Week 1 Quick Hits

It is easy to sit around on a Monday or Tuesday and say what could have or should have happened in the previous weeks games.  Instead, let's highlight what actually happened, and if necessary what we can project for the coming weeks.

Week 1 is in the books.  It was a great opening weekend for the NFL filled with excitement and great play from many surprising players.  Here are Week 1's quick hits:

• The best teams in their respective conferences are the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens. Each of these teams looked convincing in their week 1 wins and shown that they will likely be there at the end of this long season.  What is interesting to watch is that both teams have good quarterbacks, but rely on an "old school" mentality of power football and tough, hard nosed defense.  In this age of QB's and only teams with elite play at that position getting recognition, the Niners and Ravens are establishing their dominance with smash mouth football.
• RG3 had a better showing in his first week than any other rookie QB.  The Washington Redskins are also the best team among the rookie QB teams.  RG3, however, was convincing as a top flight player at the position.  He looked poised throughout the entire game in a very tough environment down in New Orleans.  What I enjoy about RG3 is his dedication to becoming a passing QB.  He is without a doubt unbelievably talented and gifted as an athlete.  What will amplify those talents is his accurate, strong arm.  He is clearly moving that direction and will be an elite QB throughout his career.
• Preseason means NOTHING!!  Here are a few examples:
• The NY Jets scored zero touchdowns and looked really inept most of the time on offense.  Week 1 brought about 5 offensive touchdowns and a very impressive performance from Mark Sanchez and his entire unit.
• Seattle was very impressive going undefeated and gaining a big bandwagon following heading into the season.  Week 1 brought a loss at Arizona, who many panned as the worst team in the NFL outside of Indianapolis.
• Philadelphia was picked by everyone to win the NFC East and looked convincing through the preseason with a 4-0 record.  Week 1 brought a lucky victory against a basement dwelling team in Cleveland, leaving the Eagles with more questions than answers.
• The Denver Broncos are a team to be reckoned with.  Pittsburgh may not be what they have been on defense in the past few years, but they always bring a toughness to games that challenges the best of offenses.  Peyton Manning not only withstood the Steelers onslaught, but had a couple drives that were extremely impressive and reminiscent of Manning a few years ago.  This was, once again, only Week 1 and many things can change.  The one thing that always changes with Manning over the course of the season is he gets better.  His timing and efficiency will get better assuming he stays on the field.  This will ensure a division win for the Broncos and a possible deep playoff run if the defense stays healthy and productive as well.
• Adrian Peterson is a freak.  The man ran for 84 yards on 17 carries and scored 2 touchdowns.  8 months ago he tore his ACL and MCL.  On Sunday he made everyone forget about that with an electrifying performance.  AP really is "All Day" and maintains his status as the best RB in the NFL.  There is always the concern he came back early and could risk exhausting the knee before the season ends, but at this point he is a freak and let's enjoy watching him power his way through defenses each week.  Good luck this week Indy.

Week 2 starts tomorrow night with a big divisional game between the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field.  It is an early must win for the Packers against a team that looked good last week.

Bears +6 at Packers

Week 1 NFL Picks

Week 1 is finally here as the 2012-13 NFL season kicks off with a full slate of games.  Week 1 is always the hardest week to pick for obvious reasons.  We have not seen a single team play a full game with starters.  We have no idea what to expect from rookies and veterans alike.  Will Andrew Luck and RG3 live up to the hype?  Are teams like Chicago, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Detroit, and Houston as good as people think?  There is a lot of uncertainty, however the show must go on.

As it is week 1, let's lay some ground rules out there:

1. I am getting numbers from Vegas Insider and their consensus spread.  There are many sports books, and often times they vary by a few points.  The consensus spread consists of the line occurring most frequently across the board.  The line may also change by 1/2 a point leading up to the game, but for our purposes scoring will be according to the line when I post the picks.
2. I am picking lines.  Even if a team wins, you can still lose when picking.  This week Chicago is favored  over Indianapolis by 10 points.  If I pick Chicago to cover, but the score is 30-21, Bears, I lose.  If it is 30-19, I win.  If it is 30-20, I push and we keep track of that as a tie.
3. As you read my picks, I am taking the team with the number next to it.  When a team has a negative number next to them, they are favored by that many points to win.  From the previous example, Chicago -10, the Bears are favored by 10 points and you can win with the Colts as long as they lose by no more than 9, 10 being a push.
4. A hint...when a home team is favored by 3 (Jets -3 against Buffalo), the odds-makers are saying it's an even spread.  Home teams get an automatic 3 points in NFL betting.  If the line is even, the odds-makers actually like the visiting team more than the home team.

