NFC CENTRAL

BUCCANEERS - How long will it take Tony Dungy to realize Trent Dilfer wasn't a better pick than Heath Shuler?
Every time Trent Dilfer throws over the middle, he strikes fear into the hearts of back judges and umpires (and I have a picture to prove it). Four years into his pro career, Dilfer has yet to justify the first round pick that was spent to acquire him. He has finished above .500 just once and has only shown good judgement when he hands the ball off. The last time Heath Shuler was allowed to accept a snap from center (his third year in the league and first in with a new team) he had a 52.2 completion percentage with 6.34 yards per catch average, and was forced into a year of inactivity as a result. Last year, Trent Dilfer (fourth year with the same team) had a 52.4 completion percentage, and a 6.36 yards per catch average. Unless these number increase significantly, look for Eric Zeir to move up to first team by mid-season.

LIONS - Has any team ever been left in more of a lurch?
If Barry Sanders doesn't have the desire to play any more, I wish him well. If Barry Sanders is just looking to stay out of training camp for a few weeks, I can live with that. If, however, Barry Sanders is talking retirement simply to force the Lions to release him, or trade him to a contender, I say that is lower than low. I don't believe anyone held a gun to his head and made him sign a long-term contract for millions upon millions of dollars. If that is Barry's aim, tell him to quit being a baby and honor his commitment. He made his bed, now let him lie in it. Bobby Ross deserves better than that, and so do Barry's team mates. It is the Lions only possible hope for a Wild Card.

PACKERS - Can they keep Ray Rhodes from bringing in "his kind of players?"
The best thing that probably ever happened to Ray Rhodes is Ron Wolf. After inheriting the Eagles from Rich Kotite, Ray Rhodes was able to coax those players into the playoffs. The next year, he brought in a few more of his kind of players and lost in the playoffs again, only this time it was on the road. Then he brought in a few more of his players and missed the playoffs entirely, finishing under .500. Last year, his fourth year in charge of the draft and free agent acquisitions, he fielded a team that picked second in the draft, only behind an expansion team. As evidenced by his first two seasons with the Eagles, Ray Rhodes is a good coach and an excellent motivator. As evidenced by his last two seasons in Philadelphia, Ray Rhodes is a horrible judge of player personnel (seemingly torn between undersized & outmanned vs. oversized & unmotivatable). With such decisions taken off of him, look for the Packers to rebound from a season that was not up to their recent standards and battle Minnesota down to the wire.

VIKINGS - If they don't have the same success as last year, will the personalities start to self-destruct?
Minnesota is a team comprised more of characters than character. From Denny Green to Randall Cunningham to Jeff George to Randy Moss to John Randle (and the list goes on), the words understated and selfless fail to fall easily from the tongue. They say "winning cures a lot of ills," and last year the Vikings won a lot. It will be interesting to see if there are any lingering effects from that devastating playoff loss to the Falcons, and how they will react if, early in the season, the other teams in the tough NFC Central prove capable of heaping even a small amount of misery on those narrow shoulders.