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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Where Hip Hop lives
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NFC North
CHICAGO BEARS
OFF: 32 RUSH: 15 PASS: 31
DEF: 22 RUND: 18 PASD: 20
Cap Room: $37,500,000
1st Need: Start QB
2nd Need: Start DT
3rd Need: Start T
Code:
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Key Free Agents From Team
Name Pos Exp LY Role Key Stats
Kordell Stewart* QB 10 Start QB 2348 yd, 62%, 13 td, 13 int, 76.2 QBR
Adrian Peterson* RB 3 B-Up RB 275 yd, 1 td
Stanley Pritchett FB 9 Start FB 68 yd, 20 rec, 133 rec yd, 2 krb
David Terrell* WR 4 Start WR 39 rec, 443 yd, 2 td
Dez White WR 5 B-Up WR 18 rec, 278 yd, 1 td
Corbin Lacina G 11 Start G 23 krb, 25.5 krb%, 8 ska, 2.2 sk%
Chris Villarrial G 9 Start G 12 krb, 19.0 krb%, 8 ska, 1.8 sk%
Mike Gandy T 5 Start T 19 krb, 20.8 krb%, 5 ska, 1.1 sk%
Aaron Gibson* T 5 Start T 23 krb, 13.0 krb%, 8 ska, 2.8 sk%
Paul Edinger* #14 K 5 Kicker 27-34 FG, 21-21 PAT
Brad Maynard* P 8 Punter 99 pnt, 41.2 avg, 34 In20
Jerry Azumah* CB 6 B-Up CB 22 tkl, 1 int, 2 defn
*- team released player just prior to free agency
Comments: The Bears have a luxury in that they have some of the most cap room available in the league, but their defense--the better half of their team--is almost completely untocuhed. Now, mind you, their defense is still ranked just the 22nd best in the league, but that's a heck of a lot better than their league-worst offense. Speaking of that offense, the bEars suffer a lot of losses here, including all of their line starters except for their center, two of their top three receivers, their fullback and starting quarterback Kordell Stewart. The question, of course, is can this offense play any worse? This team just might end up being better going with all new faces at this spots, even if the talent is comparable. The offsensive losses are significant, but the Bears have some room to make something happen here.
DETROIT LIONS
OFF: 23 RUSH: 30 PASS: 18
DEF: 16 RUND: 11 PASD: 18
Cap Room: $42,850,000
1st Need: Start RB
2nd Need: Start G
3rd Need: Resrv G
Code:
Key Free Agents From Team
Name Pos Exp LY Role Key Stats
Olandis Gary* RB 5 B-Up RB 394 yd, 1 td, 12 rec, 61 rec yd
James Stewart* RB 10 B-Up RB 149 yd, 2 td, 5 rec, 46 rec yd
Mikhael Ricks* TE 7 Start TE 38 rec, 276 yd, 3 td
Shawn Jefferson WR 14 Start WR 55 rec, 710 yd, 2 td
Bill Schroeder* WR 8 PT St WR 39 rec, 457 yd
Az-Zahir Hakeem* WR 7 B-Up WR 47 rec, 608 yd, 2 td
Eric Beverly G 7 Start G 7 krb, 17.9 krb%, 8 ska, 1.8 sk%
Matt Joyce* T 9 Start T 16 krb, 25 krb%, 10 ska, 1.7 sk%
Jason Hanson* #16 K 13 Kicker 20-29 FG, 29-30 PAT
John Jett #14 P 12 Punter 105 pnt, 40.2 avg, 44 In20
Dan Wilkinson* DT 11 Start DT 75 tkl, 14 sk, 14 hurr
Shaun Rogers* DT 4 B-Up DT 25 tkl, 2 sk, 6 hurr
James Hall DE 5 B-Up DE 12 tkl, 2.5 sk, 2 hurr
Barrett Green OLB 5 Start LB 60 tkl, 4.5 sk, 1 int, 3 defn
Otis Smith CB 13 Start CB 45 tkl, 3 int, 3 defn
Alex Molden CB 9 B-Up CB 59 tkl, 1 int, 2 defn
Jimmy Wyrick CB 5 B-Up CB 25 tkl, 1 int, 2 defn
Corey Harris* SS 13 Start S 86 tkl, 7 int, 6 defn
*- team released player just prior to free agency
Comments: Only three teams have as much cap room to play with as the Lions do. Considering how close they came to the playoffs in a bad division, that's a huge opportunity. That cap room comes with a lot of losses, though, maybe more than anyone else in the league. Not all of it is significant--for instance, Harrington and Rogers remain as anchors for the team's offense, and they franchised Shawn Bryson to keep him around. But the loss in sheer manpower is bound to have its effect. And there are some key players lost, too, starting with Big Daddy Wilkinson, who had his best year yet last season. Three other defensive starters will also need to be replaced. The offense loses three line starters (including top lineman retiree Ray Brown), both backup running backs and pretty much all of the team's receivers besides Rogers, so a lot of work remains there as well. And, of course, this team wasn't really all as good as a close playoff run would suggest, so they not only need to replace these players, but also improve.
