Team

Salisbury's analysis

Last year's experience was awesome for the Chicago Bears. They played outstanding football without really knowing what kind of team they were. But it's hard to luck into a 13-3 record. The Bears run the ball well with Anthony Thomas, and they are big up front on both sides of the ball. They have had some key acquisitions, signing Chris Chandler as a backup to Jim Miller and Mike Caldwell and Keith McKenzie to bolster the defense. Previously, the Bears had been one of the worst-run organizations in terms of gathering talent. But now they improved in the personnel department in recent years and are reaping the benefits. They are now strong at every position and have the NFL's best all-around young linebacker in Brian Urlacher. The only question is at the quarterback position. Will Miller be weak, average or good? I don't think he has to be great for the Bears to win games. I think Miller is underrated. If Miller plays solid, the Bears have a chance to not only win the division, but also to go much further.

Yes, their quarterback is pretty good. As long as the Green Bay Packers have Brett Favre, I would never pick them to finish last. They have question marks at wide receiver, where they have lost Antonio Freeman, Bill Schroeder and Corey Bradford and gained Terry Glenn. They also drafted a receiver, Javon Walker, in the first round. Favre is able to take average players and make them good. He and Ahman Green form one of the league's best quarterback-running back combinations. The Packers should be better defensively, with the addition of defensive end Joe Johnson. Their secondary is one of the best in the NFL. Favre is good for eight wins. Now the Packers need the other players to step up and win a few more games for them to go far.

I almost put the Lions third. But I put the Minnesota Vikings ahead of Detroit because they are explosive with Daunte Culpepper and Randy Moss. They scare people. It's hard to rank the Vikings last when they have two of the biggest difference-makers in the game. The Vikings need to get their act together, though, or they could be in danger of winning only four or five games. Defensively, they still have a long way to go, although they have added Kenny Mixon and Lorenzo Bromell to the line and Corey Chavous to the secondary. And despite drafting tackle Bryant McKinnie in the first round, their offensive line is still reeling. I don't know if the Vikings can run the football. As much as I love Mike Tice as a head coach, they have to much rebuilding to do. Culpepper and Moss should make enough to plays to win games, but not enough to make the playoffs.

The Detroit Lions have some good young football players. But Ty Detmer is their most experienced quarterback. Detmer will help the young quarterbacks, second-year player Mike McMahon and rookie Joey Harrington, who will battle for the starting job. But it's tough to have little experience at the quarterback position in a difficult division, playing on the road in Chicago, Green Bay and Minnesota. They don't have a dominant running back and an outstanding defense to carry the quarterbacks along. The Lions have underrated players, but the individuals don't make up enough to keep them at the top of the division. The Lions will upset against teams that may take them lightly, but they need more experience at key positions. Marty Mornhinweg is still learning as a head coach, and the Lions are still working on their direction. Team president Matt Millen will fix them eventually, but in the meantime the Lions are still a few years away from being a contender.