The off-season in the NFC North is about to shift gears to training camp. Before camps officially open, it can be beneficial to take stock of the current state of things. What have teams in the NFC North done so far? Some good, some bad, and some downright confusing moves were made by each team, so let’s take a look.
NFC North Off-Season: A Look Ahead at Training Camp
Chicago Bears
Last year’s division winner, the Chicago Bears were much less active this year than last. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing though as general manager Ryan Pace has done a good job replenishing a once-bare cupboard with talent at every level.
The @ChicagoBears defense was dominant in 2018…
So what are the expectations under new defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano in 2019?
📺: @NFLTotalAccess pic.twitter.com/VpwNqZhAAa
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) June 27, 2019
Yay – Offensive Continuity
Perhaps the best thing the Bears have going for them is that, aside from Jordan Howard, they return every offensive starter. That is a good thing for a group that scored the fourth-most points in team history and reached the playoffs for the first time since the 2010 season.
They ranked ninth in points per game last year and, with a year in the system under their belts, should be more potent this season. That should especially show up in their yardage output, where they ranked 21st in 2018. As long as they get the expected jump from Mitchell Trubisky, they should be able to offset any reasonable drop-off from the defense.
Nay – Defensive Continuity
For all the returning (and additional) firepower on the offense, the defense has just as many questions. Gone are safety Adrian Amos (FA / Green Bay Packers) and nickel back Bryce Callahan (FA / Denver Broncos). In their places are Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Buster Skrine, respectively. Clinton-Dix, despite all his talent, was traded mid-2018 and Skrine might not hold the job once camp breaks.
As if that wasn’t enough, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is now the head coach for Callahan’s Broncos. The man who returned this defense to respectability, and even to a position of envy around the league, is replaced by Chuck Pagano. His defining defensive reputation is built largely off one season with an organization that consistently fields top defenses. Hopefully similar circumstance yield similar results.
WTF? – Kicking Competition
What head coach Matt Nagy is trying to accomplish with his kickers is completely understandable. After the Double Doink ended his team’s season, Nagy has been subjecting anyone with a live leg to the “Cody Parkey challenge”; a 43-yarder in Augusta silence. He clearly wants to know if they can handle the pressure.
So far…yea, no. Again, what Nagy is trying to do is understandable. But at this point, like with his playcalling at times last season, he is getting in his own way. As much as he wants a kicker to be able to stand the pressure, what he is creating is an entirely different kind of pressure. Ultimately, they should be able to find a kicker, but they might want to practice going for two more.
Detroit Lions
Things did not go as planned for the Detroit Lions in 2018. Rookie head coach Matt Patricia took his first crack at creating the Motor City version of the ‘Patriot Way’. It resulted in three fewer wins, 86 fewer points, and a fourth-place finish in the division.
Matt Patricia and the Detroit @Lions need a culture change. @YahooSchwab thinks rookie TE TJ Hockenson (@TheeHOCK8) might be the spark they need 🤞🏾
Full team preview ➡️ https://t.co/38U2f4EGmS pic.twitter.com/A9ihha8m2a
— Yahoo Sports NFL (@YahooSportsNFL) June 27, 2019
Yay – Offensive Additions
Last year the Lions traded Golden Tate to the Philadelphia Eagles after a Week Eight loss to the Seattle Seahawks. He was their leading receiver in targets, catches, and yards at the time. Their scoring average dipped from 24.4 points per game before Tate was traded to 17 after. Then Kerryon Johnson went down; they averaged 22.2 points with him and 17 without.
Enter Danny Amendola and C.J. Anderson. Amendola started a career-high 15 games for the Miami Dolphins catching 59 passes (79 targets), 575 yards, and a score. Anderson started the season on the Carolina Panthers. He got cut after eight games only to end up playing significant snaps (averaging seven yards per carry) for the Los Angeles Rams on their run to Super Bowl LIII.
Nay – Pass Rusher/Linebacker
The team largely ignored both of these positions in free agency and the NFL Draft. Their lone free agent addition of Trey Flowers might not be enough; neither he nor Romeo Okwara have ever reached double digits in sacks. Fourth-round rookie Austin Bryant will have to contribute. As will rookie Jahlani Tavai, the only key addition to the linebacking corp.
Detroit was 15th against the run and 11th in sacks, so this may not be as dire as it seems. But the division they play in is loaded with capable quarterbacks. It appears the Lions are taking the very Pats-like path of trusting their scheme to maximize the talent. That has not always worked for anybody not named Bill Belichick.
WTF? – Belichick’s Coaching Tree
The great coaches tend to produce more good to great coaches. Arguably the best coach in the game has produced some…eccentric ones. Current Pats assistant Josh McDaniels took the head coaching job with the Indianapolis Colts just to back out almost immediately. Bill O’Brien can’t keep a general manager after finally having a quarterback capable of forcing that decision.
Patricia is no different. He, in one year, has already chided a media member about respect only to routinely show up late to pressure and meetings himself. The surly attitude works for BB because the jewelry speaks for itself. The Lions coach has not attained such status. More ominous, those branches that have broken off that tree before him have not either.