With all of that, let's make some picks!

• Colts at Bears -10
• Eagles -9.5 at Browns
• Buffalo +3 at Jets
• Washington at Saints -7.5
• Patriots -5.5 at Titans
• Jaguars at Vikings -3.5
• Dolphins at Texans -13
• St. Louis +8 at Lions
• Atlanta -2.5 at Kansas City
• 49ers at Packers -5
• Panthers -2.5 at Buccaneers
• Seahawks -2.5 at Cardinals
• Steelers +1.5 at Broncos
• Bengals at Ravens -7
• Chargers +1 at Raiders 

So there they are.  I hope some of you can find some interest and challenge in doing this each week.  If so, put your picks in the comments and we will keep a running score all season.  Good luck and happy NFL season!

NFL Weekly Picks

The NFL has consumed sports culture in America. There are many ways to watch football and feel more a part of all the action, but fantasy football has been the biggest thing to capture NFL viewer's attention. While it is fun to play it does not always require a strong football mind to be successful. Injuries and/or surprise performances can change the course of a league in a heartbeat. There is, however another way to challenge yourselves and your friends in the realm of football.

My good friend Smitty and I have chosen over/unders for games each week, including playoffs, for the past couple seasons.  First, my disclaimer is that we never bet money when doing this which translates to fun for any type of person.  It is a football knowledge game and a test of who has a good feel for teams and the surrounding influences that determine wins from week to week in the NFL.  With that said, why is picking the over/unders more fun and interesting than any other form of extracurricular NFL activity?

Unlike any fantasy game, you are forced to look at more than just a handful of players.  NFL games are more than fantasy points. There are small battles all around the field that determine the outcome of a game. QB's are the most popular players in fantasy games. On the field QB's are extremely important, but they can or cannot be successful without their offensive line performing, skill players making plays, and the defense shutting down the other team. Example: Alex Smith is not a popular QB in fantasy football. Many fans do not think highly of him as a real life QB. However, you must factor in him managing a game well and protecting the ball while allowing other parts of the 49ers to win games. This gives you completely different aspects to examine when you talk about Alex Smith and the Niners when choosing the winner of an NFL game. The other side of this is a player like Adrian Peterson before he was hurt last season. He is consistently a great fantasy play because he is a one man wrecking crew. But, when you have to look at the Vikings as a team you see many holes on their team. Perhaps those holes are not a worry on a certain week while the next week they are left exposed and being blown out, all while AP has a big week regardless. Picking the over/unders challenges you to look at more than a player. You have to look at all players on both teams, how they match up, and what other variable may lead to one team losing but maybe still covering to give a betting man the win.

Speaking of the betting man, choosing over/unders opens up a whole new way to look at matchups each week.  You may feel confident that the game featuring the Texans and Dolphins is going to be an easy win for Houston. But how easy do you really think it will be? If someone tells you the Texans are favored by 13.5, do you feel a little better about the Dolphins chances? You should! The NFL is known for parity with many games remaining close enough that spreads are almost always in play. If you are so confident to take Houston, think about it like this. They must have at least 2 scoring possessions more than Miami. If the Texans can't get in the endzone because of a tough opening night for Matt Schaub, it may take five scoring drives more! This makes any game so much more interesting. You may have games that you KNOW who the winner will be, yet you can lose because of a late garbage TD for the losing team or even a missed extra point for the winning team. You can find interest in every game now that even a terrible team has an opportunity to cover the spread.

If you are an avid NFL fan try a new way to look at games. Each week I will post my picks for all Sunday and Monday games. If there happens to be more than one game that does not fall on those two days (Thanksgiving football), I will post those as well.  I will post by Saturday afternoon so that everyone can see the lines and make their own picks. Throw them up in the blog comments and see how you do each week. You can also register in Pick 'em games with many websites (ESPN, NFL, CBS, FOX, Yahoo) and challenge yourself against a larger audience. Remember, if you pick correctly just 51 percent of the time for the season, you would be winning money in Vegas and probably beating most people you play with.

