Of the four teams to play in the past two NFC Championship Games, three came from the North Division. The NFC North is usually an afterthought in talks of the best divisions. Detroit had a lot to do with that. The North division of the NFC is moving to the front. Green Bay won the Super Bowl. Chicago challenged. Minnesota faded in a season from hell. Detroit is clearly on the rise. After the first two rounds of the 2011 Draft, the division has gotten stronger.
Green Bay, as most champs do, approached the draft with few holes. They still managed to make super QB Aaron Rodgers an even happier man. Solid tackle Derek Sherrod will help Rodgers breathe a bit more easy. Kentucky receiver Randall Cobb in the second is the one that worries me the most. He makes and already explosive offense more explosive and much more versatile. He is a little like the Vikings' Percy Harvin. He can do a bit of everything.
Chicago scored with some big guys. I really like Wisconsin tackle Gabe Carimi in the first. He may already be their best lineman. If that wasn't bad enough they grabbed Oregon St. strongman and defensive tackle Stephen Paea in the second. Chicago got stronger in the always important trenches.
As for Detroit. They annoy me the most. I wish that they would bring back Matt Millen. That guy could kill any franchise. The Lions are getting better at an incredible pace. Their first round selection of Auburn defensive tackle Nick Fairley is simply unfair. Teaming him with Ndamukong Suh in the middle of the defensive line can be devestating. Centers and guards throughout the league will have restless sleep for years facing the Lions. Adding offensive playmakers in receiver Titus Young and running back Mikel Leshoure in the second will perk up the scoring. If Matt Stafford can stay healthy, Detroit is real close. I miss Matt Millen.
After being an overtime away from the Super Bowl in 2009, Minnesota is in a precarious position in the division. Just as everything went wrong last year. Everything must go right this year to stay out of the cellar. Finding a QB, a young QB, is key. They have added that QB in Christian Ponder. I liked the pick yesterday. I love the pick today after listening to his press conference. He has been a Viking for only hours, and he wants to get players together to train during this ridiculous labor situation. I like it. The QB needs to lead. I think that he can start this year. With Adrian Peterson's tremendous skills taking most of the pressure, Ponder can ease into the job while on the field. The Vikings helped Ponder's transition to the NFL with the selection of Notre Dame tight end Kyle Rudolph in the second. Every QB likes a fast, sure-handed, 6' 6" tight end. An efficient year by Ponder and the Vikings will be in the chase for that North title.
Green Bay, Chicago and Detroit clearly improved themselves in just the first two rounds. I think that Minnesota did as well, but they are dependent on the quick transition of a QB. That is always a dicey situation. I think that the Vikings grabbed the right one in Christian Ponder. He has an intriguing skill set and intangibles. The Packers, Bears and Lions are set at QB with Aaron Rodgers, Jay Cutler (Ha!), and Matthew Stafford. The Vikings need Ponder to join that list. With a talented, veteran team the Vikings can certainly be contending.
Some more draft notes:
It was a kick to see Turlock, CA on the NFL Network broadcast of the draft. New 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick is from my home town. The kid has some tremendous skills. Talents that coach Jim Harbaugh can enhance.
It's dizzying to watch Bill Belichick dance around the draft. If I was a Patriots fan, I would lose my little mind. The trade that he made with Oakland in the 3rd was bizarre. Sounds like the teams were discussing it for most of the day. Oakland traded for a 3rd and 4th seemingly at random. Both picks were acquired well in advance so it was impossible to target any particular player. I've never seen anything like it. Belichick even said that it was a new one for him. Personally, I think that Al Davis was just messing with Belichick in some way that only he understands.
Watching Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett fall to the middle of the 3rd was sort of depressing. I have heard nothing very serious about his off field issues. Nothing that would cause a player that talented to drop that far. I have seen players with far greater issues drafted much earlier. I guess that it is just the QB position. They must need those players to be saints.
Mike Mayock is one of my favorite draft peeps. He is as informed and "tuned-in" as any out there. He really screwed up yesterday in talking about Cal safety Chris Conte. When the Chicago Bears kept Conte as a Bear by selecting him in the 3rd, Mayock had a story to tell. He said that new Cal defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast told Conte to lose 20 lbs so that he could move from linebacker to safety. Conte played his first three years at corner and then switched to safety. He didn't have to drop weight to make the switch either. Very strange, Mayock never makes errors like this. Conte was one of my favorites and I really hoped that he would make it to Minnesota. He was a very good college corner, but when he moved to safety he looked like a natural. I hate when Cal players that I like play on division rivals. Each team has one now in the Packers' Aaron Rodgers, Lions' Jahvid Best and now Conte.
The dreaded Randy Moss trade never stops haunting me. It helped torpedo the nightmare season of 2010, and now I had to sit through and entire 3rd round without a Vikings selection. Tears dropped as players came off the board. A sad time.
Here's to the futures of these young football players. Today many dreams will come true.
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