The Green
Bay Packers have ruled the North in recent memory but their divisional games
may not be so easy in 2012.
Green Bay Packers (-280)
It's another
round of the Aaron Rodgers show and there's no reason why the Packers can't
repeat as NFC North champs. All the
major weapons are still in place from their Super Bowl team two years ago
although 
offensive coordinator Joe Philbin has now departed for the sunny skies
of South Beach as head coach of the Dolphins.
Defensively
the Packers faltered and that was the undoing of their Super Bowl
aspirations. The defense was
opportunistic in terms of creating turnovers and picking off passes but they
did not get the pressure on the opposing quarterback that would lead to
negative yardage.
The secondary
was torched throughout the season as well.
In order to rectify the situation the Pack went big on D in this year's
draft. Nick Perry and Jerel Worthy were
Green Bay's first two picks in the draft and they should add some muscle up
front. The early buzz is good on their 3rd
rounder, Vanderbilt's former cornerback Casey Hayward and if he continues to
improve, he could be a factor in bolstering the secondary.
Unless the
wheels fall completely off this wagon, the Packers repeat as NFC North champs.
Detroit Lions (+510)
The Lions
took a huge step towards respectability last season when they posted a 10-6
mark and had the honor of getting blasted by the Saints in the first round of
the playoffs. Playoffs and Lions in the
same sentence? Yes, it happened because
all those high draft picks are beginning to bear fruit.
Matthew
Stafford was healthy and he was remarkable last season. Though he has the amazing Megatron and
athletic tight end Brandon Pettigrew at his disposal, he didn't have a whole
lot more to target. His options were
limited in terms of quantity but certainly not quality. This season they added a hulking offensive
lineman in Riley Reiff in the 1st round and added depth to their
receiving corps by plucking Oklahoma's Ryan Broyles in the 2nd round. Defensively the Lions drafted a bunch of
corners and linebackers but that won't be enough to spark fear in the minds of
opposing offenses. The Lions are a team
with their share of superstars but not enough depth to take them to the
Promised Land.
Chicago Bears (+575)
This Bears
offense look loaded this season. Jay
Cutler, love him or hate him, can get the ball in the hands of his receivers
when he's healthy. He has a stable of gifted
targets in Brandon Marshall, whom the Bears acquired in March and reunited with
Cutler from his years in Denver, as well as Devin Hester and 2nd
round pick Alshon Jeffrey. The backfield
has Matt Forte and now Michael Bush whom they signed away from Oakland.
Whenever you
have Brian Urlacher, Julius Peppers and Lance Briggs you have the makings of a
tremendous defense. This unit should be
better than solid and will give opponents fits both in the trenches and
covering receivers. The Bears could be a
major surprise and a dark horse to win the NFC.
I like this team and if you feel like the Packers dominating run may be
ending then you might want to put a few bucks on the Bears to end their reign.
Minnesota Vikings (+3500)
When you
look at the odds of Minnesota winning the division at 35-1 the only thing you
should think is, no. There are value
bets and there are stupid bets. This one
falls under the latter. Adrian
Peterson's health is still in question and when he does make his return will it
be triumphant or troubling? The Vikes
are rebuilding and there is nothing on this roster that makes me think, hey they might have a chance.
No, the
Vikings will not be a contender this season but they may improve on their 3-13
record from last season. Just don't
count on it, not this year.