.png)
In 1992 Brett Favre took over in Green Bay after a week 3 mid game injury to quarterback Don Majkowski and led the Packers back from being down 17-3 going into the 4th quarter. The Packers went on to win 24-23 and the Packers never looked back to Majkowski. Brett Favre went on to play 16 seasons in Green Bay. Then along came Aaron Rodgers to replace Favre in 2008 and he’s been there since. 30 seasons of Hall of Fame quarterbacks in Title-town. Winning the NFC North 15 times, along with two Super Bowl wins in three appearances. With Aaron Rodgers time coming to a near end three franchises are all building a new era to take down the powerhouse in Green bay. Two of which will be compared heavily over the next few seasons, maybe even the next decade.
Ryan Poles and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah are two young, inexperienced general managers coming into the north at the same time. The main job is pretty simple. Build a roster to take down the Green Bay Packers and reign the North for years to come. Obviously deep playoff runs and Super Bowl rings would be great additions but you have to get past Bowser to get Princess Peach. These two are both going into completely different situations with different obstacles. In Minnesota you have an experienced quarterback in Kirk Cousins. Cousins gets the job done. Is he elite? That’s most definitely up for debate, but he is an efficient quarterback who protects the football. Vikings fans are torn at what there is to do with the 33 year old. Some want him traded to a team which would ultimately be a reset for the franchise. Some believe he should be the guy leading to only a retool for Minnesota. Around Cousins you have a young offensive line, a great back in Dalvin Cook, and superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson. On the defensive side of the ball you have major question marks. Danielle Hunter, Harrison Smith, Anthony Barr, and Eric Kendricks are all pieces former Mike Zimmer turned into studs. With Minnesota’s shaky salary cap some believe a few of these guys may no longer be wearing the purple and gold. So Adofo-Mensa has a major decision to make early on in his career as a general manager. Another deciding factor could be what Vikings “head coach” Kevin O’Connell will have to say. The young offensive minded head coach stemming from the Sean McVay tree should have a say in what the team does with Cousins. O’Connell was of course Cousins' QB coach for one season before his departure to Minnesota. He knows how to use Kirk to his strengths and stay away from his weaknesses. But the one thing we all know and love about today’s young offensive minds is they want their young, athletic quarterbacks. A prime example is Kyle Shanahan drafting Trey Lance at number 3 this season only a season removed from Jimmy Garoppolo starting a Super Bowl for them. They want the guy who will keep them their jobs for years. So while many question marks loom over the Vikings as they make a decision to rebuild or re-tool, their roster is still loaded with talent.
Now looking at Chicago there’s plenty of positives, along with many holes. The main attraction that all teams want is a young quarterback with great speed and a powerful arm. Justin Fields was by far one of the biggest attractions in the head coaching search. You have young offensive weapons in David Montgomery, Darnell Mooney, and Cole Kmet. Two second year lineman in Teven Jenkins and Larry Borom who could be your cornerstone tackles for years to come. Stud defenders who are very young in Roquan Smith and Jaylon Johnson. On the negative side it is an aging defense who’s moving into a new scheme. Their pass rushers are both 30+ with big contracts. Their defensive line is old but still strong. Their secondary outside of Johnson is very weak. Poles went with Matt Eberflus to turn the defense around and Eberflus went with Luke Getsy to build Justin Fields into a superstar. There’s no question mark in Chicago on Justin Fields being their guy. The only question is if they can turn him into the franchise.
So while moves and a whole offseason loom over the heads of both Minnesota and Chicago fans, the comparisons will come. We can compare now but it really doesn’t matter. Not a single move has been made other than coaching hires and there will be no telling on those moves until September rolls in. We have no idea who will be the better franchise over the next few seasons, but they’ll be compared heavily. It all begins soon on March 16th, 2022. Free agency opens up and the quest to reign the north begins.
Follow me on Twitter @WillGrayPSN
Follow the network on Twitter @PineSportsNet
Comentários