2012 Draft Order

The playoffs begin this weekend, and we are all extremely excited to see what happens.  12 teams go into a 'win or go home' tournament, that is sure to capture the imagination of the world.  But what happens if, like me, you are a fan of a team that is not in the playoffs??  We are already looking forward to the next stage in the development of our teams.  Following the completion of Sundays games, we now know what the draft order will be, from positions 1 - 20.  Take a look, and start to plan for who your team may be looking at come April.

Colts

Rams

Vikings

Browns

Buccaneers

Redskins

Jaguars

Panthers
(Dependent on
coin flip at
combine)

Dolphins
(Dependant on
coin flip at
combine)

Bills

Chiefs
(Dependant on
coin flip at
combine)

Seahawks
(Dependant on
coin flip at
combine)

Cardinals

Cowboys

Eagles

Jets

Bengals
(recieved from
Raiders in
Carson Palmer
trade)

Chargers

Bears

Titans

So there you have it.  Pick 8 (between Panthers and Dolphins), and pick 11 (between Chiefs and Seahawks) will be decided at the combine by a flip of a coin.  Also The Bengals (pick 17) are the only playoff team to pick in the top 20, thanks to the trade of Carson Palmer to the Raiders.

Start planning your teams needs and maybe even which players that they will select in April, and I would love to know your thoughts.  Either leave them here as a comment, email me - nflgbview@googlemail.com or tweet me - nflgbview

How do we deal with the hurry up offence?

The hurry up offence in the NFL has become a real weapon, that defences have struggled to cope with.  The offence hurries to line following the completion of the previous play, calls the play at the line, and snaps the ball before the defence has chance to react, and or substitute. 

Patriots QB Tom Brady is an expert in the hurry up

The masters of this style of offence are the New England Patriots and QB Tom Brady.  Brady is a fantastic QB, who reads defences very well, and can easily pick out the weaknesses.  With the introduction of hybrid players such as TE / WR's Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski, as well as RB / WR Danny Woodhead, the Patriots can line up in many different formations, without the need for substituting.  This allows the offence to hurry, not allowing the the defence to substitute out of the package they are in.  For example, the Patriots could line up with 2 TE's (Hernandez and Gronkowski) 1 RB (Woodhead) and 2 WR's (Ochocinco and Welker).  The defence may decide to go with their base defence against this on 1st down, lets say for example they line up 4 - 3, 4 down lineman, 3 LB's 2 CB's and 2 S's.  This defence can cope with this offence.  But then on 2nd down, Brady can go 5 WR's, without making a substitution.  As the Patriots hurry to the line the defence could not make substitutions themselves, meaning that the LB's will have to cover Hernandez, Gronkowski and Woodhead, who will be running WR routes.  On this play the defence is in real trouble.

2 Giants fall to the floor, without a Ram in sight

Many other teams have being using this hurry up style, including the St Louis Rams on Monday Night against the Giants.  But how do defences deal with this??  Well the Giants came up with a very effective, but very morally wrong way.  They decided that when they wanted to slow the Rams down, they would have somebody fake an injury, in order for an injury timeout to be called.  This was obvious when 2 players fell over with nobody even near them as the Rams were lining up for a play.  FAKE AN INJURY!!! What is this??  This is supposed to be FOOTBALL - a game played by gladiators.  In my opinion this is pathetic, and blatantly cheating.

Thankfully the NFL agrees, and has sent a memo to all the teams this week explaining that this will not be tolerated, and that if teams or players are found guilty, there will be serious consequences.  This could include fines for players and coaches, suspensions, and even loss of draft picks.  I think that the NFL has taken a great stance on this subject, and I hope that it carries these threats out to teams that offend.  We all love this game because its played by warriors, lets not allow it to go the same way as Soccer.

Saints 34 Packers 42

What a start to the new season this was!!  The game had everything we expected and more.  Huge nights by both QB's, plenty of points, and we even saw 2 kick returns.  This is why we have missed football so much, and why we are so grateful that the NFL managed to get things sorted in time for this year to begin.

