Post by xCRUFFx on Aug 8, 2010 9:35:43 GMT -5
--NFC NORTH PREVIEW--
2010 Recap
The NFC North was probably one of the weaker divisions in VNFL 10. The Bears won 5 of 6 division titles, with Green Bay winning the other. The Bears were consistently one of the top teams in the NFC while the Lions, Packers, and Vikings were competitive; however, they struggled with consistency and were typically on the outside looking in come playoffs. Fast forward to 2011 and the NFC North now has 4 new owners and appears to be one of the, if not the toughest division in VNFL 11.
2011 Preview
Niko is considered one of the best owner/players in the league considering how he transformed the Bills into one of the best teams in the VNFL. Niko honed his skills in the tough AFC East and usually came out on top. In addition, the Bills consistently stood in the way of the dominant Denver Broncos and prevented them from ever reaching the SuperBowl on multiple occasions. Niko is once again in the middle of a tough division, but should continue to be the favorite. He takes over a Vikings team that is exponentially more talented than the Bills and only time will tell what will develop in Minny. The one question is whether or not Brett Favre will be under center come opening day, as the drama-filled future HOF continues to struggle with his decision to play or retire. With Favre, the Vikings will be the clear favorite in the NFC North, but without Favre, the Vikings are much more vulnerable. Even without Favre, AP is expected to carry the Vikes on his back, but fans every where are hoping that he doesn’t drop the ball … literally.
w0psurprise entered the VNFL in season 5 and immediately made an impact in the AFC West. This year, he takes over the Detroit Lions and should continue to challenge for a playoff position year after year. The Lions are a young team but are talented. QB Stafford, RB Best, and WR Johnson should form a great trio that will have opposing defenses on their heels. The defense is more of a question mark but the addition of DT Suh should bolster the defense. The key for the Lions is to build a capable of defense that will be able to stop opposing teams. The offense should be able to put up decent numbers but it’s hard to see the Lions being able to win defense games. The Lions should be able to compete with the Vikes, but again everything will depend on how good that defense is.
Deepthreat returns to the VNFL after months away from the field. He returns to take over the Chicago Bears who dominated this division in 2010. Deepthreat was a competitor in the old AFC South, and I expect him to bring that over to the NFC North. The Bears will rely on it’s defense to keep the team in games but will suffer somewhat due to a lack of speed in the secondary. This is a deadly weakness considering the WRs they have to face in the division (Rice, Harvin, Johnson, Burleson, and Jennings). QB Jay Cutler and the offense have a lot to prove. Devin Hester is a great return but is so-so as a WR. Knox, Bennett, and Aromashodu are capable WRs but are young and unproven. All in all, the Bears have a tough task ahead with proven winners in Niko and w0p in the division.
Unfortunately for Broncobobby, he’s stuck in a tough division and will likely fall to the division basement because of the competitiveness of the division; however, I still expect the Packers to finish near .500. No one should underestimate Bronco’s ability to put together a winning team that would be capable of challenging the top dogs in the divisions and potentially walk away with a playoff spot. Last year, he barely missed the playoffs with the Lions, and he should enjoy a bit more success having a better team in the Packers. His biggest challenge would be to show that he will be able to step up and compete with the big boys. If he can, then the NFC North will become a crapshoot with any of the 4 teams being capable of walking away with the division title.
The NFC North is the only division that is made up of 4 teams capable of not only making the playoffs, but also winning the division. Niko will be the early favorite based on his track record from the old AFC East and having a talented team in the Vikings. However, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see one of the other teams come up and deny him that division crown. This division should come down to the final weeks.
