Let me go ahead and play a little Devil's advocate in this thread, because the optimism is getting way out of hand here.
Must be you. Because I don't think so.
I like the opponents wasting roster spots for old washed up players and overpriced overrated FAs.
There is a reason the Bears have had 5 #1 Draft picks in the last 8 years. Wasting the few they have left on project guys and specialty role players. Like Long and McClellin.
Cutler is a mediocre QB with a big arm. He has a crappy rating over 10 yards. What good is a big arm if you can't hit the broad side of a barn. From the inside. He cost them 2 firsts and a huge cap hit. They could have used 1 to draft a mediocre QB and been ahead by a 1st round pick.
Marshall is inefficient. He cost them 2 thirds and a huge cap hit. He is 40% of their passing game. That is more than Jones and Cobb together are for the Packers. While Jones and Cobb put up 22 TDs, Marshall only put up 11.
Bert Facre didn't do much for the Vikings. In 2009, they had the 2nd easiest schedule in Viking history. In 2010, they had a tough schedule. When the real Facre showed up.
Greg is a great guy and a great player. I hope he does well and stays healthy. But it has been years since he has.
I hope that Bishop goes to the Vikings. We could use another slow defender in coverage for our offense to face.
As far as the Vikings draft picks, I think they were 2 for 3. They wasted a lot of picks for a project WR who runs crappy routes and has questionable hands. Fast, stupid and can't catch. Sounds like Hester.
Originally Posted by: Dexter_Sinister
The Bears' drafting has been awful the last few years and Long is a project, maybe even a reach at 20, but they had one of the best drafts in the league after that 1st rounder.
If Long does pan out, everyone will be calling them geniusses. Especially if guys like Bostic, Greene and Washington work out the way they should.
Cutler isn't a great QB, he's nowhere near the elite level, but I wouldn't call him mediocre, either. He's just a guy who needs a supporting cast. He's just like Palmer, not going to carry a team, but when you put the pieces in place, they produce.
Don't forget that it's not that long ago when people wondered whether Rodgers or Cutler was the superior QB.
Marshall was expensive, but how much would two 2nd rounders really net you? Certainly not something of equal talent. I agree that they have a lot of money tied up in players like Marshall and Peppers, but Marshall's an amazing receiver and superior to anyone who we have on the roster. That TD stat is nice, but that doesn't take into account his 118 catches and 1500 yards. Calvin Johnson had just 5 TDs, but that doesn't tell me anything by its own, really.
Favre did face a weak schedule with the Vikes that year, but he just played lights-out, as well. That game against the Saints wasn't against a weak team and the only reason they didn't won that, was because of Adrian "Butterfingers" Peterson. Favre threw a very, very bad pick at the end, but that would've been an easy win, had Peterson not fumbled 39 times in one game.
Greg was overpriced and overrated, but he is an improvement over anything they have and they will be more dangerous on offense for it.
I don't see how Cordarrelle Patterson would be a wasted pick. The guy had enough upside and talent to be a top 5 players, but he's raw. Taking a chance on him at 29 was a great choice. I wouldn't have minded if the Packers drafted him with their pick before that.
That said, I do think that the Packers are the team to beat, but the Bears, Vikes and Lions aren't as far behind as everyone here seems to think. Yes, they have holes, but so do we. There's not a single team in the league that doesn't have them. We'll see how it plays out, but we're not going to be running away with the division and I don't see us going 6-0 in the NFCN.