US Open

The US Open is the most exciting and best tennis tournament to watch.  New York City makes the perfect back drop for the worlds best tennis players to battle in front of raucous crowds.  Every tennis Major has something unique that makes it prestigious in it's own right (except for the Australian Open that no casual tennis fan even knows exists).  The French Open has it's clay courts that change the game so dramatically, an American has only won there four times (Michael Chang '89, Jim Courier '91/'92, Andre Agassi '99) since 1968.  Wimbledon has it's special grass courts that play more similar to a hard court, but also requires all competitors to wear white to keep with old British lawn tennis tradition.  Then there is the US Open.

The US Open is the rock concert of tennis majors.  First, big stars come out to watch.  Before the Open even begins there are celebrations leading up to the tournament that include celebtrity matches and big pop concerts (CarlyRae Jepsen and The Wanted performed this year).  The Open is supposed to be a party and the organizers ensure this every year.

Second, athletes put on a fashion show while playing for two weeks.  This is not stuffy Wimbledon with all white clothing.  We are in NYC, the fashion mecca of the world and the athletes, especially the women, play right into this.  There are colors everywhere and all the big name companies put their athletes in newly designed outfits that beg for attention.

Third, the US Open is highlighted by primetime, and even late night, star studded matches.  Rarely will you see any of the top seeded men or women not on Center Court at 7 and 9 PM.  It becomes a showcase for the greats like Roger Federer and Serena Williams and a potential springboard for their unseeded competitors.  The late night matches are full of energy from the crowd creating the most fun atmosphere a tennis player can dream of.

Fourth, the athletes interact with the fans at the US Open more so than at any other major.  At the end of every match the winner is interview live to the fans.  The players then sign a few tennis balls and hit them into the stand all while music is blaring and the fans go crazy.  It is a party from beginning to end with a match at the US Open.

The US Open is a ton of fun with great tennis players finishing up their major season at an awesome venue.  It will be the usual suspects in both the men's and women's draw with the one exception being the absence of Rafael Nadal due to injury.  For American fans, Andy Roddick will be making a push to up his game for his home tournament, but John Isner is the one to watch.  The big server thrives on the hard courts and will hope to cause problems for some of the more mobile players with his crushing swings.  Serena Williams is the odds on favorite to win her 4th US Open coming off a Wimbledon win and multiple gold medals in London, plus a nice resurgence this entire season.  No matter what, be sure to enjoy the electric atmosphere and high level tennis for the next two weeks!

NFC Preview - South

The NFC has become the power conference of the NFL with four of the last five Super Bowl champions coming from the blue pro bowl team. The conference resurgence has been led by powerful aerial attacking offenses the likes of which have not been seen since Dan Marino's heyday. Guys like Drew Brees, Eli Manning, and Aaron Rodgers are the poster boys for the "new" NFL that protects QB's and favors receivers on every interference flag thrown. Once again the NFC fields a solid core of teams with Super Bowl aspirations, but all of them must survive the 16 game regular season and come out on top of their division to even have a chance (yes there are two wild card spots). Let's take a look at each NFC division.

New Orleans Saints

If anyone knows exactly how the New Orleans Saints will look this year, quit your day job and go work in the stock market or gamble your life savings immediately. The Saints off season woes are well documented and will now carry over to the regular season as the suspensions are truly felt as games that count approach. Drew Brees is already counted in the top QB's group, but this season will bring unprecedented challenges to the super star leader. Brees has statistically been a top 3 QB every year in New Orleans, but with no Sean Payton at his side, Brees will be flying solo trying to make in game adjustments. Brees is good enough, however, to figure these things out leaving the real concern on the defensive side of the ball. Regardless of what you believe with "Bounty Gate", there will have to be a culture change among the defensive players. They are also facing the loss of multiple players both from suspension and free agency. It was already a susceptible defense, and now they must find new pieces to plug in to try and stop teams from putting up 20+ points every game. It is anyone's guess as to how the Saints will perform this season, but look for it to be inconsistent and likely leaving them to battle for the wild card.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Buccaneers are another team that leaves fans wondering about the upcoming season. New head coach Greg Schiano was a great motivator at Rutgers, but will that translate to the NFL? Josh Freeman has showed promise at times and seems to have the physical abilities to be a top 12 QB, but can he take the next step of adjusting to defenses in game and carry the Bucs to a handful of wins on his own? Freeman has talented pieces around him (see Vincent Jackson, LeGarrette Blount, Doug Martin, Mike Williams), but they must all show consistency in order for the Bucs to do any damage this season. Where Tampa really must improve is on the defensive side of the ball. They were last in the NFL giving up over 30 points per game last season. They must find a way to stop opposing offenses or Freeman and company will never stand a chance. Mark Barron, SS from Alabama, is a good building block if he lives up to expectations. But in a division with Brees, Cam Newton, and Matt Ryan, the Bucs need to find a way to get pressure on the the QB and not let the secondary get picked apart every play. It's a new era in Tampa under Schiano, so early going may be bumpy, but with a new defensive attitude this team will compete in the division every week.

