The Green Bay Packers, led by a healthy Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, should have an easier time repeating as the NFL’s NFC North champions than they did winning it with an 8-7-1 record last year.
In a survey of The Sports Xchange football staff, the Packers were a unanimous pick to take the NFC North by a wide margin over the Detroit Lions in second. They were followed by the Chicago Bears third and the Minnesota Vikings a unanimous pick for last.
Here is an in-depth, unit-by-unit look the NFC North as analyzed by reporters from The Sports Xchange who cover each team (using roster information as of Sept. 2):
1st — GREEN BAY PACKERS
UNIT-BY-UNIT ANALYSIS
QUARTERBACKS: Starter — Aaron Rodgers. Backups — Matt Flynn, Scott Tolzien.
Rodgers had the least amount of preseason game action in his seven years as the leader of Green Bay’s offense, but that was by design and had nothing to do with any lingering issues with the broken collarbone that kept him out for nearly two months toward the end of last season. At age 30, Rodgers is back to optimum health and had arguably his best lead-up to a season, no matter the limited work. He played just two of the four games but had the team’s exclusive no-huddle offense in overdrive more often than not, directing five scoring drives (including four touchdowns) in his eight series. Rodgers’ revamped cast of receivers in the still-pass-first attack is as potent as he’s ever had, but clicking with the newcomers will be paramount early in the season to get them settled. The history the Packers have with Flynn, a seventh-year pro who has spent all but one of those seasons in Green Bay, and the marked improvement in the offseason and preseason by fourth-year Tolzien made it sensible for them to take two backups into the season for the first time since 2008, Rodgers’ first year as the starter.
RUNNING BACKS: Starters — Eddie Lacy, FB John Kuhn. Backups — James Starks, DuJuan Harris.
One of longtime general manager Ted Thompson’s pet terms is “bubble wrap” and how he would love to use that material to protect all of his players from injury before the season starts. As the team did with the irreplaceable Rodgers the last month, the invaluable Lacy was all but kept under wraps in the preseason. Thompson and head coach Mike McCarthy were vigilant about preserving their battering ram at halfback for the games that count. Lacy, the reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, made it onto the field for but two series in the exhibition games. Lacy made the cameo appearances count for plenty, averaging 5.5 yards with a touchdown in 11 carries and showing off his added dimension as a dependable and resourceful pass catcher by turning two receptions into 22 yards. As much as McCarthy still will find ways to incorporate rugged veteran Kuhn into short-yardage packages as a lead blocker and periodic ball carrier, look for Lacy to be a prominent three-down player, especially with the limitations in the no-huddle for making personnel changes. Starks and Harris will be available on game day to spell Lacy from time to time, and Green Bay shouldn’t have a drop-off in production with those two young holdovers. Both players have quality starts to their credit, and the diminutive, but explosive Harris, who missed the entire 2013 season because of a knee injury, should get first crack on kickoff returns.
TIGHT ENDS: Starter — Richard Rodgers. Backups — Brandon Bostick, Andrew Quarless, Ryan Taylor.
Amid much speculation on when his big return would happen, the Packers moved past not having Jermichael Finley on the team for the first time since his rookie season of 2008 many months ago. Like a few other teams that expressed an interest in the athletic and talented pass catcher, Green Bay simply couldn’t gamble on putting Finley back on the field after he suffered a potentially career-ending neck injury last fall. The new Rodgers on the roster looks and plays the part of being a suitable replacement for Finley already as a rookie. The Packers invested a third-round draft pick on the hybrid receiver from Cal, and he didn’t disappoint when plugged into the starting lineup at the outset of the preseason games. The 6-foot-4, 257-pound Rodgers is a big target down the field and a load to bring down for defenders after the catch — he averaged 16.8 yards in his four preseason catches. Although second-year prospect Bostick may miss at least the first couple games because of a broken leg, the Packers stuck with keeping only two other players at the position with veteran holdovers Quarless and Taylor, the latter a key contributor on special teams.
WIDE RECEIVERS: Starters — Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb. Backups — Jarrett Boykin, Davante Adams, Jeff Janis.
Aaron Rodgers has the luxury of having two longstanding standouts’ running routes and having the wherewithal to get open with Nelson and Cobb. Both are healthy going into the season, though Nelson missed some time early in the preseason because of a hamstring issue that has dogged him in the past. Boykin nicely fills the No. 3 role vacated by the free-agent departure of James Jones. The third-year wideout had nearly 50 catches last season and stood out on an almost daily basis this preseason. Adding to the prosperity for the offense in the passing game is the compelling rookie duo of Adams and Janis. The alluring Adams, a second-round draft pick, is destined to be the next big producer in Green Bay as long as Rodgers is the one making the throws. And, Janis, a seventh-round choice out of Division II Saginaw Valley State, was no less a playmaker this summer, turning both of his preseason receptions into touchdowns of 34 and 33 yards. Janis took advantage of the season-ending loss of fifth-round pick Jared Abbrederis to a knee injury early in training camp to secure the last roster spot at a crowded position.