Green Bay Packers
A lost, injury-riddled 2018 season got Mike McCarthy fired and Matt LaFleur hired in his place. Now the Packers will look to have a bounce-back season with a rookie head coach and a revamped defense.
For the first time during Aaron Rodgers' tenure in Green Bay, the Packers have a new head coach.
Who has more at stake this season: Rodgers or Matt LaFleur? pic.twitter.com/fBuwlrYCTW
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) June 28, 2019
Yay – Attention to Defense
Green Bay gave up their fifth-most points in a single season, was 29th in takeaways last year so changes were imminent. They came in the form of a rival’s starting safety, a pair of free agent pass rushers and a pair of first-round rookies. Surprisingly, or perhaps not given the depleted roster last season, Mike Pettine returns for a second season.
Amos comes over from the Bears and is joined by rookie Darnell Savage to juice up the Packer secondary. Green Bay traded up for Savage 21st overall after selecting Rashan Gary 12th overall. Savage and Amos hope to have a symbiotic relationship with Gary and his fellow sack-artists, free agent acquisitions Preston and Za’Darius Smith (no relation).
Nay – Wide Receiver Room
Davante Adams is among the best wide receivers in the league after tallying 111 catches for 1,386 yards and 13 touchdowns on 169 targets, the next best was then-rookie Marquez Valdes-Scantling. He had all of 38 grabs (73 targets) for 581 yards with two touchdowns. Next on the list (who is still on the team) is Equanimeous St. Brown with 21 reception (36 targets) with 328 scoreless yards.
So far in OTAs Aaron Rodgers (you may have heard of him) has been raving about second-year man Jake Kumerow. As if his inexperience is not troubling enough, he only had 11 targets through all of 2018. He grabbed eight of those for 108 yards and a score. The Pack added Jace Sternberger in the draft. He is a tight end by trade, but he has a receiver’s skill set.
WTF? – Rodgers/LaFleur Connection
When LaFleur got the Packers head coaching gig, the immediate reaction was confusion. A young, offensive-minded coach for a team with big-time defensive woes and a sure-fire Hall of Famer at quarterback just sounds doomed to fail. Then came stories of them not meeting for quite some time after LaFleur’s hire followed by reports about the audibles in this new offense.
The reins should, ultimately, be completely off of Rodgers. But the fact that this was even an issue is just odd. It would be less so if the discussion was about an inexperienced, non-Super Bowl winning quarterback. But this is Aaron ‘Baaad Man’ Rodgers.
Minnesota Vikings
It was supposed to be different for the Minnesota Vikings last year. They finally had the “franchise” quarterback to go along with their “championship-caliber” defense. That, folks, is why they play the game.
It's always a fun time when Coach Zimmer is wired for sound.#Skol pic.twitter.com/6YERhBbuQg
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) June 28, 2019
Yay – Trench Enrichment
The Vikings let their $84-million-dollar-quarterback, Kirk Cousins, get sacked 40 times. They also ranked 30th in rushing yards last season. Neither of those is a recipe for success on their own but combined they are downright insurmountable. Cousins and the running backs are far from blameless, but the Vikes o-line (23rd per Footballoutsiders.com) was clearly an issue.
General manager Rick Spielman‘s answer was to spend the Vikings first and fourth-round picks on interior linemen. They also spent a sixth-rounder on tackle Oli Udoh. Garrett Bradbury, in particular, should be an immediate starter. He will help elevate a sub-pedestrian ground attack and keep defensive tackles out of Cousins lap.
Nay – Do They Like That?
Cousins ranked 13th in DYAR, 14th in DVOA, and 16th in QBR (per Footballoutsiders.com) in 2018. That has to terrify a Vikings front office that allocated a small fortune to an escrow account in Cousins’ name. He was 16th, 18th, and 17th respectively in those same categories in 2017 with the Washington Redskins.
Minnesota’s brass clearly does not think they have a quarterback issue. Their selecting four-straight offensive players to start the draft (seven of 12 picks total) hints as much. There were issues in the personnel around Cousins. Dalvin Cook, for one, only broke 100 rushing yards once and 50 receiving yards twice in another injury-marred season.
WTF? – Anthony Barr Waffles
Over the course of 24 hours, Anthony Barr went from re-signing with the Vikings to signing with the New York Jets and back to Minnesota. Now, this is a tug-of-war that the Vikings won. It is also a rare example of a player taking less money to stay. While it is not a suggestion that would be found here, it is commendable.
There are still questions begging to be answered. Did he make the right decision? Barr says that his only goal is winning a Super Bowl. One can question the viability of that in Minnesota; they gave up the most points since head coach Mike Zimmer’s first year. Barr did his part. He received a 71.4 grade from Pro Football Focus, his best since 2015.
Yay, Nay, WTF?
NFC North teams saw the division shakeup for the first time in a long time last season. The reactions were dramatic in some cases and subtle tweaks in others. There is a long way to go before the regular season starts and things can change at any time. One thing is for sure, it will be another exciting season in the Black-and-Blue Division.
Stats and info provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.