Carolina Panthers

Carolina seems to have the most potential to take a giant leap this season.  Popular opinion says Cam Newton will build on his rookie season and lead the Panthers to a winning record that will put them in playoff contention.  I have little doubt Newton will do just this.  He is a phenomenal athlete that is physically big making him more able to withstand physical punishment than similar players (Mike Vick) cannot handle.  Newton has also shown an ability to accurate both in the pocket and on the move.  With that said, he must still work on his passing and reading of defenses to take the next big step in his career.  All players and especially QB's in the NFL can only live on their talent for so long.  Assuming Newton puts the time in, he will be unstoppable most Sundays.  The Panthers have a few nice offensive pieces including Steve Smith and the RB tandem of Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams.  These are not enough for the Panthers to win every week.  They must find more receivers to free up Smith and get consistent production from their RB's.  TE Greg Olsen should help out a lot gathering up catches across the middle and bringing the popular TE offense to the Panthers.  Carolina must also shore up their defense.  One of the worst in the league last season, they will have little hope of playoff football without the ability to make plays consistently on defense.  The Panthers are an all around young team at many important positions.  If Ron Rivera can continue to grow their young team and develop talent on both sides of the ball as they already have, Carolina will be a team to reckon with, not just this season, but for many years to come.

Atlanta Falcons

A perennial let down team, the Atlanta Falcons are once again talented and appear ready to make a legitimate playoff push. Matt Ryan has been a reliable QB for the Falcons, but must step up a level to carry the team out of the their let down status. He has an amazingly talented WR duo in Julio Jones and Roddy White along with veteran Tony Gonzalez at TE. The Falcons passing offense should create fits for opposing defenses and did so, at times, last season. They cannot decide to choose when they show up for games. Receivers of that caliber should not be dropping perfect passes on a regular basis, ending drives and wasting possessions. The defensive side of the ball is solid for Atlanta, ranking 12th last season, so they have a great base to build on. They need some big time playmakers that can consistently rush the QB and force other teams to speed up their offense. The Falcons are a complete team on paper; translating this onto the field will make them a serious playoff contender.

Final Standings:

1. Atlanta Falcons 11-5
2. New Orleans Saints 9-7
3. Carolina Panthers 9-7
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 6-10

NFC Preview - West

The NFC has become the power conference of the NFL with four of the last five Super Bowl champions coming from the blue pro bowl team. The conference resurgence has been led by powerful aerial attacking offenses the likes of which have not been seen since Dan Marino's heyday. Guys like Drew Brees, Eli Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Tony Romo, Matt Stafford, Jay Cutler and Matt Ryan are the poster boys for the "new" NFL that protects QB's and favors receivers on every interference flag thrown. Once again the NFC fields a solid core of teams with Super Bowl aspirations, but all of them must survive the 16 game regular season and come out on top of their division to even have a chance (yes there are two wild card spots). Let's take a look at each NFC division.

Arizona Cardinals

The NFC West is the exception to the strong corps of NFC quarterbacks.  Look no further than the Arizona Cardinals as they have spent money and draft picks in search of a viable starter, yet they are left with a battle between Kevin Kolb and John Skelton.  Neither has been a reliable QB in the long term and up through their third preseason game neither had separated themselves from pack.  It is a frustrating thing to watch as week in and week out Larry Fitzgerald is among the best WR's in the league, but balls go over him, behind him, into the ground, and every other direction except his hands.  The Cardinals do have some players that have run the ball well at times.  Beanie Wells and LaRod Stephens-Howling have been consistent when they are not injured, but keeping them on the field has become difficult.  Arizona's defense is not as terrbile as last season's record may suggest.  They generally make so big plays to keep the team in games, but again offensive ineptitude left them wanting.  DE Calais Campbell (7 sacks) and second year DB Patrick Peterson and LB Sam Acho are the backbone to a young defense that will continue to improve and continue to give the Cardinals an opportunity to win games in a weak division.

