Although they've taken turns being on top, the Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been the dominant teams in the NFC Central over the last four years.

During that time, the Vikings have won 45 games, the Packers 41 and the Buccaneers 39.

Each of the three has won at least one division title.

Each of the three has been to at least one NFC championship game.

None of the three has had a losing season.

	Mike Sherman and the Packers chose to keep their roster intact.

But if the teams are so evenly matched, why did they take such divergent paths during the off-season? As the Vikings, Packers and Bucs prepare to slug it out again for the final NFC Central title, they've taken radically different approaches to staying on top.

The defending division champion Vikings tried addition by subtraction. The underachieving Bucs tried addition by addition. And the Packers, who beat both the Vikings and Bucs in December, simply tried to keep the bottom line at zero.

What that means for the upcoming season is anyone's guess. Based on off-season moves, however, the Bucs will be favored to win not only the division but the conference title, the Packers look like a solid playoff team and the Vikings will need some more Dennis Green magic to stay on top in the NFC's most competitive division.

First, the Bucs. After entering the 2000 season as Super Bowl favorites, they faltered, losing the division title with a season-ending defeat at Green Bay and then exiting the playoffs meekly with a 21-3 loss at Philadelphia.

The reasons for the Bucs' disappointment were season-long inconsistency at quarterback and the late-season collapse of the pass blocking and the run defense. During a hugely successful off-season, the Bucs kept their nucleus intact (re-signing Ronde Barber and Jerry Wunsch) and addressed two of their three needs in spectacular fashion.

By signing free agent quarterback Brad Johnson to a five-year, $28 million contract, the Bucs might have secured the final ingredient their perennially sluggish offense needed. Although he went to the Pro Bowl in 1999, Johnson isn't the type of quarterback who can make big play after big play and carry a team. However, he'll be more consistent and reliable than Shaun King, who wasn't ready for prime time last season.

The Bucs' other major move on offense was trading up in the draft to take Kenyatta Walker, the best left tackle available. The Bucs never adequately replaced Paul Gruber last season, but the powerful Walker looks like he can anchor the line for the next 10 years.

The only other question on offense is whether coach Tony Dungy will step back and let new offensive coordinator Clyde Christensen do his job. The Bucs now have the tools to open up the offense, but do they have the inclination? If Dungy doesn't, the offense might again be too much of a burden for the highly rated defense.

The defense wore down late last season, but the Bucs ignored their failings against the run with the blockbuster, $34 million signing of free agent defensive end Simeon Rice. Rice might be the purest pass rusher in the league, but he's always been a liability against the run. Nevertheless, by jettisoning Chidi Ahanotu and signing Rice, the Bucs have the best pass-rushing line in the NFL.

After struggling to a 5-7 record while new coach Mike Sherman tried to clean up the mess created by Ray Rhodes, the Packers won their final four games -- beating all four of their division opponents. As a result of the furious finish, the Packers decided to spend the off-season working to keep their team intact.

	2000 NFC Central standings
	Team	Pct.	W-L
	x-Minnesota	.688	11-5
	y-Tampa Bay	.625	10-6
	Green Bay	.562	9-7
	Detroit	.562	9-7
	Chicago	.312	5-11
	x-division title, y-wild-card berth

The strategy worked. Veterans LeRoy Butler, Dorsey Levens, Earl Dotson and Frank Winters all renegotiated their contracts significantly downward just to stay in Green Bay. That allowed the Packers to re-up with Pro Bowl safety Darren Sharper and reliable kicker Ryan Longwell, their two off-season priorities. When the maneuvering was done, the only starter they lost was guard Ross Verba, who signed with the Browns.

The Packers' biggest off-season loss was general manager Ron Wolf, although Wolf didn't leave until he had left Sherman adequately staffed at almost every position.

Wolf's primary area of interest was the defensive line, which generated little pass rush last season, especially after tackle Santana Dotson suffered a torn quadriceps. The Packers traded up to nab the best pass rusher in the draft, Jamal Reynolds, in the first round and later signed veteran tackles Jim Flanigan and Gilbert Brown. Flanigan is a former Bear who still has some tread on his tires. He's insurance in case Dotson isn't ready by September. Brown, a Packers hero during the Super Bowl years, ate his way out of the league two years ago. However, he's gone from 400 pounds to a more manageable 340 and might be the run stuffer the Packers need.

One area where the Packers are thin is quarterback. After trading away Aaron Brooks last year and Matt Hasselbeck prior to the draft, they have only journeyman Doug Pederson behind ironman Brett Favre.

