Ah, the old Black and Blue division of my youth, and of course, my favorite division by default from my Bear fandom. However, over the years, I’ve become quite impartial when it comes to the NFL. Through Fantasy Football and now gambling, I just identify the best players and teams to watch instead of rooting for the Beloved. The Division could be the most murky of all 8 divisions this year.

Packers

ARod Got His Wish

The Packers finally made a leadership change after years of butting heads and frankly poor play calling. I’m not sure the move was the right one, but the fresh approach should improve their chances both in the division and NFC. After missing the playoffs for the first time in a while in consecutive years, the Pack should be back this year.

  • Coaches: The McCarthy era is over, and no one can be happier than QB Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers gets a more innovative mind at Head Coach in Matt La Fleur who has served as OC in the Rams offense under Sean McVay and last year with the Titans. It will be interesting to see how this plays out as La Fleur is not a proven commodity in my mind and has never been a head coach – a common theme in new hires these days. La Fleur hired Nathaniel Hackett as OC who spent the past few years with the Jaguars and is son of Paul Hackett, also a long time NFL coach. Clearly, Hackett will defer to the La Fleur concepts as Jacksonville didn’t really pass the ball much. At DC, they tapped former Cleveland head coach, Mike Pettine. Pettine actually was the DC for McCarthy last year, and he has had good success at coordinator.
  • Key Departures: On offense, long time slot WR, Randall Cobb was not re-signed (Cowboys). On defense, it is a youth movement, as LB Clay Matthews was not re-signed and LB Nick Perry was cut.
  • Key Additions: On Defense, LB Zadarious Smith was signed (Baltimore) to upgrade over Matthews, plus S Adrian Amos was signed from their division rival (Bears). No real big signings on offense from what I can see.
  • Draft: The Pack continue to try and rebuild via the Draft. At 12th overall, the Pack selected the accomplished DE from Michigan, Rashan Gary, who could be a difference maker. They also made some moves to grab another S in Darnell Savage, a highly rated player out of Maryland. They finally addressed the aging O-line with Elgton Jenkins, C (Mississippi State) in the 2nd round and a TE in Jace Sternberger (Texas A&M) in the 3rd. All picks could contribute or start in 2019.
  • Final Analysis: It pains me to say this, but I think the Packers have gotten better. The main reason is McCarthy and his decade old offense is gone. With freer reign over the offense, Rodgers should thrive, and the young WR corps is primed for a big year. The key to the Pack is their defense, so can the younger additions contribute in a loaded division. My take is that they will. I see them winning a very tight division race mainly because Rodgers is the best QB in the division.

Bears

Mack is a Force, but it’s all about the O in 2019

The Bears made a quantum leap under new coach Matt Nagy, plus the huge move to grab Khalil Mack in the off season last year. The defense was incredible creating tons of turnovers and scores, allowing the 2nd year Mitch Trubisky to play from ahead often. I expect a regression, but not back to the Fox era teams.

  • Coaches: Matt Nagy returns after an incredibly successful rookie campaign. I do like his positive, professional attitude. He did get a little cute at times, but the refreshing look on offense was a welcome change. At OC, Mark Helfrich returns, and to me, I will judge him the most on the development of Trubisky. For the Bears to win the division again, Mitch has to be better. On defense, the Bears did lose DC Vic Fangio as the Denver Head Coaching job. So, Nagy turned to former Colts’ Head Coach, Chuck Pagano who was a coordinator in Baltimore and other stops. I don’t think the defense will lose much, but Fangio was really good.
  • Key Departures: As noted, the defense did lose S Adrian Amos to the Pack and CB Bryce Callahan (Denver) in the slot. Oh, and the Bears cut K Cody Parkey – I can’t go there. No major offensive losses this year.
  • Key Additions: Bears signed CB Buster Skrine who is known for his slot CB play to replace – Callahan, and to replace Amos, S Ha-Ha Clinton Dix, the former Packer. An underrated signing was RB Mike Davis from Seattle, who will provide stability and between the tackles runs for the Bears. The Bears also added the dynamic returner and WR, Cordarelle Patterson (NE).
  • Draft: The Bears did mortgage their future a bit with Trubisky and Mack, so no picks until the 3rd round this year. They selected RB David Montgomery from Iowa State in the 3rd, who could be a very productive back in this system.
  • Final Analysis: The Bears will be solid. I think they will win 9 games at least, but their schedule is much harder than last year. Plus, the division has gotten better (even Detroit). So, it is going to come down to if Trubisky can win some close games, and as an analyst, I don’t think he can. Hopefully, I will be proven wrong.