GREEN BAY PACKERS
OFF: 13 RUSH: 31 PASS: 5
DEF: 14 RUND: 22 PASD: 9
Cap Room: $22,620,000
1st Need: Start OLB
2nd Need: Resrv G
3rd Need: Resrv OLB
Code:
Key Free Agents From Team
Name Pos Exp LY Role Key Stats
Doug Pederson QB 8 B-Up QB 224 yd, 47%, 3 int, 32.6 QBR
Robert Ferguson* WR 4 Start WR 48 rec, 700 yd, 2 td
Antonio Freeman WR 11 Start WR 73 rec, 1056 yd, 5 td
Donald Driver* WR 6 PT St WR 46 rec, 731 yd, 2 td
Marco Rivera* G 8 Start G 12 krb, 20.6 krb%, 9 ska, 1.5 sk%
Josh Bidwell P 5 Punter 84 pnt, 37.9 avg, 19 In20
Gilbert Brown* DT 11 Start DT 39 tkl, 3.5 sk, 11 hurr
Na'il Diggs* OLB 5 Start LB 67 tkl, 1 sk, 2 hurr, 4 defn
Hannibal Navies* OLB 6 Start LB 65 tkl, 2 sk, 1 int, 4 defn
Bryant Westbrook* CB 8 Start CB 50 tkl, 5 defn
Michael Hawthorne FS 5 Start S 56 tkl, 1 int, 7 defn
*- team released player just prior to free agency
Comments: The Packers had an awful year, record-wise, but if you look at their rankings on both offense and defense--in which they placed in the top half of the league in both--they are clearly not as bad as they would seem. Toss in that Brett Favre didn't retire, and the Pack may not be looking as bad as it would at first seem. Still, they have one of the lowest cap numbers in the league, and their defense was hit hard by departures, if not in actual star power. Big Gilbert Brown will be tough to replace, and while top defenders like Johnson, KGB, McKenzie and Sharper remain, they can't go it alone. On offense, the Packers look like they will once again have to reconstruct their receivers-corp, a unit that feels like it's been in flux since the Super Bowl years of the mid-90s.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS
OFF: 16 RUSH: 27 PASS: 8
DEF: 10 RUND: 8 PASD: 14
Cap Room: $42,500,000
1st Need: Start S
2nd Need: Start G
3rd Need: Start DE
Code:
Key Free Agents From Team
Name Pos Exp LY Role Key Stats
Gus Frerotte* QB 11 B-Up QB 196 yd, 59%, 1 td, 103.5 QBR
Michael Bennett* RB 4 B-Up RB 49 yd, 2 rec, 24 rec yd
Jim Kleinsasser #20 TE 6 B-Up TE 13 rec, 135 yd, 1 td, 3 krb
D'Wayne Bates* WR 6 Start WR 65 rec, 784 yd, 1 td
David Dixon* G 10 Start G 16 krb, 25.8 krb%, 17 ska, 3.2 sk%
Chris Liwienski* G 5 Start G 7 krb, 16.2 krb%, 10 ska, 1.7 sk%
Lindsay Everett T 10 Start T 7 krb, 21.8 krb%, 12 ska, 3.3 sk%
Mike Rosenthal* T 5 PT St T 10 krb, 47.6 krb%, 8 ska, 3.2 sk%
Billy Lyon* DT 7 Start DT 24 tkl, 2 sk
Lance Johnstone* DE 9 Start DE 30 tkl, 7.5 sk, 9 hurr
Kenny Mixon* DE 7 PT St DE 33 tkl, 4.5 sk, 10 hurr
Brian Williams* CB 3 Start CB 42 tkl, 1 int, 4 defn
Corey Chavous* SS 7 Start S 76 tkl, 7 int, 8 defn
*- team released player just prior to free agency
Comments: The Vikings may have gotten lucky to even get into the playoffs last year, but they are still in the best position to return of all the teams in this division. Like the Packers, the Vikings' star players were virtually untouched, with the biggest loss probably safety Chavous. Moss, Culpepper, Smith and Hovan remain on the team. Like the Lions, the Vikings have a lot of cap room--fifth overall, actually, just behind those same Lions. That combination of good cap room with little in actual quality star power needed to be replaced may allow the Vikings to take definitive control of the division, assuming they spend their money well. There are significant manpower losses in some key areas that the Vikings will need to address. Chavous was important to the defense, and Hovan is the only returning line starter. On offense, three of the five line starters, and a key reserve, are all gone, along with number-two wideout Bates and key backups tight end Kleinsasser, running back Bennett, and quarterback Frerotte.
CR
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I would rather be wrong...Than live in the shadows of your song...My mind is open wide...And now I'm ready to start...You're not sure...You open the door...And step out into the dark...Now I'm ready.
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