Chicago Bears
2014 Record: 5-11
Head Coach: John Fox (1st year)
Notable Additions: OLB Pernell McPhee, S Antrell Rolle, WR Eddie Royal
Notable Departures: WR Brandon Marshall, CB Charles Tillman, OLB Lance Briggs
(Note: I'm a Chicago Bears fan, so I had to sacrifice a bit of my objectivity to properly convey the sorrow and bitterness rooting for this team fills me with.)
(Note: I'm a Chicago Bears fan, so I had to sacrifice a bit of my objectivity to properly convey the sorrow and bitterness rooting for this team fills me with.)
Offense:
Groundhog Day is striking in Chicago as Jay Cutler will be forced to learn yet another offense in 2015. Granted, the firing of head coach Marc Trestman and offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer was entirely justified after the disastrous 2014 campaign that saw this offense sputter out completely (23rd in points per game and 21st in total yards) after finishing 2nd in the NFL in scoring and 8th in total yards in 2013, it just sucks that Cutler is going to be forced to learn yet another offense. Most quarterbacks only have to learn 2-3 offenses in their entire careers, Cutler is onto his 5th offensive coordinator since he joined the Bears in 2009. Cutler has certainly caused a lot of his own woes with his tendency to rush throws and take unnecessary risks by throwing into double and triple coverage instead of simply throwing the ball away, but the rapid changeover of offensive coordinators has undoubtedly stunted his production during his tenure with the Bears.
There's a lot of optimism that new offensive coordinator Adam Gase will be the guy to finally provide stability to Cutler's game and the offense in general. In Gase's 2 years as the o-coordinator in Denver, the Broncos were the top scoring offense in football over that span and were damn near unstoppable most weeks. However, it's unclear whether Gase or quarterback Peyton Manning was the catalyst for the Broncos offensive domination during that time. The early reviews out of training camp have been glowing for both men (Cutler allegedly didn't throw a single interception in practice!), but I won't believe that Gase is an offensive virtuoso or that Cutler has remedied his turnover woes and finally become the elite quarterback the Bears expected him to be when they traded for him 6 years ago until they prove it in the regular season.
Further complicating the offense's rebound effort is the loss of 1st-round pick Kevin White for at least half of the year after he underwent surgery to repair a stress fracture in his shin last week. White was expected to fill the void at wideout left by the offseason trade of star Brandon Marshall and his loss all but ensures that the Bears won't have a 3rd playmaker in their receiving corps to line up alongside Alshon Jeffrey and tight end Martellus Bennett. Eddie Royal, the Bears other offseason acquisition at wide receiver, is taking over White's starting job and while he's a serviceable veteran fill-in who has the benefit of having previously played with Cutler in Denver, he lacks the big-play potential and excellent athleticism that White brings to the table.
About the only thing can get really excited about this season is that all of their offensive line is coming back healthy. None of their starters played all 16 games last season, which really effected the chemistry up front and led to Cutler taking a beating for most of the season. The return of guard Matt Slauson will be particularly welcome. His mauling presence as a run-blocker was sorely missed in the 2nd half of the season and played a large part in running back Matt Forte's middling numbers down the stretch (he only had 1 100-yard game after Slauson went down with a torn pectoral muscle against the Patriots in late October). This unit was one of the best in the NFL in 2013 and if they can stay healthy and seamlessly integrate new center Will Montgomery into the fold, they should return to that status in 2015.
Defense:
The Bears defense followed up their historically-bad 2013 with an almost equally poor performance in 2014. They were pretty much hopeless against both the run and pass and as a result of their collective incompetence, they surrendered the 2nd most points per game in the entire of league. Like pretty much everyone else that sat in the front office or stood on the sideline last season, the defensive coaching staff was rightfully terminated once the season was over.
Of all the new hires the Bears made this season, none was better than defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. Fangio's arrival in Chicago will answer the question of whether or not the personnel or Mel Tucker's poorly-constructed, zone-heavy scheme was responsible for the team's defensive woes over the past 2 seasons. Fangio worked some serious magic during his 4-year stint with the 49ers by frequently overcoming adversity and managing to put a productive defense on the field week in and week out. He's going to have to pull off an even grander miracle to make the Bears defense respectable once again.
