With the impending trade of Randy Moss from the Vikings to the Raiders, the rest of the division released a collective sigh of relief. While other division teams either have or covet rangy WRs that can jump, catch and run, the Vikes let their franchise receiver go in order to help remake their defense. It seems to be an annual exercise in Minnesota. Progress is optional.

In Green Bay, the Pack is hoping that new defensive coordinator Jim Bates will make ball hogs out of sows ears. Having tried a new DC previously, Green Bay is guessing this time that they have the right one. Players are optional.

In Detroit, talent is not the problem. It's just all potential right now. QB Joey Harrington needs that potential to become performance, or it's going to get very quiet on his part of the bench. As his fellow QB, Jeff Garcia can tell him: in the NFL, if you practice like a rat, and play like a rat, well, by golly, you're a rat. Cheese is optional outside of Green Bay.

In Chicago, the Bears will participate in their annual spring ritual of remaking their offense. They think that they finally have the right offensive coordinator in Ron Turner. A quarterback is optional.

So here it is, the NFC North, 2005 edition:

Chicago Bears - Needs WR, OL, RB, LB, TE

In '03 it was the coordinator that was so offensive. In '04 it was more of the same. Last year the team switched from John Shoop's dink, dunk and two-yard-slant offense to Terry Shea's wide-open-west offense. Nothing changed. In both cases, the team finished near last or last in many offensive categories. This year the team brought in proven NFL coach Ron Turner to run the offense. Now if they can only find players.

For a second year in a row, the O-line had a rash of injuries that forced benchwarmers into a kind of musical chair routine all along the line.

Starting C Olin Kreutz is about the only player set at a position. At OT John Tait may move to the left side. Absent a free-agent pick-up, OT Marc Colombo, in his third year of knee rehabilitation, may start on the right-side. In spot action last year, he looked OK, but was molested when he started. At guard, the oft-injured Rex Tucker may be a cap casualty, and Ruben Brown is aged and suffered through injuries. When he played though, he was very good.

At RB the team has made a commitment to starter Thomas Jones, who was inconsistent in his first try at the big-time. Anthony Thomas, a fan favorite, will leave to pursue opportunities with other teams.

At WR The Bears just signed NFC receiving-yards leader Muhsin (Moose) Mohammed who will bring an immediate upgrade in both the receiving corp and the quality of arrests suffered by them . David Terrell was tops amongst receivers with 42 receptions,  a 16.6 yard average and 2 arrests. He may be cut for cap reasons, if not for the number of convictions. Bobby Wade made some progress, while Justin Gage took a step back. And the last time the Bears had a contributor at tight end was in 1963 when Mike Ditka played the position. He's still faster, has better hands and is a better blocker than anyone currently on the roster.

They key position for the receivers and the team will be at QB. The team is committed to starter Rex Grossman who suffered a season-ending knee injury in an early loss to the Vikings last year. However, with two injuries in two years to their soon-to-be franchise QB and last year's disaster at back-up QB, the Bears will need to bring in solid veteran help.

On defense, MLB Brian Urlacher was injured throughout the '04 campaign with hamstring problems. Lance Briggs had a great year at the "Will" side but SLB continues to be a problem.

Look for the Bears to go offense early by tagging a RB with their first-round pick and a WR in the second round.

Bam Criticality rating - 8

Possible Picks at 4: Mike Williams WR,Southern Cal; Braylon Edwards WR, Michigan; Ronnie Brown RB, Auburn; Derrick Johnson OLB, Texas; Alex Barron OT, Florida State

Detroit Lions - Needs OT, OG, TE, DE, S, QB

Last year, the Lions seemed to be one of the big winners in the '04 draft. It hasn't translated into wins and losses yet. If the idea is to build through the draft, then one has to wonder whether Detroit is building a paper house, like the kind you find in Japan.

Ostensibly, the roster is littered with talent. That is, if you look at draft choices. With seven first or second round picks in the last five years at the top of the offensive depth chart, their troubles there are perplexing, unless you subscribe to the theory that it's all the fault of Joey Harrington.

At times, he looks unbelievable, going 18 of 22 for 230 yards and 2 TDs in a win over the NY Giants. Then again, he can look pathetic, as he did in a week 14 loss to the Packers, completing just 23 percent of his passes. But if he makes as much progress in his fourth year as he did in his third, he'll be OK. Of course, he could slide backwards.

Expect the Lions to add a veteran presence to push Harrington in the mean time.

The O-line played a bit unsteady last year, especially in the first half of the year. The Lions already re-signed potential free agent C Dominic Raiola. Free agent OT Stockar McDougle is likely to test the market and some uncertainty at guard, the line is a position of need.