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN: Starters — LT David Bakhtiari, LG Josh Sitton, C Corey Linsley, RG T.J. Lang, RT Bryan Bulaga. Backups — C JC Tretter, T Derek Sherrod, G Lane Taylor.
Green Bay surprisingly is starting the season with just eight linemen. Barring an addition before Thursday night’s opener at Seattle, the Packers are incredibly thin with depth, all the more with projected starting center Tretter to miss at least the first month of the season because of a fractured kneecap. The loss of Tretter to the injury late in the preseason has thrust Linsley into the starting job as a rookie. The fifth-round draft pick from Ohio State won’t be fazed by the enormity of the role since he was battle-tested in big games against formidable defensive players in the Big Ten Conference with the Buckeyes. However, this week’s first game, on the road in an unrivaled noisy environment against the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks, will be telling for whether Linsley is the right man for the job as a rookie — not only the next few weeks but possibly for the rest of the season since Tretter, who didn’t play as a rookie last season because of a leg injury, isn’t guaranteed getting the starting job back when he is healthy again. The Packers also lost versatile lineman Don Barclay, the fill-in starter at right tackle last season, to a season-ending knee injury the second week of training camp. Thankfully for Green Bay, it has a solid starting foursome flanking Linsley on both sides, led by the veteran guard duo of Sitton and Lang. Bulaga made it through the preseason unscathed, a year removed from the knee injury that kept him out all last season. Sherrod was the most pleasant surprise among his comrades in the preseason. The 2011 first-round draft pick, who has played just 13 games with no starts in his injury-marred pro career thus far, led the team’s linemen with 200 snaps in the four exhibition games, working at both tackle spots.
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN: Starters — LDE Datone Jones, RDE Mike Daniels, NT Letroy Guion. Backups — DE Josh Boyd, DT Mike Pennel.
The dynamics for the Packers defense up front went from a significant turnover to a major upheaval by the final week of the preseason. With an eye on becoming faster in the trenches, Green Bay didn’t re-sign hefty veterans Ryan Pickett and Johnny Jolly, both free agents, in the offseason. That meant sticking athletic young ends Daniels and Jones (2013 first-round pick) in the starting lineup, flanking the return of veteran B.J. Raji to nose tackle. However, Raji, who agreed to re-sign with the team on a one-year deal after a drop-off in production last season, sustained what turned out to be a season-ending torn bicep in the penultimate preseason game. Raji’s departure coincided with the belated return of Guion to the field. The seventh-year pro, who was a fixture in the rival Minnesota Vikings’ starting lineup the previous two seasons before coming to Green Bay as a free agent, had been out since the start of camp because of a hamstring injury. The uncertainty of what the Packers will be able to get out of Guion after he had only a week — and one preseason game — to get ready for the season compounds the lack of depth they have on the defensive line. Boyd, who didn’t play much as a rookie until late last season, figures to work into the rotation on a weekly basis. The 6-4, 332-pound Pennel made the team as an undrafted rookie and can be disruptive with his imposing size.
LINEBACKERS: Starters — OLB Clay Matthews, ILB A.J. Hawk, ILB Brad Jones, OLB Julius Peppers. Backups — OLB Mike Neal, OLB Nick Perry, ILB Jamari Lattimore, OLB Andy Mulumba, OLB Jayrone Elliott, ILB Sam Barrington, ILB Carl Bradford.
The slim numbers on the D-line speaks, in part, to how defensive coordinator Dom Capers will have a greater reliance on the linebackers with his exotic packages. The Packers get out of their 3-4 front quite often, employing a high volume of nickel and dime looks that result in two and, periodically, only one true linemen on the field. The free-agent arrival of Peppers, the 34-year-old star previously with the rival Chicago Bears, gives the Packers the dynamic duo at outside linebacker that they have been lacking the last several years. Capers will make liberal use of switching Peppers and Matthews, who for a change had an injury-free preseason after a twice-broken thumb cost him last season, on both sides of the alignment. Matthews also will line up as a pass rusher in the middle when Capers trots out an extra linebacker or two – generally, Neal and either disappointing former first-round pick Perry or perhaps Elliott, who dazzled the last month as an undrafted rookie with a league-high five sacks in the preseason. Green Bay is sticking with veteran incumbents Hawk and Jones at inside linebacker, though the explosive Lattimore is starting-worthy. Bradford, a fourth-round draft pick this year who didn’t distinguish himself in camp, survived the roster cuts as Green Bay finally made the decision to transition the college pass rusher to inside linebacker.
DEFENSIVE BACKS: Starters — LCB Tramon Williams, RCB Sam Shields, FS Morgan Burnett, SS Micah Hyde. Backups — S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, CB Casey Hayward, CB Davon House, CB Jarrett Bush, S Sean Richardson, CB Demetri Goodson.
