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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.

The Minnesota Vikings are taking a vacation in 2008. Their destination: the top of the NFL. It should be a lot of fun. It’s a place they used to travel to fairly often; they maybe even had family over there. But they haven’t been back since 2000 (the last time they posted a double-digit win total).

They’re just getting set to leave. It will be good for them to get away. In recent years, the Vikings have stayed busy at home, bickering with the local government about a new stadium (have you seen the Metrodome? It’s a dump), putting out PR fires (remember the Love Boat scandal? Or the way the Randy Moss/Daunte Culpepper era ended?), and changing coaching staffs (Brad Childress replaced Mike Tice three years ago).

The Vikings pondered the idea of taking a trip last season but ultimately decided that they couldn’t get away (they were 8-6 but lost their last two and missed the postseason). Things have not completely eased up at home––they’re still haggling with the Twin Cities about a new stadium, despite being the lowest revenue-producing franchise in the NFL. And they’ve had an off-the-field problem or two––mainly left tackle Bryant McKinnie. But they feel good enough to sojourn out in 2008.

Owner Zygi Wilf is funding the trip; Childress and front office execs Rick Spielman and Rob Brzezinski are planning it. They’re going all-out. Minnesota is bringing along new defensive end, Jared Allen, who they’ll need in order to get to where they’re going.

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…

Ask yourself, What does a mid-first-round draft pick need to do in his career in order to be successful? Would leading the league in sacks at 26 years old be sufficient return on such an investment? Nine GM’s out of 10 would tell you Yes (the other GM would tell you he’s on crack).

This is what gives me reservations about Kansas City’s trade of All-Pro defensive end Jared Allen to Minnesota. The entire goal of the draft is to find players like Allen. Trading the proven product for unknown draft picks is one of football’s highest forms of gambling. Of course, the operative piece here is the “s” at…

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…

Chad Johnson has gone from being the lovable class clown to the guy who never grew up after high school. Some of his antics stopped being acceptable two disappointing seasons ago. Ocho Cinco demands the ball more than he should, whines more than he needs to and blocks a hell of a lot less than wideouts on playoff teams.

You know one thing I really like about Jeff Fisher? When one of his players gets hurt, he always runs out on the field.

Here’s a thought for all the fans in foreign countries who would like to see the NFL make its product international: how about you bring your tourism dollars to the U.S. and come HERE to see our game?

You know what upsets me? If Shaun Alexander gets signed, national data suggests that he’ll only get paid 70 percent of what other 30-plus-year-old running backs get paid simply due to his being a woman.

Idea for a new law: no commercial can be aired for more than 60 seconds during one NFL broadcast. That means, if you have a 30-second ad, you can show it twice. A full-minute add can only air once. We’ll call this the “Chevy Trucks, This Is Our Country Act.”