Chicago made a big splash by trading for former Denver starter Jay Cutler. But as you’ll read in my write-up below, Cutler’s acquisition is meaningless unless the Bears have offensive playmakers for Cutler to throw to.

Detroit will most likely hand the franchise over to rookie Matthew Stafford. It makes a ton of sense for them to do it right now. The Lions are heading in the right direction with the coaching and front office overhaul, so why not throw Stafford into the fire and see what he’s got.

What the heck is Minnesota thinking by bringing in 40 year old Brett Favre? The Jets tried the Favre experiment last year, and we all know how that turned out. What the Favre signing means is that head coach Brad Childress thinks that both Sage Rosenfels and Tarvaris Jackson are incapable of leading the Vikings anywhere. We’ll soon find out how all of this plays out.

Here’s our take on the NFC North as we previewed it way back in early May.

NFC North

There’s nowhere to go but up for the Detroit Lions. Off the winless campaign, the Motown boys have a lot of new faces in order to try and right the ship. Rod Marinelli’s idea of running the Tampa-2 defensive scheme without the right personnel has been ditched. Jim Schwartz is the new head coach, and he hired well-respected Gunther Cunninham as his defensive coordinator. Together, they plan to install a 3-4 scheme, but don’t have the players to fit that just yet. Offensively, #1 pick Matthew Stafford is the QB of the future. The Lions have pretty good talent around him, but it may take a couple of years before the Lions put it all together.

The regression to 6-10 was expected of the Green Bay Packers. And a major reason for that was the dreadful play of their defense. As a result, five defensive coaches were sent packing and in steps Dom Capers and a new 3-4 scheme. The transition should be quick with the Packers possessing the right parts to become a much better stop unit. Play along their offensive line really dipped last year, and that area needs to protect Aaron Rodgers much better. Many of Green Bay’s big players are in their contract year, so we predict a lot of production out of this team, both straight-up and against the spread.

When you can run the ball (145 yards per game) and the stop the run (76 yards per game) with great efficiency like the Minnesota Vikings, your chances of making the playoffs is extremely high. But when you get little production out of your quarterback, it’s tough to advance deep. Minnesota addressed that issue by acquiring Sage Rosenfels, but is he the answer? Adrian Peterson is a beast at running back, but the wide receiver corps is weak. The Vikings should jump out to a solid record as their first six games are favorable, but if they struggle, this may be a team to fade in the favorite’s role.

Spotlight Team

Fans of the Chicago Bears have been asking for one thing, a proven NFL quarterback. They got their wish after the Bears landed Jay Cutler in a trade with the Broncos. But, does it make sense to get a gun slinger like Cutler when there’s nobody to throw the ball to? And what about the fact that his offensive coordinator, Ron Turner, rescinded Cutler’s scholarship when Turner was at Illinois? Rod Marinelli stays in the division as he takes over the defensive line coaching spot, and considering his reputation, that is a key hire because the Bears didn’t generate many sacks in ’08. The secondary was torched for over 240 yards per game, and that area is a big concern. Even with the question marks, the Bears look to be the favorite in the NFC North.

Caution: If the teams listed below fail to perform like we expect, discontinue betting-on or against them. You’ll learn more by watching a couple of games than you do by making preseason assessments.

Thanks for reading, Matty