To say the NFC North was a disappointment last year would be an understatement. Injuries ravaged the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers, while the Detroit Lions did everything possible to not win the crippled division.
This could be it for Dom Capers—Ted Thompson has given him talent to work with, now it’s up to Capers to coach his defensive players and turn around this group. This is also a big year for the Bears, after another strong offseason, are they ready to overtake the Packers? Are the Lions or Vikings the third best team in the NFC North?
Players and coaches can no longer just talk the talk—the time has now come to walk the walk. Training camp has arrived, which means all of the planning now hits the field. Some will shine, but many won’t make it through the entire camp.
Here is the NFC North training camp preview, a division that is ready for a bounce back season.
Top Newcomers
Lamarr Houston, Defensive End, Chicago Bears
One of the Bears’ biggest weaknesses last season was their offensive line, it was simply dreadful. Henry Melton landed on injured reserve early and when Chicago lost the rest of its interior defensive line, the production of their defensive ends went down with it. Phil Emery knew his team needed to turn things around on defense and it would all start by addressing the front-four.
Just hours into free agency the Bears handed a blank check to Houston, making sure the 27-year-old defensive end would turn down other suitors and come to Chicago. Houston immediately signed with the Bears and gave Chicago a much-needed upgrade at left end. Houston has improved as a pass rusher since collecting just one in 2011. He finished 2012 with four sacks and set a career-high with six sacks last season. Now with an improved defense, Houston should have another career-year as he enters his prime.
Jared Allen, Defensive End, Chicago Bears
Houston wasn’t enough to really help the Bears defense do a 180. Chicago needed to bring in another outside pass rusher on the right side and they found the perfect fit in Allen. Of course Allen is plenty familiar with the NFC North, having spent the past six seasons with the Vikings and 11-plus sacks during that stretch. A pairing of Allen and Houston on the outside is a great step forward for this defense and an improved pass rush will mean more turnover opportunities for the Bears outstanding corners.
Julius Peppers, Outside Linebacker, Green Bay Packers
While the Packers ranked ninth last season in sacks (45), they never really had a consistent pass rush that they could rely on. Clay Matthews once again missed time, something has seems to be a career trend, this time missing five games with a broken thumb and playing multiple games with a cast. Nick Perry had a broken foot and first-round pick Datone Jones didn’t give the instant impact they were hoping for.
While Green Bay is certainly expecting a big jump from Jones in year two and hope for better health, that wasn’t enough for them. Ted Thompson made a rare free agent acquisition this offseason, signing Peppers to a three-year deal. Peppers was a major disappointment in Chicago last season—his effort was lacking often and he just didn’t have the same burst off the snap. Now Peppers transitions to a 34 defense for the first time in his career.
The 34-year-old will be playing the “elephant” position in Capers’ defense. There is reason for optimism—Peppers reunites with his old coordinator Mike Trgovac, who he thrived under with the Carolina Panthers. Green Bay will take the smart approach and limit Peppers snaps, utilizing his speed to get after the quarterback on the outside.
Golden Tate, Wide Receiver, Detroit Lions
When you have the best wide receiver in the game, your passing game is usually going to find great success. Calvin Johnson has dominated even versus triple coverage with highlight reel catches, but even Johnson isn’t enough if this offense wants to reach an elite level. One thing holding them back besides quarterback play is the lack of a number two wide receiver.
The Lions have finally filled that void after multiple attempts with players like Titus Young and Ryan Broyles. Golden Tate landed in a great situation—he goes from an offense that relies heavily on the running game to a Lions’ offense that lives and dies off the passing game. Tate comes to an offense where he will be used in a variety of ways—stretching the field deep, working in the slot and making plays in open space. While he will no longer be returning punts, offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi will make him a big part of the Lions’ offense.
Captain Munnerlyn, Cornerback, Minnesota Vikings
One of the best moves across the league this year was the Vikings hiring Mike Zimmer as their new head coach. Zimmer was phenomenal in Cincinnati, coaching up one of the best defenses in football and being a fiery coach who players loved. Now he comes to the Vikings and will bring the same outstanding coaching ability and leadership, while having offensive-guru Norv Turner as his coordinator.
An area where we could really see Zimmer’s impact is with Munnerlyn, the 26-year-old slot cornerback the Vikings signed this offseason. Zimmer coached one of the best slot corners in the game, Leon Hall, in Cincinnati and the hope is Zimmer can coach up and use Munnerlyn in the same way. In a division where he will go up against Randall Cobb and other top receivers, Munnerlyn was a great addition.
Top Training Camp Battles
Teddy Bridgewater and Matt Cassel, Quarterback, Minnesota Vikings
They had the running back and wide receivers to be a very good team, now the Vikings have their quarterback of the future and a great coach leading the team. Cassel still holds the starting quarterback reigns for now, but Bridgewater will be competing every day to take that starting job.
If you ask offensive coordinator Norv Turner, you’d think Bridgewater already has the starting job locked down with how much praise has been put upon him. Bridgewater’s work ethic, day-to-day improvement and accuracy have all been praised. Meanwhile, Zimmer has stated it’s an open battle that Bridgewater can win if he earns it. Cassel will very likely start the preseason as the Vikings’ quarterback, but Bridgewater should be behind center for the regular season.