San Francisco 49ers

Last season's division dominating team was the 49ers.  The Niners were the only team over .500 with an impressive 13 wins.  First year coach Jim Harbaugh brought a fresh defensive mentality to the team that carried over to a strong offensive output as well.  The defense should be a league leader once again this season with stalwarts like Aldon Smith and Patrick Willis back in the picture.  The Niners had 42 sacks and 23 interceptions that swung nearly every game easily in their favor.  What really vaulted the team into a strong playoff run was the transformation of Alex Smith and the offense.  Frank Gore was a running force with over 1,200 yards and Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis found their strides as worthy receiving targets.  Alex Smith three for over 3,000 yards for the first time and kept is Int's to 5.  At times it is hard watch Smith and believe he is an elite QB in the NFL, but having the same coaching staff and offensive system for two years in a row should definitely help his development.  If the Niners can even somewhat resemble last season's team, they should run away with the division again and they only problem they will have is that their new stadium is all the way down in Santa Clara.

Seattle Seahawks

A strong home defense and Marshawn Lynch are about the only two bright spots on an underwhelming Seattle Seahawks team.  Two new QB's, Russell Wilson (rookie) and Matt Flynn (first time potential starter) are battling for the starting position.  Neither is a proven NFL performer so the offense will without question have it's ups and downs this season.  Lynch will once again be relied upon heavily to literally and figuratively carry the Seahawks to more than 7 wins this season.  Pete Carroll has a lot to prove this season as he has taken risks on players and tried to win in the NFL with a more collegiate approach to his team.  One area the team can build upon is the defensive unit that was 9th in total defense and had over 30 Sacks and 20 Int's.  DE Chris Clemons and DB Brandon Browner must continue to play at a high level young guys like Bruce Irvin and Bobby Wagner need to contribute right away for this team to compete week in and week out.  The NFC West does not have a clear cut favorite to challenge the Niners.  The Seahawks can be this team with a stingy D and an improved passing game.  This may prove to be difficult with a new QB and unproven skill players.

St. Louis Rams

The Rams may have the most room for improvement right off the bat with the return of young QB Sam Bradford and a pro bowl running back in Steven Jackson. The biggest thing St. Louis can do is keep their team healthy. This young team was descimated by injury and had no chance to recover all of last season. Danny Amendola, Lance Kendricks, and (the other) Steve Smith should give Bradford some nice targets and a spark to an offense that withered away in 2011. Bradford has had high expectations since entering the league from Oklahoma. He has lived up to them much of the time, but through his own injury battle last year showed signs that he was only a second year QB. This past summer has been big for his development with a full training camp and more time under his offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, as well as time to heal his bum ankle. The Rams must do better than 18 total touchdowns for the season and all signs point to them doing so. The one bright spot that the Rams can build on is their star DE, Chris Long. Long racked up 13 sacks and has become an unstoppable force on the Rams defensive line.  St. Louis is not primed for a deep playoff run, but they did drastically underachieve at only 2 wins.  Expect them to be more competitive in a, as stated many time, weak division.

Final Standings

1. San Francisco 49ers 10-6
2. St. Louis Rams 7-9
3. Seattle Seahawks 6-10
4. Arizona Cardinals 5-11

NFC Preview - North

The NFC has become the power conference of the NFL with four of the last five Super Bowl champions coming from the blue pro bowl team. The conference resurgence has been led by powerful aerial attacking offenses the likes of which have not been seen since Dan Marino's heyday. Guys like Drew Brees, Eli Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Tony Romo, Matt Stafford, Jay Cutler and Matt Ryan are the poster boys for the "new" NFL that protects QB's and favors receivers on every interference flag thrown. Once again the NFC fields a solid core of teams with Super Bowl aspirations, but all of them must survive the 16 game regular season and come out on top of their division to even have a chance (yes there are two wild card spots). Let's take a look at each NFC division.