The pool of players Fangio will be relatively different than the ones Tucker worked with a season thanks to the large number of acquisitions new general manager Ryan Pace made in the offseason. Pace brought in outside linebacker Pernell McPhee, safety Antrell Rolle, defensive end Jarvis Jenkins, inside linebacker Mason Foster, defensive end Sam Acho and cornerback Alan Ball in free agency in an effort to sure up the defense and take some of the pressure of the team's young starters. Outside of McPhee and Rolle, none of these guys are guaranteed to start, but they're all veterans with low-risk deals who provide depth and experience on a defense that is in desperate need of both. Pace's reluctance to sign big free agent deals outside of McPhee- who could prove to be a brilliant signing if he's the same pass-rushing, run-stuffing monster he was with the Ravens- is definitely an admirable approach after previous GM Phil Emery repeatedly gave big-money contracts to any schmuck who was willing to play in Chicago, but it may prevent the Bears defense from making a drastic turnaround this season .
It'll be very interesting to see how Fangio goes out about assembling this defense. There's no proven young stars (second-year cornerback Kyle Fuller and rookie defensive tackle Eddie Goldman have serious potential though), their safeties outside of Rolle can't be trusted, their pass-rush is questionable at best, and how well their defense is going to play this season hinges on whether or not 33-year old Jared Allen can successfully make the transition to outside linebacker after spending the first 11 years of his career at defensive end. While the prospects are certainly gloomy at this point in time, Fangio is one of the few people in the league that could potentially turn this giant mess of over-the-hill veterans and unproven young players into a productive defense.
Of all the new hires the Bears made this season, none was better than defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. Fangio's arrival in Chicago will answer the question of whether or not the personnel or Mel Tucker's poorly-constructed, zone-heavy scheme was responsible for the team's defensive woes over the past 2 seasons. Fangio worked some serious magic during his 4-year stint with the 49ers by frequently overcoming adversity and managing to put a productive defense on the field week in and week out. He's going to have to pull off an even grander miracle to make the Bears defense respectable once again.
The pool of players Fangio will be relatively different than the ones Tucker worked with a season thanks to the large number of acquisitions new general manager Ryan Pace made in the offseason. Pace brought in outside linebacker Pernell McPhee, safety Antrell Rolle, defensive end Jarvis Jenkins, inside linebacker Mason Foster, defensive end Sam Acho and cornerback Alan Ball in free agency in an effort to sure up the defense and take some of the pressure of the team's young starters. Outside of McPhee and Rolle, none of these guys are guaranteed to start, but they're all veterans with low-risk deals who provide depth and experience on a defense that is in desperate need of both. Pace's reluctance to sign big free agent deals outside of McPhee- who could prove to be a brilliant signing if he's the same pass-rushing, run-stuffing monster he was with the Ravens- is definitely an admirable approach after previous GM Phil Emery repeatedly gave big-money contracts to any schmuck who was willing to play in Chicago, but it may prevent the Bears defense from making a drastic turnaround this season .
It'll be very interesting to see how Fangio goes out about assembling this defense. There's no proven young stars (second-year cornerback Kyle Fuller and rookie defensive tackle Eddie Goldman have serious potential though), their safeties outside of Rolle can't be trusted, their pass-rush is questionable at best, and how well their defense is going to play this season hinges on whether or not 33-year old Jared Allen can successfully make the transition to outside linebacker after spending the first 11 years of his career at defensive end. While the prospects are certainly gloomy at this point in time, Fangio is one of the few people in the league that could potentially turn this giant mess of over-the-hill veterans and unproven young players into a productive defense.
Bottom Line:
The experience and proven leadership of their new coaching staff should allow the Bears to improve from last year's nightmare season, but a brutal schedule (on top of their tough division, they have to play the NFC and AFC West) and general lack of talent on both sides of the ball will keep them firmly in the NFL's lower-tier of teams.
Detroit Lions
2014 Record: 11-5
Head Coach: Jim Caldwell (2nd year)
Notable Additions: DT Haloti Ngata, G/C Manny Ramirez, WR Lance Moore
Notable Departures: DT Ndamukong Suh, DT Nick Fairley, RB Reggie Bush
Offense:
Defense:
The Lions offense took a bit of a hit in 2014 with Calvin Johnson missing more than 2 games in a season for the 1st time in his career with an ankle injury and severe injuries to Reggie Bush and guard Larry Warford preventing their rushing attack from being as dangerous as it was in 2013.