Rodgers had a huge game

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers came out on fire last night, giving the Packers a 14 - 0 start, inside the first 9 minutes of the game.  The Pack drove down and scored on their 1st drive, Rodgers to Jennings, before the Saints offence had a nightmare start.  On the 2nd play of the night for QB Drew Brees hit WR Marques Coulston in the hands, before Coulston fumbled the ball, and it was recover by CB Tramon Williams.  The Pack drove again, and added their 2nd score of the night, Rodgers to Nelson.  Rodgers finished the night completing 27 passes, for 312 yards and 3 TD's.

Ingram stopped short at the 1

The Saints though, put up quite a fight throughout the rest of the game.  QB Drew Brees was fantastic, completing 32 passes for 419 yards and 3 TD's.  The problems that the Saints had were in the run game.  Rookie RB Mark Ingram was given the ball twice on 4th and short, and both times he was unable to get the yardage required.  If he had made the yard on 4th and goal from the 1 at the end, then the Saints would have been a 2 point conversion away from a tie.  The Packers defence held though, and got the defending Superbowl champions off to a winning start.

Both teams looked very effective in the kick return game, and opponents better take extra care when kicking to Darren Sproles (Saints) and Randall Cobb (Packers).  Rookie WR Randell Cobb equalled an NFL all time record in his pro debut, when he ran back a kick off 108 yards for a TD. 

Both teams will win alot of games this year without doubt.  The Packers look better than ever, and when the Saints sort their running game, they will be a match for anyone.  Football's back!!  Bring on Sunday Night!!

2011 Season Opener - Saints @ Packers

Rodgers celebrating 2010 Superbowl win

Tonight the 2011 NFL season gets underway, with the 2010 Superbowl Champion Green Bay Packers, taking on the 2009 Superbowl winners, the New Orleans Saints at the historic Lambeau Field.  What a fantastic occasion this promises to be, as not only are these teams the last 2 Superbowl winners, they are both fully expected to go a long way towards winning it all again this year.  Would you be at all surprised if this was the matchup for the NFC Championship in late January??  Because I wouldn't.

Will Mark Ingram get the start?

The Saints have strengthened their team during the offseason, and will undoubtedly be as effective as ever on offence.  Led by QB Drew Brees, the Saints passing game is considered one of the best in the league.  What I'm very interested to see tonight though is how the run game will be managed.  They still have RB Piere Thomas from last year, but with Reggie Bush now in Miami, they drafted Mark Ingram (from Alabama) and bought in the explosive Darren Sproles from the Chargers.  Will Thomas be the starter??  Will Ingram be the starter??  Will they split carries??  How will Sproles be used??  These are all questions that will be answered tonight.  My guess is that Thomas and Ingram will split carries, and they will use Sproles on kick returns and sometimes on 3rd down.

I'm also looking forward to seeing how the Saints new D Line will look.  1st Round draft pick DE Cameron Jordan will team up with Aubrayo Franklin, Shaun Rodgers and Sedrick Ellis.  This D line will need to get some pressure onto Packers QB Aaron Rodgers, otherwise he will be able to pick them apart.  This defence was the best in the league at creating turnovers in 2009 when they won the Superbowl.  They will need to get back to this standard if they are to stop the champions tonight.

RB Ryan Grant is back from injury

The Packers go into tonight's game, knowing that the Superbowl Champions haven't lost the opening game of the following season, since the Broncos did it against the Dolphins in 1999.  Although they didn't bring anybody in over the offseason through free agency, they have all their players back from the IR list from last year.  There were a total of 15 players on that list, and were missing during their run to the Superbowl.  These include RB Ryan Grant, TE Jermichael Finley and T Mark Tauscher.  With all these players returning to a Superbowl winning roster, the whole NFL knows that the Packers are the team to beat.