Chicago Bears

The NFC North, like the East, is an ultra competitive league with the possibility of three playoff teams and a fourth team that has some nice pieces.  The Chicago Bears have become a popular pick to win the division and, with their offensive talent, seem to have a reasonable chance at this.  QB's being the centerpiece of top NFL teams, Jay Cutler is the key to the Bear's success.  Before being injured last season, Cutler was a top QB and with average weapons.  The Bears added Brandon Marshall, who was a stud with Cutler in Denver,  and rookie Alshon Jeffery, out of South Carolina, who has looked excellent in preseason.  Devin Hester is still in Chicago and while never producing how some think he should from the wide-out position, having Marshall and Jeffery in the mix will take pressure off of him to produce every week and open him up from defenses planning for his speed.  He is of course still a dangerous special teams player so expect only bad coaches to ever kick to him. Matt Forte proved himself to be an elite RB last season (how Chicago has not paid him like one I will never understand).  Forte is a game changing player.  He runs and catches as well as anyone out of the backfield.  He is consistently among league leaders in total yards and with the addition of Michael Bush from the Oakland Raiders, the Bears running attack should be very impressive.  The defensive side of the ball has been up and down for the Bears.  Their middle of the road unit will look to get more pressure on opposing QB's and lower total yards and points against numbers that were sub-par.  They addressed this with a defensive end selection in this year's first round of the draft.  The pieces are in place for the Bears to have a very good year, their only problem will be the tough division they play in.

Detroit Lions

The Lions are the up and coming team of the NFC North.  They are build similarly to the other division title contenders with an outstanding young QB in Drew Stafford and a big time play maker in Calvin Johnson.  Stafford, when not injured, is a top flight QB in the NFL.  He has a big, accurate arm and seems to have figured out how to approach NFL defenses.  Megatron, the best WR in the NFL, gives Stafford a great target anywhere on the field.  The fact that Johnson will go anywhere on the field including across the middle to catch a ball is what makes him special amongst a group of great wide-outs in the league right now.  He is ultra reliable and is only getting better.  The Lions also added WR Ryan Broyles, who despite coming off injury has been very highly rated coming out of Oklahoma.  The Lions offense will not slow down from last season.  The Defense will hope to pick up where it left off as well.  Led by Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley, the Lions bring a strong pass rush.  Unfortunately for them, their LB's and secondary are not up to the same level allowing opposing QB's who can think quickly to attack them in the passing game.  These shortcomings have been addressed in the draft and in training camp.  Time will tell if the Lions can hang with the elite of the NFC North.

Green Bay Packers

At 15-1, the Packers were the best regular season team last year.  This meant nothing as they lost in their first playoff game to the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants.  Aaron Rodgers is well known as one of the top QB's in the NFL and has shown no let down in the preseason.  His accuracy is well documented, but what has separated Rodgers is his ability to scramble and either make a throwing play on the run or pull the ball down and make smart decisions with his legs.  Rodgers has plenty of weapons around him with Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, Jermichael Finley, Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, James Jones, rookie Marc Tyler, and recently signed Cedric Benson.  Scoring points will once again not be an issue for the Packers.  The defensive side of the ball is another story.  The Packers were last in total defense last season, and while these stats can be somewhat deceiving (31 Int's), Green Bay must make a drastic improvement here.  They drafted six straight defensive players in June and will hope to develop some sort of pass rush to help their solid group in the secondary.  If the Packers can piece together an average defense, look for them to not only win the division but contend for another Lombardi trophy.

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings are the one team in the North that is in a minor rebuilding phase.  Adrian Peterson looks to be recovering quickly from his obliterated knee injury last season.  If he can return to his prior form, the Vikings will be in a much better place than they are currently.  Toby Gerhart is a valuable backup, but does not look like an elite starting RB.  Percy Harvin is the only proven WR on the team.  Harvin can be electrifying, but if he is the only option, defenses will shut him down with double coverage.  The Vikings must find some more weapons to enable Christian Ponder to unleash in the passing attack.  Ponder is a nice young prospect at QB, but with no one to give the ball to, his growth this season may be tough.  The defense starts and ends with Jared Allen.  He is a work horse on the D-line and is a perennial league sack leader.  If the Vikings D can continue to pressure opposing QB's and keep their games close, there is the possibility of some upset wins. This is a team with some nice pieces both offensively and defensively, but they will be hard pressed to not be swept by their division rivals.

Final Standings:

1. Green Bay Packers: 13-3
2. Detroit Lions: 11-5
3. Chicago Bears: 11-5
4. Minnesota Vikings: 5-11