For the fourth of our eight part 2011 NFL preview, we take a look at the NFC North. The teams are listed in order of where we expect them to finish.
1. Green Bay Packers: Last year, the Packers won the Super Bowl despite getting decimated by injuries all over the place. With the loss of every down back Ryan Grant, they were forced to rely on Aaron Rodgers when a viable alternative never developed. Rodgers delivered, and immediately placed himself in the discussion of top three quarterbacks in the NFL. With a healthy receiving corps now that Jermichael Finley and Donald Driver are back, the explosive Greg Jennings, and the potential breakout candidate James Jones; the offense can only get better. Grant is now going to be in a time share with playoff hero James Starks, adding a top notch running game to the elite passing game.
Usually, when a team is so dominant on one side of the ball, they are deficient on the other (we’re looking at you, Indianapolis Colts). That is simply not the case here. While the losses of Cullen Jenkins and Nick Barnett will hurt, they simply have players waiting in the wings that they will plug in. The line is still deep and quite capable of pressuring the quarterback despite being a 3-4. The linebackers are still a group of playmakers, headlined by Clay Matthews Jr. The secondary can not only play man coverage with the best of the NFL, but are all quite capable at blitzing from the edge.
An already deep team actually got better in the draft, despite having the last pick. This could be another Super Bowl run.
2. Detroit Lions: In theory, the Lions will go only as far as Matthew Stafford can bring them. Unfortunately, Stafford has been injured in each of his first two seasons. Fortunately for the Lions, this simply shows that they may be the deepest of any team at quarterback, as the three Lions QBs totaled 4001 yards, 26 touchdowns, and only 16 interceptions. Of course, it helps to have an absolute stud receiver in Calvin Johnson to throw to, but he has help. Brandon Pettigrew is a solid tight end, and the selection of Titus Young allows Nate Burleson to work the slot, where he is better suited. The biggest question is whether or not Jahvid Best can put together a complete season. He showed flashes of pure brilliance prior to his turf toe injury last year, but he will need to be the playmaker the Lions front office expects him to be.
On defense, the Lions are much improved. Ndamukong Suh may very well be the best defensive tackle at getting to the quarterback since Warren Sapp was in his prime. Adding Nick Fairley along side of him just makes his job that much easier. The defensive ends, Cliff Avril and Kyle Vanden Bosch, are both solid, and will benefit from the one-on-one matchups they will receive. Linebacker, which was a major weakness for the past few years, has been dramatically upgraded. Stephen Tulloch, Justin Durant, and DeAndre Levy are the best trio of linebackers that the Lions have had in years. The secondary finally has something there aside from third year safety Louis Delams. Chris Houston was resigned, and Eric Wright, a very underrated corner, was brought in as the second starter. This defense could be dominant if they stay healthy.
We here at Mr. Dave’s Sports Blog are not afraid to go out on a limb, so here it is – the Lions make the playoffs as the number five seed AND win a playoff game. Get used to Detroit playing good football.
3. Chicago Bears:Last year, the Bears won the division and made the NFC Championship game. That may as well have been in a different century. Statistically, the Bears should have been a nine win team last year, and it is hard to see where they will be much better than that this year. Jay Cutler is back, but does he have the respect of the locker room and the offense after he seemingly quit on them last year? Their offensive line is still a work in progress, and may have more holes than the slice of Swiss cheese on my sandwich. The biggest acquisition on offense was Roy Williams, who did have success with Mike Martz in Detroit, but is still exceedingly overrated. The key to the offense should by Matt Forte, who is a solid runner and pass catcher. Lovie Smith likes to run the ball, and Martz likes to throw to the running back, yet there are times when Forte is forgotten in that offense.
The defense still have a lot of name recognition with Brian Urlacher, Juluis Peppers, and Lance Briggs; but are they really any good? The defense is old, and is more about executing their scheme than reacting and chasing down plays. While the Bears were the second best rushing defense last year, is it truly feasible to expect them to maintain that pace? There is absolutely no depth behind the starters anywhere on this defense, so any time lost to injury will be a major concern.
The Bears are going to drop to the lower half of the division this year, and, if they are not careful, may sink all the way to the bottom.
4. Minnesota Vikings: Coming off the debacle that was last year and Brett Favre, the Vikings are a team that has something to prove. By trading for Donovan McNabb, they not only got seven years younger at quarterback, but brought in someone that personifies that mindset. McNabb will have a chip on his shoulder and will be motivated to show that he can still play after being unceremoniously dumped by the non-genius Mike Shanahan. The passing game is going to be designed to play to his strengths, and feature rollouts, bootlegs, and have McNabb only scan half the field for plays. Sidney Rice was allowed to leave through free agency, making Percy Harvin the de facto number one receiver. Harvin is a playmaker, but may be better suited to his role in the slot, and occasional use out of the backfield. If that happens to be the case, expect the tight ends to get a lot of work this year. And, of course, having a running back the caliber of Adrian Peterson helps alleviate a lot of pressure on the passing game. Now that Peterson appears to be over his early fumbling problems, he is the best back in the game.