QB Aaron Rodgers and this pass offence is also considered as one of the best in the league.  The secondary for both teams will be in for an aerial bombardment tonight.  The Packers also have an interesting situation in the backfield.  When starting RB Ryan Grant got hurt last year, in stepped James Starks.  Starks was fantastic in the playoffs, so it will be interesting to see who starts as the Packers RB to.

I see this game being a fantastic advert for the NFL brand, with lots of points being scored by both teams.  They key to the game in my opinion though is the run game for both sides.  Both sides will score, but I believe that the team that can control the clock with the run game, will get this opening day win.

Who do you think will win the game tonight?? Let me know by leaving a comment, email - nflgbview@googlemail.com or contact me on Twitter - nflgbview.

The 2011 Season - nflgbview's Predictions

We are just a few hours away from the start of the 2011 season, and it is about time I made my predictions for the year.  I will make my predictions for the final division standings, including division champions, 'Wildcard' teams, and I will also predict the whole Superbowl bracket.  I will not be giving records in the regular season standings though.

Ok, here goes!

AFC

East : Patriots, Jets, Dolphins, Bills

North : Steelers, Ravens, Browns, Bengals

South : Texans, Colts, Jaguars, Titans

West : Chargers, Chiefs, Broncos, Raiders

NFC

East : Eagles, Cowboys, Giants, Redskins

North : Packers, Lions, Bears, Vikings

South : Falcons, Saints, Buccaneers, Panthers

West : Rams, Cardinals, Seahawks, 49'ers

This is how I see the teams seeded:

AFC : Patriots, Steelers, Chargers, Texans, Jets, Ravens

NFC : Falcons, Packers, Eagles, Rams, Saints, Cowboys.

So here is how I see the playoff bracket panning out, with the winners:

Wildcard Weekend

Ravens @ Chargers
Jets @ Texans

Cowboys @ Eagles
Saints @ Rams

Divisional Round

Ravens @ Patriots
Jets @ Steelers

Saints @ Falcons
Eagles @ Packers

Conference Championships

Steelers @ Patriots

Packers @ Falcons

Superbowl

Steelers vs Falcons


So there we have it, I have the Steelers and the Falcons in this years Superbowl, with Matt Ryan and co. coming out on top for the Falcons.  Do you agree? Disagree?  Let me know.  Leave a comment, email - nflgbview@googlemail.com or contact me on twitter - nflgbview

Do you think you can predict the outcome of games better than I can, well why don't we compete?  Sign up here

NFC West Preview

Arizona Cardinals

Last Season : 5 - 11



Drafted Players

1st Round - Patrick Peterson CB
2nd Round - Ryan Williams RB
3rd Round - Robert Housler TE
4th Round - Sam Acho LB
5th Round - Anthony Sherman RB
6th Round - Quan Sturdivant LB
6th Round - David Carter DT
7th Round - Demarco Sampson WR

Players in

Kevin Kolb

Kevin Kolb QB
Chester Taylor RB
Chansi Stuckey WR
Todd Heap TE
Jeff King TE
Daryn Colledge OG
Nick Eason DL
Stewart Bradley LB
Crezdon Butler CB
Corey Lindsey CB
Richard Marshall CB

Players out

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie CB
Derek Anderson QB
Tim Hightower RB
Jason Wright RB
Steve Breaston WR
Ben Patrick TE
Stephen Spach TE
Alan FanecaOG
Alan Branch DL
Mark Washington LB

The Cardinals struggled last year, due to the fact that they didn't have a QB.  They addressed this during the off season by trading for Kevin Kolb from the Eagles.  Kolb was seen by many as the best QB available.  He seems to have stuck up a good understanding with star WR Larry Fitzgerald, and I expect this to be the major offensive weapon for the Cardinals.  Their running game doesn't look great now, following the loss of Tim Hightower.  The Card's will be hoping RB Beanie Wells can carry the ball successfully, or else all defences will just double team, or triple team Larry Fitzgerald.

