Alright guys.  After reading your comments, I'm choosing to revise this thing.  Just to be clear on some issues though, I have always supported the Pack and have always been a huge fan all my life.  I never try to let that get in the way of my writing, but for all of you sports fans out there, you should be able to understand this.  This is probably more what I WANT to see then what will really happen.  For all of you fans with favorite teams out there, you know that when you predict the future season, you got to put your team somewhere on top.  Even if you're say a Dolphins fan.  It's unlikely that after the year they've had they're going to make a run to the Super Bowl this year.  But if you're a huge Dolphins' fan, you aren't going to damper your teams' hopes and put them at the bottom again.  You got to at least believe they will do better.  That being said, these are more realistic predictions that you guys can comment more on if you choose to.  Below each new prediction, in italics, is my old/former predictions:

1st: Green Bay Packers (12-4)
More realistic here.  I still say, given the fact that they went to the NFC Championship just the previous year, that the Pack have a legitimate chance of not only winning their division but making another run to the Super Bowl.  Think of this as a Steve Young/Elvis Grbac scenario.  If you can remember back to the 90s (I know it's been such a long time, like that awesome Boston song), Steve Young was a great quarterback for the 49ers and took them to a Super Bowl and who knows how many playoff appearances they made under his belt.  Then he retired.  Then this guy, I think his name was Elvis Grbac, came along.  He took them to the playoffs following Young's retirement.  They had a pretty great season under his leadership, and I feel that this is a similar scenario.  Favre retires, Rogers comes in and takes them back to the playoffs.  The Packers still have a great team, and young at that.  Our oldest guys are now at cornerback in the experienced Al Harris and Charles Woodson.  Our defense was solid last year and we finally have a consistent running game in Ryan Grant.  This will take the pressure off Rogers a bit, as he won't always have to throw the football.  That plus the below reasoning keeps the Pack on top for another year.

I know what you're thinking. I'm a crazy ass hole. 14-2? Are you kidding me? Well, I called Ted Thompson yesterday and he told me he really thinks this is what's going to happen. Okay, so that's not true. But who cares. It's just speculation anyway, right? I mean, nobody's going to send me to jail for predicting the Packers are going to slaughter everybody... well at least in 14 games this year. From a stastical standpoint, there's not much we can use here. Brett Favre was the Green Bay Packers' quarterback since I was 3, which is a long, long time. We've never had to adjust to a new leader before. But for the past 3 seasons, Aaron Rogers has been watching "The Man" toss the ball around, analyze defenses, and call shots. Not to mention last year he got to witness the best year of "The Man's" illustrious 17 year NFL career. They will be big shoes to fill, but Rogers showed great confidence in almost bringing the team back to defeat the Dallas Cowboys last season after Favre left the game with an injury. He is also a scarmbling quarterback, someone who has the speed to rush out of the pocket for some extra yars, something Favre didn't have in his later years. With Thompson drafting quarterbacks Brian Brohm and Matt Flynn, there should be some competition through training camp, keeping Rogers on his toes and on his A game. If Rogers stays healthy, considering the Packers' defense is coming back full strength, the Pack have the potential to make a statement this year.

2nd: Minnesota Vikings (11-5)
I still like the Vikings where they're at.  Based on what I've said below, the Vikings do have a stellar defense.  They made some great moves in the Draft and in the off-season to build on that defense.  If they are going to do some damage though, they need to have some consistency at QB.  Whether it's Jackson or Booty who does it this year, they NEED to stay healthy.  There were too many QBs getting hurt last year.  We saw too many different startes (Bollinger, Jackson, Holcomb).  Peterson couldn't do it all on his own.  But I say they have some success this year.

It was a great move getting Jared Allen from the Chiefs this year. After having a remarkable season defensively in run defense, the Vikings have added to their power, not only with Allen but with their draft picks. However, their quarterback situation remains questionable. Travaris Jackson must stay healthy and get some starts this year, but the bulk of the load will be rested on the shoulders of Adrian Peterson, coming off an incredible rookie season going into his now second year in the NFL. With likely a lot of carries this year, Peterson needs to stay durable. An excellent defense for the Vikings this year will keep a lot of teams from scoring that many points, but a questionable passing game will raise questions about whether or not the Vikings will be able to put up a good amount of points themselves. With a young offense, this year will be significantly better than last year and they should get a wild card spot.

3rd: Chicago Bears (8-8)
Ok, so 2-14 was a bit harsh.  No matter how much I despise the Bears (tough rivalry with us Packer fans) I have to give them credit for they did beat us twice last season.  They somehow always find a way to beat us.  It's frustrating, but hats off.  That being said, I gave them a few more wins.  I know, I'm so generous, now they are 8-8 instead of 2-14, but still miss the playoffs.  It's come to my attention that the Bears actually went to a Super Bowl two years ago?  WHAT?!  And Rex Grossman was their quarterback?  WHAT?!!!!  When did this happen?  However, two years ago was a year when the NFC was a terrible, sad sad conference.  AND nobody knew how to NOT kick the ball to Devon Hester.  Teams seem to have figured out that Hester is a very very amazing kick returner, and I think it's sad, yet strategic, that nobody wants to kick to him.  BUT, those teams that are egotistical and do dare to kick off, Hester makes them pay.  Therefore, an amazing special teams and a healthy defense in a very weak conference made up for the lack of quarterbacking in Rex Grossman two years ago and made it possible for the Bears to reach the game of games.  Will they do it again in the future?  Possibly.  Once they find out this year that Orton wasn't worth the contract they gave him, that Grossman is gross, man, and that maybe they should have drafted Booty before the Vikings did.  Give it time, Chicago.  Give it time.

They have no quarterback, which has been their issue for the past two years now. Their defense was not healthy last year. Too many injuries cost the Bears a handful of games earlier in the season. The contract situation with Brian Urlacher isn't helping either, as this will be their main concern entering the season this year. Look for the defense to crumble around this pressure and look for the offense to crumble around Kyle Orton and Rex Grossman.

4th: Detroit Lions (6-10)
To be honest, I don't see anything in the Lions that sparks any kind of turn around this year.  Kitna coming out and saying, "We're going to get ten wins." last season and then not getting ten wins is not good for the confidence.  I think what Matt Millen has done with Detroit in the past few years is just ridiculous.  How many straight years did they draft wide receivers with their first picks?  I'm sorry, there is just nothing on that team that shows any kind of spark at all.  Although the Lions are the only team in the NFC North right now with some form of consistency in Jon Kitna, there are just too many pieces of this puzzle missing.

Will Jon Kitna promise a perfect season this year? Considering he didn't reach his goal last year, it's reasonable to say he will say something even better. Kitna and the Lions had a pretty solid draft, but what they need is help with their running game. I'm not sure if the running back they picked will do much damage as it was later in the draft. At this point it's all up in the air. There are too many teams this year who they will have problems with.