Sound depth at safety, which was the team’s Achilles’ heel last season when the group made no impactful plays, is reflected in that Green Bay kept just four players and released Chris Banjo, a special-teams ace as an undrafted rookie in 2013, on the final roster cutdown. The Packers could have all four safeties involved on defense for a particular game. Hyde made a successful conversion from cornerback to lock down a starting job, alongside incumbent Burnett. That is allowing the Packers to ease Clinton-Dix, their first-round draft pick this year, into the lineup as a situational contributor. Clinton-Dix should still see the field a lot, playing the back end when Hyde is moved into the slot on passing downs. The Packers also have a logjam at cornerback. Shields and Williams, entering his eighth pro season, are the anchors on the perimeter. Yet, Capers also will be working in the playmaking Hayward, provided he can stay healthy after missing most of last season because of a hamstring injury, as the nickel back and a steadily improving House in some dime packages. Bush also has been serviceable when needed on defense, not to mention all that the ninth-year pro brings on special teams. Keeping rookie Goodson over intriguing first-year player Jumal Rolle (since added to the practice squad) was a surprise on cutdown day. Yet, Thompson and the coaches seem to be willing to work on developing Goodson, a former college basketball player at Gonzaga, as a sixth-round draft pick.
SPECIAL TEAMS: K Mason Crosby, P Tim Masthay, LS Brett Goode, KOR DuJuan Harris, PR Jeff Janis.
The Packers list Cobb as the top punt returner on their season-opening depth chart. Given his immense value on offense and that he missed 10 games last season because of a knee injury, the chances are slim to none that the versatile wideout will handle those extra duties on special teams. The more likely scenario is Green Bay lets the speedy and elusive Janis, as the team’s No. 5 receiver, run back punts. He averaged a team-best 8.8 yards in four punt returns during the preseason and also had a 62-yard kickoff return in the final exhibition game. Harris last returned kickoffs in meaningful action when he was with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2011 but showed this preseason that he can provide a spark, averaging 26.6 yards in five runbacks with a long of 40. The Packers’ model of endurance is the venerable trio of Crosby, Masthay and Goode, who are embarking on their fifth season together. Crosby picked up where the eighth-year pro left off in his career-best season of converting nearly 90 percent of his field goals with 6-for-7 accuracy in the preseason. Crosby also is entrusted again with the kickoff duties after special teams coordinator Shawn Slocum tinkered with Crosby and Masthay splitting that role for a stretch last season. Masthay looks primed for another efficient season of punting the football. The directional specialist averaged 42.2 net yards in 17 preseason kicks, just a yard off his gross average of 43.3. Goode has carved out a nice career as he enters his seventh season as Green Bay’s long snapper.
2nd — DETROIT LIONS
UNIT-BY-UNIT ANALYIS
QUARTERBACKS: Starter — Matthew Stafford. Backups — Dan Orlovsky, Kellen Moore.
Moore played well enough to earn a roster spot in the preseason, but he is still the third option and will be inactive on game days. Either way, if the Lions lose Stafford the season will be over. Statistically, Stafford has been fantastic much of his career, but he needs to be more consistent with his footwork and decision making. He threw 19 interceptions last year and cannot afford as many errors.
RUNNING BACKS: Starters — Joique Bell, FB Jed Collins. Backups — Reggie Bush, Theo Riddick, Montell Owens.
Bush will be listed as the starter, but Bell, who signed an extension despite being a restricted free agent, will get the bulk of the carries. Bell will also be used in the screen game while Bush and Riddick are versatile threats who could line up as receivers. Expect all five backs to be active on game day with Owens being a special teams ace.
TIGHT ENDS: Starter — Brandon Pettigrew. Backups — Eric Ebron, Joseph Fauria.
The Lions will often use two tight end sets with Pettigrew as a blocker and Ebron, the first-round pick, as a downfield weapon. Fauria is still the No. 3 option despite seven touchdowns last season. Ebron’s impact will be felt starting in Week 1 as safeties and linebackers cannot contain his combination of size and speed.
WIDE RECEIVERS: Starters — Calvin Johnson, Golden Tate. Backups — Jeremy Ross, Kevin Ogletree, Ryan Broyles, Corey Fuller.
Johnson is the game’s best wide receiver, and the presence of Tate will help free him because he’s the best No. 2 Johnson has had in his career. Ross will be the return man. Ogletree will start the year as the No. 3, but Broyles will pass him quickly. Fuller could find a role as a situational deep threat.
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN: Starters — LT Riley Reiff, LG Rob Sims, C Dominic Raiola, RG Larry Warford, RT LaAdrian Waddle. Backups — T Corey Hilliard, T Cornelius Lucas, C/G Travis Swanson.
The deepest unit on the team. Entering his second season, Warford is the star — and likely Pro Bowler this year — of a unit that should be even better than last season when they allowed just 23 sacks. Sims should be better after playing through injuries, and Raiola is steady. The tackles are key, and although Reiff and Waddle were solid last year, they need to show improvement, particularly in the run game.
