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QB: Jay Cutler, 3rd yr, Denver Broncos
One of the strongest arms in football.

RB: Marshawn Lynch, 2nd yr, Buffalo Bills
Rushed for over 1,100 yards as a rookie. Improved patience will translate to big things.

WR: Vincent Jackson, 4th yr, San Diego Chargers
Outstanding size augments his first-class athleticism. Came alive in the playoffs last year.

WR: Calvin Johnson, 2nd yr, Detroit Lions
Healthy, more mature, playing in a new offense.

TE: Vernon Davis, 3rd yr, San Francisco 49ers
Even with the Niners’ shaky QB situation, he’ll get plenty of opportunities as one of the focal points in Mike Martz’s offense.

LT: D’Brickashaw Ferguson, 3rd yr, New York Jets
The arrival of Alan Faneca will…

1. Minnesota Vikings

The league’s best rushing attack and run defense. Their postseason fate rests in the hands of Tarvaris Jackson.

2. Green Bay Packers

Sorry Pack, it’s just too big a change in one year.

3. Chicago Bears

Defense is very good and special teams are beyond excellent, but where is the talent on offense?

4. Detroit Lions

They overachieved early last season, which builds unrealistic expectations for 2008. Seven or eight wins would be a good year.

Click cont. to see All-NFC North team and division awards.

Hey come on, take it easy. You know, it would take the Egyptians 20-30 years to build a pyramid. And that was with some 7,000 people working. Things can’t simply be built––or rebuilt––overnight. This isn’t Dubai. This is America. More specifically, Detroit.

The good news is that William Clay Ford’s Lions are actually making progress this time. This is technically Year Eight of the Matt Millen rebuilding project (Year Eight….that’s hard to believe), but really, the wheels have only been churning in the right direction for the past two.

That’s how long the Lions have been under the guidance of throwback head coach Rod Marinelli. The longtime Bucs defensive line guru took over in 2006. Like a true Lion, Marinelli led the team to a 3-13 record his first season. But last year, Detroit finished a respectable 7-9. The promising, or discouraging, part––depending on how you look at it––is that the Lions started 6-2.

What happened down the stretch?

1.) Jared Allen                  DE     TRADE         6-6          270       4    Chiefs         Vikings

Contract:  6 yrs, $78 million with incentives ($31 million guaranteed)

Traded with a 6^th round pick in ’08 for a 1^st round pick, two 3^rd round picks and a 6^th round pick

The Hope: The high-motor Allen builds on his league-leading 15.5-sack performance from a year ago.

The Caveat: The Chiefs labeled Allen an “at risk” player, thanks to is two DUI’s while in Kansas City.

The Reality: Without approving drinking and driving, the fact of the matter is Allen already served a two-game suspension and has been a model citizen over the past year and a half. His legal woes are behind him. On the field, he may very well…

NFL.com recently published a list of all the rookie free agent signings for 2008 (view it here).

Few fans realize how many good players in the league today were once rookie free agents. Just take a look at this All Undrafted Team. It’s stunning.

(starters in bold)

QB: Tony Romo, Dal   Jake Delhomme, Car   Jeff Garcia, TB

RB: Willie Parker, Pit   Dominic Rhodes, Ind   Marcel Shipp, Ari  

FB: Tony Richardson, NYJ

WR: Drew Bennett, Stl   Mike Furrey, Det   Hank Baskett, Phi

WR: Wes Welker, NE   Eric Parker, SD  

TE: Antonio Gates, SD   Mark Campbell, NO

OT: Jason Peters, Buf   Tom Ashworth, FA

  G: Brian Waters, KC   Ryan Lilja, Ind   Jason Whittle, Buf

  C: Jeff Saturday, Ind   Casey…

Yesterday, Eric Kuselias, filling in as host of the Mike Tirico Show, brought attention to the stunning difference between the success of the top 10 picks in the ’04 NFL draft versus the success – or lack thereof – of the top 10 selection in the ’05 draft.

Take a look at this:

1^st pick

’04: Eli Manning, SD (NYG) – Super Bowl champion.

’05: Alex Smith, SF – Injury prone and anything but secure.

2^nd pick

’04: Robert Galley, Oak – OK, so ’04 wasn’t flawless. This is the only disappointment.

’05: Ronnie Brown, Mia – Just one 1,000-yard season in three years, tore ACL in ’07.

3^rd pick

’04: Larry Fitzgerald, Ari – You could argue he’s the best WR…