Their 1st round draft pick was CB Patrick Peterson.  Peterson is a fantastic talent, and will undoubtedly make many plays for the Cardinals this year.  I do worry about the secondary though, following the trade of Rodgers-Cromartie.  They will defiantly be able to get pressure onto opposing QB's thanks to DL Darnell Dockett and LB Joey Porter.  I think the Cardinals will shock a few of the more fancied teams at times this year, and will be in contention for this division title up to the very end.  Will they manage to get it done?

St. Louis Rams

Last Season : 7 - 9



Drafted Players

1st Round - Robert Quinn DE
2nd Round - Lance Kendricks TE
3rd Round - Austin Pettis WR
4th Round - Greg Salas WR
5th Round - Jermale Hines DB
7th Round - Mikail Baker DB
7th Round - Jabara Williams LB
7th Round - Jonathan Nelson DB

Players in

Jerious Norwood

Jerious Norwood RB
Cadillac Williams RB
Mike Sims-Walker WR
Stephen Spach TE
Quinn Ojinnaka OT
Harvey Dahl OG
Tony Wragge OG
Justin Bannan DL
Daniel Muir DL
Ben Leber LB
Brady Poppinga LB
Al Harris CB
Quintin Mikell S

Players out

Thaddeus Lewis QB
Chris Massey FB
Mardy Gilyard WR
Laurent Robinson WR
Daniel Fells TE
Derek Schouman TE
George Selvie DL
Na'il Diggs LB
Zac Diles LB
Larry Grant LB
Oshiomogho Atogwe S

I really like what the Rams are doing at the moment.  QB Sam Bradford is a very talented player, who managed to win 7 games last year, without a real number 1 target.  They have bought in WR Mike Sims-Walker to help him this year, and although he is hardly a world beater, at least he is a big target.  RB Steven Jackson is an absolute beast.  Over the years the Rams have asked him to do way to much and he has struggled with injuries.  This year they have bought in Jerious Norwood and Cadillac Williams to help ease the pressure on him.  This should make Jackson even better.

The Rams HC is Steve Spagnuolo.  Spagnuolo is the coach that masterminded the Giants defensive success on their route to the Superbowl a few years ago.  His main thought process is a very dominant front 7, that gets alot of pressure.  Spagnolo is beginning to build this mentality in St.Louis.  DE Chris Long and 1st round draft pick Robert Quinn will apply the pressure, while 2 newcomers in the secondary CB Al Harris and S Quintin Mikel will look to capitalise.  I can't decide who will win this division, but the Rams are defiantly one of the teams I'm considering.

San Francisco 49'ers

Last Season : 6 - 10



Drafted Players

1st Round - Aldon Smith DE
2nd Round - Colin Kaepernick QB
3rd Round - Chris Culiver DB
4th Round - Kendell Hunter RB
5th Round - Daniel Kilgore OL
6th Round - Ronald Johnson WR
6th Round - Colin Jones DB
7th Round - Bruce Miller DL
7th Round - Michael Person OL
7th Round - Curtis Holcomb DB

Players in

Braylon Edwards

Scott Tolzien QB
Braylon Edwards WR
David Akers K
Jonathan Goodwin C
Blake Costanzo LB
Larry Grant LB
Carlos Rodgers CB
Donte Whitner S
Madieu Williams S

Players out

David Carr QB
Jeff Reed K
Tony Wragge OG
Travis LaBoy DL
Manny Lawson LB
Takeo Spikes LB
Nate Clements CB

The 49'ers started last year with alot of expectations, but finished with just 6 wins.  One of their major problems is the lack of a QB.  Alex Smith is back in San Fran this year, but he isn't a QB that can take this team to the playoffs.  They have drafted Colin Kaepernick in the 2nd round, and hope he will be the QB of the future.  This could be dangerous though, because if Smith struggles, how will they handle bringing Kaepernick in?  RB Frank Gore has a new contract, they still have TE Vernon Davis, and they added WR Braylon Edwards from the Jets.  They have the weapons on offence, and if Smith can get going, this team will defiantly put up points.

