The Keys to Training Camp - NFC North

Chicago Bears

The Bears finished 2009 with a 7 - 9 record.  This record left them in 3rd place in the division behind the Vikings and Packers, and also out of the playoffs.  This is not good enough for this sports crazy city.  During the off season they have bought in the innovative Mike Martz as their offensive coordinator.  Will his system help the Bears get back to the Superbowl?


What will the offence look like?

It is no secret that the Bears offence struggled a lot last year.  They came in ranked 17th in the pass game, and a really poor 29th in the run game.  This stat is particularly shocking of a Chicago team, that are always so well known for their run game.  QB Jay Cutler (pictured) was bought in at the beginning of last year to be their saviour, he struggled throwing almost as many INT's as TD's (26 : 27).  This has led the Bears to bring in new OC Mike Martz.  Mike is known as an offensive genius around the league.  He was in charge of the Rams offence that became known has the 'greatest show on turf'.  Will Martz be able to recreate this kind of offence in Chicago, and does he have the pieces in place?

Who are the receivers?

 This is a major question in Chicago at the moment.  The Mike Martz system is very aggressive, very explosive, and relies on big plays from WR's.  It also does not include many passes to TE's, which is a shame, as the Bear with the most catches last year was TE Greg Olsen.  In fact, after Olsen came WR Devin Hester (pictured) and after him came RB Matt Forte.  Only 1 WR in the top 3??  The Bears have also failed to address this situation in the draft.  Devin Hester is a very exciting football player.  His returns are a joy to watch.  He was the player that ran the opening kick off of Superbowl 41 back for a TD.  The Bears have tried to mold him into a WR, but he is struggling slightly with the transition.  After Hester are Johnny Knox and Earl Bennett.  Both players are decent, but neither is a star WR.  How will these players fit the new system?

Can they get back to 'Bears defence'?

The Bears over the years have been known as a dominant football team.  When you look at last years stats - 13th against the pass, 23rd against the run - they aren't to bad, but they aren't Bears defence.  A major reason for the struggling defence was the injury to star MLB Brian Urlacher.  He missed a big section of the season last year, and in my mind, this is the reason they struggled so bad against the run.  It will be interesting to see how close to 100% he looks in camp.  Also it will be interesting to see how the Bears plan on using big off season acquisition DE Julius Peppers (pictured).  Peppers on his day is one of the best pass rushers in the NFL.  His presence can make the whole defence look better.  Can Chicago get the best from him?



Detroit Lions

The Lions had another poor year last year, finishing at the bottom of the NFC North with a 2 - 14 record.  The Lions have been struggling for a number of years now, but because of this have managed to get quite a few very high draft picks, and this year was no exception.  So what are the major talking points going into camp.


Can the defence improve?

O dear!!!  The Lions defence was absolutely horrid last year.  They came in dead last in points per game, total yards per game, pass yards per game and 25th in run yards per game.  This was a very bad defence.  But, lets give the owners credit, they went out this off season, and completely changed this defence.  At the very opening of free agency the Lions bought in talented DE Kyle Vanden Bosch (pictured).  He and first round draft pick (2nd overall) Ndamukung Suh will certainly improve this D line, and will get pressure on opposing QB's.  The interesting thing will be to see how the rest off the defence comes together.


How good can the Stafford - Johnson combo be?

As I mentioned earlier, the Lions have had a lot of very early picks in the draft in recent years.  One benefit of this is that they are gathering a number of very talented individuals.  On the offensive side of the ball there is no doubt that the most exciting combination is QB Matt Stafford and WR Calvin Johnson (pictured).  Last season both players had their injuries, so we didn't really see how good this could be.  Both players are incredibly talented and if this combo works out, could be the best QB - WR combo in the league - potentially.

Can the mentality be changed?

If I was a member of the coaching staff, or a fan of the Lions, the thing that would worry me is that the team are just so used to losing.  The Lions have not had a winning record since 2000, and have only won 33 games since then.  This is a major concern.  In sports, especially football, so much of what you do on the field is achieved by believing you can do it.  If you go out thinking you will lose, you defiantly will.  This is what is happening in Detroit, and it needs to change.


Green Bay Packers

The Packers finished 2009 with a 11 - 5 record, which saw them as runners up in the NFC North, but the record was good enough for a place in the playoffs through a wildcard entry.  The Packers went out to Arizona on wildcardKarlos Dansby returned INT in overtime to win the game.  So how do the Packers get back to the playoffs, and make the next step?

