NFC North Preview: Leading the League (In Picks)

JW,

While the AFC South and NFC East may produce more wins over the coming season, no division in professional football promises to be as compulsively watchable as the NFC North. And it's not just Favre (who we've written about here and here). Indeed, a whole host of plotlines are waiting to fill my Sunday Ticket. Let's take them one at a time.

Can the Bears compete for a Superbowl now that Cutler's on board?

At first glance, the answer has to be yes. After all, conventional wisdom suggests that the Bears have been a decent quarterback away from victory for several decades. Kyle Orton clearly sucks, and Cutler clearly doesn't. Now that #6 has arrived, the Bears' stellar defense will get a break for more than four plays at a time, and an offense that includes Matt Forte and Devin Hester as well as Cutler will carry its share of the load.

Sadly (and this may shock you), Chicago's defense isn't that stellar, ranking 21st in yards allowed last season and 30th (!) against the pass. Furthermore, Cutler had a ton of yards last season because he threw a ton of passes--only Drew Brees threw more. And while Cutler might seem less likely than Orton to choke games away, keep in mind that Orton threw approximately one interception in every 39 passing attempts. Cutler threw one in every 34, and only Favre had more picks over the course of the season. Throw in the fact that Forte has proven nothing in the way of long-term viability, and you've got a team that's seemingly perfect for underachieving. Will I be watching this Bears team constantly? You better believe it. Will I be gambling on them? Not bloody likely.

Will Vikings at Packers on November 1st live up to expectations?

I'll be honest: Nothing but Brett Favre's decapitated head replacing the football would satisfy me at this point. After all, you have to go back a number of years to find this level of betrayal, and if ever an ass-kicking were richly deserved, it's now.

Sadly, unless I've completely misjudged the Aaron Rodgers-era Pack, they're not up to the task of delivering it. Favre, I fully expect you to ceremonially retire as a Packer, but don't be fooled. You may not have your country back.

Will Detroit go 0-32?

It's entirely, joyously possible! A quick glance at their 2009 schedule reveals 16 very losable games, and given the fact that they're almost certain to have a bad bye-week of practice, I say we count that as a loss, too.

Their best chance for a win is almost certainly their November 1st hosting of St. Louis, a franchise almost (but not quite) as po-faced and insignificant. Lose here and a second 0-16 is very much within reach. Let's hope this game's not airing simultaneously with Vikes vs. Pack. I might have to add a second television!

-GM

GM,

If you didn't have to look up Jay Cutler's jersey number, I'm impressed or ashamed--but nowhere in-between. Speaking of shame, it's the feeling I got when clicking that second Sergeant Slaughter link. The first one had me in tears. The second had me praying that I wasn't one of those children. Before I get to the NFC North, I'd like to touch on Michael Vick's first game back last night. No one I've heard from seems to be admitting it, but Vick's option run showed me that he's lost a step and can only be used as a decoy or shovel passer. And McNabb clearly doesn't care for him. That's a feud waiting to happen. Now to the matter at hand, I have my own questions.

Will Favre's teammates continue to resent him throughout the season as he spoils gorgeous Adrian Peterson drives with ill-advised passes and selfishness, only to deny such reports until the Vikings' season ends in a tough-to-swallow playoff loss?

You better believe it. The locker room issues in Minnesota shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. When Favre decided in July to stay retired, several Vikings went on record to say they would no longer welcome him as a teammate. The general consensus was, "Once we start training camp, that's the team." He comes back three weeks later, and everyone expects things to be rosy? I'd be madder than I was this morning when I saw that NFL.com had changed its longstanding game recap format!

Will the NFC North lead the NFL in interceptions thrown this season?

Do I even have to ask? As you mentioned, Cutler and Favre are INT-happy, and Matthew Stafford is a rookie on a horrible team. This leads me to my next question...

Is A-Rod the best QB in the division despite being regarded as the third-best?

Definitely. His competition is an old guy, a new guy, and a guy who hasn't won since high school. A-Rod (yes, I'm sticking with it) threw for 4,038 yards, 28 touchdowns, and only 13 interceptions in his first year as a starter. Compare those numbers to Peyton Manning's (the MVP!) season of 4,002 yards, 27 TDs, and 12 INTs. His 93.8 QB rating was higher than first-year ratings for Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Phillip Rivers, Donovan McNabb, Calson Palmer, and, well, any quarterback in the NFL. Hell, I've convinced myself! I think the Packers have an exceptional chance of stealing the division.

-JW