Detroit: How could this team possibly go winless? How could any team possibly go winless, especially in the salary-cap era? The NFL is set up so that every team is competitive, and there is not too big of a gap between the elite and the poor teams. Matt Millen is obviously the first to blame, but I'm not even sure that he is the most responsible for this embarassing year. Head Coach Rod Marinelli had his team underachieving all year. The Lions have respectable players such as Calvin Johnson, Jeff Backus, and Ernie Sims. With Marinelli and Millen gone, there finally is a glimmer of hope, Lion fans.
Green Bay: Is this the best 5-11 team ever? With talent on both sides of the ball, the Pack was much better than their record indicates. In those 11 losses, they lost by an average of 5.7 points. That isn't bad considering they were pretty solid in every aspect of the game with the exception of stopping the run. If Green Bay can shore up that problem this off-season, they will be very dangerous in 2009. And hopefully Aaron Rodgers has made Packer fans grateful that they did not have Bret Favre under center this year. A poor record should not be blamed on Rodgers at all, because he was arguably the brightest spot on the team.
Minnesota: The 2008 Vikings were living proof that a solid running game and good run defense can carry your team. With both Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor slashing up defenses, the Vikes grabbed the NFC North title. The only disappointment in being crowned division champ and being granted a playoff birth is that it gives the Minnesota management an excuse to keep Brad Childress around to coach again next year. Childress is one of the top-five worst coaches in the NFL, hands down. Think of what this Vikings team could do with consistent quarterback play and a special teams units that did not give up huge plays. Talent can only get you so far before coaching needs to put you over the top, so I expect an early exit from the Vikings in the playoffs.
Chicago: We can only hope that Chicago has finally found their quarterback in Kyle Orton. He had is moments, of course, but compared to Rex Grossman he was far more consistent. I never quite understood why he never got a chance to lead the team before this season after leading them to a 13-3 record as a rookie. The Bears also seem to have hit gold with rookie running back Matt Forte. Forte was one of the best rookie rushers in the league this year, if not better than the likes of Chris Johnson and Jonathan Stewart. Their defense remained steady, but a big play wide receiver (no, Devin Hester is not the answer) is needed before the Bears become legitimate contenders.
Coming tomorrow: AFC North
