NFL

Summer Scramble: NFC North Burning Questions and Prediction

Posted Jul 15, 2009 9:00AM By Dan Graziano (RSS feed)

Filed Under: Chicago Bears, Lions, Packers, Vikings, NFC North, FanHouse Previews, NFL Predictions, NFL Analysis

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It's July, the slowest month of the year for the NFL, and it's driving you nuts. You need a fix. A hit. Anything NFL to pull you through the dog days. FanHouse is here to help with an in-depth look at each division that should have you plenty prepared for training camp. We're calling it the Summer Scramble. Today we look at some burning questions in the NFC North and offer a ridiculously early prediction for how the teams in the Black-and-Blue Division will finish.

How good can Percy Harvin be (assuming he can stay on the field)?

Good enough to revive Brett Favre's career and make the Vikings a Super Bowl contender. Minnesota already has the offensive foundation in the form of Adrian Peterson and the league's best running game. It has a strong offensive line. Assuming the Vikes are smart and creative enough to take full advantage of it, the addition of Harvin's athleticism and big-play potential to the running and passing attack (heck, he could play QB in whatever wildcat-type scheme they come up with) should have a major impact on everybody else on the field.

Harvin (above) comes with baggage -- plenty of questions about his health and how much he cares about being great. That's why he was still there when the Vikings were picking at No. 22. But the Vikings decided he was enough of a talent to be worth the risk. It's a worthwhile gamble for a team that has plenty of pieces already in place and is looking for something that can elevate them to an elite level. The Vikings come with questions on defense (especially once these two clowns finally do get suspended), but so does every other team in this division. Minnesota already has one weapon (Peterson) that none of the others can match. Harvin has the talent to be another.

Can Ryan Grant carry the load for the Packers in the backfield?

What are we to believe about Ryan Grant? Is he the eight-touchdown, 5.1-yards-per-carry fantasy team maker of 2007? Is he the four-fumble, 3.9-yards-per-carry disappointment of 2008? And if he's something in between, is that good enough to support a Packer passing game that looks to be the best in the division? It certainly doesn't bode well that Grant's production suffered when he was given a full season's worth of feature back duty. It's possible that improved stability in the interior of the offensive line will help. It's possible that Grant learned some things from his difficult 2008 season and will be an improved back for it. It's possible that Brandon Jackson could see an increased role and take some of the load off of Grant. But it's also possible that none of those things happen, that Grant has the same problems he had last year, and the pressure all falls on Aaron Rodgers and the passing game. Which might not be a disaster, but it's certainly not the ideal.

Do the Bears offer Jay Cutler enough supporting pieces?

It doesn't look that way, no. There's a chance that Devin Hester could develop into a top receiver with Cutler throwing to him, and he's likely to lean hard on Greg Olsen, but there's no way that the Bears' WR corps can approximate what Cutler was working with in Denver. In addition, while Matt Forte fills his workhorse role well, the Bears lack the kind of game-breaking rusher that would distract opposing defenses from the threat Cutler's arm poses. It's also worth noting that Cutler was playing behind a strong offensive line and against some rotten AFC West defenses when he was in Denver, and he still threw more interceptions (18) than anybody in the league except that Favre guy. Things are going to have to go very well around Cutler in Chicago if he's to have the kind of impact the Bears expected when they got him, and there seems to be a lot that could go wrong.

Can the Lions be this year's Dolphins?

Well, that's the hope, isn't it? A team that went 0-16 last year has to look for inspiration to a team that went 1-15 in 2007 and won its division a year later. This is the NFL, and anything can happen, but while the Lions will be improved (don't they have to be?), it's hard to imagine them repeating Miami's miracle turnaround. They feature one of the league's true superstar talents in WR Calvin Johnson. They have a solid running game. They're going to be better on defense, at least in the backfield and in the linebacking corps. Brandon Pettigrew could prove to be an inspired draft pick -- a highly skilled tight end who should be a benefit to whichever quarterback they use. The new coaching staff brings a fresh voice and perspective where those are desperately needed. And assuming he does win the QB job, Matthew Stafford is a talent about which to be excited. But to go from 0-16 to contention, the Lions would need to answer some of the glaring issues on their offensive line. And it's going to take more than one active winter to turn that defense from what it was last year into anything decent. Detroit is bouncing back from rock bottom, but they're a long way from the top.

RIDICULOUSLY EARLY PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH

1. Vikings (11-5): Favre liked handing the ball off to Thomas Jones last year. He's going to love handing it off to Peterson.

2. Packers (8-8): Cutler has the hype, Stafford the money, Favre the resume. But the Packers have the best QB in the division.

3. Bears (7-9): If it's any consolation to Cutler and Bears fans, things are going to be much worse in Denver.

4. Lions (5-11): That's a five-game improvement, people! That's huge!

Tomorrow: AFC North Position Battles to Watch
Friday: AFC North Burning Questions and Prediction
Tuesday, July 21: NFC South Position Battles to Watch
Wednesday, July 22: NFC South Burning Questions and Prediction

Tags: aaron+rodgers, AaronRodgers, adrian+peterson, AdrianPeterson, brandon+pettigrew, BrandonPettigrew, brett+favre, BrettFavre, calvin+johnson, CalvinJohnson, chicago+bears, ChicagoBears, detroit+lions, DetroitLions, devin+hester, DevinHester, green+bay+packers, GreenBayPackers, greg+olsen, GregOlsen, jay+cutler, JayCutler, matthew+stafford, MatthewStafford, minnesota+vikings, MinnesotaVikings, percy+harvin, PercyHarvin, ryan+grant, RyanGrant, summer+Scramble

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