The Nfc North...

[truthbedamned]

What's your point? Are we to make predictions based on the current rosters or unpredictable injuries?

My point is without Rodgers the Packers SUCK DONKEY BALLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Edit: They SUCK DONKEY BALLS even with Erin but are pretty good

 

[Les Grossman]

The Vikings are making good moves and are headed in the right direction. I'd put them behind GB then either CHI or DET.

 

[Toast88]

You guys are an optimist bunch. I just don't see it.

The Bears are going to be below average in all three phases of the game.

Packers will sweep the Bears. Detroit probably will as well. Any prediction higher than third is too rich for my blood, which always runs navy and orange.

 

[nc0gnet0]

I am a big fan of point differential being often times just as important as record when looking back at a whole season's worth of play. Just to remind people:

Packers +138
Lions +39
Minnestoa -18
Bearsz - 123!


What that means to me is barring any huge injury/suspension wave G.B.- to my own dismay- is well positioned to repeat. I don't want that to happen, but with a differential of almost a TD better per game than El Lions, and the Lions clearly taking a step back personnel wise, I think it's beyond reasonable debate they should be the favorites. Between the Lions and Minny there isn't as much space as 4 games would have you believe when looking at point differential, and I agree. The Lions lose the 2nd best Dlineman in the game and continue to age at DB, but still have weapons and a decent QB. It's very close between the two, but I'll stick with the Lions in 2nd bc the Minny QB is still very young, and if anything the Lions stepped away from last yr with more confidence/experience than they've had in a long time. Also, with the stellar WR tandem and still untapped potential of Ebron at TE plus additon of Ameer Abdullah and Laken Tomlinson, I think their offense is fairly loaded except at OT where many teams seem to have issues.

The Bears are well behind, but a solid off season and draft bode well for our medium and long term future; I am just not 100 percent convinced that the future is 2015 for this franchise. I think it'll take some time for the new defense to mesh and we still have some major issues roster-wise on that side of the ball, particularly at DB/ILB. I also am scared we won't be able to run the ball as easily as some on here seem to think we will as our OT play (esp. RT) has been porous and not a lot of OC's come right into the league and play above average in their first yr. I think we'll be stuck passing it a fair bit more than many on here would like, and again relying on Cutler to make good decisions which hasn't been a good gamble for yrs now.


Cliffs:

GB
Det
Minn.
Bears.

(Det. and Minny neck and neck and could easily flip flop)

Probably one of the better thought our posts in this thread. We all need to remember that the NFC North as a whole had one of the easiest schedules last year by virtue of playing the NFC South in non-confernce play. I like your argument of using the point differential, but it doesn't tell the whole story. For instance Green Bay did have the biggest Point differential, however they did not have all that great a defense. Sure we can argue that Detroit's defense took a step back, but the loss of Suh is not going to be as detrimental as some might think. Even with a healthy Suh and Farley, they weren't that great in the previous year. Much of the success of the Detroit D was the direct result of Austin, who will now be in his second year, and an improved secondary. Farley was a non-factor last year, and his loss cannot be equated into a fall off in production this year. However, on the other side of the ball, Detroit, if healthy (their O-line was a mess of injurys last year with most of the season played with a starting RT Starting RG and even second string RG out) they will be much stronger.

I am not buying into the Minnesota fan wagon just yet. I have seen all to many times second year QB's regress. I do believe they are heading in the right direction, but until the AP situation works itself out, I think they are equal to the bears. With AP I have them third, without AP I have them last or tied for third with the bears.

All in all the whole conference will most likely have slightly worse records than last year, not by virtue of being worse, but rather strength of schedule.

 

[Packer Fan]

My point is without Rodgers the Packers SUCK DONKEY BALLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Edit: They SUCK DONKEY BALLS even with Erin but are pretty good

It's really not much of a point though. It's an odd way to say that Rodgers is really good. How's any team in the division going to do without their starting quarterback? (Please no McCown response).

 

[KittiesKorner]

Well matt flynn did throw 6 touchdowns. #signhim

 

[Choisauce]

so as a bear's and bull's fan, i need to wait until lebron and aaron rodgers dies or retires.

Fuuuuuuucccckkkkk

 

[dabears70]

Collectively, that's an incredibly underwhelming group of players. Ewww. If those guys were on any of GB/Minn/Det and they were counting on them for production we would have a good laugh. Not so funny when they are wearing Bears uniforms though. #basement-level-talent

You see underwhelming (which the Bears obviously were last year) but i see players with plenty of talent that had absolutely horrible coaching and that bad coaching showed up on the field last year. Every one of those players you highlighted will be better players next year because of great coaching and because J.Fox will change the culture in that locker room and on the field which will make a huge difference. Remember that a lot of last years players if not all of them at some point quit on the team during games or in the locker room or on the practice field cause they didn't believe in the coaches and GM and just gave up. That won't happen with the new coaches/staff that we have now.

 

[Toast88]

I think we're almost all in agreement that the coaching staff will basically instantly make the players better. But, please, they still have a ways to go. This team is at least a year or two away from contending for the playoffs. I don't think that's a pessimistic or unreal thing to say.

Bears added some good pieces and changed coaches. It's a positive change, but it does not mean they're "there" yet.

 

[BearDen]

I think we're almost all in agreement that the coaching staff will basically instantly make the players better. But, please, they still have a ways to go. This team is at least a year or two away from contending for the playoffs. I don't think that's a pessimistic or unreal thing to say.

Bears added some good pieces and changed coaches. It's a positive change, but it does not mean they're "there" yet.

I agree. New scheme, new coaches, and new players, it's going to take some time.

 

[RacerX]

You see underwhelming (which the Bears obviously were last year) but i see players with plenty of talent that had absolutely horrible coaching and that bad coaching showed up on the field last year. Every one of those players you highlighted will be better players next year because of great coaching and because J.Fox will change the culture in that locker room and on the field which will make a huge difference. Remember that a lot of last years players if not all of them at some point quit on the team during games or in the locker room or on the practice field cause they didn't believe in the coaches and GM and just gave up. That won't happen with the new coaches/staff that we have now.

Yeah, maybe new coaches will have such a profound affect that a collective group of what-looks-like quality depth players and/or marginal starters (overall) in one year will transmute into upper-tier starting talent. I've seen it happen on the big screen.

I expect a few of them will have better seasons in 2016, some will have worse seasons, some will get injured, and most will be more or less the same as last year.

Our year's results were a combination of extremely poor coaching and extremely subpar personnel. We may have (hopefully) fixed the coaching, but there's only so much a coach can do. Look at NE/Seattle, arguably the two best HCs in the NFL, and they can't win shit unless they are surrounded by talent.

 

[The Hawk]

At least we have Rocky Wirtz, Stan Bowman, Q, and the Blackhawks. Top notch organization from top to bottom!

 

[Boochee Man]

don't come in here starting that shit

F*ck Ramsay!

 

[Hbkrusso]

F*ck Ramsay!

 

[Wintermute]

 

[sevvy]

so as a bear's and bull's fan, i need to wait until lebron and aaron rodgers dies or retires.

Fuuuuuuucccckkkkk

Yay, LeBron! Boo, Aaron Rodgers!