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN: Starters — ODE Ziggy Ansah, DT Ndamukong Suh, DT Nick Fairley, CDE Jason Jones. Backups — DT C.J. Mosley, DT Caraun Reid, DE Devin Taylor, DE Darryl Tapp, DE George Johnson, DE Larry Webster.
Suh is a force and due for another All-Pro caliber season. Ansah will be the key because any improvement on his eight sacks as a rookie would help immensely, and as the open end, he’ll have lots of one-on-one matchups. Jones is hungry after playing just three games, and Taylor and Johnson are capable rotation players. Fairley needs to show consistency and keep his weight down to hold his job ahead of Mosley.
LINEBACKERS: Starters — WLB DeAndre Levy, MLB Stephen Tulloch, SLB Tahir Whitehead. Backups — OLB Ashlee Palmer, MLB Travis Lewis, OLB Kyle Van Noy.
Van Noy is on short-term IR, which means he can’t play until after the eighth week of the season. Whitehead showed great potential with his 10-tackle, three-sack preseason game against Jacksonville, but he has to prove himself after not playing a defensive snap his first two seasons. Tulloch is reliable, and Levy has break-out potential after six interceptions last year. Palmer will likely have a role despite losing the starting job.
DEFENSIVE BACKS: Starters — LCB Darius Slay, RCB Rashean Mathis, FS Glover Quin, SS James Ihedigbo. Backups — CB Bill Bentley, CB Cassius Vaughn, CB Nevin Lawson, S Don Carey, S Isa Abdul-Quddus, S Jerome Couplin.
By far the team’s weakest unit. Slay struggled and was benched as a rookie, and even though he’s shown progress, penalties are a likely issue. Mathis is solid and savvy, but hasn’t caught an interception since 2011. Quin is good in coverage, Ihedigbo is good in run blocking, but neither is a top all-around safety. Besides Bentley in the slot, the backups should not be relied upon.
SPECIAL TEAMS: K Nate Freese, P Sam Martin, LS Don Muhlbach.
Martin was a top-10 punter by nearly every metric his rookie season and should be better this season. He’s also a strong kickoff man. Freese is a seventh-round pick who improved steadily since being drafted and went 3-for-3 on 50-plus yarders in the preseason. Still, Freese’s leg will play a role in wins and losses this season, so he must be consistent.
3rd — CHICAGO BEARS
UNIT-BY-UNIT ANALYSIS
QUARTERBACKS: Starter — Jay Cutler. Backup — Jimmy Clausen.
The new Jay Cutler looked extremely like the old one in the preseason game with Seattle, as he tossed up an impossible ball to complete for an interception in the red zone. The good news is Cutler hasn’t done much of that all preseason or in training camp. He’s been very accurate, and quarterbacks coach Matt Cavanaugh thinks he’s capable of 68 percent completions, although he’s never been above 63.6 before. Cutler completed 66 percent in preseason and seems far more comfortable in his second year within the offense. Clausen’s arm and mobility won him the backup spot. He’s picked up the offense quickly, and seems an ideal Josh McCown replacement.
RUNNING BACKS: Starters — Matt Forte, FB Tony Fiammetta. Backups — Ka’Deem Carey, Shaun Draughn, Senorise Perry.
Forte got very little preseason work, but that was the case often for him. The Bears might want to think about ending that practice because Forte and the running game have been slow to start. Forte was over 80 yards in the opener only once — his first game ever. Still, there is little doubt he is among the top all-around backs in the league, a true breakaway threat both as a receiver and runner.
Fiammetta’s hamstring pull leaves him an injury question as the year starts. There is no other fullback on the roster, so they’d use one of the tight ends as a lead blocker. The Bears seem to lack the classic short-yardage and goal line back they’ve had in the past, so Forte could get more work near the goal line. Carey hasn’t put much on display in preseason. In fact, both Draughn and Perry seemed to out play him. Draughn’s strength is in the passing game as a receiver and blocker. He does run hard and could be a short-yardage type, although it would be a new role.
TIGHT ENDS: Starter — Martellus Bennett. Backups — Dante Rosario, Matt Mulligan.
Bennett may not challenge his 65-catch total of last year because Rosario could figure into the passing game. Rosario didn’t come to the team last year until the regular season was starting, so now he knows the offense and showed a knack for getting into seams. Bennett’s height and reach makes him a real red zone threat against any opponent. Mulligan’s strength is as a blocker. He displayed better hands than he has a reputation for during camp and preseason. Once he gets the ball acceleration isn’t exactly a strength. Overall, an above-average blocking group, and Bennett’s pass catching ability raises them to among the top half of the league.
WIDE RECEIVERS: Starters — Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery. Backups — Marquess Wilson, Santonio Holmes, Josh Morgan, Micheal Spurlock.