The problem for the 49'ers is the defence.  They have lost starting LB's Manny Lawson and Takeo Spikes, as well as starting CB Nate Clements.  Star LB Patrick Willis is still there, but he has already showed in the preseason how much he will struggle without Spikes.  This team will concede a shed load of points, and therefore lose alot of games.  I expect they will finish bottom of this division.
 

Seattle Seahawks

Last Season : 7 - 9



Drafted Players

1st Round - James Carpenter OL
3rd Round - John Moffitt OG
4th Round - K.J Wright LB
4th Round - Kris Durham WR
5th Round - Richard Sherman DB
5th Round - Mark Legree S
6th Round - Byron Maxwell DB
7th Round - Lazarius Levington DL
7th Round - Malcolm Smith LB

Players in

Tarvaris Jackson

Tarvaris Jackson QB
Thomas Clayton RB
Sidney Rice WR
Zach Miller TE
Steven Hauschka K
Robert Gallery OG
Alan Branch DL
Landon Cohen DL
David Howard DL
Al Woods DL
Atari Bigby S

Players out

Matt Hasselbeck QB
Olindo Mare K
Sean Locklear OT
Ray Willis OT
Stacy Andrews OG
Michael Huey OG
Chris Spencer C
Amon Gordon DL
Quinn Pitcock DL
Will Herring LB
Vuna Tuihalamaka LB
Jordan Babineaux S

The Seahawks won this division last year, and then shocked everyone by beating the Saints in the 1st week of the playoffs.  Change has been the key since HC Pete Carroll took over a couple of years ago, and this off season was no exception.  QB Matt Hasselbeck has left, and in has come Tarvaris Jackson from Minnesota.  I don't think that Jackson is a very good player, and I think that he will cost them the division title this year.  They have bought in TE Zach Miller and WR Sidney Rice, to try and give Jackson someone to throw to.

This defence is about middle of the pack, and Carroll has bought in S Atari Bigby to try and add some veteran leadership to the secondary.  I think that the Seahawks will have a worse record than last year, and will finish 3rd in the division.

NFC South Preview

Atlanta Falcons

Last Season : 13 - 3



Drafted Players

1st Round - Julio Jones WR
3rd Round - Akeem Dent LB
5th Round - Jacquizz Rodgers RB
6th Round - Matt Boscher K
7th Round - Andrew Jackson OL
7th Round - Cliff Matthews DL


Players in

Ray Edwards

Reggie Kelly TE
Ray Edwards DL
Kelvin Hayden CB
James Sanders S

Players out

Jerious Norwood RB
Michael Jenkins WR
Michael Koenen P
Harvey Dahl OG
Jamaal Anderson DL
Emmanuel Stephans DL
Erik Coleman S

The Falcons had a great year last year, losing just 3 games, getting themselves a bye in week one of the playoffs.  They did run into Green Bay in the divisional round though, and got dumped out.  The Falcons still clearly believe that they are very close to a Superbowl win, as was illustrated by them on draft day.  They traded basically their whole draft, to select WR Julio Jones in the 1st round.  Jones, on the opposite side to Roddy White should be a scary sight for opposing defences.  With these 2 and TE Tony Gonzalez, QB Matt Ryan has some very good targets.  The run game should still be strong thanks to RB Michael Turner and look out for the rookie RB Jacquizz Rodgers, he is a big play waiting to happen.

On the defensive side of the ball, they bought in DL Ray Edwards, who will get pressure on opposing QB's.  They also got CB Kelvin Hayden, who will hope to make the most of panicking QB's, throwing the ball away with Edwards bearing down.  I think that they will win a lot of games once again, and I also think that they will win this division.

