Fox's Aikman sees Lions, not Bears, as Packers biggest challenge

Interesting.

Quote:

---

LINK to the article

Fox's Aikman sees Lions, not Bears, as Packers biggest challenge

Some National Football League observers think the Chicago Bears will offer the biggest challenge to the Packers this season in the NFC North.
But Troy Aikman of Fox Sports is not one of them.

"I think Detroit," Aikman said during an interview on Thursday. "I like what they were able to do last year defensively. They have got to shore some things up. But the year that (Matthew) Stafford had – obviously pretty amazing"


Last season in the division the Packers finished 15-1, followed by Detroit (10-6), Chicago (8-8) and Minnesota (3-13).


"(With) Chicago, the one thing you kind of like was last year (Jay) Cutler played well and I believe they were 7-3 at the time he went down," Aikman said. "He was playing pretty good football. They bring in a guy like Brandon Marshall, who he (Cutler) is comfortable with and has a relationship with. But there are some changes going on there too, with Mike Tice becoming the offensive coordinator. That offense is going to have a little bit different look, not that that is necessarily a bad thing.


"But to answer your question specifically, I believe the Detroit Lions will be the team that challenges Green Bay," Aikman said. "I still see Green Bay as the best team in that division."

---

:laughing-019:

(at Troy Ache-man)


He's as clueless as ever. I thought he'd start learning a couple things about football eventually. I was wrong. First he says we were doing pretty good. Then we brought in a good WR. And we have a new better offense with Tice. Yet we're not a better team????

There's a reason he's retired now. Too much brain damage. This is the Lions he's talking about and he's in Texas. I think I'll take the viewpoint of the upper midwestern writers over his.

He's not wrong in what he says. Det has issues to shore up w/the 2ndry and RB(that's more about getting healthy), but the rest of the O and the DL(#1 importance in the NFL behind qb) is set.

Chicago has questions in DL, MLB, and 2ndry and questions about it's O(new OC and OL still issues). I won't give anyone grief that doesn't follow the NFCN specifically for liking GB/Det over Chi.

I think they're wrong, and think if JC/Url stay healthy we'll challenge for the div title, but why would a guy trying to follow 32 teams and not 1 think that?

Never liked the guy, so I guess I could care less what he has to say.

Troy is Joe Buck's bitch lol

Maybe he's hanging at Mike Irving's place. Who knows what mind they are in.

I actually agree with Troy on the Lions being the team to challenge Greenbay since they have a very young solid defenes and a shit load of high draft picks that are actually panning out, why not be the team to challenge the packers? The bears have a old defense and the second worst OL in the league, we did improve but we still have a lot of issues to work out.

If the line is not able to open holes for the running game and protect Cutler, we can add the inability to put many points on the board. As of yet, I do not see the lines ability to do that.

However, I am still optimistic that it will gell by the 3rd or 4th week. If not, Aikman will be right.

JABF has said it, and it's dead on..this team will go as far as the OL allows it. This OL pans out and we will challenge GB for the Div, if they don't we will challenge Minny for the bottom.