Athlon Sports is counting down its 2012 NFL preseason Power Rankings with in-depth team previews, schedule analysis and more as the start of the NFL season draws near.

The Minnesota Vikings check in at No. 30.

Veterans can be they key to any championship season. However, that doesn’t always extend to the bench or the dugout.

In June, Erik Spoelstra coached the Miami Heat to an NBA title at age 41, but he had to go through Oklahoma City’s Scott Brooks, 46, to do it.

Scheduling plays a huge role in the outcome of every NFL season. So the Athlon NFL editors will spend the next month dissecting each and every week of the 2012 slate for all 32 teams in the league.

Scheduling plays a huge role in the outcome of every NFL season. So the Athlon NFL editors will spend the next month dissecting each and every week of the 2012 slate for all 32 teams in the league.

Scheduling plays a huge role in the outcome of every NFL season. So the Athlon NFL editors will spend the next month dissecting each and every week of the 2012 slate for all 32 teams in the league.

Scheduling plays a huge role in the outcome of every NFL season. So the Athlon NFL editors will spend the next month dissecting each and every week of the 2012 slate for all 32 teams in the league.

Chicago Bears 2012 Schedule:

-by Braden Gall (follow him on twitter @AthlonBraden)

The Green Bay Packers will not go undefeated in 2011.

Every team in the NFL will have reached their halfway point of the season by the time this weekend’s games are finished, which means we are about to be officially in the stretch run. And the timing couldn’t be better. There are several games this weekend that could set the tone for the entire second half.

There are some huge division battles, key tests for top teams, and a few last chances for teams hoping to remain the playoff race. Nothing will be settled this weekend of course, but a whole lot of things will become much clearer.

Anyone who saw the Chicago Bears self-destruct against the Detroit Lions on Monday night probably thought Chicago’s offense was in complete disarray. Well, you thought wrong. We’ve obtained an exclusive look at Mike Martz’s playbook for Monday night’s debacle and from the looks of it, the Bears' offense executed to near perfection.