Author Topic: NFC North (04.12.11 - 09.10.15) (Read 31398 times)

packrat · « **Reply #1260 on:** May 31, 2014, 06:26:49 pm »

Biggest issues:

Green Bay Packers: With quarterback Aaron Rodgers still at the helm of Green Bay’s offense, the unit will be fine. The Packers, instead, have to solve their defense, which ranked 25th in the league last season after ceding 372.2 yards per game. Two additions will help: first-round safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix can blossom into the roaming leader of the secondary, and defensive end Julius Peppers can help in rushing the passer. Both will need to get used to their new playbooks in the offseason.

Chicago Bears: For once in Chicago, the problem is the defense, not the offense. Specifically, the Bears were atrocious in stopping the run, allowing a league-worst 161.4 yards per game. The franchise addressed the issue in the NFL draft, using its second- and third-round picks on defensive tackles Ego Ferguson and Will Sutton. Chicago also added veteran defensive end Jared Allen. Minicamp will be essential in getting its new pieces acclimated to Mel Tucker’s 4-3 scheme.

Detroit Lions: Jim Caldwell begins his first season as the Lions’ head coach, and has a number of issues to solve. The continued development of quarterback Matt Stafford will be a central focus, but the key issue is fixing the secondary. To help do that, Teryl Austin enters his first season as the Lions’ defensive coordinator, but spent the last three years as the Baltimore Ravens’ secondary coach. He brings expertise in the position and will focus on improving last year’s 23rd-ranked passing defense, which allowed 246.9 yards per game.

Minnesota Vikings: Despite a number of holes, quarterback looms as the biggest for the Vikings. Although the franchise traded back into the first round to draft Teddy Bridgewater, the team is in no hurry to rush him to start. It appears that there will be a three-way competition between Bridgewater, Matt Cassel and Christian Ponder. If one quarterback starts to excel in minicamp, it could shape the rest of the offseason.

Pekin · « **Reply #1261 on:** May 31, 2014, 08:03:31 pm »

Tillman is most definitely not over rated. The guy is about the only corner in the league who can shut down Calvin Johnson.

Sportster · « **Reply #1262 on:** June 01, 2014, 12:33:11 pm »

Tillman has been burned several times covering Johnson. He has shut him down a few times as well. He can definitely be burned in coverage, we've seen it before. He's above average though for a corner....and I think the punch the ball thing out is overrated personally. I'd rather have a corner who can stop them from catching the ball in the first place. He swings and misses quite a bit giving the receiver a few extra yards.

Dave23 · « **Reply #1263 on:** June 02, 2014, 10:03:12 am »

As long as Conte still has a uniform and a locker, he's the most overrated...since he should be working at Burger King.

dallasbear · « **Reply #1264 on:** June 02, 2014, 10:56:24 am »

If Tillman can bounce back from his 2013 injuries I don't see why he can't have another productive year. He was pretty beat up last year and only played in 8 games but still pulled down 3 picks and forced 3 fumbles.

Sportster · « **Reply #1265 on:** June 02, 2014, 02:36:39 pm »

In order to be overrated, you have to be rated in the first place! Conte doesn't even register on the rating scale!

Jackiejokeman · « **Reply #1266 on:** June 02, 2014, 07:28:53 pm »

If only we could PAY Minnie to take Conte off our hands ...

but I dont think thats legal.

Can we trade him for one of those sausage guys that runs around Milwaukee County Stadium ?

packrat · « **Reply #1267 on:** June 02, 2014, 09:47:00 pm »

Quote from: Jackiejokeman on June 02, 2014, 07:28:53 pm

If only we could PAY Minnie to take Conte off our hands ...

but I dont think thats legal.

Can we trade him for one of those sausage guys that runs around Milwaukee County Stadium ?

Maybe knockwurst but not bratwurst. Much too valuable.

Jackiejokeman · « **Reply #1268 on:** June 02, 2014, 10:48:13 pm »

Quote from: packrat on June 02, 2014, 09:47:00 pm

Maybe knockwurst but not bratwurst. Much too valuable.

Packy he could be traded for a Braut ...

packrat · « **Reply #1269 on:** June 03, 2014, 07:03:17 pm »

We'd need boot.