With a healthy Johnson and Warford back in the mix, the Lions should be able to return to their elite offensive form in 2015. Matthew Stafford is a consistent, quality starting quarterback who can go off at any time, Johnson and Golden Tate-who is a coming off a career-best 2014 campaign (99 REC,1,331 yard, 4 TD)- are one of the most deadly wide receiver combos in the league and their already solid offensive line got even better with the acquisition of guard Manny Ramirez from the Broncos in a draft-day trade and 2nd-year center Travis Swanson replacing veteran Dominic Raiola, whose age finally caught up with him in 2014 after 13 dominant seasons in the league, in the starting lineup.
The Lions offense could prove to be even deadlier if rookie running back Ameer Abdullah and tight end Eric Ebron play up to their immense potential. Abdullah possesses the same skill as the recently-departed Bush, only with more explosiveness and better vision. Abdullah has looked unstoppable in training camp and the first 2 preseason games and if he play continues at this level, he'll find himself replacing Joique Bell as the Lions starting running back in no time. Ebron hasn't made nearly as much noise as Abdullah in the preseason due to head coach Jim Caldwell limiting his starters to 12 snaps a game, but he's apparently been excellent in camp and showed a much better understanding of the offense than he did in his disappointing rookie season (25 REC, 248 YDS, 1 TD) in 2014. Ebron's athleticism and polish as a receiver made him the rare tight end to be selected with a top-10 overall draft pick and if the dominance he showed in college can transfer over to the NFL, he will be the clear number 3 option in this passing offense and could quite possibly morph into one of the league's best tight ends.
It's no secret how stout the Lions defense was last year. They were 8th in the league in sacks (42), tied for 2nd in least points allowed (17.6 per game) and ranked 1st in run defense. The odds of the level of dominance they displayed in 2014 occurring again in 2015 is highly unlikely after defensive tackles Ndmuakong Suh and Nick Fairley decide to leave the team in free agency.
The though of 2 players leaving having such an impact on the quality of the entire defense may seem ridiculous to the average, but the play of Suh and Fairley is what this defense elite. The pressure Suh and Fairley put on opposing offenses by disrupting the line of scrimmage on almost every play took the pressure off the rest of the defense and largely covered up any holes that existed. Multi-faceted defensive tackles that can defend the run and get after the quarterback the way Suh and Fairley don't come around very often and are damn near impossible to replace. The Lions did soften the blow to the interior line a bit by trading for former Ravens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, who is still playing at a pretty high level at age 31, but his presence won't be nearly enough to replicate the wrecking ball Suh and Fairley were in the middle of this defense.
The unit that will feel the brunt of the hit from the loss of Suh and Fairley will be the secondary. The Lions 13th-ranking against the pass a year ago can almost entirely be attributed to how the defensive front played. Their starting corner duo (Darius Slay and Rashean Mathis) is adequate at best and is going to have display far more consistency if they want to enjoy the same level success they had a year ago. This was a unit that got ruined in 2013 when Fairley had a down year and without that consistent disruptive presence up front, it wouldn't be the least bit surprising to watch this secondary get lit up on a weekly basis again this year. The Lions may still have some quality defensive players in outside linebacker DeAndre Levy, defensive end Ezekiel "Ziggy" Ansah and safety Glover Quin, but it's highly unlikely this defense will be elite again in 2015.
The though of 2 players leaving having such an impact on the quality of the entire defense may seem ridiculous to the average, but the play of Suh and Fairley is what this defense elite. The pressure Suh and Fairley put on opposing offenses by disrupting the line of scrimmage on almost every play took the pressure off the rest of the defense and largely covered up any holes that existed. Multi-faceted defensive tackles that can defend the run and get after the quarterback the way Suh and Fairley don't come around very often and are damn near impossible to replace. The Lions did soften the blow to the interior line a bit by trading for former Ravens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, who is still playing at a pretty high level at age 31, but his presence won't be nearly enough to replicate the wrecking ball Suh and Fairley were in the middle of this defense.
The unit that will feel the brunt of the hit from the loss of Suh and Fairley will be the secondary. The Lions 13th-ranking against the pass a year ago can almost entirely be attributed to how the defensive front played. Their starting corner duo (Darius Slay and Rashean Mathis) is adequate at best and is going to have display far more consistency if they want to enjoy the same level success they had a year ago. This was a unit that got ruined in 2013 when Fairley had a down year and without that consistent disruptive presence up front, it wouldn't be the least bit surprising to watch this secondary get lit up on a weekly basis again this year. The Lions may still have some quality defensive players in outside linebacker DeAndre Levy, defensive end Ezekiel "Ziggy" Ansah and safety Glover Quin, but it's highly unlikely this defense will be elite again in 2015.
