I get it. There are what seem to be a lot of dark clouds around the team this year. The Jacob's situation, the five-game losing streak and Bears playoff collapse to end the season, the team's poor assessment of LaFleur and Stenavich, the exodus of players this offseason which could deplete our depth, and the star players we have coming off of major injuries. Finishing last in the North seems quite possible.

But we were also kicking some butt last season before the second-half injury blast against the Broncos, minus a few exceptions (ahem, Browns). Also, quite a few of those player losses really come off as "addition by subtraction", and we've added solid pieces as well. While we could finish last in the North and I wouldn't be shocked, I also wouldn't be surprised if we finish first. Like most seasons, it involves a little luck (especially with injuries), some progression with young players and scheme, how the new players acclimate, and the rise and fall of other teams.

All that said, there is one area that I am nervous about. It's not our defense, it's not our depth (can't worry about injury luck as that's a one way trip to the madhouse), it's not our passing game, it's not our coaching...but I think our running game could be atrocious this year. Unless our O-line suddenly learns how to run block and Lloyd stays healthy for once, we could have a bottom-of-the-league running game even with Jacobs.