J.C. Tretter and Corey Linsley, Center, Green Bay Packers
Once again the Packers will have a new starting center this season, making it the fourth straight season Aaron Rodgers will be getting the snap from someone else. In 2011 it was Scott Wells, Jeff Saturday in 2012, Evan-Dietrich Smith last season and now someone new this year.
What makes this battle so fun is that the current leader is a player who has never played center. The Packers drafted Tretter last year as an offensive tackle out of Colorado and planned to move him to center before he broke his leg in camp. He has the edge right now over Linsley, who has experience at center but it call comes from Ohio State the past few years and he is a rookie. The rest of the Packers’ offensive line is strong, but center will remain a big question until someone proves himself.
Jarrett Boykin and Davante Adams, Wide Receiver, Green Bay Packers
The Packers’ will have two fun battles to watch during training camp—the battle for the starting center job and the back and forth between Boykin and Adams for the third wide receiver spot. The winner, will spend a lot of time on the field with Randall Cobb in the slot and Jordy Nelson on the outside.
Boykin had a mini-breakthrough season last year, when Randall Cobb went down, the door was opened for Boykin to emerge as the Packers’ third wide receiver. He showed real progress as the year went on, but missed out on more opportunities when Rodgers went down. He still finished the season with 49 receptions and 681 receiving yards.
Boykin has the inside track on Adams, who struggled during rookie camp with drops but also flashed outstanding physical ability that’s similar to James Jones. Adams showed last year at Fresno State he has strong hands and fans should see that as Adams settles in. Boykin’s experience will likely win out, but Adams should be a very nice contributor this season.
Chris Conte and Brock Vereen, Free Safety, Chicago Bears
The one area on defense the Bears really “failed” to address in free agency was the free safety position. While poor safety play is partially a reflection of a poor pass rush. This was still a very weak position for the Bears last season and Conte would have been benched, had Chicago had even a reasonable option behind him. Chicago hopes that Vereen, their fourth-round pick this year, can walk past Conte and win the job right out of camp. He will have a chance to prove himself early with Conte placed on the PUP list When he comes back we could see the two split reps, but for now Vereen has to be the favorite.
Top Storylines Heading into Training Camp
Pay Days for Packers Wide Receivers?
Green Bay has faced some tough decisions over the years—Greg Jennings was a free agent last offseason and they let him walk—now they’ve let James Jones head for richer pastures. Ted Thompson has a knack for finding great, young talent at wide receiver but now they must decide on Nelson and Cobb’s contracts.
Nelson is making $3.05 million this season and is just 29 coming off another strong season when he posted 85 receptions, 1,314 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. He did this mind you while his star quarterback missed half the season and he had to play with a quarterback with a weak arm. Both sides want to get a deal done and Nelson is the Packers’ top priority for an extension. With $13 million in cap space, the Packers should be able to meet Nelson’s wishes of $10 million per season and keep him in Green Bay into his early-30’s
Cobb is a curious case—his rookie deal will end at the end of this season and he is still just 23. Cobb had high hopes last season to be a breakout star and showed great signs with consecutive 100-yard games to start the season. He was wreaking havoc in the slot headed into their game against Baltimore when his season was cut short by a broken fibula. He returned in Week 17 and hauled in the game-winning touchdown so he is certainly healthy. The question is only how much does Cobb want given his great talent but could have lost some money coming off an injury.
In the end we will likely see both Cobb and Nelson sign extensions with the Packers, though they should come at different times. Nelson will probably get a contract worked out with Green Bay before the regular season, while Cobb should ultimately get a new contract after the season.
Can Matthew Stafford Improve?
They have brought in all of these wide receivers, they drafted tight end Eric Ebron and they brought in Jim Caldwell to help work with him. Stafford puts up great numbers and has one of the best arms in the game, but his mechanics and decision-making are comparable to a rookie.
They’ve praised Stafford’s improvement footwork in minicamp, but training camp is really the time when we can see Stafford consistently and just how much progress he has really made. We’ve also heard about “improved” mechanics before, only to lead to consecutive seasons with a completion percentage under 60. Detroit is paying Stafford like a franchise quarterback but if he can’t improve this season, the Lions will have some serious thinking to do about their future.
Power Ranking the Division
1. Green Bay Packers: Plenty of strong arguments could be made for both teams. They boast some of the best offenses in the game and have high hopes for an improved defense this season. It all comes down to the quarterback and there is no one better than Rodgers.
2. Chicago Bears: They improved the offensive line last year, now they’ve upgraded their defensive line. If Cutler can stay healthy, this is a playoff roster.
3. Detroit Lions: While you’d think the addition of Golden Tate and Eric Ebron should be exciting, there are still a lot of questions about this team. Can Stafford show real improvement with his decision-making and mechanics? Can this defense improve versus the pass? There are just too many doubts at key positions.
4. Minnesota Vikings: It was extremely close, but the Vikings fall right behind the Lions entering the season. Bridgewater is a tremendous upgrade at quarterback and will lift their offense to new heights, but this team is one year away from playoff contention.