NFC North - A new overview

[Rastak]

How does Chicago get the easiest shedule? I'm so sick of these bears. Rememeber about 4 years ago when they had that fluke 12-4 team and got bumped right away. Last years team was a carbon copy of that team. Some people were comparing their defense to the 85' bears and funny they get bumped right away.......again. This team is a solid team but by no means a dominant team. The packers and Vikings will give them all they can handle and more.

Last years team was not a carbon copy. They won games because they played hard as a team. That last team had the ball bounce their way more times than not. "Some" Packers fans hate to admit the BEars being any good.

Baddest Bear, he's a Viking fan. I agree with you by the way. It's NOT the same team. Lots more talent.

What i was saying is that the bears last year, like the bears of about 4 years ago, weren't nearly as good as their record implied. They too got bimped from the playoffs right away. Yes i think that last years team was much more talented, but the results were almost identicle.

Bigd, they have one thing now they didn't 4 years ago....a good coach.
IMHO.


edit: I'm not trying to turn this into a Bears lovefest, just saying they have a right to be confident going into the season and I personally think they'll do quite well.


BTW: I'm in Chicago this week and no, that's not why I'm giving the Bears some love.....LOL.....

[woodbuck27]

How does Chicago get the easiest shedule? I'm so sick of these bears. Rememeber about 4 years ago when they had that fluke 12-4 team and got bumped right away. Last years team was a carbon copy of that team. Some people were comparing their defense to the 85' bears and funny they get bumped right away.......again. This team is a solid team but by no means a dominant team. The packers and Vikings will give them all they can handle and more.

Last years team was not a carbon copy. They won games because they played hard as a team. That last team had the ball bounce their way more times than not. "Some" Packers fans hate to admit the BEars being any good.

Baddest Bear, he's a Viking fan. I agree with you by the way. It's NOT the same team. Lots more talent.

What i was saying is that the bears last year, like the bears of about 4 years ago, weren't nearly as good as their record implied. They too got bimped from the playoffs right away. Yes i think that last years team was much more talented, but the results were almost identicle.

Bigd, they have one thing now they didn't 4 years ago....a good coach.
IMHO.


edit: I'm not trying to turn this into a Bears lovefest, just saying they have a right to be confident going into the season and I personally think they'll do quite well.


BTW: I'm in Chicago this week and no, that's not why I'm giving the Bears some love.....LOL.....

I'll not hand it all to 'the Bears 'just based on last seasons great effort'. ARE THEY FOR REAL ?

It's really a wait and see situation for all the teams in the NFCN. I can see a possible dog fight for top spot if the Packers get it together, but today that is . . . a HUGE if.

It could well be 'the Bears' to take top spot, but right now my money is on the Vikings, as they made a huge leap on the OL. The biggest ? mark for the Vikings is at QB, as I see it.

That remains the case for all the teams in the NFCN ( a ? at QB) except for 'the Packers', as Favre will come back with all he is and has. He just needs something. . .something to work with on OUR offence.

[BigDmoney]

i agree woodbuck that the vikings will be stronger and that's not just because I'm a, gulp, vikings fan. Even though i don't think they are as good as anybody says, i still they think they are the strongest in a weak division. I see the purple as a 88/9-7 team but it may take a year to complety jell with all the new faces and a new system. The packa re just way to hard to predict this year. they can't go anywhere but up, it's just a matter of how high they can climb.

[Harlan Huckleby]

i agree woodbuck that the vikings will be stronger and that's not just because I'm a, gulp, vikings fan.

I think we have enough Vikings fans on the board now to form a little caucus, or support group.

[Rastak]

i agree woodbuck that the vikings will be stronger and that's not just because I'm a, gulp, vikings fan.

I think we have enough Vikings fans on the board now to form a little caucus, or support group.

Yea it's 3 at this point, correct? A voting block. Maybe the Bears fan would join....."the enemy of my enemy is my friend" sort of thing?

[Scott Campbell]

Last years team was not a carbon copy. They won games because they played hard as a team. That last team had the ball bounce their way more times than not. "Some" Packers fans hate to admit the BEars being any good.

You'd have a much stronger case if Carolina hadn't exposed the Bears as frauds. An impressive regular season that earned them home field after a bye week was washed away in 60 minutes of uninspired football and a midget that Al Harris didn't seem to have any problems shutting down.

