Freak

As a Packers fan, I'd be thrilled with a 9-win season. That said, I also don't think it's beyond the realm of possibility; the team came on very strong at the end of last season and was by far the youngest in the league. If a few of the young skill players can step up this year, they could certainly contend in what amounts to probably the weakest division in the league.

As for the Lions, it seems like every year they're a preseason darkhorse to finally explode -- and while the weapons they have on offense do scare me a little bit, I just don't see how they're ready to win football games as a team just yet. The same can be said for the Vikings, only their quarterback is a complete wild card.

The Bears defense will be terrific again, you can take that to the bank, but as much as you hear how Grossman and company could improve this year, it seems just as logical to me that his few good games last year were aberrations and the offense could be even worse. It doesn't help that they lost Thomas Jones.