Thanks to BigBlueShoe for this find. A columist at SI has listed his key questions for each team entering training camp. Here are the ones for the NFC North followed by a mini rant, by me.
NFC NORTH
CHICAGO BEARS
Key question: Who's going to help the offense?
The Bears surprised some experts by focusing on defense in this year's draft. They haven't made any notable upgrades to an offense that ranked No. 29 last year. They'd better hope a couple of guys start to impress this offseason, because they can't go into the season thinking a healthy Rex Grossman is all they need to improve.
DETROIT LIONS
Key question: Is it all about attitude?
New coach Rod Marinelli is living up to his drill-sergeant reputation by overworking his players and getting in trouble with the NFL after players complained about workouts. You have to love the new approach for a team that has shown no encouraging signs in recent years. There is a lot of work to do with this team in the offseason with a new coach, a new QB and probably several new starters.
GREEN BAY PACKERS
Key question: Who will Favre throw to?
Now that the big question has been answered -- Brett Favre is coming back -- there are lots of little questions for Green Bay. With few reliable weapons around him, Favre will have to break in a couple of new receivers this season. Donald Driver will be the No. 1 guy, leaving Robert Ferguson, Marc Boerigter, Rod Gardner and second-round pick Greg Jennings to battle for No. 2. Jennings looked promising in the Pack's first minicamp.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS
Key question: Can this team ever right the ship?
Minnesota's long string of scandals continues, although the latest, the dismissal of VP of player personnel Fran Foley, is a relatively small mess compared with the scandals of the past. Minnesota appears to have gotten rid of most of its troubling players (Randy Moss, Onterrio Smith, Daunte Culpepper, etc.), but you never know with this franchise. New coach Brad Childress seems like he's not afraid of controversy and might be good for a few juicy headlines this offseason.
Rant begin. It never fails to bug me the hypocrisy of columnists and so called 'experts'. Half the time they tell you the way to win in the NFL is to be very, very good on one side of the ball, but when a team aims to do that, all of the sudden they aren't trying to even things out. Point of fact. The Bears didn't loose in the playoffs last year because of their offense. In fact, they had what you could easily consider their best offensive game of the entire year. We lost because we had no speed in the secondary. Now we do.
Secondly, again how experts can flatly state that the Bears offense will be no better than last year is flat out absurd. Now, I am not comparing the offense we put on the field next year to Indy or Seattle, but by sheer fact the either Grossman or Greise will be running the ship equals increase in productivity in offense. If anybody wants to compare Orton, Krenzel or Huchinson to those two I am eager to hear how you figure that out. Secondly, between the trio of Bradley, Currie, Berrian and maybe Gage; although that last one is unlikely, the #2 spot at receiver is going to improve.
Thirdly, between Desmond Clark, Tim Day and whichever other TE makes the roster, that spot has potential to have impact for the first time in quite some time.
Next, Benson is back from injury and will have a full training camp, you don't think that will make him a better RB? Thomas Jones had a monster year when you consider the help he wasn't getting from the pass game. It is simple math. The pass game improves, the run game improves.
Lastly, lets talk about field position. Did any of these 'experts' see a Bears game? Did they see the horrible field position that the Bears had to start with? Between Currie, Manning and most likely Hester by default the average starting field position increases.
You obvioulsy went to college to become a journalist, so I assume there is a brain in there somewhere. Use it. Stop ripping off Dr Z. Trust me he is not the guy you want to be stealing from. Rant end.