The Packers and the Bears, two of the oldest teams in the NFL tee it up a week from today and kick off what should be a great year in an extremely competitive NFC North division. The winner Sunday will feel real good about themselves going forward while the loser will already be behind the eight ball.  The Packers, Vikings and Bears are all battling for the title and the team who wins the most games between the head-to-head battles will likely win the crown. I think the Packers need to go 3-1 in those games to win the division.

The Packers and Bears will have vastly different looks this year. The Bears added Jay Cutler to the offense and Lovie Smith  took over the defense after the Bears slipped to the bottom half of the league the last two seasons. The Packers high-powered offense will face a stiff challenge against the rejuvenated Bears’ defense and the Packers’ new defense will not get a cream puff offense to start things off with. But you don’t ease into a street fight you jump in swinging and the Packers will have to do just that next Sunday.

At first glance I think the Packers ability to stop Bears’ running back Matt Forte may be the key to the game. Take away the run and put pressure on Cutler to throw to receivers who can’t get open will definitely would put the Packers in an advantageous position. Offensively I’m not expecting 38 points by halftime by any means, but it would be nice to see Aaron Rodgers and crew continue to move the sticks and keep the defense off the field.

Sunday Night Football, national TV for the second straight home opening, the stage is set. I can’t wait to get there.

More to come…

I am absolutely shocked the Packers cut quarterback Brian Brohm today. My only hope is that they made this move with the plan to add a veteran QB as a backup in the next day or so. I love Aaron Rodgers to death as you all know, but if he misses a game the best chance of winning a game most likely rested in the hands of Brohm. Matt Flynn, who beat out Brohm out as a 7th round draft pick last year is a joke. I have a stronger arm than Flynn and Flynn got hit by a piece of popcorn two weeks ago and hasn’t been able to play since. I can’t believe this move.

Aaron Rodgers is clearly one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL but he only has one year of starting 16 games. If he does it again this year the Packers will go deep in the playoffs. If Rodgers gets hurt the Packers are done. Not only would weak-armed quarterback Flynn have to play, the Packers would not have a third-string quarterback to take over when Flynn gets hurt or plays like crap which I think are the only two possibilities. If you wanted me to turn on Ted Thompson, this is step in the right direction.

I have to believe that cutting Brohm means they are going to bring in a veteran QB to back up Rodgers, which is taking a big chance. I said back in March the Packers should have signed a guy like Rex Grossman. Now it is too little, too late. If Rodgers gets hurt, season over. Flynn reminds me of Anthony Dilweg, and “true” Packers’ fans know how that story ended.

In my opinion, Brohm at least had a chance to win a game in the NFL. He has the arm and he improved dramatically this year. Matt Flynn is useless. He has done nothing to prove he is capable of coming in and winning games and now he can’t even stay healthy. The Packers better keep wide receiver Ruvell Martin as he might be the team’s best backup quarterback.

Granted, this decision is probably the most meaningless of all cuts because if Rodgers gets hurt the season is over. At least in Brohm you had a guy who could throw a down-and-out. Cross your fingers, say a prayer, whatever you have to do to keep Rodgers healthy, do it

Wow!

The National Football Conference used to be the dominant force in the NFL, not anymore, this year it again will likely be considered the weaker conference. The NFC is wide open, however, with no dominant team in any division and certainly no true favorite to represent in the Super Bowl. The defending champion Arizona Cardinals do not exactly strike fear into the hearts of their opponents even though they have one of the best offenses in the league. With their receivers and new running back Beanie Wells the Cards should be just as good if not better on offense. Defense is their problem and we had a first hand view of that last week when Aaron Rodgers absolutely picked them apart

The Cardinals will win the NFC West but I could see the Seattle Seahawks with a healthy Matt Hasselbeck giving them a real run for their money. The Rams and 49ers seem to be treading water at best. The Cardinals are the best of the West but I can’t see them repeating as NFC Champs. Kurt Warner is not getting any younger. Cards, Seahawks, Rams, 49ers.

Down South I can’t see New Orleans not winning the division. The Saints have Dree Brees and some major weapons to make life dangerous for anybody. A new defensive coordinator to fix the woeful defense and the Saints might have something. I’m not real high on Gregg Williams though and am glad he turned down  Mike McCarthy when he offered him the defensive coordinator job in Green Bay. The Falcons I think surprised a few people last year and I can’t see that happening this year. Matty Ice will have to avoid the sophomore slump for Atlanta to even come close to last year’s 11-5 record.

Every team in the South was .500 or better last year but I don’t see that happening again. Saints, Panthers, Falcons and Bucs.

The NFC East contains the latest NFC team to win a Super Bowl and I think the Giants might have a chance to do it again this year. I also think the Philadelphia Eagles have a chance to win the conference so I think this division is going to be a battle. The Cowboys can’t be forgotten but for whatever reason, call it a hunch, I think they will take another step back this year. Bum’s son is not for long in Dallas. The Redskins are an afterthought. Giants, Eagles, Cowboys, Redskins.

Saving the best for last? Hard to say that with the Detroit Lions part of your division, but I do believe the moniker “Black and Blue Division” has returned. There is no love lost between the top three competitors. The Packers hate the Vikings, respect the Bears and the incredible rivalry they have with them, and count on two wins when playing the Lions. The Bears also hate the Vikings and respect the Packers which tells you all you need to know about the Vikings and their organization. The Vikings are four-time Super Bowl losers and all-time leaders in playoff disappointments who just added the all-time leader in playoff disappointments by a quarterback in Brett Favre. This is the perfect storm.

The Bears have added a quarterback to an offense that already has a good running back in Matt Forte but lacks any real receiver. They do have a couple of good tight ends so expect a lot balls thrown in that direction. The bottom line is while Cutler is a upgrade at quarterback he is not a proven winning quarterback, he never had a winning record in Denver and is quite the little baby, which is why he is in Chicago in the first place. Brian Urlacher said it best. Cutler’s combined college and pro record is 28-54. He did have a winning record in high school, however.

The Packers through three preseason games look like the cream of the crop, but again, it is only preseason. Still, with Aaron Rodgers looking like he will be even better than last year when he threw for 4000 yards and 28 TDs in his first year as a starter, the Packers clearly have the best quarterback in the division. Combine that with the best offensive weapons in the division outside of Adrian Peterson, the Packers’ will be hard to stop. Wide receivers Greg Jennings, Donald Driver and probably James Jones and Jordy Nelson would all be starters on any of their division foes. Running back Ryan Grant doesn’t rate with  Peterson, but is dependable and healthy this year, which should equate to more big plays like we saw from him in 2007, when he out-gained Peterson in the second half of the season.

Of course, the Packers really need improvement on defense. If Dom Capers can work his magic one more time and improve this defense, which is looking good at this point, the Packers will have the most balanced team in the division. The Vikings have Peterson and a good defensive line, but couldn’t stop the pass if they tried. The Bears have Cutler and Hester, going to put your money on that combo? I didn’t think so. The Lions have a fresh start and a long way to go. The Packers have a seasoned quarterback, and yes, I say seasoned, four quality receivers and an emerging big play tight end. Add to that a dependable running back and a new attacking defense. 6-10 record last year, 11-5 this year. Packers, Bears, Vikings, Lions.