Jackiejokeman · « **Reply #1270 on:** June 06, 2014, 11:48:42 pm »

Quote from: packrat on June 03, 2014, 07:03:17 pm

We'd need boot.

Ok but no mustard.

packrat · « **Reply #1271 on:** July 05, 2014, 06:37:35 pm »

NFL Breakout Candidates By Division: NFC North

by Erik Lambert 23h ago

Every NFL team has at least one player on the roster whom they hope is ready for a breakout season in 2014. Who are the NFC North candidates?

Green Bay Packers: Datone Jones

Julius Peppers is expected to help the Green Bay Packers pass rush from the edge, but it’s getting a push from the interior that can truly get things going them. That is why defensive end Datone Jones should see increased action in 2014. His 3.5 sacks a year ago was a promising sign of his ability. Provided he’s in NFL shape and utilizing his experience properly, he has a chance to cut loose with Peppers and Clay Matthews drawing all the attention.

Chicago Bears: Marquess Wilson

Normally a 7th round pick doesn’t generate much buzz. That wasn’t the case for Marquess Wilson. More than a few experts lauded the Chicago Bears for taking a risk on the Washington State receiver, whom they felt had 1st round talent but fell because of issues with his coaches that resulted in him quitting the team. Wilson didn’t see much action in 2013, but thanks to a fierce workout regimen with teammates Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall, the 21-year old is poised to be just the latest offensive weapon for the Bears to unveil.

Minnesota Vikings: Cordarrelle Patterson

Not to be outdone, the Minnesota Vikings have a weapon of their own expected to take a major leap this 2014 NFL season. Cordarrelle Patterson was deceptively effective as a rookie. All told he scored nine touchdowns on the season, four receiving, three rushing and two as a return man. Expectations are that new offensive coordinator Norv Turner will find tremendous use for him in his quarterback-friendly system. The only question left is finding the quarterback who can get him the football.

Detroit Lions: Darius Slay

Regardless of their collapse last season, the Detroit Lions still boast one of the best defensive lines in the NFL. Everybody expects second-year defensive end Ziggy Ansah to thrive alongside Nick Fairley and Ndamukong Suh. However, another name to watch is cornerback Darius Slay. He was surprisingly decent in 13 games for the Lions, defending five passes and making 34 tackles. Early signs hint he’s learned a lot from the experience and looks much sharper in practice thus far. If he has progressed, he should be able to take quick advantage of that stout front.

packrat · « **Reply #1272 on:** July 23, 2014, 08:15:41 pm »

Green Bay Packers

1. The Packers teamed Julius Peppers and Clay Matthews with dreams of 30 combined sacks floating in their heads. Let's see how this plays out. Peppers is entering his age-34 season and looked a step slow in his final go-around with the Chicago Bears last season. As for Matthews, he sat out the Packers' offseason program to help ensure he doesn't have any more problems with his twice-surgically repaired thumb. If healthy, he's a Defensive Player of the Year candidate.

2. The Packers used their first-round pick on Alabama safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. Secondary is an area of concern for Green Bay, but Clinton-Dix is no guarantee to be a rookie starter. He worked with the second team during the bulk of the team's offseason program. Clinton-Dix is going to have to earn it, but consider it an upset -- and a disappointment -- if the rookie doesn't break camp with a starting gig.

3. Jermichael Finley clearly has designs on rejoining the Packers, but it remains to be seen if he can get the proper clearance after neck fusion surgery. That leaves a wide-open battle for the starting tight end job in Green Bay. Third-round pick Richard Rodgers turned heads in OTAs and may be the favorite. Andrew Quarless is Rodgers' primary competition. There is approximately a 400 percent chance someone takes Rodgers too high in your fantasy league.

Chicago Bears

1. When the Bears gave Jay Cutler that fat extension in January, it wasn't because of his Favre-like durability. To that point, the Bears have left themselves vulnerable at the game's most important position. Jimmy Clausen and Jordan Palmer will compete for understudy duties behind Cutler, who has missed 13 starts since the onset of the 2010 season. Josh McCown, you will be missed.

2. The Bears had an egregiously poor rush defense last season, surrendering a league-worst 161.4 yards per game. The team looked to the draft to address the problem, using their second-round pick on defensive tackle Ego Ferguson. You can safely assume Ferguson will be given every opportunity to lock down a starting job this summer. The Bears need a lane-clogger to emerge.