Carolina Panthers

Last Season : 2 - 14



Drafted Players

1st Round - Cam Newton QB
3rd Round - Terrell McClain DL
3rd Round - Sione Fua DL
4th Round - Brandon Hogan DB
5th Round - Kealoha Pilares WR
6th Round - Lawrence Wilson LB
6th Round - Zachary Williams OL
7th Round - Lee Ziemba OL

Players in

Gregg Olsen

Derek Anderson QB
Chris Massey FB
Seyi Ajirotutu WR
Legedu Naanee WR
Greg Olsen TE
Ben Hartstock TE
Jeremy Shockey TE
Olindo Mare K
Geoff Hangartner C
Max Jean-Gilles OG
Ron Edwards DL
George Selvie DL
Omar Gaither LB
Darius Butler CB
Chevis Jackson CB
Josh Thomas CB
Michael Greco S
Stevie Brown S

Players out

Matt Moore QB
Tony Fiammetta FB
Jeff King TE
John Casey K
Tyler Brayton DL
Derek Landri DL
Richard Marshall CB
Gerald Alexander S

The Panthers of course, had a shocking year last year, winning just 2 games.  Because of this record, they had the 1st pick in the draft, and went for QB Cam Newton.  Newton is a mobile QB, but has many questions that he needs to answer about his throwing accuracy.  Newton will be the starter this year, and I believe that they need him to have an outstanding year for them to win many games.  They bought in TE's Jeremy Shockey and Greg Olsen, to give Newton easy targets over the middle, and they may well become Newtons favorite targets.

On the defensive side of the ball, their are a lot of new faces, so it will be interesting to see how it will all come together.  This is not a good formula for winning games though, a rookie QB and a new defence, so in this tough division, I expect them to really struggle again. 

New Orleans Saints

Last Season : 11 - 5



Drafted Players

1st Round - Cameron Jordan DE
1st Round - Mark Ingram RB
3rd Round - Martez Wilson LB
3rd Round - Johnny Patrick DB
7th Round - Greg Romeus DL
7th Round - Nate Bussey LB

Players in

Darren Sproles

Patrick Cobbs RB
Darren Sproles RB
Korey Hall FB
John Gilmore TE
John Kasey K
Alex Barron OT
Olin Kreutz C
Aubrayo Franklin DL
Shaun Rodgers DL
Will Herring LB
Turk McBride LB
Fabian Washington CB
Paul Oliver S

Players out

Jeremy Shockey TE
Jacob Rodgers K
Jonathan Goodwin C
Remi Ayodele DL
Anthony Hargrove DL
Marvin Mitchell LB
Usama Young S

The Saints and the Falcons are seen as the class of this division, but with the Falcons finishing 2 games ahead of the Saints last year, the Saints needed to do something good during the offseason to keep up.  During the 1st round of the draft, the Saints selected DE Cameron Jordan, and then traded back into the 1st round to take RB Mark Ingram.  This was a clear intention that the Saints are going to put up a challenge.  They also bought in RB Darren Sproles from the Chargers to spell Ingram, and that now looks like a formidable run game to put alongside QB Drew Brees and that amazing pass game. 

On the defensive side of the ball the Saints really improved their DL.  DT's Aubrayo Franklin and Shaun Rodgers will help to clog up the run, and 1st round selection Cameron Jordan will get pressure on the QB all day long.  This defence has a reputation for turnovers, and if they create plenty next year, with that improved offence, then they will win a lot of games.  I'm looking forward to seeing who will come out on top between the Saints and the Falcons in this very tough division.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Last Season : 10 - 6



Drafted Players

Adrian Clayborn

1st Round - Adrian Clayborn DL
2nd Round - Da'Quan Bowers DE
3rd Round - Mason Foster LB
4th Round - Luke Stocker TE
5th Round - Ahman Black S
6th Round - Allen Bradford RB
7th Round - Anthony Gaitor DB
7th Round - Daniel Hardy TE

Players in

Jonathan Crompton QB
Maurice Price WR
Jacob Rodgers K
Michael Koenen P
Zac Diles LB

Players out

Cadillac Williams RB
Maurice Stovell WR
Donovan Raiola OL
Al Woods DL
Barrett Ruud LB

The Buccaneers are a very talented, but very young team, who had a fantastic year last year.  They managed to win 10 games, but unluckily for them, they play in the tough NFC South, and missed the playoffs.  They have managed to keep hold of everybody that they wanted to for this year, so I expect that the extremely talented, young QB Josh Freeman, will again be able to score alot of points for the Buccs.

