Tampa Bay Buccaneers
With Pro-Bowlers at almost every major position, the only obstacle standing in the way of a Bucs run to the Superbowl will be the Buc' players themselves. In a division where three teams have playoff potential, it will be up to new quarterback Brad Johnson to help the team avoid repeating last year's collapse, when the underachieving 10-6 team bowed out of the playoffs in the first round to the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Bucs' offense should benefit from wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson's accuracy, as he has a career completion mark of 61.8 percent, compared to quarterback Shawn King's 54.4 percent mark. Running back Warrick Dunn should put up the 100-yard games he consistently had last year, and defensively, Warren Sapp leads one of the most intimidating defensive lines in the game. Sapp is also a vocal leader, as he has publicly announced that this season is "do or die" for the future of the team. If sixth year coach Tony Dungy cannot produce a Superbowl contender out of this all-star lineup, then he will probably be gone come February.
Green Bay Packers
The Packers, who won four straight games to end last season, made very few changes in the offeseason and are ready to pick up where they left off. Ending the season with a winning streak usually translates to rings and celebrations, but for the Packers, it meant a 9-7 record and a plane ride home. But the team is back this year, and Brett Favre enters his tenth full season with the Packers with hopes to return to the form that earned him three consecutive MVP trophies from '95 to '97 and a Super Bowl ring in '96.Offensively, the team will rely on the running back tandem of Ahman Green and Dorsey Levens. The two should help take some pressure off of the underachieving receiving squad, which features Antonio Freeman, who has neither the speed nor the ability of most other top receivers. Nevertheless, with a healthy Favre at the helm, expect the Pack to make its way into the playoffs.
Minnesota Vikings
After seeing their Super Bowl dreams shattered in a 41-0 loss to the New York Giants in last years' NFC Championship game, the Vikings can expect to take another plunge this season. Running back Robert Smith, who rushed for 1,521 yards and earned a Pro Bowl berth last season, announced his retirement at the young age of 28, and five other starters moved to other clubs. To top it all off, the Vikings will be without tackle Korey Stringer, who died during a preseason workout.On the positive side, quarterback sensation Daunte Culpepper and the feared receiving duo of Randy Moss and Cris Carter are still on the team, and rookie running back Michael Bennett has created a buzz in the preseason because of his speed and potential. Coach Dennis Green has done an admiral job of preventing a total breakdown from his team thus far, but with the adversity they have faced, don't expect the Vikings to come anywhere near the 11-5 mark that they posted last season, especially since they have the hardest schedule in the NFL.
Detroit Lions
Last season, the Lions were nearly the surprise sleeper team that squeaked into the playoffs, but a Christmas Eve loss to the lowly Chicago Bears ended their hopes and sent the 9-7 team packing. Not much has changed in the offseason, but with the questionable Charlie Batch still quarterbacking the squad, the Lions will prove that last season was a fluke. Batch battled serious injuries all of last year and has been unimpressive this preseason. Detroit recently signed perennial backup Ty Detmer as the other option at QB, and this ten-year veteran will almost surely see significant action by season's end.Defensively, the Lions are deep and experienced, and the defense could be the difference if the Lions are to break .500 this year. One positive sign from last week's exhibition game against the Cincinnati Bengals was return specialist Desmond Howard's backup Larry Foster, who returned both a punt and a kickoff for touchdowns.
Chicago Bears
The Bears have not had a winning season since 1995, and even a Bears' "superfan" could not be excited about this year's squad. One few positives lies in the Bears defense, which is solid, led by veteran James Williams and last year's Defensive Rookie if the Year Brian Urlacher. Unfortunately the good news stops there, as the Bears offensive woes will prevent them from going anywhere in this high-octane division.With only 12 career starts, quarterback Shane Matthews is not experienced enough to take the team far. Running backs James Allen and Skip Hicks are slow and inconsistent, and the only receiver of note is rookie David Terell, who scored 14 touchdowns last year for Michigan.