3. Bears fans still have nightmares of Randall Cobb loping through the secondary for a back-breaking touchdown in Week 17. This is a team that needs to find answers at safety. Two starting jobs are available for a group that includes M.D. Jennings, Danny McCray, Adrian Wilson and Ryan Mundy. Fourth-round pick Brock Vereen is a favorite to start at free safety.

Detroit Lions

1. This is a big, big season for Matthew Stafford. The quarterback underwhelmed last season and now must find a comfort level in a new offense. New offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi could be a difference-maker, and his plan to give Stafford more autonomy at the line of scrimmage could be the kick in the pants the quarterback needs right now.

2. The Lions have three tight ends that neatly complement one another. Creating a Frankenstein monster is (sadly) impossible, which means Jim Caldwell and company must figure out a plan of attack for Brandon Pettigrew, Joseph Fauria and Eric Ebron. The Lions used the 10th overall pick to land Ebron, so consider it a big disappointment if he doesn't contribute as a rookie. Pettigrew's blocking abilities will keep him in the gameplan. Fauria is a wild card who showed legitimate red-zone chops last season.

3. Kicker battle! Jason Hanson isn't walking through that door, and David Akers didn't take last season. The Lions will use training camp and the preseason to find their guy. Seventh-round pick Nate Freese and Giorgio Tavecchio are the candidates for the job. We haven't heard anything about Kickalicious, which is both a shame and a damn travesty.

Minnesota Vikings

1. Here's the only quarterback competition you'll find in the division, and it's legit. Teddy Bridgewater is the exciting first-round pick. Matt Cassel is the steady veteran who was re-signed specifically so Minnesota wouldn't be rushed into anything at the position. Christian Ponder lingers on the periphery, a man without a country. Cassel is the slight favorite here, but he'll have to earn the gig.

2. One of the good things about training camp and the preseason is that it gives us an idea which offseason storylines were legitimate and which were just fluff. Case in point: We heard all about Norv Turner's plans to utilize Adrian Peterson as a receiver out of the backfield this season. The Vikings have gotten away from that in recent seasons, which seems counter-intuitive considering the talent involved. Let's see if All Day is used any differently.

3. Cordarrelle Patterson landed atop our "Making The Leap" list for a reason. The second-year pro can be one of the NFL's most explosive playmakers if the Vikings can get the ball in his hands on a regular basis. Minnesota schemed throughout the offseason toward that goal; general manager Rick Spielman said at the combine in February that the Vikings had already designed 10 plays specifically for the electric wideout. It will be fun to see the fruits of that labor.

The latest "Around The League Podcast" shines a light on the most unpredictable teams entering the 2014 season.

packrat · « **Reply #1273 on:** July 23, 2014, 08:23:13 pm »

Normally a weekend piece, some scheduling issues forced us to push this week's edition of NFC North updates back a few days. Here's what's going on with the Packers' divisional rivals as training camps set to open up this week.

Chicago Bears

Martellus Bennett among NFL's best TEs - Windy City Gridiron

Bennett didn't receive much fanfare last year, what with Alshon Jeffery's breakout year and the continued excellence of Brandon Marshall and Matt Forte, but that doesn't mean he isn't a very good player. A basketball player turned tight end, the self-proclaimed "Black Unicorn" could have even more success in 2014 with Jay Cutler's anticipated improvement and the continued development of Jeffery.

The 10 Most Important Bears of 2014 - #2 Mel Tucker - Windy City Gridiron

Rash of injuries...2013 not a fair assessment...no excuses in 2014... sound familiar? Dom Capers isn't the only defensive coordinator in the North who's expected to step it up this year. Looking in the comments section, the parallels continue. Some fans look at the adversity he dealt with last year while some point to his mediocre past results. And like the front office has added Julius Peppers and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix as potential impact players in 2014, Chicago has brought in players like Lamarr Houston and Kyle Fuller. This storyline ought to be one worth observing over the course of the season.

Windy City Gridiron Interviews Brandon Marshall at the Marshall-Wade Sports Academy - Windy City Gridiron

So, apparently Brandon Marshall doesn't like training camp. Wade and Marshall have apparently been buddies for a while, and the Bears' star receiver was happy to stop by before football season begins.