There's been some talk of using the Lions' first pick to add more weapons for Harrington especially at TE. A top TE at 10 might be a reach, but that's never stopped long-armed Matt Millen from reaching out when he wants something.

Along the defense, the team needs a bookend DE to match James Hall and fill out what is really shaping up to be a good D- At LB, the team appears set with Teddy Lehman and Boss Bailey, but could use another top LB. At DB the team could use a SS with journeyman Bracy Walker a free agent.

Detroit most likely goes offense first taking a TE or WR.

Bam Criticality rating - 5

Possible Picks at 10: Heath Miller TE, Virginia; Derrick Johnson OLB, Texas; Erasmus James DE, Wisconsin; Mike Williams WR, Southern Cal

Green Bay Packers - Needs QB, FB, DE, LB, S, OG

So you own the 5th ranked offense in the NFL and the 23rd ranked defense. What do you need? A quarterback, of course.

The annual ritual of "will-he-or-won't-he" surrounding Brett Favre's retirement in Green Bay makes one wonder whether they have any other needs on the Frozen Tundra. As they say in the ice-blue reaches stretching from Green Bay to Fargo: "You Betcha!"

On the O-line, Mike Flanagan choose to end his season in October in order to have knee surgery, rather than risk a career-ending injury. At 31 years old, rehab is never a sure thing. RG Marco Rivera is a free agent who will get offers. LG Mike Wahle is expected to be cut for cap reasons. That's ¾ of an O-line that could be gone. Certainly half of it will be.

At FB, William Henderson is a poor-to-adequate blocker, who is productive in the passing game.

And yes, the team needs a QB.

On defense, there are bigger problems.

First, it's not a very good unit. The Packers are hoping that new DC Jim Bates can turn it around. But they have made that same type of bet, that coaching matters more than talent, for a few years. So far, they've lost.

On the D-line, DT Cletidus Hunt is OK for a fat guy. NT Grady Jackson is slowing down, getting injured and making way too much money. DE Aaron Kampman is showing good progress on the other side of the line from Gbaja-Biamila, but who wouldn't?

At linebacker, Hanibal Navies will attract some attention as a free agent.

The Packers chose over the past few years to give high signing bonuses, and it's caught up with them this year. They have some cap constraints that restrict what they can do. Favre is probably waiting to see how the Pack deals with this before making any decisions on returning.

Assume the rebuilding starts sooner rather than later with the Packers picking a DT or LB with their first pick, if they don't trade it to San Diego for Philip Rivers.

Bam Criticality rating - 7

Possible Picks at 24: DT Travis Johnson, Florida State; ILB Channing Crowder, Florida; Shaun Cody DT, Southern Cal; Shawne Merriman DE, Maryland

Minnesota Vikings - Needs DT, DE, LB, S, CB

So Randy's going to be a Raider. The folks that brought you the Randy Ratio have suddenly decided that life without Randy is worth living after all. It remains an open question whether Daunte Culpepper's confidence without Randy will be as broad as the QB's shoulders.

On offense, the 2 wins and 3 losses that the Vikings suffered through without Moss showed that the team can find other ways to score. Culpepper was 113/166 for 1179 yards, 9 TD's and 3 INT's in the games that Moss missed. With a reported $30 million under the cap, the two key free agents on offense, TE Jermaine Wiggins and RG David Dixon, will probably be re-signed. And that's enough about offense.

The real story here is defense.

On the d-line, DT Chris Hovan was made the culprit for a run defense that gave up over 125 yards per game. Rookie free agent DT Spencer Johnson, who took Hovan's spot, isn't the answer. At DE rookie Kenechi Udeze put in a solid first season, but still has some aging to do. On the other end, Kenny Mixon is a run defender only, and Lance Johnstone is a liability against the run. When cloning is available, the team could use the two to make a great DE. Until then, they're going to have to sign one complete DE in free agency, or through the draft.

At OLB, Chris Claiborne is a free agent and has shown a few years of declining production. In the middle, EJ Henderson is coming along, albeit a little slowly. The rest of the corps is like a bullpen with no real starters but a few middle relievers.

In the defensive backfield, the Vikings have two #2 CB's, but lack a real cover corner. Brian Williams can't always stay with receivers, while Antoine Winfield is a serviceable starter, but doesn't catch well and is undersized. At strong safety, Corey Chavous fell back to earth after a pro-bowl season in '03; the same happened to FS Brian Russell. The two accounted for a combined 17 INT's in '03, but together produced only 2 INT's in the 2004 season.

Look for the Vikes to shore up their defense with two picks in the first round. The best bet is at LB, DT/DE.

Bam Criticality rating - 6

Possible Picks at 7/18: Derrick Johnson OLB, Texas; Erasmus James DE, Wisconsin; Travis Johnson DT, Florida State; Antajj Hawthorne DT, Wisconsin