NFL Football: 2006 NFC North Preview
1. CHICAGO BEARS
Offense: The Bears run-first attack will once again be led by running backs Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson. The duo shared carries last season and this season will most likely start the same way. Look for Benson to become the featured back at some point this season. The Bears didn’t use a high first-round pick on Benson just to have him share carries. The QB in this offense, whether it be Rex Grossman (most likely), Kyle Orton or Brian Griese, will again be just a caretaker thanks to a ball-control offense and a suffocating defense. Chicago has a young group of wide receivers to go with Muhsin Muhammad. Justin Gage, Mark Bradley and Bernard Berrian will challenge for the #2 WR spot. Chicago averaged just 256.3 yards and 16.3 points per game last season. Don’t expect much more in 2006.
Defense: Chicago’s unquestioned strength is their defense. This unit allowed only 12.6 points per game last season – tops in the league. Only CB Jerry Azumah (retired) and S Mike Green (trade) are gone from last year’s group. CB Ricky Manning was brought in via trade (Panthers) to fill the void left by Azumah’s absence. In 2005, the Bears D ranked second in yards allowed, tied for second in INTs, sixth in total takeaways and tied for eighth in sacks. The Bears do a great job of rushing the passer, led by ends Alex Brown and Adewale Ogunleye. DT Tommie Harris also returns to stuff the middle. MLB Brian Urlacher leads a talented LB corps. The secondary features Mike Brown, Charles Tillman and Nathan Vasher. This group had 16 INTs and returned three of those for TDs last season.
Special Teams: This unit needs an upgrade. Kicker Robbie Gould connected on only 3 of 8 FG tries from outside 40 yards. The return teams left a lot to be desired as well. Speedy Bernard Berrian showed some promise and may give this unit a boost.
Prediction: The Bears, thanks to a suffocating defense and successful running game, should run away with this division again in 2006.
2. MINNESOTA VIKINGS
Offense: New head coach Brad Childress will install his version of the West Coast offense. That suits QB Brad Johnson just fine. Johnson doesn’t have a strong arm, but he does have an accurate arm for those short-to-intermediate throws. Receivers Koren Robinson, Travis Taylor and Troy Williamson should thrive in this system. Look for TE Jermaine Wiggins to have another solid season as well. The key to this offense is whether RB Chester Taylor can carry the load. Taylor did well in spot situations while with the Ravens and will have the luxury of playing behind a solid offensive line led by guard Steve Hutchinson. Taylor, who is also a solid receiving threat, will also benefit from having FB Tony Richardson opening the running lanes for him. No Culpepper and no Moss, but this offense still has plenty of potential.
Defense: Like many others, Minnesota is switching to the ever-popular Cover 2 scheme. The switch should bode well for this unit. The Vikes have two speedy ends in Kenechi Udeze and Erasmus James who can create all kinds of havoc. Look for rookie OLB Chad Greenway to start from the get-go and make an immediate impact. The strength of this unit looks to be the secondary, led by corners Fred Smoot and Antoine Winfield. This is a fast defense that should make a bunch of big plays this season. Normally, switching to a new scheme takes time before improvement is seen. In this case, however, Minnesota has the talent to make it work right from the beginning.
Special Teams: Mewelde Moore proved to be a solid punt returner, averaging 11.7 yards per return (third best in the league) and had one return TD. Koren Robinson ranked fifth in the league with a 26 yard average per kickoff return and also took one to the house. The Vikings upgraded this unit by adding kicker Ryan Longwell. Longwell has an 81.6 career FG percentage and should find the Metrodome a much easier place to kick than Lambeau Field.
Prediction: An improving defense, solid special teams play and an offense with much potential puts Minnesota second in the NFC North.
3. DETROIT LIONS
Offense: No offense is more intriguing than this one. The arrival of offensive guru Mike Martz as Detroit’s offensive coordinator provides plenty of optimism. The Lions offense features several former first-round draft picks, including Kevin Jones, Roy Williams, Mike Williams and Charles Rogers. One thing Martz has here that he didn’t have in St. Louis is big receivers. Williams, Williams and Rogers are all tall red zone targets. Two questions exist. First, can Jon Kitna or Josh McCown run this offense efficiently? And secondly, can this offensive line protect whoever is under center? I have my doubts about question one and even more doubts about question two.
Defense: The Lions are yet another team converting to the Cover 2 defense. New head coach Rod Marinelli is a defensive-minded coach who will look for improvement in this group. New defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson is known for being aggressive in blitzing and coverages. He’ll want to see more pressure from his front four than this group generated in 2005. First-round pick Ernie Sims teams up with Boss Bailey and Teddy Lehman to form the starting LB trio. This defense forced 31 turnovers and had 3 defensive TDs last season, so the talent is there. Expect to see the sack total rise. They’ll need to improve on the 127.5 rushing yards allowed per game in 2005.
