even a halfway competent defense the Bengals could go a long way, but unfortunately this isn't the case, even with defensive guru Marvin Lewis (who originally was the D Coordinator for...yup you guessed it, the Ravens) in tow. Carson Palmer is an elite field general and is a shoe-in for 4,000 yards if his receivers can stay in the game. Houshmandzadeh is in a contract year and will be motivated to produce, while Chad Johnson (Chad Ocho Cinco?) appears to be ignoring an injury. This may or may not be disastrous to a team which is a bit light in receiver depth. Rudi Johnson was dropped on Saturday which means oft-injured Chris Perry should get the starting nod with Kenny Watson in a backup role. Hopefully the Bengals have taken strides to improve the Swiss cheese defense, but nothing comes to mind.

Cleveland Browns- Can someone tell me what a Brown is? The mascot's a dog but.. ah nevermind. This team is finally looking ready to compete and is very much in the position Cincinnati would like to be- namely a playoff caliber offense and a defense which can keep up on a good day. Surprise star Derek Anderson returns as a starter, with Brady Quinn waiting in the shadows should he turn into the lame duck we all took him for a year ago. With a receiving unit like Braylon Edwards and Donte Stallworth, Anderson will have plenty of targets and a reliable deep threat. Braylon Edwards will be a big red zone target and should take a lot of double team coverage off of the receiving unit. Jamal Lewis is a year older, and should he have a setback there isn't much behind him in terms of talent. The defense picked up Shaun Rogers from Detroit over the offseason and he should help lock up the middle in a somewhat run-happy division. These guys make the playoffs in what seems like a hundred years.