Defensively, there is a lot of flux. The entire defensive line is in disarray, as the only starter from Week One last year that will be playing on Opening Day is Jared Allen. Kevin Williams will miss two games from his long-awaited suspension, and Pat Williams and Ray Edwards departed as free agents. The players expected to take their spots are not nearly as talented as their predecessors. Chad Greenway and E.J. Henderson are playmakers at linebacker, and Antoine Winfield is one of the better cornerbacks in the game, but they are rather deficient on this side of the ball. The secondary will need the pass rush to re-emerge for them to avoid being torched frequently.
If everything breaks right, the Vikings may be in the hunt for a playoff berth late into December. However, it is more likely that December is all about seeing what Christian Ponder can do behind center.
Showing posts with label Detroit Lions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Detroit Lions. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Thoughts From Day Two
Rounds two and three of the NFL draft occurred last night, amid the announcement that the lockout is back on. While looking into how much Roger Goodell does not care about the fans or the players is a topic for another day, today we shall look at the best and worst moves of Day Two, broken down by rounds.
Good moves of the second round:
-Andy Dalton going to the Bengals. This gives them leverage in the Carson Palmer fiasco. They can either tell him to take a walk, or move him and have something other than Jordan Palmer to lead the team.
-Ryan Williams going to Arizona. Maybe this is the year the Cardinals can run the ball. They've certainly invested a lot of picks in that position over the last few years. Williams is a complete back, and should take the job with ease.
-Titus Young going to the Lions. This gives them a legitimate possession receiver opposite of Calvin Johnson, and will force the defense to pay attention to someone else downfield. Now if only Stafford can stay healthy...
-Ben Ijalana to the Colts. Pure power, lane opening, run blocking lineman. They may keep him at tackle, but he would be better suited as a guard. Either way, this selection will help a running game that had nowhere to go last year.
-Da'Quan Bowers to the Bucs. Let's see, the Bucs stayed put, and took the number 6 ranked player in the draft at pick 51. Insane value. Coupled with Clayborn, they have improved the pass rush significantly. Biggest concern is the knee, but at this point of the draft, it's worth the gamble.
Bad moves of the second round:
-Ras-I Dowling to the Patriots. Why? They already have three cornerbacks that can play. Also, there were better cornerbacks available at 33 if they truly felt they needed to make another selection there. The top pick of the second round is WAY too high to be spending on a player that will only be on the field in the dime.
-Continuing with the Patriots, their selection of Shane Vereen. He's a third down back. While Kevin Faulk is getting old, they already had his replacement with Danny Woodhead. While Woodhead is undersized, he also fits that role perfectly. What is Vereen's role going to be?
-Colin Kaepernick going to San Fran. He's a development quarterback, who is going to be tutored by Harbaugh. The hjope is that he'll be ready in a couple of years, but this also means that the 49ers are almost definately bringing back Alex Smith. Kaepernick is too raw to see the field this year, but probably will if Smith returns.
-Greg Little to the Cleveland Browns. Stop us if you've heard this before - the browns drafted a raw receiver in the second round. Don't they already have three of these players on the roster? How has that worked for them? This is particularly perplexing when they had the opportunity to draft Julio Jones, who could be the game changer they desperately need. Colt McCoy should be pissed.
On to the third round. Here are the best moves:
-Ryan Mallett to the Patriots. They got the best quarterback in the draft at pick 74. He is the heir to Tom Brady, and Patriots fans will love this pick in a few years. The biggest concern is keeping his head straight, but with that locker room and coaching staff, that will not be a problem.
-Austin Pettis to the Rams. This gives Bradford the possession receiver he needs in that offense. He was overshadowed by Titus Young, but is a legitimate receiving prospect in his own right. he will help open the field for the smaller, quicker receivers that the Rams have.
-Jerrel Jernigan to the Giants. Yes, the Giants are deep at receiver already, but Jernigan can play anywhere. He has lined up as a Wildcat quarterback, and also is a good red zone target. He can make an immediate impact in New York.
-Mason Foster to the Bucs. Let's see here, a playmaking linebacker that fits what the Bucs do on defense perfectly being available at pick 81? The biggest knock against him is that he was considered a bit slow, but the speed a player performs at is more important than any drills. Foster makes plays. Meet the next stud linebacker for Tampa Bay.
And now, moves that did not make as much sense:
-Rob Housler to Arizona. Yes, the Cardinals needed help at tight end. But the tight end is not a big part of their offense, and Housler is not much of a blocker. If they plan on using the tight end more, better pass catchers (D.J. Williams) were available. Quite a stretch taking him with that pick.
-DeMarco Murray to the Cowboys. I really like Murray as a player. He's a good back that will perform when given the opportunity. But he goes to Dallas, where they already have three good backs. Is he going to see the field? While Marion Barber III is probably gone from the Cowboys, he still has Felix Jones and Tashard Choice ahead of him on the depth chart. It's a waste to only be giving Murray five carries a game, which is the likely outcome.