I'm very excited to see this young defence.  Added to last years exciting DL are Adrian Clayborn (1st round pick) and Da'Quan Bowers.  These 2 players are very talented, and much like the Lions, I would not want to be a QB when this line decides its coming after you.  I believe this young team will improve, and win a lot of games again.  But the question is, will they be able to make the playoffs?  I believe they will finish 3rd in the division, but may still stand a very good chance of being a wildcard team.

NFC North Preview

Chicago Bears

Last Season : 11 - 5



Players Drafted

1st Round - Gabe Carimi OL
2nd Round - Stephen Paea DT
3rd Round - Chris Conte DB
5th Round - Nathan Enderle QB
6th Round - James Thomas LB

Players in

Roy Williams

Marion Barber RB
Sam Hurd WR
Roy Williams WR
Matt Speath TE
Adam Podlesh P
Chris Spencer C
Amobi Okoye DL
Patrick Trahan LB
Brandon Meriweather S

Players out

Matt Gutierrez QB
Brandon Minor RB
Chester Taylor RB
Devin Aromashodu WR
Rashied Davis WR
Zeke Markshausen WR
Brad Maynard P
Richmond McGee P
Olin Kreutz C
Josh Bullocks S
Danieal Manning S

The Bears won this division last year, they then won through to the NFC Championship game.  Here they lost to the major division rivals, the Green Bay Packers.  They will be hoping that this year they will be able to go one better, but I just don't see it.  They had alot of problems along the OL last year, and QB Jay Cutler was hit often.  They selected OL Gabe Carimi in the 1st round of the draft, hoping to try and stop this happening again.  I don't like the fact though that they allowed veteran C Olin Kreutz to leave.  His experience will be missed.  They bought in RB Marion Barber, for the tough yards, but the interesting signing to me is WR Roy Williams.  Williams and the OC Mike Martz worked together in Detriot, and Williams had his best ever year under Martz.  Will they be able to recreate this?

This Bears defence isn't a classic one, but it is still pretty good.  They manage to get pressure off the edge thanks to DE Julius Peppers and LB Brian Urlacher makes it very difficult to run against them.  They did lose S Danieal Manning in the offseason, but replaced him with former Patriot Brandon Meriweather.  Meriweather's uncompromising style should fit in well in Chicago.  The Bears will be decent, but I can't see past the Packers this year.

Detroit Lions

Last Season : 6 - 10



Players Drafted

1st Round - Nick Fairley DT
2nd Round - Titus Young WR
2nd Round - Mikel LeShoure RB
5th Round - Douglas Hogue LB
7th Round - Johnny Culbreath OL

Players in

Jerome Harrison

Jerome Harrison RB
Keiland Williams FB
Rashied Davis WR
Nate Hughes WR
Maurice Stovall WR
Jacques McClendon OG
Rudy Niswanger C
Isaac Sowells OL
Keyunta Dawson DL
Quinn Pitcock DL
Cody Brown LB
Jason Durnant LB
Stephen Tulloch LB
Anthony Maddison CB
Eric Wright CB
Erik Coleman S
Aaron Francisco S

Players out

Bryant Johnson WR
Dave Rayner K
Turk McBride LB

The Lions are a very interesting, up and coming team in my eyes.  QB Matt Stafford and WR Calvin Johnson have a great connection, and should provide the Lions will a great passing game.  One problem that the Lions had last year was the lack of a running game.  RB Jahvid Best is seen as being injury-prone, so they bought in Mikel LeShore, with a 2nd round draft pick.  The problem is LeShoure tore his achilles, and will miss the season.  It would be asking alot for Best to carry the team, so they bought in former Brown, Jerome Harrison.  Will be interesting to see how this goes.

