Chicago Bears
Love - A Potentially Scary Offense
From top to bottom, the Bears have made it clear over the offseason that they are all in on offense after a decade of defensive dominance under Lovie Smith. The Bears have picked up Pro Bowl lineman Jermon Bushrod, TE Martellus Bennett, Offensive Coordinator Aaron Kromer and ex-CFL head coach Marc Trestman to complete a dramatic transformation of the roster and management. This accumulation of talent will surely be tested in a division with Calvin Johnson, Aaron Rodgers and Adrian Peterson, but Chicago may just have a fighting chance to place in the North's track meet.
Here's the thing, Jay Cutler sure is hard to root for now so imagine how you'll feel if he actually succeeds. Dude didn't even shave for his own wedding, so why do we expect him to put forth more than minimal effort on the field? He may have the athletic chops and underdog track record to be an ascending force in the NFL, but if Cutler happens to get there this season, I can't say I'll be bending over backwards to sing his praises. Then again, he'd probably be impressed with that level of apathy.
Detroit Lions
Love - Calvin Johnson Being Awesome
Despite what I'm about to say about the Lions' character issues, there is no denying how awesome Calvin Johnson is in every sense, even with a small asterisk on all that weird abstinence propaganda. Although the rest of the Honolulu Blue gave us little to write home about in 2012, Megatron had one of the best receiving years in NFL history with a record-breaking 1,964 yards to his name. With a little more luck on the Lions' game clock and Reggie Bush trying to draw more attention on the ground this year, Johnson will be the key to Detroit getting back to 0.500.
Fact: The Detroit Lions probably could have lifted a decent-sized village out of poverty with the bail and penalty fines they've had to pay over the past year and a half. They just can't seem to shake the bad rap on and off the field these days, especially with ex-WR Titus Young's civilian debut as a hot mess and Ndamukong Suh adding to his resume of unnecessary roughness. (To be fair to Suh, his personal foul count has declined since 2011-12, as low as that bar is, but the swift kick he gave Texans QB Matt Schaub on Thanksgiving was worth two PFs in the hand.) Even the most respected NFL franchises aren't immune to player controversy a la Aaron Hernandez, but the Lions aren't making any noticeable progress in maintaining a disciplined culture on and off the field. To an outsider, it feels toxic and perhaps irreparable in the Jim Schwartz era.
Green Bay Packers
Love - A Reloading Year
It's hard to be disappointed in a team that has gone 36 - 11 and won a Super Bowl in the past three years. Still, with a celestial being like Aaron Rodgers under center, anything less than a Super Bowl appearance feels like an underachievement for the Packers. You just can't count them out with a guy this good, and maybe a couple of seasons of surprising playoff exits will help this supremely talented Green Bay team focus on getting back to elite form. Even though all eyes are on the 49ers and the Seahawks in the NFC, I wouldn't be surprised to see this team to go far in January.
Speaking of January, the Packers' defense looked downright thunderstruck against the 49ers during this past one. They also gift-wrapped some of Adrian Peterson's greatest highlight reels during his MVP season, selling out to stuff him in the secondary and still giving up nearly 500 rushing yards in their three meetings. While Green Bay's defense has been middling to good on average during the Mike McCarthy/Dom Capers era, this squad hasn't shown up for big games in a while. Though the Packers' sensational offense and luck/skill in generating turnovers have taken them a respectable distance, there are no guarantees that the defense as a whole will remain clutch in close games, especially now that ball hawk Charles Woodson has gone back to Oakland.
Minnesota Vikings
Love - Elbow Room in the Passing Game
Say what you will about rising third-year QB Christian Ponder becoming elite - he never will be - but kid can manage a game when the rushing attack and defense do enough. I may eat these words if/when Adrian Peterson comes back to Earth, but the Vikings have bought themselves a little breathing room to diversify their offense now that all eyes [and defenses] will be on AP to repeat his MVP campaign. Ponder has been uneven to be sure, but he posted 5 games with a 90+ passer rating and a collective 9 TDs to 0 INTs this past season. Even though his success will ultimately hinge on AP's continued dominance in the running game, credit the young QB for learning how to exploit defenses and for looking like a genius after Joe Webb temporarily took his place in January.
Hate - AP's Impossible Expectations
Historic seasons are historic for a reason. And unless the NFL swings back to its old school rush-heavy style and/or lightens up on the impending PED scandal-ganza, we may never see another performance like Adrian Peterson's 2,097-yard MVP year in our lifetimes. Which means, despite Peterson's adorable but ridiculous assertion that he'll break 2,500 this year, he will almost certainly be eclipsed by his own shadow this season. I think there will still be plenty to cheer about if he breaks 1,500 and the Vikings continue their upward momentum, but to expect AP to reach the same pinnacle that only one other player has ever surpassed in all of known football records is just a liiittle bit of a stretch.
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