Around the Football World in 60 Days – The NFC North

By Ivette Ricco

Tick – tock - tick-tock only 30 days (more or less) for the start of the 2005 NFL season at the time of this writing , Thursday, September 8, 2005.

NFL 2005 Kick-offs off on Thursday September 8 as the Raiders meet the Patriots in New England. Ahh....all is right with the world again.
This is a moment all football junkies wait for with great anticipation, cases of beer, pounds of beef, and all the pent up enthusiasm a 6-month football drought has caused.

In the last 4 weeks we’ve made our way through the AFC conference and are now heading to the NFC by way of the NFC North. The NFC North, a division once known for its blue-collar attitude and hard-hitting defenses. A division made up of teams in less than glamorous regions of the nation. Teams that were around when the game of football was being born in America.
The Bears, the Packers, the Lions and the Vikings have storied histories and established traditions, but, can any of these teams step up and win a Super Bowl any time soon? And more to the point, can they compete for a Super Bowl this season?

USA Today Sports Weekly, Mar 9 – June 13, 2005 - Power Rankings

NFC North
Minnesota
Packers
Lions
Bears

Surprise. I think there is one team in this division poised to unseat both the Vikings and the Packers. Read on.

Green Bay Packers: 2004 Season Record 10-6
Pass the Brat, Brett.

When you think of the Green Bay Packers, you think of Brett Favre. No active player's name is as synonymous with his team than “Mississippi Man”, Brett Favre. His place in football history is being written with every pass he throws and every win and every loss.
But Brett hasn’t had the team and the players to reach another Super Bowl since the Packers loss to the Denver Broncos 31-24 in 1998. And I don't see him leading this team within sniffing distance of another Lombardi Trophy before he hangs up his jock.

Sorry Cheesheads, but:
The Packers have lost their mystique. No longer are they invincible at Lambeau Field. No longer is Brett Favre the answer to every coach’s dream.
The Lambeau Leap looks more like the Lambeau Limp.
No longer are the Packers the gold standard in the NFC North.

The NFC North is loaded with young talent and the Green Bay Packers will find it rough going in this division this year, especially with their anemic defense.
There are other factors that might contribute to a meltdown in Packer-Land:
Daunte Culpepper has emerged in Minnesota and their offense is still potent.
Joey Harrington will have a speedy stable of young and talented wide receivers to throw to.
Da Bears get Rex Grossman back healthy and have added wide-out Muhsin Muhammad as a target for Grossman.
It may be Brett’s last season, and I for one would be sad to see him go, and to go without another Super Bowl trophy. But I’m afraid he is destined to ride off into the Mississippi sunset without another ring.

Minnesota Vikings: 2004 Season Record 8-8
No Rowdy Randy - No Moss – No Mess – No Mas

More news from Minnesota - Mike Tice will have to learn how to make ends meet on his coach’s salary without any extra dough from ticket scalping.

This season Daunte Culpepper may not have Randy Moss as his aerodynamic target but he will have Nate Burleson, Marcus Robinson and former Ravens receiver Travis Taylor to throw to. There is also a new kid in town that may be the next “Randy Moss”. First-round pick Troy Williamson, who has been described as possessing Moss-like qualities, Williamson doesn't quite have Moss’s size at 6-foot-2, but is a lightning bolt downfield.

The money the Vikings saved by getting Randy off the payroll allowed them to add defensive talent in free agency (CB Fred Smoot, S Darren Sharper, DL Pat Williams). There is no doubt whatsoever now who this team belongs to — Daunte Culpepper.
The Vikings bear watching this season although I think there is a team in the division that is poised to shock the Packers and the Vikings.
Shhhh…. It’s the Detroit Lions.

Detroit Lions: 2004 Season record 6-10
My Pal Joey.

Yep, that’s what Steve “Mooch” Mariucci is saying about his young quarterback, Joey Harrington.
For Joey, it’s all on the line as the 2005 season is do or die time for Joey Harrington.

Harrington isn’t a bad quarterback and he has had his moments but he just hasn’t made the progress expected of him. Much of that may be due to the utterly awful offensive team he was surrounded with his first few season in the NFL. Now, the Lions organization has given him a marginal vote of confidence (not a very strong endorsement with Jeff Garcia waiting in the wings) they’ve added some offensive talent, and a young running back, Kevin Jones plus an improving young defense. And to make Joey feel good about it all they picked up another $3 million roster bonus on Joey.

But how patient will the Lions, Mooch and Millen be with Joey if he can’t take the next step and lift the Lions over the hump? It’s all up to you now Joey.

Chicago Bears: 2004 Season Record 5-11
Bad News Bears?

Poor Bears, who are they? Can you name any of their players? Well maybe one, Rex Grossman, oh and there’s Brian Urlacher.
Da Bears, a team that gave offense a bad name in 2004 as their offense served up an NFL-worst 14.4 points per game in 2004, 19 touchdowns (both the Colts and Chiefs scored three times that amount), just nine TD passes with 137 passing yards per game.

Rex Grossman can plead the fifth for his part in the 2004 debacle. He was in just three games last season before injury. In his three games, the Bears averaged 19.7 points in the thirteen games without him, they averaged just 13.2 points. Running back Thomas Jones faced eight and sometimes nine men in the box as defense’s loaded up to stop the Bear’s one-dimensional offense. Da Bears drafted Cedric Benson to share running back duties with Thomas Jones and acquired Muhsin Muhammad to the wide receiving corps this off-season. More offense in 2005 will help, but now what?

Well frankly Da Bears have nowhere to go but up and perhaps with a healthy Rex Grossman they will score a few more points, get a few more wins and instill a sense of optimism in these Bad News Bears and their fans.

NFC North - My Rankings for 2005
Lions - Cinderella emerges in Detroit
Vikings - offense soars without Randy
Packers - Brett can't so it alone
Bears - a better season a tough defense

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