Vikings

Can The Vikes get back to 2017 Form?

The Vikings had a tough year. After an appearance in the NFC Title game in the 2017 season, the changes to the team and coaching staff had them fall short in 2018. A renewed purpose and focus should help the Vikes get right at the top of the division again.

  • Coaches: Head Coach Mike Zimmer has built a really good team. He made an error in hiring DeFillipo last year, but fired that guy mid-season. This year, the OC will be Kevin Stefanski who stepped into the interim OC role mid-year to restore balance to the offense. Plus, they have added former Texans and Broncos head coach, Gary Kubiak, to the mix, which should translate into a more run, oriented attack with heavy emphasis on play action. That should help the Vikings a lot. On defense, George Edwards is the DC, and has been for this talented group for a while. Nothing should change there.
  • Key Departures: The Defense did lose S Andrew Sendejo (PHI) and DT Sheldon Richardson (CLE) in free agency. Plus, they did not re-sign RB Latavius Murray (NO) who was very valuable with the 2 years of Dalvin Cook injuries.
  • Key Additions: DT Shamar Stephen (SEA) was signed to take Richardson’s place. RB Ameer Abdullah (DET) was signed to a 1 year deal for RB depth.
  • Draft: The Vikes tried to address the line (which was an issue in 2018) with the 18th selection overall in C Garrett Bradbury (NC State) who should start. Plus, they added a big TE from Alabama, Irv Smith in the 2nd round. In the 3rd round, the Vikings took RB Alexander Mattison from Boise State.
  • Final Analysis: The Vikings had my projected Bears’ problem this year in 2018. They had to play a 1st place schedule and struggled to win enough games. I think they bounce back to be in the same range as the Bears and Packers. I’m looking at 9 wins, but I’m still picking the Packers as the division winner and only playoff team in the Division.

Lions

Buckle Up, Kerryon, You Are Toting the Rock A Ton in 2019

I’m probably discounting the Lions too much here, but to me, they are clearly a cut below the rest of the division. The process to convert the team from a spread passing attack to a run-first attack may work, but the defense is the key to that change.

  • Coaches: Head Coach Matt Patricia goes into his second year and trying to change this team. He hires OC Darrell Bevell, the long time OC in Seattle, so that is a run heavy scheme taking the ball out of QB Matthew Stafford’s hands and into 2nd year RB Kerryon Johnson’s. On defense, DC is still Paul Pasqualoni who is a 47 year veteran coach. His defense may actually be decent.
  • Key Departures: G TJ Lang retired. RB Theo Riddick was cut to make room for others.
  • Key Additions: The Defense gets better with DE Trey Flowers (NE) and CB Justin Coleman (SEA) signed. WR Danny Amendola joins the team on a 1 year deal and RB CJ Anderson (LAR) was added to the RB corps.
  • Draft: The Lions added the top TE in the draft with the 8th overall selection – TJ Hockenson from Iowa. In the 2nd round, they added LB depth with Jahlani Tavai from Hawaii and S Will Harris (BC) in the 3rd.
  • Final Analysis: The Lions are slowing changing their identity. The changes are a move to a more run-oriented offense with a very tough run defense. The Lions may compete for 3 quarters, but I don’t think they have the talent to win a ton of games. I have them at 5-6 games and the bottom of the NFC North. Maybe I’ll be wrong.

That is the NFC North, which should be very competitive, but I only see 1 playoff team – the Division winner – in 2019.

Wegs

About the author

I'm a 49 year old, twice divorced guy with a 20 year old. The blog has morphed a bit lately. Not just sports or dating, social commentary and now some stories from my past experience.