Marshall’s leadership, work ethic and skills rubbed off on Jeffery, who made a big jump last year and could go even further in the third year. Coaches often insist receivers make their biggest leap in the third year. Wilson seemed the receiver destined for a big jump until his collarbone injury which will keep him on the shelf for at least the first eight weeks of the season. In the meantime, Holmes gave an indication he might be over the hamstring and foot problems of the past and showed himself capable of playing the third receiver role. Morgan had a solid preseason and also fits in as a third or fourth receiver with his experience. Spurlock is another player with some experience as a punt returner, although he did little in the actual return game in preseason. Marshall’s ability to play both in the slot and outside makes up for the lack of experience.
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN: Starters — LT Jermon Bushrod, LG Matt Slauson, C Roberto Garza, RG Kyle Long, RT Jordan Mills. Backups — G/T Michael Ola, C/G Brian de la Puente, T Charles Leno Jr.
Not an outstanding run-blocking line, and the Bears still suffer in short yardage and goal line as they showed against Seattle. Garza’s 35 and possibly in his last go-around. The left side of the line is the strength where Slauson was far more dependable blocking the run than previous reports had suggested, and Bushrod has been steady protecting Cutler’s blind side. Kyle Long still has a lot to learn despite being a Pro Bowl replacement. Mills was the weak link last year, ranking consistently near the bottom of the league with an independent analysis of NFL pass blockers. His foot injury from last year is apparently still an issue that led to being fitted with a boot cast part of preseason.
De la Puente started four years for the Saints and is an ideal guard/center backup, but begins the season with a knee injury question. Leno Jr. is a seventh-round draft pick and rookie out of Boise State while Ola has been a CFL player who looks more like a guard but played right tackle for Mills in preseason with mixed results. The experience of their depth here has to be questioned, although it’s been assured by Trestman that de la Puente is healthy now.
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN: Starters — LDE Lamarr Houston, NT Stephen Paea, DT Jeremiah Ratliff, RDE Jared Allen. Backups — DT/NT Ego Ferguson, DT Will Sutton, DE Willie Young, DE Trevor Scott, DE Cornelius Washington, DE David Bass.
If Allen is not slowed by playing mostly on grass now and with another year under his belt, and with the tall, long-armed Young coming off the bench in passing situations, the Bears should be better rushing the passer. Houston makes them stouter against the run at left end and he gives them versatility because he can move inside to three technique and rush. Paea gave glimpses in the past and if he is able to stay healthy could become more of a disruptive force. Ratliff’s age (33) and past injury problems are cause for concern, but when he is playing he shows he can be a gap shooter as well as play in a two-gap system if the Bears decided to switch up on the line like they’ve talked about doing.
Bass, Washington and Scott have flashed pass rush abilities throughout preseason to the extent that they kept all three rather than let one go. There should be no depth problems on the line like the experienced last year.
LINEBACKERS: Starters — MLB D.J. Williams, WLB Lance Briggs, SLB Shea McClellin. Backups — MLB/OLB Jonathan Bostic, OLB Khaseem Greene, OLB Christian Jones.
Briggs and Williams will be under scrutiny because of their age and because both came off season-ending injuries. When both played last year, the run defense ranked 12th. They began dropping with Williams’ loss and then when Briggs went out at midseason they plummeted to last and worst in their history at stopping the run. Coaches insist McClellin is improving after moving from end, but it hasn’t been apparent from the outside looking in.
Bostic’s great speed won him the nickel spot alongside Briggs with Williams going to the bench then. He made numerous mistakes as a rookie, but seems to have adapted to the defense better. Jones made it as a project with great upside as strong side backup while Greene will be counted on in special teams and as weakside backup. The key is the veterans proving they haven’t lost anything while staying healthy.
DEFENSIVE BACKS: Starters — LCB Tim Jennings, SS Ryan Mundy, FS Danny McCray, RCB Charles Tillman. Backups — CB Kyle Fuller, CB Sherrick McManis, CB Kelvin Hayden, CB Demontre Hurst, S Chris Conte, S Brock Vereen.
The Bears closed the preseason with this lineup, but they are likely to change if convinced Conte is over a concussion and ready to start again after missing almost all offseason work and half of training camp following shoulder surgery. Conte’s brief preseason playing time showed he is at least one of the top two safeties, despite his breakdown in last year’s season finale against Green Bay.
Yet there are still questions about the overall positions. Mundy hasn’t been a big play maker in preseason. The deep middle remains an area for defenses to exploit. McCray is a valuable special teams player, but there will be questions about his speed and athleticism if called upon to start. When Jennings moves to nickel, Fuller comes in at left corner. The corners should be the strength. Whether Tillman can still blanket standout receivers like Megatron on a week-in, week-out basis is questionable, although the real question will be whether he holds up to the wear and tear at 33. Vereen seemed to struggle in preseason and Hurst is an unknown. At least with McManis, they know they’ll be getting solid special teams play and he appears to have improved in coverage. Hayden adds depth after being re-signed following his release in the cut to 53.
