NFC North Blog: Great Potential, But Filled With Holes

By: Justin Tumidanski

The 2010 draft is almost upon us, and that means it's finally time to start talking some football once again. I believe that the NFC North may just be one of the more competitive divisions in the NFL this year. Last years front runners (Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers) haven't made any strong additions through free agency this year, and have chosen to try and retain as many players as possible. Both the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears have arguably been the most active in free agency this year, with many key additions it is clear that the talent level in this division is rapidly leveling off. This may be the most competitive year for this division that we have seen in a long time. Glaring holes are present in each team as draft day approaches. These need to be filled in order for them to return to respectability (Lions and Bears) or be considered serious playoff contenders (Vikings and Packers). These holes are what I would like to address in this blog.

Green Bay Packers:
With the first year of transitioning to a 3-4 defense complete, the Packers can only hope to improve upon their good defensive numbers in 2010. This team is arguably the most complete team in the division with a strong defense and a very potent offense. There are only two main areas that I am concerned with for the Packers heading into the start of the season, with the first being the offensive line. Only the starting gaurds were able to play in all sixteen regular season games last year, and looking at the age and history of both starting tackles it may not change again this year. Throughout last year Aaron Rodgers was under much duress as he was sacked fifty times, with some of the highest sack totals coming in each of their five losses. It is clear that Aaron Rodgers (or any quarterback) plays their best when they have a comfortable pocket to work in.

The health of the secondary is also a concern, as starting corner Al Harris was unable to play the full sixteen game season after suffering from a severe knee injury. 2009 defensive mvp Charles Woodson isn't getting any younger either. Look for the Packers to address both of these needs through the draft. If health is not a factor this year, the Packers have the best shot out of anyone in this division to compete for a super bowl trophy.

Minnesota Vikings:
This team a year ago was one game from the super bowl, it is hard to believe that there would be any significant hole in any aspect of this teams game. But, there are more than you'd like to think. As the Farve watch continues in Minnesota, the Vikings roll into the draft with some major uncertainty with who is going to lead the team come September. I find it very difficult to believe that Farve will not be under center for the purple and black this year, but with Tavaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels waiting in the midst things don't look good if he decides to retire.

My main concern though when looking at the Vikings, is their secondary. Both Antoine Winfield and Cedric Griffin had significant injuries last year, and will they be ready to start the season? Winfield looks like he will, but there has been no official word when Griffin will be ready after tearing his ACL in the NFC Championship loss to the New Orleans Saints. With unimpressive play of both of the starting safeties, Tyrell Johnson and Madieu Williams, along with questions at cornerback the secondary of the Vikings is looking quite rough. Look for them to pick up a play maker for their secondary and a rotational defensive tackle to provide depth behind the aging Pat Williams with their early picks.

Chicago Bears:
Bringing in the offensive guru Mike Martz is a very risky maneuver which could end up great or a complete disaster. With the true intention to strengthen an otherwise anemic offense the Bears brought in Mike Martz to help bring the best out of Jay Cutler. The problem is that they still have no real #1 receiver in Chicago and who knows how Jay Cutler will rebound from his twenty six interception season. Things however, are starting to look better as Devin Aromashodu stepped up his game at the end last season, I have a feeling he will be paired with the shifty Johnny Knox to begin this season.

The Bears also made headlines this offseason by bringing in stud defensive end Julius Peppers from Carolina in order to bolster their defensive line. This move looks more like a expensive bandaid rather than a long term solution as the big names on this defense are getting old. This team is in transition and needs to bring in talented defensive players and offensive linemen in this draft. The problem with this of course, is that last year they spent big to bring in Jay Cutler, and are left with few draft picks (with the first of the few being in the third round) to fix their problems. Going into the season, the strength of the Bears team is with the offense, and their position in the NFC North with be determined solely on how well Jay Cutler, Matt Forte, and the receiver corp. adapt to the Mike Martz system.

Detroit Lions:
Head coach Jim Schwartz is doing a great job by brining in middle grade veterans and drafting talent in order to build the team for the future. Their skill positions are nearly set, and they are beginning to bring the defense that rated last in many stat categories around. That being said this team has a ton of ground to cover in order to return to respectability.

Aside from Louis Delmas the secondary is atrocious, giving up a league worst 265.6 passing yards per game. In a division with elite quarterbacks (Brett Farve, Aaron Rodgers, and Jay Cutler) if they can't force throws with pressure from the defensive line they may find themselves in a similar spot come next offseason. The additions of Corey Williams and Kyle Vanden Bosch strengthen their chances of putting pressure on the quarterback. As the draft approaches, it is looking more like the Lions will bring in Ndamukong Suh to further bolster the defensive line. That leaves the secondary as the defenses main weakness, as it still has a long way to go even with the addition of Falcons cast off Chris Houston. Unless they find a starting caliber cornerback or a top tier edge rusher in the draft it is fair to expect the Lions to find themselves with another top 10 pick in next years draft.

We will get a good indication of what exactly these teams are concerned about going into the season by looking at what they choose to do in the draft starting this Thursday.