The Bears have a fine defensive roster, but their offense doesn't scare anybody. And the Bears signed a CB that could end up doing jail time, and at best has questionable character issues hanging over his head. I'm not sure what that says about the organization, or does to team chemistry.

Add to that the first place schedule and lofty frontrunner status, and Bear fans have just as much to worry about as Packer fans. The Packers aren't expected to do anything this year. First year coach. The pressure is off.

[SD GB fan]

bears have the easiet schedule ON PAPER cos the nfc north plays the afc east (bills and jets), nfc west (cardinals, 49ers, rams) and the rest of the nfc north (lions and packers) twice. but i expect them to struggle with the schedule more than predicted cos a lot of teams improved.

[Joemailman]

The Bears have to considered the favorite because in addition to the fact they are the defending champs, they are the only team that is not starting over with a new coach. This should allow them to get off to a better start that any of the other teams. However, if they struggle early, and it becomes a situation where 9-7 can win the division, anything is possible.

[ny10804]

I think he (the writer) is underestimating our D.

The starters:

Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila :: The man has bulked up, about 10 pounds of muscle, and may actually help in the run-game. Also, the increase in talent around him should help is pass-rushing opprotunities.

Ryan Pickett :: Unbelievably, he fits the hole Gravy Jackson has left. Stout against the run and quick, he fits this D very nicely.

Kenderick Allen/Corey Williams/Cullen Jenkins/Colin Cole :: It is my belief that the Pack has an outstanding DT core. All of this players are good against the run (except Cullen, who is the pass rush specialist). These four plus Pickett will all get some snaps, and will keep the DTs fresh and ready to go.

Aaron Kampman :: Hard working, large, good against the run, decent pass rusher. This man should be the unspoken leader of the D-Line.

AJ Hawk :: Perfect size, great speed, great quickness, play-making ability. Despite being a rook, pretty much anyone right now could do better than Paris Lenon did last year (go back to the XFL! aka the Lions).

Nick Barnett :: The rock of the LB core, 25 and getting better, will do better with better talent to his left and right. I'd call him a franchise player.

Roy Manning/Ben Taylor/Brady Poppinga/Abdul Hodge :: This spot is a wild card. Can Ben repeat what he did last year? Can Brady hold down a starter's role? Is Roy the real thing? Can Abdul play the outside? Nevertheless, it is a good problem to be having.

Charles Woodson :: Pushes the weak link of the D out: Ahmad "grabby smurf" Carroll. If he can heal from his leg injury, you can count on the #1 WR having a bad game. He and Al will benefit from each other's prescence.

Alshinard Harris :: A #1 CB on about 20 teams in the league, he can lock down any WR (sans Randy Moss). More balls will be thrown his way due to Chuck, and will have more picks and knocked down balls. Let's hope he doens't hold out!

Nick Collins :: One of the future cornerstones of the D, this young man is a stud. With a year under his belt and an upgraded secondary, he will be in great position to surpass what he did last year (which was great).

Marquand Manuel :: My dog could play better SS than Mark Roman. It's almost getting cliche, but as soon as Manuel came out of the game, the Steelers started scoring. Either way, he is an upgrade and does his job well.


I think this D has TONS of potential.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Mike Brown played most of the year last year. Outside of Grossman, the Bears were fortunate on the injury front. Vasher is a playmaker and solid, but he isn't an elite corner. He was the nickelback on a defense that got a lot of pressure, and he got a lot of opportunities to make plays.

Defensively, the one area that the Bears could improve, ironically, is corner. Charles Tillman was a stud his rookie year. I expect a bounce back year from him. He wasn't special last year.

IMHO, Griese is a better QB than Grossman. I think Grossman is fraudalent. Griese is the guy that scares me for that team. He could provide decent QB play.

[Bossman641]

Mike Brown played most of the year last year. Outside of Grossman, the Bears were fortunate on the injury front. Vasher is a playmaker and solid, but he isn't an elite corner. He was the nickelback on a defense that got a lot of pressure, and he got a lot of opportunities to make plays.

Defensively, the one area that the Bears could improve, ironically, is corner. Charles Tillman was a stud his rookie year. I expect a bounce back year from him. He wasn't special last year.

IMHO, Griese is a better QB than Grossman. I think Grossman is fraudalent. Griese is the guy that scares me for that team. He could provide decent QB play.