SPECIAL TEAMS: K Robbie Gould, P Pat O’Donnell, LS Jeremy Cain, KR/PR Michael Spurlock, KOR Senorise Perry, PR Santonio Holmes.
Gould struggled in preseason by going 0-for-3 from 40 yards and longer, but some of that is timing. He’s working with a new holder in O’Donnell and snapper in Hartson. When that is ironed out, he remains one of the most accurate kickers, as well as being dependable from long distance. O’Donnell’s big leg has been evident, and he’s better than expected at being a directional punter with six downed inside the 20 in preseason. Hartson struggled early, and it’s possible they’ll comb waiver wires for another long snapper. The kick and punt return duties remain uncertain. Although Spurlock is listed at both on the depth chart, he proved inconsistent fielding punts and Holmes was the only punt returner who looked capable of springing a big one. Perry was the only kick returner who showed much. The days when the Bears could anticipate starting at the 30 and beyond because of one of the game’s great return men is long gone. Coverage units are going to be in a state of flux. They seemed to improve as last year went on, but much is expected of players who weren’t part of that like Fuller, McCray and Vereen.
4th — MINNESOTA VIKINGS
UNIT-BY-UNIT ANALYSIS
QUARTERBACKS: Starter — Matt Cassel. Backups — Teddy Bridgewater, Christian Ponder.
Vikings fans clearly love Bridgewater — often chanting “Ted-dy!” during training camp and during the home preseason games — but they should rejoice that the quarterback competition resulted in Cassel winning the starting job heading into the Sept. 7 season opener at St. Louis. Cassel, a 10-year veteran, accepted coach Mike Zimmer’s challenge to hold off the future face of the franchise by working hard enough to gain a thorough working knowledge of offensive coordinator Norv Turner’s complex route numbering system. Cassel looked comfortable, poised and decisive while completing 66.7 percent of his passes and posting a 103.3 preseason passer rating. Meanwhile, Bridgewater showcased everything the Vikings saw in him when they traded back into the first round to select him 32nd overall. He posted a 111.2 passer rating with five touchdowns, one cool-headed fourth quarter comeback and no turnovers in the preseason. With Cassel starting, Bridgewater can work with Turner on growing his knowledge of the offense. Ponder, the 12th overall pick in 2011, may have failed as a franchise quarterback, but as a No. 3 insurance policy, he’s about as good as it gets. With Bridgewater a rookie, the team doesn’t need a developmental QB at No. 3. They need an experienced player in case Cassel gets hurt and Bridgewater suddenly is forced to start. For all his faults — indecision and a lack of poise in the pocket being No. 1 — Ponder has experience and is mobile enough to help move the chains if an emergency situation thrusts him into the lineup.
RUNNING BACKS: Starters — Adrian Peterson, FB Jerome Felton. Backups — Matt Asiata, Jerick McKinnon, FB Zach Line.
Peterson’s numbers dipped from 2,097 yards and a 6.0 average per carry in 2012 to 1,266 and 4.5 a year ago. However, that 1,266-yard season also came with Peterson nursing a groin injury for the entire second half of the season. He also played in only 14 games. The groin has since been surgically repaired and Peterson is in his usual tip-top shape. He’s also well-rested, having not played a down in the preseason. Expect more than last year’s rushing total and an increased presence in the passing game under new coordinator Norv Turner. Asiata is a battering ram with underrated moves. He can provide Peterson with some rest. McKinnon, a rookie third-round draft pick, is No. 3 on the depth chart, but he’ll have a role as the kind of third-down, change-of-pace back that Turner likes to employ in the passing game. Keeping two fullbacks was a surprise considering how little Turner used them in the preseason. Felton was a Pro Bowler in 2012, while Line, an undrafted rookie and practice squad-player a year ago, is bigger and even stronger.
TIGHT ENDS: Starter — Kyle Rudolph. Backups — Rhett Ellison, MarQueis Gray.
Rudolph will have a breakout season in a Turner offense that’s particularly friendly to tight ends. Having lost 15 pounds also has made Rudolph a leaner, faster player in addition to being a big target with soft hands. The deeper routes in Turner’s system also creates more opportunities to use Rudolph as a mismatch against smaller or slower defenders. Ellison is primarily a blocking tight end who can line up as an H-back or fullback. He’s a hard worker who can be relentless at the point of attack. Gray, a big body with run-after-the-catch ability, was claimed off waivers from Cleveland. The former University of Minnesota quarterback is happy to be back in the Twin Cities and is familiar with Turner, who was the Browns’ offensive coordinator last season.
WIDE RECEIVERS: Starters — Cordarrelle Patterson, Greg Jennings. Backups — Jarius Wright, Adam Thielen, Rodney Smith, Jerome Simpson.