A year ago, the Vikings suffered heavy personnel losses -- Pro Bowl blockers Randall McDaniel and Jeff Christy plus quarterbacks Jeff George and Randall Cunningham -- and still won the division title. Green's secret formula was a powerful offense that made up for one of the NFL's most porous defenses.

The ever-confident Green will need to repeat that magic if the Vikings are going to stay among the division's big three because, if anything, the personnel casualties were heavier this off-season than last. Home-run hitting halfback Robert Smith abruptly retired in his prime and longtime stalwarts such as offensive tackle Todd Steussie, linebacker Dwayne Rudd and defensive tackles John Randle and Tony Williams were salary cap victims.

If anyone can overcome such stunning losses, however, it is Green. He showed his predilection for offense when he drafted jet-propelled halfback Michael Bennett in the first round to replace Smith, and he showed his confidence in himself and his coaching staff when he chose to replace Steussie with backup Brad Badger. Critics howled that Green ignored the defense, which was 28th in the NFL last season with Randle, Rudd and Williams.

The team's only major free agent signing was defensive end Lance Johnstone, a 250-pound pass rusher. The Vikings will replace Rudd internally and will move Chris Hovan, their first-round pick in 2000, to one tackle spot inside. The other spot will see a battle among Fernando Smith, a career journeyman, former second-round pick Fred Robbins, a bust as a rookie, and this year's second-round pick, Willie Howard.

Even if the line play improves, the Vikings still haven't addressed their needs at cornerback. Weak play by the corners undermined the defense last year and will do so again this year unless Green can sign a veteran at the position. There is speculation the Vikings have targeted Dale Carter provided he is reinstated from his one-year drug suspension and then released, as expected, by the Broncos.

	There will be a lot of people in Detroit and Chicago looking over their shoulder all season because both the Lions and Bears made moves at the top. Everyone in both organizations is on notice this season.

As for the division's other two teams, there will be a lot of people in Detroit and Chicago looking over their shoulder all season because both the Lions and Bears made moves at the top. Everyone in both organizations is on notice this season.

The Lions brought in general manager Matt Millen, who hired West Coast offense disciple Marty Mornhinweg as his coach. The Bears went with a full-fledged general manager for the first time since 1987 and raided the Bucs for Jerry Angelo. Coach Dick Jauron, already on the hot seat, will feel even more heat now.

The Lions have a chance to join the division's big three because they kept their defense, which is strong in the front seven, intact. The biggest move was signing former Pro Bowler Todd Lyght as a free agent. He provides insurance in case Bryant Westbrook's recovery from Achilles surgery stalls.

It is the Lions' sad-sack offense that garnered much of Millen's off-season attention. The long-standing line problems may be a thing of the past after Millen drafted tackle Jeff Backus and center Dominic Raiola with his first two picks. Backus will move Stockar McDougle to guard and give the Lions their last three No. 1 picks -- Backus, McDougle and Aaron Gibson -- on the line. Steady guard Jeff Hartings, who got a better offer from the Steelers, might not be missed.

In addition to the line, the Lions will have two unexpected pass-catching threats in free agent tight end Pete Mitchell and wide receiver Herman Moore, who had one foot out the door before he agreed to renegotiate his contract.

Millen's biggest acquisition, however, might be Mornhinweg. With a better line, more weapons, a state-of-the-art offense and a quarterback guru as his coach, quarterback Charlie Batch has run out of excuses in a make-or-break year. If he does falter, at least the Lions insured themselves by signing free agent Jim Harbaugh.

The Bears have finished last in the division four years in a row and any hopes of breaking that string rest with the ineffective offense.

Even before Angelo came on board, the Bears had moved to improve an already solid defense by signing two massive free agent tackles, Ted Washington and Keith Traylor. Washington is a Pro Bowler but he also weighs 400 pounds and has an arthritic ankle. Traylor, who won two Super Bowls in Denver, is coming off knee surgery. If they stay healthy, they could keep blockers away from middle linebacker Brian Urlacher, the league's defensive rookie of the year.

The biggest moves to bolster the offense came in the draft, where the Bears took wide receiver David Terrell and halfback Anthony Thomas, both from Michigan, with their first two picks. Terrell will supplant Bobby Engram and provide an immediate home-run threat. Thomas is the most complete back on the roster and may turn James Allen into a third-down specialist.

Neither player will make much impact, however, if the Bears don't sort out their quarterback situation. Jauron has thrown the position wide open, and erratic Cade McNown, the team's first-round pick in the 1999 draft, has fallen behind Shane Matthews and Jim Miller. Matthews was all set to leave, but signed a two-year contract and now looks like the leader in the clubhouse for the starting job. Not that it will matter in a division this tough.

Tom Oates of the Wisconsin State Journal writes an NFC column every other week for ESPN.com.