NFC NORTH ROUNDUP: Hurry Up, Football Season
Austin Belisle
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Baseball fans bought peanuts and Cracker Jacks at stadiums all over the country today, celebrating the MLB’s Opening Day while cheering on their favorite ball clubs. As I write this, college students from Duke and Wisconsin are packed into Lucas Oil Stadium, screaming their teams to victory in the NCAA National Championship Game.
Vikings fans, meanwhile, know that the 2015 NFL Draft kicks off in just 24 days — plenty of time to mull over this year’s biggest sleepers and most talented prospects. Until then, we can keep tabs on the rest of the NFC North — here’s what’s happening in Green Bay, Detroit, and Chicago:
Green Bay Packers
Green Bay spent absolutely nothing in free agency this offseason, leading to little national news out of Wisconsin. Last week, we learned that the Packers re-signed B.J. Raji and Letroy Guion, adding depth to a defensive line that suffered through injuries in 2014.
Unfortunately, the news this week isn’t so routine — the Packers lost a former player on Monday, as Terdell Middleton died at the age of 59. In his second season with Green Bay (1978), Middleton rushed for 1,116 yards and 11 touchdowns, becoming the fourth 1,000-yard rusher in Packers history. Middleton’s 1,000-yard rushing season in 1978 was Green Bay’s first since John Brockington rushed for 1,144 yards in 1973.
Detroit Lions
The news machine is moving at a snail’s pace this week. Free agency is all but over, and teams are focused on finalizing their draft boards. Matthew Stafford, on the other hand, spent his weekend on the altar — he married his longtime girlfriend Kelly Hall in Atlanta on Saturday evening.
Guests received complimentary Nikes and neon trucker caps (classy stuff, Matt) at a ceremony that included current Lions like Calvin Johnson, Golden Tate, and Joseph Fauria.
Chicago Bears
The Minnesota Vikings are one of the league’s youngest teams — Rick Spielman has drafted 7 players in the first round of the past 3 drafts. Each of those players has contributed, in varying capacities, to the success of the team in recent years, and look to be critical pieces moving forward. In Chicago, players like Jared Allen anchor a team in rebuild mode. Other end of the spectrum, eh?
As reported by our friends at Windy City Gridiron, the Bears currently have 14 players over 30 years-old on their roster. That number will only increase during the season, as Matt Forte and Willie Young will both turn 30. In a division where other teams are only getting better, new general manager Ryan Pace will need to do some retooling to stay competitive in 2015.