Patterson was an All-Pro kick returner last season and could challenge for those honors as a receiver if the Vikings can get some consistency out of the quarterback position. Unlike predecessor Bill Musgrave, Turner won’t struggle for ways to incorporate Patterson into the offense. In some ways, Patterson is still a raw receiver, particularly as a route runner. But his combination of size, speed and athleticism are among the best in the league. Jennings is overshadowed by Patterson figuratively and literally. But he has a special connection with Cassel and should be a key move-the-chains type of receiver in this offense. Wright is an underrated player, particularly as a deep threat. He has a knack for lulling defenders to sleep and then popping a nice double move on them. Thielen and Smith are former practice-squad players who improved dramatically over the past year. Thielen made the biggest leap of any player on the team from last season. He would have made the team even if Simpson hadn’t been suspended for the first three games. Smith might not have made the team, but he’s still come a long way from a guy who looks the part (6-5, 220) but dropped way too many passes in camp last year. Simpson will rejoin the team in Week 4. He’s still the pogo stick in cleats that he’s always been. No one on the team has a better leap for deep balls than Simpson. On the flip side, no one on the team gets bumped off his route easier than the slight Simpson.
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN: Starters — LT Matt Kalil, LG Charlie Johnson, C John Sullivan, RG Brandon Fusco, RT Phil Loadholt. Backups — T Mike Harris, LG David Yankey, RG Vladimir Ducasse, C Joe Berger.
The same five starters and line coach Jeff Davidson enter their third season intact. That, however, is only a good thing if this unit can play like it did in 2012 and not underachieve like it did last season. Kalil, the fourth overall pick and a Pro Bowler in 2012, took a giant step backward last season. He seemed to lack focus and/or intensity too often and also was affected by a knee issue that was taken care off with minor offseason surgery. He and Johnson also didn’t work well enough together on stunts and disguised blitzes. Johnson appeared to get too far out of shape last season and didn’t play as well as he can. The Vikings gave him a second chance by re-signing him in the offseason, but only after they told him to test his worth in free agency. Sullivan is the leader up front, but has to prove that nagging leg issues are either behind him or a sign of further problems ahead in Year 7. Fusco is a better run blocker than pass protector. Loadholt has gotten consistently better at everything as he enters his sixth season. Berger is a quality veteran backup with starting experience. Yankey, a fifth-round draft pick, is on deck at left guard and could move into the starting lineup immediately if Johnson slips like he did last year. Ducasse, who was a disappointment as a Jet, is in a similar situation at right guard, although Fusco’s leash is longer. Harris was claimed off waivers from San Diego. Turner was San Diego’s head coach when Harris was a rookie in 2012.
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN: Starters — LE Brian Robison, NT Linval Joseph, DT Sharrif Floyd, RE Everson Griffen. Backups — LE Cory Wootton, NT Shamar Stephen, DT Tom Johnson, RE Scott Crichton.
Zimmer’s primary focus on fixing the league’s worst scoring defense was a major overhaul of the defensive line. Robison, an underrated pass rusher who toiled in Jared Allen’s shadow for six years, is the only returning starter. At 31, he’s also the only starter over the age of 26. As far as backups, all four are new. And two of them, seventh-rounder Stephen and third-rounder Crichton, are rookies. Joseph was the prized free-agent acquisition. The former Giant gives the Vikings a legitimate nose tackle for the first time since 2010. But he may start slow after missing three weeks of the preseason because of a minor gunshot wound to his calf. He was an innocent bystander at a shooting incident at a downtown Minneapolis nightclub in the hours following the preseason opener. Floyd is a player to watch considering he never got a chance last year to live up to his first-round selection. He was stuck behind veteran Kevin Williams. Having shed 25 pounds has made him more active this summer. Griffen should have a breakout season because the big contract he got to replace Allen doesn’t appear to have affected his preparation. If anything, he seems to have worked harder to prove that the potential he had as a versatile situational pass rusher will pay off with big sack numbers as a starter. In Zimmer’s schemes, Griffen will line up anywhere from right end to left end in passing situations.
Wootton, the former Bear, is a solid backup who eventually could take Robison’s job next season. Stephen, a rare late-round find with this kind of size and quickness, beat out veteran Fred Evans for a spot on the roster. Johnson, the former Saint, will push Floyd and could take his spot if he doesn’t live up to expectations. Johnson already has a role as an inside rusher in certain nickel packages. Crichton shows a lot of promise, but like most rookies, he needs more polish.
LINEBACKERS: Starters — SLB Anthony Barr, MLB Jasper Brinkley, WLB Chad Greenway. Backups — SLB Gerald Hodges, MLB Audie Cole, WLB Michael Mauti, WLB Brandon Watts.