Bottom Line:
The huge losses of Suh and Fairley paired with the increasingly stiff competition of the NFC should prevent the Lions from repeating the success they had in 2014. Anything above 9 wins would be very surprising.
The huge losses of Suh and Fairley paired with the increasingly stiff competition of the NFC should prevent the Lions from repeating the success they had in 2014. Anything above 9 wins would be very surprising.
Green Bay Packers
2014 Record: 12-4
Head Coach: Mike McCarthy (10th year)
Notable Additions: None
Notable Departures: CB Tramon Williams, CB Davon House, ILB A.J. Hawk
Offense:
Everything appeared to be business as usual for the Packers high-powered offense 2015. They were able to re-sign free agent wide receiver Randall Cobb to a new deal (4 year/$40 mil/$17 mil guaranteed) and suffered no major losses from their offense that ranked 6th overall in the league a year ago. Then disaster struck in last Saturday's preseason game against the 49ers when star wide receiver Jordy Nelson suffered a torn ACL and will now miss the entire 2015 season.
While the loss of a player of Nelson's caliber would be devastating for almost every other team in the league, the Packers should be just fine. Cobb is every bit as talented as Nelson and should effortlessly slide into the role of the Packers uncontested top receiver and 2nd-year player Davante Adams showed flashes of brilliance as a slot receiver during his rookie campaign last year and has to potential to put up insane numbers with more targets coming his way in 2015.
It also helps that the Packers have an elite quarterback in Aaron Rodgers that can produce with whatever pieces are at his disposal and a workhorse running back in Eddie Lacy that can carry the offense on his back if the passing game isn't working out. The Packers are one of the few pick-your-poison teams to still exist in the current pass-happy incarnation of the league and that sense of unpredictability should continue to benefit them immensely this season.
It also helps that the Packers have an elite quarterback in Aaron Rodgers that can produce with whatever pieces are at his disposal and a workhorse running back in Eddie Lacy that can carry the offense on his back if the passing game isn't working out. The Packers are one of the few pick-your-poison teams to still exist in the current pass-happy incarnation of the league and that sense of unpredictability should continue to benefit them immensely this season.
Defense:
The same continuity that has defined the Packers offense in the Mike McCarthy/Ted Thompson-era carries over to the defense. While their offense is largely recognized as one of the best in the league, their defense doesn't really get the love they deserve.
They have one of the deepest secondaries in the league and should only get better this year if Ha-Ha Clintion-Dix can build on his strong play from the end of the last season, their pass-rush is solid and inside linebacker Sam Barrington is quietly becoming one of the better young linebackers in all of football. Don't get it twisted, the Packers defense isn't as loaded as their offense, but they are a pretty damn good unit that should only get better in 2015.
They have one of the deepest secondaries in the league and should only get better this year if Ha-Ha Clintion-Dix can build on his strong play from the end of the last season, their pass-rush is solid and inside linebacker Sam Barrington is quietly becoming one of the better young linebackers in all of football. Don't get it twisted, the Packers defense isn't as loaded as their offense, but they are a pretty damn good unit that should only get better in 2015.
The only area that's still a concern for the Packers is their defensive line. Mike Daniels is a respectable starting defensive end who has gotten better each year he's been in the league, but aside from him this unit is lacking in talent and depth. Datone Jones has struggled mightily since he entered the league in 2013 and nose tackle B.J. Raji is coming off back-to-back season-ending injuries and his ability as a run-stuffer has greatly diminished since his Pro Bowl season in 2011. While their defensive line is certainly an area of concern, it's not nearly weak enough to prevent this defense from being productive yet again in 2015.
Bottom Line:
The Packers have consistently at the top of the NFC every year since 2009 and it would be an absolute shock if that changed in 2015.
Minnesota Vikings
2014 Record: 7-9
Head Coach: Mike Zimmer (2nd year)
Notable Additions: WR Mike Wallace, CB Terrence Newman, QB Shaun Hill
Notable Additions: WR Mike Wallace, CB Terrence Newman, QB Shaun Hill
Notable Departures: WR Greg Jennings, QB Matt Cassel, ILB Jasper Brinkley
Offense:
Vikings fans can officially rejoice as star running back Adrian Peterson has officially been reinstated by the NFL after missing all but 1 game in 2014 after being indicted and eventually pleading no contest to charges of child abuse and endangerment. The production of the Vikings offense dropped considerably without Peterson in the lineup and his return should at the very least give this offense more balance than it had a year ago. There are definitely questions about how Peterson will perform after just turning 30 and sitting out of football for a year, but given his stellar track record when the odds are stacked against him, I'd be willing to wager he comes out and has a hell of a year in 2015.
