NFC North Preview: Despite shaky QB, Bears without division peer

NFC North Preview

The NFC North is easy to figure out. It's Chicago and everyone else.

The Bears are a lock to win the division. The question is: Who finishes second?

Detroit's Jon Kitna promises the Lions are good for 10 wins, which would put them right there. But does anyone honestly believe Detroit can win more this season than it did the past two?

And what about Green Bay? Yeah, I like Brett Favre, too, but not without a running game. So tell me who's the next Ahman Green? I'm waiting.

Then there's Minnesota, and the Vikings could be good ... in two or three years. They're building ... er, rebuilding ... around Taravaris Jackson, and, no, I don't have a lot of faith in him, either.

Which takes us back to Chicago.

The Bears are so loaded that return specialist Devin Hester is taking a crack at wide receiver. Great. Who throws him the football?

That's the only mystery left with these guys. Otherwise, plan to see them in the playoffs.

Chicago Bears

Significant additions: TE Greg Olsen, S Adam Archuleta, DT Darwin Walker.

Cedric Benson: Ready to make 'em forget Thomas Jones? (AP)

Significant subtractions: RB Thomas Jones, DT Tank Johnson, DT Ian Scott, WR Justin Gage.

Biggest offseason move: Cutting loose Tank Johnson. What I love about GM Jerry Angelo is that he's decisive: He didn't back down in the Lance Briggs dispute, and he wasted no time when Johnson screwed up.

Rookie to watch: Olsen. He gives the Bears a dimension they don't have: A tight end who can stretch the field vertically. Olsen had a terrific training camp and was second on the team in receptions. If he's OK -- and the Bears don't seem overly concerned with his sprained knee -- he'll help whoever quarterbacks this team.

Will go to the playoffs if ... Rex Grossman doesn't fumble every other snap. This team is loaded and plays in a division where there is no competition. The only question is how the Bears gain home-field advantage again.

Overview: A GM I trust told me the Bears are bullet-proof, except for one position. Still, Rex Grossman can't hold this team back. He didn't a year ago, and he won't now. Besides, there's always Brian Griese, and, guaranteed: Lovie Smith won't be reluctant to make a move if Grossman starts floundering again.

Green Bay Packers

Significant additions: DT Justin Harrell, RB Brandon Jackson, CB Frank Walker.

Significant subtractions: RB Ahman Green, FB William Henderson, TE David Martin.

Biggest offseason move: Not re-signing Ahman Green. He was the team's franchise running back for seven seasons, but he's 30 and slowing down. So the club passed on him and will take its chances with Vernand Morency and Jackson.

Rookie to watch: Normally, I would tell you to look at Jackson, but the second-round draft pick suffered a "mild" concussion this summer. That makes me nervous. Until he was hurt, Jackson was doing little more than OK, rushing for 133 yards and averaging 3.3 yards a carry.

Will go to the playoffs if ... they find a running back to take the heat off Brett Favre. There is nothing wrong with this team when it's balanced, but it has been years since everything fell into place.

Overview: Favre is back, and hallelujah. The guy is magic to watch. But, at some point, the Packers must make a decision to move on with the future -- which means less Favre and more Aaron Rodgers. I don't know when that happens, but I can't see the Pack contending for the playoffs, which means it should be sooner rather than later.

Detroit Lions

Biggest additions: WR Calvin Johnson, RB Tatum Bell, RB T.J. Duckett, S Idrees Bashir, CB Travis Fisher, T George Foster, WR Shaun McDonald, G Edwin Mulitalo, De Dwayne White.

Biggest subtractions: CB Dre Bly, DE James Hall, TE Marcus Pollard, G Ross Verba, WR Mike Williams, QB Josh McCown, WR Eddie Drummond, DT Marcus Bell, G Rick DeMulling, S Terrence Holt, FB Cory Schlesinger.

Biggest offseason move: Drafting Johnson. I don't care that the Lions took wide receivers in three of the previous four first rounds. Johnson was the best player in the draft, and the Lions got lucky: They have the only can't-miss player on the board because Oakland wanted JaMarcus Russell.

Rookie to watch: Calvin Johnson. He can do everything, and in Mike Martz's offense, he'll be asked to.

Can make the playoffs if ... the offensive line learns how to protect Jon Kitna, and the defense learns how to stop people. The loss of safety Daniel Bullocks was a blow.

Overview: The Lions will score lots of points. I just don't know if they can stop anyone. Kitna said they'd win 10 games, but let's keep this real: This team hasn't won more than six in any of the past six seasons and fashioned the league's worst record over that time.

Minnesota Vikings

Tarvaris Jackson: Can he ignite offense in Minny? (US Presswire)

Significant additions: RB Adrian Peterson, QB Kelly Holcomb, WR Bobby Wade, TE Visanthe Shiancoe, S Mike Doss, WR Robert Ferguson.

Significant subtractions: CB Fred Smoot, LB Napoleon Harris, WR Bethel Johnson, C Jason Whittle, DT Ross Kolodziej, QB Brad Johnson, WR Marcus Robinson, WR Travis Taylor, TE Jermaine Wiggins.

Biggest offseason move: Drafting Peterson. If he stays healthy, he could be the best thing to happen to this franchise since Chuck Foreman.

Rookie to watch: Peterson. Just keep him out of the ER.

Can make the playoffs if ... they figure out how to score. No one was better stopping the run a year ago, but they still lost eight of their last 10. Reason: Couldn't score. They had better solve that, and fast.

Overview: Poor Brad Childress. He had to take two steps backward before he could take one forward. It should be a long season for the Vikings, but they'll keep things together with their defense. The problem is: Where do they find points?