Win/Loss Predictions
Minnesota Vikings: 11-5 (division winner)
Detroit Lions: 10-6 (wildcard team)
Chicago Bears: 9-7
Green Bay Packers: 8-8
Next: Conference and SB Predictions (August 9th)
Team | 2010 Owner | 2011 Owner |
Chicago Bears | a_nimrod | Deepthreat |
Detroit Lions | broncobobby | w0psurprise |
Green Bay Packers | Germeh | Broncobobby |
Minnesota Vikings | MrAmazing | Nikov |
2010 Recap
The NFC North was probably one of the weaker divisions in VNFL 10. The Bears won 5 of 6 division titles, with Green Bay winning the other. The Bears were consistently one of the top teams in the NFC while the Lions, Packers, and Vikings were competitive; however, they struggled with consistency and were typically on the outside looking in come playoffs. Fast forward to 2011 and the NFC North now has 4 new owners and appears to be one of the, if not the toughest division in VNFL 11.
2011 Preview
Niko is considered one of the best owner/players in the league considering how he transformed the Bills into one of the best teams in the VNFL. Niko honed his skills in the tough AFC East and usually came out on top. In addition, the Bills consistently stood in the way of the dominant Denver Broncos and prevented them from ever reaching the SuperBowl on multiple occasions. Niko is once again in the middle of a tough division, but should continue to be the favorite. He takes over a Vikings team that is exponentially more talented than the Bills and only time will tell what will develop in Minny. The one question is whether or not Brett Favre will be under center come opening day, as the drama-filled future HOF continues to struggle with his decision to play or retire. With Favre, the Vikings will be the clear favorite in the NFC North, but without Favre, the Vikings are much more vulnerable. Even without Favre, AP is expected to carry the Vikes on his back, but fans every where are hoping that he doesn’t drop the ball … literally.
w0psurprise entered the VNFL in season 5 and immediately made an impact in the AFC West. This year, he takes over the Detroit Lions and should continue to challenge for a playoff position year after year. The Lions are a young team but are talented. QB Stafford, RB Best, and WR Johnson should form a great trio that will have opposing defenses on their heels. The defense is more of a question mark but the addition of DT Suh should bolster the defense. The key for the Lions is to build a capable of defense that will be able to stop opposing teams. The offense should be able to put up decent numbers but it’s hard to see the Lions being able to win defense games. The Lions should be able to compete with the Vikes, but again everything will depend on how good that defense is.
Deepthreat returns to the VNFL after months away from the field. He returns to take over the Chicago Bears who dominated this division in 2010. Deepthreat was a competitor in the old AFC South, and I expect him to bring that over to the NFC North. The Bears will rely on it’s defense to keep the team in games but will suffer somewhat due to a lack of speed in the secondary. This is a deadly weakness considering the WRs they have to face in the division (Rice, Harvin, Johnson, Burleson, and Jennings). QB Jay Cutler and the offense have a lot to prove. Devin Hester is a great return but is so-so as a WR. Knox, Bennett, and Aromashodu are capable WRs but are young and unproven. All in all, the Bears have a tough task ahead with proven winners in Niko and w0p in the division.
Unfortunately for Broncobobby, he’s stuck in a tough division and will likely fall to the division basement because of the competitiveness of the division; however, I still expect the Packers to finish near .500. No one should underestimate Bronco’s ability to put together a winning team that would be capable of challenging the top dogs in the divisions and potentially walk away with a playoff spot. Last year, he barely missed the playoffs with the Lions, and he should enjoy a bit more success having a better team in the Packers. His biggest challenge would be to show that he will be able to step up and compete with the big boys. If he can, then the NFC North will become a crapshoot with any of the 4 teams being capable of walking away with the division title.
The NFC North is the only division that is made up of 4 teams capable of not only making the playoffs, but also winning the division. Niko will be the early favorite based on his track record from the old AFC East and having a talented team in the Vikings. However, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see one of the other teams come up and deny him that division crown. This division should come down to the final weeks.
Win/Loss Predictions
Minnesota Vikings: 11-5 (division winner)
Detroit Lions: 10-6 (wildcard team)
Chicago Bears: 9-7
Green Bay Packers: 8-8
Next: Conference and SB Predictions (August 9th)