-Steven Ridley to the Patriots. Umm....didn't you draft a running back the round before? So why take another running back here? Oh, and that pick 28 that you traded to the Saints? Yeah, that was Mark Ingram. If you really needed a running back that badly, why make the trade Bill? Maybe you just can't help yourself anymore. Thanks for becoming a parody of yourself.
-Alex Green to Green Bay. Yes, the Packers went through practically anyone that ever played running back last year on their Super Bowl run, so they needed a running back. However, there were better backs available. Green is a third down back, who is essentially Brandon Jackson. So, if they don't like Jackson, why draft the exact same player?
More thoughts about Day Three will be posted tomorrow.
Good moves of the second round:
-Andy Dalton going to the Bengals. This gives them leverage in the Carson Palmer fiasco. They can either tell him to take a walk, or move him and have something other than Jordan Palmer to lead the team.
-Ryan Williams going to Arizona. Maybe this is the year the Cardinals can run the ball. They've certainly invested a lot of picks in that position over the last few years. Williams is a complete back, and should take the job with ease.
-Titus Young going to the Lions. This gives them a legitimate possession receiver opposite of Calvin Johnson, and will force the defense to pay attention to someone else downfield. Now if only Stafford can stay healthy...
-Ben Ijalana to the Colts. Pure power, lane opening, run blocking lineman. They may keep him at tackle, but he would be better suited as a guard. Either way, this selection will help a running game that had nowhere to go last year.
-Da'Quan Bowers to the Bucs. Let's see, the Bucs stayed put, and took the number 6 ranked player in the draft at pick 51. Insane value. Coupled with Clayborn, they have improved the pass rush significantly. Biggest concern is the knee, but at this point of the draft, it's worth the gamble.
Bad moves of the second round:
-Ras-I Dowling to the Patriots. Why? They already have three cornerbacks that can play. Also, there were better cornerbacks available at 33 if they truly felt they needed to make another selection there. The top pick of the second round is WAY too high to be spending on a player that will only be on the field in the dime.
-Continuing with the Patriots, their selection of Shane Vereen. He's a third down back. While Kevin Faulk is getting old, they already had his replacement with Danny Woodhead. While Woodhead is undersized, he also fits that role perfectly. What is Vereen's role going to be?
-Colin Kaepernick going to San Fran. He's a development quarterback, who is going to be tutored by Harbaugh. The hjope is that he'll be ready in a couple of years, but this also means that the 49ers are almost definately bringing back Alex Smith. Kaepernick is too raw to see the field this year, but probably will if Smith returns.
-Greg Little to the Cleveland Browns. Stop us if you've heard this before - the browns drafted a raw receiver in the second round. Don't they already have three of these players on the roster? How has that worked for them? This is particularly perplexing when they had the opportunity to draft Julio Jones, who could be the game changer they desperately need. Colt McCoy should be pissed.
On to the third round. Here are the best moves:
-Ryan Mallett to the Patriots. They got the best quarterback in the draft at pick 74. He is the heir to Tom Brady, and Patriots fans will love this pick in a few years. The biggest concern is keeping his head straight, but with that locker room and coaching staff, that will not be a problem.
-Austin Pettis to the Rams. This gives Bradford the possession receiver he needs in that offense. He was overshadowed by Titus Young, but is a legitimate receiving prospect in his own right. he will help open the field for the smaller, quicker receivers that the Rams have.
-Jerrel Jernigan to the Giants. Yes, the Giants are deep at receiver already, but Jernigan can play anywhere. He has lined up as a Wildcat quarterback, and also is a good red zone target. He can make an immediate impact in New York.
-Mason Foster to the Bucs. Let's see here, a playmaking linebacker that fits what the Bucs do on defense perfectly being available at pick 81? The biggest knock against him is that he was considered a bit slow, but the speed a player performs at is more important than any drills. Foster makes plays. Meet the next stud linebacker for Tampa Bay.
And now, moves that did not make as much sense:
-Rob Housler to Arizona. Yes, the Cardinals needed help at tight end. But the tight end is not a big part of their offense, and Housler is not much of a blocker. If they plan on using the tight end more, better pass catchers (D.J. Williams) were available. Quite a stretch taking him with that pick.
-DeMarco Murray to the Cowboys. I really like Murray as a player. He's a good back that will perform when given the opportunity. But he goes to Dallas, where they already have three good backs. Is he going to see the field? While Marion Barber III is probably gone from the Cowboys, he still has Felix Jones and Tashard Choice ahead of him on the depth chart. It's a waste to only be giving Murray five carries a game, which is the likely outcome.
-Steven Ridley to the Patriots. Umm....didn't you draft a running back the round before? So why take another running back here? Oh, and that pick 28 that you traded to the Saints? Yeah, that was Mark Ingram. If you really needed a running back that badly, why make the trade Bill? Maybe you just can't help yourself anymore. Thanks for becoming a parody of yourself.
-Alex Green to Green Bay. Yes, the Packers went through practically anyone that ever played running back last year on their Super Bowl run, so they needed a running back. However, there were better backs available. Green is a third down back, who is essentially Brandon Jackson. So, if they don't like Jackson, why draft the exact same player?
More thoughts about Day Three will be posted tomorrow.
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