Can the O Line improve?

Rodgers goes down again.

When it came to writing this piece about the Packers the first thing that jumped into my mind about last year was how often it seemed Aaron Rodgers got sacked.  I went to look at the numbers and found that the Packers actually gave up the most sacks in the NFL last year with 51.  Most embarrassingly they actually had 14 against the rival Vikings.  When you add to this the fact that Julius Peppers and Ndamukung Suh have also moved into the NFC North, this becomes a real concern for Packers fans.  The Packers will hope that first round draft pick Brian Bulaga will help to solve this problem.  Also the Packers will hope to have Mark Tauscher fit and healthy for the season.  T Tauscher only managed to start 8 games in '09.

How much of an impact will the Johnny Jolly suspension have?

The Packers had a fantastic defence last year.  After the initial struggle of changing from a 4 - 3 team to a 3 - 4 team were passed, the Packers defence went on to become one of the best units in the league.  This statement was backed up by the numbers - 5th pass defence, 1st run defence.  A big part of that great run defence was DT Johnny Jolly.  This year though the Pack will have to play without Jolly.  Jolly has been suspended for the entire season following an arrest do to drug possession.  This could be of huge consequence for the Packers, as the NT is a massive piece in the 3 - 4.  There is talk that 2nd year pro B.J Raji will move to NT.  Can he be as effective?


Where will the pass rush come from?

Even though Green Bay had a great defence last year, they did seem to struggle when they came up against an elite QB.  Farve on 2 occasions, Big Ben, Carson Palmer and Kurt Warner all torched the Packers defence last year,and the Packers lost all 5 games.  A huge part of this is down to the fact that the Packers struggle to get a pass rush.  With the Jolly suspension, and Aaron Kampman now being a Jaguar, a lot of this responsibility will now fall on 2nd year pro Clay Matthews (pictured).  Clay had a fantastic rookie year scoring 10 sacks in total.  The Packers will need at least a repeat of this performance from Matthews if they are to move forward this year.



Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings finished last year on top of the NFC North with a 12 - 4 record, which not only gave them a spot in the playoffs, but also gave them 2nd seed in the whole NFC.  The Vikings then welcomed the Dallas Cowboys to Minnesota, and swiftly sent them back to Texas with their tail between their legs following an impressive 34 - 3 beating.  The Vikings then travelled to New Orleans for the NFC Championship game, a nail biting game that they eventually lost 31 - 28 to the eventual Superbowl winners.  So can the Vikings get one step further this year?



Will Brett Farve return? (and when?)

 There is only really one place that you can start when talking about the Minnesota Vikings for the upcoming season.  I believe that Brett Farve is the difference between the Vikings being a Superbowl team, or not.  The Vikings have the talent both on defence and offence, they just need somebody to steer the ship.  Welcome Captain Farve.  People continually say that Farve is past it, he can't play another year, but he keeps on proving them wrong.  Last year Farve had a great season throwing for over 4,200 yards, 33 TD's and only 7 INT's.  Are you trying to tell me that these numbers could be achieved by Tarvaris Jackson?  Not a chance!  If Farve comes back this year he will get the right people involved at the right time, and I believe, get the Vikings back to the NFC Championship at least.

How will they replace Chester Taylor?

 There is no question whatsoever that Adrian Peterson is an every down RB.  He is a fantastic talent both running the ball, and receiving coming out of the backfield.  Even AP though cannot be expected to play every single down during a game.  This is where Chester Taylor came in last year.  He would spell Peterson when he needed a break, and production would not drop off.  Taylor though was traded to the Bears during the off season, and I'm looking forward to finding out how the Vikes plan on replacing him.  They took RB Toby Gerhart in the 2nd round of this years draft, but he won't be as effective as a pass catcher.  There is also rumours that WR Percy Harvin may fill in at times.  I'm looking forward to seeing how this plays out during camp.

Who will play at CB?

 The main area of weakness in the Vikings defence is against the pass.  Last season they ranked 19th against the pass, their worse ranking in any major category.  The projected 2 starting CB's Antoine Winfield (pictured) and Cedric Griffin are both coming off injuries and so are a concern.  The Vikes did though bring in Lito Sheppard from the Jets, and draft Chris Cook in the 2nd round.  Camp will be very interesting to see which of these CB's will step up and take the starting role for the opening game of the 2010 season against the defending champion New Orleans Saints on Thursday 9th September.


Check back tomorrow for a look at the NFC South.