Brett Favre: Cutler 'has all the tools to be a great quarterback' | CSN Chicago

Hey, Brett? You know the best way to make sure your whole jersey retirement thing never happens? Say that our hated rivals' quarterback has the potential to be great. (Or perhaps he's showing us his loyalty by convincing Chicago's front office to stick with a quarterback, who has, well, not had a great deal of success versus us.) In all seriousness, though, it seems to me that we've talked about Cutler as a project for an insanely long time. He's got a cannon arm and he can hit passes with precision. Perhaps a second year in Marc Trestman's offense is what he needs. Speaking of Marc Trestman...

Marc Trestman: Chicago Bears face 'high expectations' - NFL.com

Yup. 'High expectations' seems appropriate. As usual, the buzz is that both the Lions and Bears are geared up to challenge the Packers in the North. There's some excellent talent on this Chicago roster, particularly on the offense. It should be interesting to see how they stack up against a rejuvenated Green Bay team that has addressed its glaring hole at safety and added a potential quality pass rusher in Julius Peppers.

Detroit Lions

Honestly, this was a quiet week for the Lions. Pride of Detroit continued its excellent position-by-position preview for the team, which is worth a read if you're looking to find out more about what our foes from the Motor City will trot out this season. There was one noteworthy article, though.

Detroit Lions' Matthew Stafford drops 3 spots in Ron Jaworski's latest QB rankings | MLive.com

Stafford is 16th, which seems about right. (Like Tex said, Aaron Rodgers at 3 is a travesty, and I've pretty much given up on arguing this one.) When he's healthy and all of his targets are rolling, Stafford looks like a top-ten quarterback. Unfortunately, he's more often been a player who has flashed brilliance but also complete incompetence. Perhaps Jim Caldwell can help turn things around.

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikes got all the excitement this week. First, there was this...

Chris Kluwe Investigation: Vikings Release Partial Report, Mike Priefer Suspended, Kluwe To Sue - Daily Norseman

This is truly saddening. But let's turn our attention away from this negative figure and towards the beacon of innocence that is Chris Kluwe! Whatcha got, Chris?

Chris Kluwe apologizes for Sandusky jokes on SI Now - NFL - SI.com

Um. Yeah.

Well, after that, everyone needed, a feel-good story, so this came up...

So Adrian Peterson Got Married, Apparently - Daily Norseman

Good on 'ya, Adrian. Good on 'ya. On one side of the spectrum, you've got the Kim Kardashians of the world who revel in their personal lives being made public. Peterson, on the other hand, seems to prefer to leave his fan following on the playing field. As I mentioned over at DN, All Day might play even better with his mind off the proposal.

Vikings Tickets Up 27.7% Since Last Season In 1st Year Outside Of Metrodome

We're apparently the prime ticket of the year. 81 bucks to get in the door, with an average price of $221.06. Unsurprisingly, playing at TCF Bank Stadium this year hasn't helped ticket sales, though.

Okay, okay, I guess I've cheated by not actually adding a football-related article. Here you go.

Adrian Peterson And Trade Value - Daily Norseman

You know what? This is an interesting situation. On one hand, if you're a Vikings fan, you're fresh with hope about this coming season. Cordarelle Patterson in his second year? Yeah! New free agents on defense? Great! A fresh new pass rusher and the potential quarterback of the future? Fantastic! Then you look at the three other teams in your division, the teams in the NFC West, and you realize that you're a long shot to so much as earn a wild card spot. Trading Peterson away for an embarrassment of assets, should that opportunity somehow present itself, might prove to be prudent.

That's what we've got for this week and change! Check back next time for an early look at training camps for the rest of the North.

Jackiejokeman · « **Reply #1274 on:** July 23, 2014, 10:56:08 pm »

Yeah like Id like to see that **** happen where MINNIE trades AP.

I like beer , we all like beer , but dont over do it.

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Author Topic: NFC North (04.12.11 - 09.10.15) (Read 31398 times)

packrat

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Pekin

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Sportster

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Dave23

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dallasbear

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Jackiejokeman

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packrat

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Jackiejokeman

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packrat

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Jackiejokeman

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packrat

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packrat

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packrat

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