Barr is raw, having played linebacker for only two seasons at UCLA. However, his impact on the defense will be immediate and significant because his unusual size (6-5, 255), speed and long frame makes him the most intriguing defender at Zimmer’s disposal. Barr will be used in a variety of ways, including as a right end in passing situations. With more seasoning, his height, speed and long arms will help cover those pesky tight ends down the seams. Brinkley and Cole waged a camp-long battle for the starting middle linebacker job. As of the Sunday before the season opener, Zimmer still had not announced a winner. Brinkley is the more experienced player, but certainly is more limited athletically. He’s a run-stopping thumper, whereas the 6-5 Cole has more speed and a longer frame. He also is one of the more aggressive blitzers on the team. He charges with reckless abandon. Greenway had an off year in 2013, but still led the team in tackles for a sixth consecutive season, tying the franchise record set by Scott Studwell. A broken wrist bothered Greenway last season. He has had some discomfort in the same wrist this summer, but X-rays and MRIs have come back negative. Hodges and Mauti were Day 3 picks a year ago. They’re still longer-term projects and strong special teams players. Watts, a seventh-round draft pick, is undersized at 231 pounds, but coaches love his speed and ability to play quickly sideline to sideline. An injury in camp has slowed him, but the team didn’t feel comfortable exposing him to waivers while trying to put him on the practice squad.
DEFENSIVE BACKS: Starters — LCB Captain Munnerlyn, SS Robert Blanton, FS Harrison Smith, RCB Xavier Rhodes. Backups — CB Josh Robinson, CB Shaun Prater, CB Jabari Price, CB Marcus Sherels, FS Antone Exum, SS Andrew Sendejo.
Munnerlyn was the most important offseason acquisition and must live up to that if the Vikings are to have a chance of bouncing back from one of the worst defensive performances in team history. Not only does the 26 year old with the 50 career starts replace the disappointing Chris Cook as a starter, he also gives the Vikings the legitimate nickel slot corner they desperately lacked when Antoine Winfield was released in a salary-cap move before last season. Munnerlyn already has shown more instincts in three preseason games than Cook showed in four seasons as a Viking. Rhodes will be a Pro Bowl-caliber player and possibly an All-Pro eventually if he can stay healthy. He looks thicker and stronger, so perhaps all of the nagging leg injuries from his rookie season are behind him. He’s a big press corner who should excel in this scheme. Ditto for Smith. He was on his way to being a Pro Bowl-caliber player when turf toe robbed him of eight games last season. He’s big, fearless and instinctive. He’ll also enjoy the blitz packages that Zimmer has cooked up for him. Blanton should start at strong safety even though he basically won the job by default. A hamstring injury early in camp wiped out most of his summer. But when he finally returned, no one had stepped forward to win the job.
Injuries cost incumbent Jamarca Sanford a chance to compete. And age apparently caught up to Zimmer favorite Chris Crocker, who was signed late but released despite having played under Zimmer the past seven seasons. Robinson also tested Zimmer’s patience with a hamstring injury. But he, too, also appears to have won the No. 3 cornerback job by default. He struggled last year trying to replace Winfield, but the good news is he won’t be asked to play in the slot after last year’s failed experiment there. Prater is an underrated coverage guy with some pop. Zimmer says the team might take a look at him at the strong safety spot as well. Price was turning a lot of heads in camp and had worked his way onto the first nickel unit before a shoulder injury sidelined him. The seventh-rounder is still worth keeping an eye on because he’s not afraid to compete hard for footballs against more experienced receivers. Sherels is on the team because of his punt returning skills. But it also helps that he’s durable and is always there when injuries decimate the secondary. He’s undersized, but scrappy as a corner. Sendejo could push Blanton at strong safety, but he’s also a thumper who needs a lot of polish. Exum, a sixth-round draft pick, is a big hitter but probably a long-term project at this point.
SPECIAL TEAMS: K Blair Walsh, P Jeff Locke, KOR Cordarrelle Patterson, PR Marcus Sherels, LS Cullen Loeffler.
Walsh still has the big leg he had while winning All-Pro honors as a rookie in 2012. But for whatever reason, he’s not nearly as accurate from long range. After setting an NFL record by going 10 of 10 on field goals of 50 yards or longer, he was 2 of 5 last season and 0 of 2 during this preseason. Locke was inconsistent as a rookie, but has the big leg and work ethic to improve. Patterson was a first-team All-Pro kick returner as a rookie last year. He also set an NFL record with a 109-yard touchdown on the opening kickoff of his first game against the rival Packers. Sherels set a franchise record and was second in the league in punt-return average (15.2). He’s also as sure-handed as they come in the return game. Loeffler, who arrived as an undrafted rookie in 2004, is now the longest-tenured Viking. He remains as steady as ever. Overall, the Vikings’ special teams are among the league’s best. But they’ll be challenged a bit as special teams coordinator Mike Priefer serves a suspension for saying an anti-gay remark to former Vikings punter Chris Kluwe in 2012. Priefer was suspended for the first three games, but can reduce that to two games if he completes sensitivity training. While he’s gone, long-time NFL special teams coach Joe Marciano is serving as the interim special teams coach. He’ll be assisted by Ryan Ficken, Priefer’s assistant.