The defence of the Lions is SO exciting.  The DL includes Kyle Van Den Bosch, Ndamukung Suh, and now last years 1st Round pick Nick Fairley.  These 3 should put opposing QB's under HUGE pressure.  They have bought in LB's Jason Durant and Stephan Tullochm that should make this a dominant front 7.  The secondary should also be much improved, thanks to the signings of CB Eric Wright and S Aaron Francisco.  This much better looking defence have played well in the preseason, and I can't wait to see them in the games that matter.  I think the Lions will win more games than last year, and may even shock everyone by winning 8 or more games, something they haven't done for over a decade.

Green Bay Packers

Last Season : 10 - 6



Players Drafted

Will they repeat??

1st Round - Derek Sherrod OL
2nd Round - Randell Cobb WR
3rd Round - Alex Green RB
4th Round - Davon House DB
5th Round - D.J Williams TE
6th Round - Caleb Schlauderaff OL
6th Round - D.J Smith LB
6th Round - Ricky Elmore DL
7th Round - Ryan Taylor TE
7th Round - Lawrence Guy DT

Players in

Players out

Ahman Green RB
Brandon Jackson RB
Korey Hall FB
Calvin Russell WR
Donald Lee TE
Daryn Colledge OG
Jason Spitz C
Cullen Jenkins DT
Nick Barnett LB
Brady Poppinga LB
Atari Bigby S
Michael Greco S
The Packers of course won it all last year, and you would have to be a brave man to bet against them doing it again.  They have got back all of the players that had season ending injuries last year, including RB Ryan Grant, TE Jermichael Finley and T Mark Tauscher. All of these players will return, and I can't see anything but success for this offence. 

On defence, the Packers have lost LB Nick Barnett, and DT Cullen Jenkins, but this defence is way to good to let this hold them back.  I can't see anyone in this division stopping the Pack, and if they get a bye in week 1 of the playoffs, somebody in the NFC will have to play the game of the year to stop them reaching the Superbowl.

Minnesota Vikings

Last Season : 6 - 10



Players Drafted

1st Round - Christian Ponder QB
2nd Round - Kyle Rudolf TE
4th Round - Christian Ballard DL
5th Round - Brandon Burton DB
6th Round - Demarcus Love OL
6th Round - Mistral Raymond DB
6th Round - Brandon Fusco OL
6th Round - Ross Homan LB
7th Round - D'Aundre Reed DL
7th Round - Stephan Burton WR

Players in

Donovan McNabb

Donovam McNabb QB
Tristan Davis RB
Devin Aromashodu WR
Michael Jenkins WR
Charlie Johnson OT
Scott Kooistra OG
Remi Ayodele DL
Colby Whitlock DL
Xavier Adibi LB
Mark Washington LB

Players out

Brett Farve QB
Tarvaris Jackson QB
Sidney Rice WR
Bryant McKinnie OT
Ryan Cook OG
Ray Edwards DL
Ben Leber LB
Lito Sheppard CB
Frank Walker CB

The Vikings are a very confusing team to me.  Out goes QB Brett Farve, who has been replaced by Donovan McNabb.  Alot of the pass catching responsibilities now fall on the shoulders of injury prone WR Percy Harvin, thanks to the departure of Sidney Rice (to Seattle).  Harvin is a very talented WR, but has had many injuries since he came into the NFL.  If he gets hurt again this year, the Vikings will struggle in the pass game.  They do though have the best RB in the game, Adrian Peterson.  Expect the Vikings to lean heavily on Peterson, and him to have huge numbers this year.

This Viking defence is not the unit it has been.  They have lost DT Ray Edwards who was a big part in that DL that gave them so much success.  I think that the Vikings will struggle this year, and will finish bottom of this very competitive division.