I dunno, the Bears gave Tillman a lot of help over the top his rookie year. That's why he had a good first year. Bears fans hyped him to no end, orgasming over the mere mention of his name. OH PEANUT TILLMAN!!!

Last year he fell back down to earth, the level he belongs at. It was fun seeing Bear fans turn on him so quickly. He is what he is, a decent cornerback who is very susceptible to big plays.

Like I said, Vasher is good but he is certainly no shut-down corner. The Bears' D is still susceptible to the pass. Is Ricky Manning Jr gonna help that? Hmm, not unless the opposing WR is some computer geek messing around with his laptop.

Jackass

[Dabaddestbear]

Mike Brown played most of the year last year. Outside of Grossman, the Bears were fortunate on the injury front. Vasher is a playmaker and solid, but he isn't an elite corner. He was the nickelback on a defense that got a lot of pressure, and he got a lot of opportunities to make plays.

Defensively, the one area that the Bears could improve, ironically, is corner. Charles Tillman was a stud his rookie year. I expect a bounce back year from him. He wasn't special last year.

IMHO, Griese is a better QB than Grossman. I think Grossman is fraudalent. Griese is the guy that scares me for that team. He could provide decent QB play.

Once again Harvey you speak half truths, but the football gods will spare your spiritual sport soul for now. Brown played here and there last year but was hurt since week 2. I agree Vasher isnt an elite CB but how many can say they are in the NFL today? Oh yeah, Vasher wasnt a nickle back. He was the starting CB opposite Tillman after week 1 or 2. He was a nickle back his rookie year. Tillman was a stud his rookie year because the rules that exist today wasnt in play when he first came into the league. His style of play has always been physical in short space now that the league changed the rules he seems to not have made the adjustment in his style of play. result has been...."Steve Smith for 6!!" FS I believe is the weakest link on the Defense though.
I think Grossman and Griese will make for a solid one two punch since chances are whoever starts will get injured and not finish the season.

[GrnBay007]

Bears schedule - my prediction

Sep 10 @Green Bay -L
Sep 17 Detroit - W
Sep 24 @Minnesota - L
Oct 1 Seattle -L
Oct 8 Buffalo - W
Oct 16 @Arizona - L
Week 7 BYE
Oct 29 San Francisco - W
Nov 5 Miami - L
Nov 12 @N.Y. Giants -L
Nov 19 @N.Y. Jets - W
Nov 26 @New England - L
Dec 3 Minnesota -W
Dec 11 @St. Louis - W
Dec 17 Tampa Bay - W
Dec 24 @Detroit - W
Dec 31 Green Bay - L

8-8 NFC North is up for grabs. I did have a L for Tampa....but since it's a home game, gave them the W to make it 8-8.



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[Dabaddestbear]

Bears schedule - my prediction

Sep 10 @Green Bay -L w
Sep 17 Detroit - W w
Sep 24 @Minnesota - L L
Oct 1 Seattle -L L
Oct 8 Buffalo - W w
Oct 16 @Arizona - L w
Week 7 BYE
Oct 29 San Francisco - W w
Nov 5 Miami - L w
Nov 12 @N.Y. Giants -L L
Nov 19 @N.Y. Jets - W w
Nov 26 @New England - L w
Dec 3 Minnesota -W w
Dec 11 @St. Louis - W w
Dec 17 Tampa Bay - W w
Dec 24 @Detroit - W w
Dec 31 Green Bay - L w Yes, it will be a sweep again.

8-8 NFC North is up for grabs. I did have a L for Tampa....but since it's a home game, gave them the W to make it 8-8.

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I imediately went straight to the games against GB to see how much of a homer you were. After I saw that for some odd reason that you have a weak GB team beating the Bears twice I couldnt take anything else you said seriously. Although this is too early to make overall predictions for the exact win lost total i will take a stab at your post just for the heck of it.

[RashanGary]

The Packers are going to be much better. I still think the Bears have the North locked down for at least one more year.

With that being said, Favre takes Bears games seriously and I think the Packers will win at least one. If Favre stays healthy and comes back, I think this young team could compete for a championship. Not quite yet but I think there will be some real gains this year.

I think the Bears are a legit 11-5/12-4 team. I don't think GB is as far off as many seem to think though. It looks to me like an 8-8 season but that is just a guess.