Special Teams: Eddie Drummond will need to return to his 2004 form (4 return TDs). He was mediocre at best last season. Jason Hanson is a consistent kicker who should see his scoring chances increase in 2006.
Prediction: Detroit is a team on the rise and could be dangerous if the new offensive and defensive schemes are successful sooner rather than later. I look for a slow start, but a strong second half of the season for the Lions.
4. GREEN BAY PACKERS
Offense: Injuries absolutely decimated this group in 2005. The pack lost their #1 WR, Javon Walker, in the first game of the season. They lost his replacement (Robert Ferguson), too. They played their fourth and fifth-string RBs at various points in the season as well as their third-string TE. Brett Favre isn’t the QB he once was, but he’s also not as bad as he looked last season. Protecting Favre is a concern. Green Bay also needs a WR to step up and draw coverage away from him. With Ahman Green and Najeh Davenport injury prone, look for Samkon Gado to once again step up and take over the RB duties. With questions at literally every position, this unit may not fair much better than the injury-riddled 2005 version.
Defense: There are quite a few changes to this unit. Ryan Pickett takes over at tackle. First-round pick A.J. Hawk moves into a starting LB spot. CB Charles Woodson and S Marquand Manuel were brought in to upgrade the secondary. Another rookie, LB Abdul Hodge, could find his way into the starting lineup. The Pack have added some playmakers and still have book ends Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila and Aaron Kampman to pressure opposing QBs. Improvement may come in 2006, but it usually takes some time when a lot of changes are involved. This group should gel in the second half of the season.
Special Teams: Nothing to write home about here. The Pack’s kickoff-return team ranked last in the league in 2006 and the punt-return unit was average at best. Kicker Ryan Longwell, the Packers’ all-time leading scorer, took the money and ran to division-rival Minnesota. They’re left with Cowboys cast-off Billy Cundiff or Colts 2005 sixth-round pick, Dave Rayner. Ouch.
Prediction: Favre’s last hurrah will not be a good one. A new coaching staff, questions aplenty on offense, too many changes on defense and the loss of a solid kicker will leave Green Bay at the bottom of this division once again.
FINAL THOUGHTS: The Bears are the class of this division. Each of their division rivals must go through the transition associated with a new coaching staff. Chicago should be able to separate themselves from the pack early on, but look for Minnesota and Detroit to have solid second halves of the season. Dwayne Bryant is the owner and sports handicapper of Bullseye Sports Handicapping Service. Dwayne has been handicapping since the mid-1980s. Online since 2000, Bullseye Sports provides sports picks, including NFL and college football picks, NBA & NCAA basketball picks, MLB baseball picks and NHL hockey picks. Please visit http://www.bullseye-sports.com for more information. |
Other Football Tips Articles
Setting Up A Junior Football Team Are you thinking of starting a junior football team but are unsure about how to proceed? I have recently set up such a team for the age group of under sevens and in this article I will give advice as to what is involved in the way of organisation etc.My name is Stephen Hill and I have a son who is six years of age. I have been taking him ...Dallas Cowboys Draft Options There is plenty of uncertainty heading into the this month's NFL Draft. I will try to clarify this uncertainty the best that I can. I will narrow down our possible targets for each round down to a select few. I can pretty much guarantee you that we will take a linebacker, a offensive lineman, and a free safety on Day 1 barring any major surpri ...Different Types of Fantasy Football Leagues Interest in fantasy football is growing by leaps and bounds. If you are interested in owning a fantasy football team, one of the most important decisions you will need to make will be in regards to the type of league you should join. There are many different types of fantasy football leagues and it is important to make the right decision. Read o ...The Tigers Will Hang On For Playoffs The Detroit Tigers, easily the most surprising story of the season so far, are slipping. They still have the best record in the league (though the red-hot Mets are about to catch up to them), but they have lost eight of their last 12 games and 14 of the last 21. The saving grace for this team is that neither of the squads chasing them in the div ...Online Slots Tips - To Win Big While online slots are a game of chance, there are certain steps you can take to put the odds in favor and win big jackpots.Slots are simple, exciting and fun and if you learn the enclosed online slot tips you will have as much chance as winning the big jackpots as anyone else.The 8 online slot tips below to put the odds in your fa ...NFL Quarterbacks Millions of young football players have ask themselves: what is it that makes NFL quarterbacks so good? What special gifts do they possess that escalate them to the pinnacle of their sport, the National Football League? For every "overnight sensation," there are countless years of hard work and determination that go unseen.If you think th ...Coaching Certificate Schools Can Prepare You for an Exciting Career Coaching Certificate Schools can take many forms. Vocational, trade, and technical schools provide programs for coaching