Peterson's return should also have a positive effect on the development of 2nd-year quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. If Peterson return to dominant form, opposing defenses will have to stack the tackle box to try and stop him. That attention paid to Peterson should allow Bridgewater more opportunities to thrive in the passing game and allow him to stretch the field more than he did in his rookie year where he was forced to call mostly screen passes to make up for the lack of receiving talent around him.
Even if Peterson fails to make an impact, Bridgewater should greatly improve from his rookie season a year ago. Bridgewater closed on an incredibly high note putting 8 TD's, a 105.5 QBR and completing 71.7% of his passes over the last 5 games and ended up grading out as the quarterback with best accuracy while throwing on the run in 2014 according to Pro Football Focus. The confidence and polish Bridgewater showed down the stretch is a great sign that he'll continue to be successful in the NFL.
Bridgewater should also benefit from the rebuilt receiving corps. With Kyle Rudolph missing most of the year (once again) with assorted injuries and underwhelming play of wideouts Cordarrelle Patterson, Greg Jennings and Jarius Wright, Bridgewater's only reliable target last year was backup running back Matt Asiata. Thankfully, the organization decided to make some changes to the receiving corps going into 2015. The biggest move was going out and acquiring Mike Wallace in a trade with the Dolphins. Wallace is an undeniably streaky player, but his top-end makes him a lethal deep threat. The Vikings are also very high on 3rd-year wideout Charles Johnson, who joined the team in mid-October of last year after being signed from the Browns practice squad. Johnson looked excellent in semi-limited reps down the stretch last season and has cemented his status as a potential 2015 breakout candidate with a strong season of offseason workouts and solid preseason performances. Bridgewater's play will ultimately determine how productive this offense is and as of right now, the prospects for him succeeding are pretty bright.
Defense:
Head coach Mike Zimmer has put a lot of effort into overhauling the Vikings defense since he arrived in January 2014 and even though it's still a work in progress, he's already done excellent job improving this defense during his 1st year on the job. The secondary led by rising star safety Harrison Smith and cornerback Xavier Rhodes is the clear centerpiece of this defense right now (they ranked 8th against the pass in 2014) and Zimmer went out and bolstered the depth this offseaso by adding veteran Terrence Newman and scrappy rookie Trae Waynes to the mix. Newman may be out of his prime, but he's a still respectable corner that can be deployed anywhere in the secondary while Waynes is a physical press corner with excellent ball skills who could turn into something special if he can adjust to the stricter refereeing of the NFL.
The front 7 also became surprisingly formidable in 2014 in large part because of Zimmer's decision to gamble on veteran defensive end Everson Griffen and rookie Anthony Barr paying off big time. Griffen and Barr were risky for much different reasons (Griffen never saw significant playing time in his first 4 years in the league and Barr was a rookie who had only played on the defensive of the ball for 2 years in college), but both proved to be excellent players that thrived in Zimmer's defensive blitz-heavy, 4-3 scheme. Both of these guys haven't even come close to hitting their ceiling yet, but when they do, they could very well turn into two of the best defensive players in the league.
With all the promise on this defense, they didn't do much in the offseason to patch up their leaky run defense that finished 25th in the league in 2014. Drafting a polished, instinctive inside linebacker in Eric Kendricks should help a bit, but his presence isn't nearly enough to stop this team from getting bowled over by Eddie Lacy and Matt Forte 4 times a year. The Vikings have some talented players (Linval Joesph, Sharif Floyd, Chad Greenway) that struggled in 2014 that could very well bounce back in 2015, but if that doesn't happen, this defense will likely struggle to stop to run the again this season.
Bottom Line:
With a promising young quarterback, underrated young defense and an intelligent head coach running the show, the Vikings could very well be the surprise team of 2015.
Projected Standings for the NFC North:
1.Green Bay Packers (12-4)
2.Minnesota Vikings (9-7)
3.Detroit Lions (7-9)
4.Chicago Bears (6-10)
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