certificates, as do community colleges and four-year institutions, colleges, and universities. Graduate school coaching certificates for training in professional coaching are found in business schools. Life Coaching programs a ...Throwing a Fantasy Football Draft Party When a bunch of guys get together to talk football usually all you need to keep everyone happy is pizza and beer. But, since it actually involves work, a successful fantasy football draft party has a few more important parts.Set up a large space with enough seating for everyone in your league. Comfortable seating like recliners or couches ...Coaching Youth Football (Part 1)-Keys to Success In your role as a youth football coach, you will profoundly affect the lives of your players. By your approach to education, you can show your players how to handle all of the many challenges they will see throughout their lives.Be Passionate You have to coach for the correct reasons. You should concentrate on the lessons tha ...Tips for Baccarat You’ve seen it in casinos. You’ve seen James Bond play it in the movies. Of course, we’re talking about the game of Baccarat. It’s a challenging game of chance which can test the nerves and determination of even the most seasoned gambler.In order to do well at the game, there are several tips which you should keep in mind. While these ...Simple Theory for Soccer Betting Why is soccer betting popular?If we were to compare other sports with soccer, soccer has the highest occurrences for weak team to beat a strong team down especially in English Premier League. Let's turn back the clock; can any of you recall the UEFA Championship final?? Clashed between Man.Utd and Bayern Munich in 1999 where Man.Ut ...The Allure of Texas High School Football Even if you’ve never been to a Texas high school football game, you probably know that these games and the fans who follow them are somewhat different than other high school football games and fans. In Texas, football isn’t a sport and it isn’t an extra-curricular activity. No, it’s almost been elevated to the level of a religion. To say that Te ...Wayne Rooney The Superstar Are you a football supporter? Do you support England? Are you looking forward to the football World Cup? These are three questions which I would have answered a big yes to and I am very happy to learn that Wayne Rooney looks likely to be fit to play some part in the Fifa World Cup tournament. He could prove to be the man that helps bring glory t ...Not Every Day Is Game Day! Years ago I had a sales manager who used to be a professional football player.One of his favorite expressions was "Not every day is game day"Foot ball players aren't playing the Superbowl every day. In fact, they aren't even playing a regular season game every day. 6 out of 7 days a week they are "preparing for Game Day." ...Finding an Effective Anti-Aging Treatment This will come as no great newsflash to you, but we are a culture that is absolutely obsessed with you. It seems as if we would do or spend anything that is necessary to retard the aging process including finding the best anti-aging treatment available. We do not like the idea of growing old and are therefore in denial of it. We like to remem ...Donovan McNabb : Philadelphia Eagles Quarterback A native of Chicago, Illinois, Donovan McNabb was born on November 25, 1976. After attending Syracuse University, McNabb now serves as quarterback for the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles.Among his many accomplishments, Donovan McNabb was named the Big East Conference’s Offensive Player of the Decade for the 1990's and Offensive Player of the Ye ...American Football vs European Football American football is usually confused with European football. The difference between the two is greatly, but the same use of title can confuse others. The difference between American and European football is simple by definition. Football is used mostly with the hands to control the ball, and the European football is what most people call Socce ...Football - The San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers are from San Diego, CA and play their football games in the AFC Western Division. Interestingly, the San Diego Chargers actually began as the Los Angeles Chargers in 1960. Here is a brief history of this popular football team.As one of the original members of the AFL, the Chargers played their first year in Los An ...Youth Football Drills - Make The Fundamentals Fun! Make Practice Fun!Youth football drills will improve the skills of your football team. If you are the coach of a young team of eager football players, the following youth football skills will help you move the team forward into both comprehension of the stances of the on field playing game and the repetitive skills it takes to be ...Sports Betting Tips: Why To Never Bet On A Hunch! Have you ever wondered how the sports betting "smart money" became the smart money? Do you wonder what the football betting smart money does differently than the amateurs? One of the most important things that sports betting pros do to make money is that they NEVER bet on games just on a hunch, or because they have a feeling a team will win. ...NFL Draft Combine Before the NFL draft even takes place the NFL draft combine occurs. During this combine players are examined on both a physical and mental level. This allows NFL teams to make a better informed decision as to which players they should look at more carefully in the months leading up to the draft.But not every player gets to attend the NFL ...
|
