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We're Black and Blue All Over:

It was almost an afterthought amid discussion of quarterback Jay Cutler's new weapons, the weight loss of receiver Johnny Knox and the configuration of the offensive line. But we might as well acknowledge it: Newcomer Michael Bush was the Chicago Bears' first-team tailback during Wednesday's organized team activity as starter Matt Forte stays away from the facility in a contract dispute.

Forte has yet to sign his $7.7 million franchise tag while pushing for a long-term extension. If there is an end in sight to those negotiations, it hasn't been reported publicly. While no one thinks Forte will elect to miss regular-season games, it isn't clear if he'll report for any part of the Bears' offseason program or training camp.

Bush, via Jeff Dickerson of ESPNChicago.com: "Nobody has ever brought up Forte's name or wished he was here or anything to make me feel uncomfortable. But me being me, [I think] Forte needs to come on out so we can get it going. But I know he's got to take care of himself and his family as well."

To be continued.

Now for our morning spin around the division:

• The Bears signed free-agent defensive tackle Nate Collins to a one-year deal, according to Michael C. Wright of ESPNChicago.com.
• Dan Pompei of the Chicago Tribune on Knox: "This doesn't look like a man who will be taking the field in the foreseeable future to participate in a collision sport played against hulking behemoths and athletic freaks."
• David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune raises an interesting question: Should the Bears sign Cutler to a contract extension ahead of Forte?
• Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson and some of his teammates tried their hand at bocce ball Wednesday, according to Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press.
• Lions place-kicker Jason Hanson isn't sure how long he plans to play, writes Chris McCosky of the Detroit News.
• Lions coach Jim Schwartz isn't ready to address the status of receiver Titus Young, according to Anwar S. Richardson of Mlive.com.
• Here's a Q&A with Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson by Rob Reischel of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
• It's clear the Packers want to beef up their defensive front, writes Rob Demovsky of the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
• The Packers have apparently put their playbooks on iPads, according to Jason Wilde of ESPNMilwaukee.com.
• Bob Sansevere of the St. Paul Pioneer Press speaks with new Minnesota Vikings place-kicker Blair Walsh.
• Opponents of the Vikings' stadium bill are still working to defeat it, according to Eric Roper of the Star Tribune.

Dozens of reporters descended Wednesday on the Chicago Bears' practice field for the first open organized team activity (OTA) of the 2012 offseason. Quarterback Jay Cutler was among those who spoke afterwards, and I thought I would run through a number of newsbits and offer some pithy but insightful comments to go with it.

Item: Receiver Johnny Knox, watching from the sidelines, revealed he lost 30 pounds during his recovery from spinal fusion surgery and remains 20 pounds below his playing weight.
Comment: Knox couldn't say whether he would play in 2012, but it's easy to see him sitting out the year. Everyone knows he suffered a serious injury, but given his gaunt appearance Wednesday, few us probably know the full extent. In February, don't forget, Knox said people wouldn't "be able to sleep" if they knew how close he was to never walking again.

Item: Cutler said the Bears' offensive situation is "a breath of fresh air" with longtime confidant Jeremy Bates serving as quarterbacks coach and Mike Tice now the offensive coordinator.
Comment: Cutler seemed to be referring to a healthy exchange of ideas between players and coaches on what will work in this offense and what won't. He has a decent track record in that regard, as we discussed last season, the Tice-Bates regime is clearly doing everything possible to meet Cutler's vision for the offense.

Item: The Bears' first-team offensive line included Chris Spencer at left guard, Lance Louis at right guard and a rotation of J'Marcus Webb and Chris Williams at left tackle. Presumed right tackle Gabe Carimi (knee) wasn't practicing.
Comment: There's noting scarier than a left tackle competition between a player who was moved away from the position two years ago (Williams) and one who probably shouldn't have been there in the first place (Webb). The reality is the Bears have only one position locked down: Roberto Garza at center.

Item: Cutler said that receiver Devin Hester "is having the best camp of all the receivers" and disagreed with suggestions that Hester's playing time should be limited.
Comment: I have to assume there is some kind of "get-Hester-confident" conspiracy going on at Halas Hall. Receiver Brandon Marshall has expressed similar sentiments. Unless, of course, the receiver light has suddenly turned on for Hester.

PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Good morning. We'll start our a barrage of blog posts from the NFC coaches breakfast with the Chicago Bears, who I acknowledged earlier have gotten a bit of the short shrift this week. I spent about 20 minutes at coach Lovie Smith's table Wednesday morning, and we'll start off with his response to a report that receiver Johnny Knox will not be ready to start the 2012 season because of a back injury he suffered last season.

Smith refused to put a timetable on Knox's return and said: "It would be hard for me to go into that right there. Are you a religious man? Do you talk to God? He can probably tell you. Besides that, it's going to be pretty hard."

Informed that doctors can often make reliable projections, Smith said: "They guess sometimes. Doctors know? Give me his number and I'll call him as soon as we stop talking. I just know that Johnny is working hard each day. He has made a lot of progress. That's all we want, for Johnny to keep rehabbing, which is what he's doing. It's amazing how people are already diagnosing when he's coming back. It's a little early for that."

That was Smith's somewhat defiant attempt to avoid committing on the return of a player who suffered a frightening, serious injury and has a long way to go before he can even think about playing again. In the meantime, the Bears have fortified the position by acquiring Brandon Marshall and signing free agent Eric Weems, who can play receiver but also replace Knox as a secondary returner to Devin Hester.

It would not be surprising in the least if Knox opened the season on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, but neither Smith nor God need to make that decision yet. So they haven't. Yet.

We're Black and Blue All Over

PALM BEACH, Fla. -- If it were an emotional decision, it's clear where Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy would stand on the return of safety Nick Collins, who is awaiting word from doctors on the long-term prognosis of his neck.

"If Nick was my son," McCarthy told Jason Wilde of ESPNMilwaukee.com and Rob Demovsky of the Green Bay Press-Gazette, "I would not let him play."

In the end, of course, the decision will be made by medical personnel. Early tests have been encouraging, but Collins is awaiting a final evaluation that could take place as early as this week. McCarthy said there will be no gray area from a medical standpoint: Collins won't return unless he is completely healed.

"We're not going to put him in harm's way," McCarthy said. If he's on the field, he’ll be cleared, he'll be 100 percent and everybody will be comfortable with it."

Continuing around the NFC North:

• As we noted, the NFL is not expecting to announce the matchup for its Sept. 5 season opener this week.
• Michael Hunt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel liked the Packers' move to sign center Jeff Saturday so much that he wants to see them do it again with a defensive player.
• The Packers felt they had to sign Saturday in order to maintain their style on offense, according to Demovsky.
• It had been a while since the Packers had wined and dined a free agent, McCarthy told Wilde.
• Dan Pompei of the Chicago Tribune checks in with Bears chairman George McCaskey at the NFL owners meetings. His response when asked if coach Lovie Smith is in a "prove-it" year under new general manager Phil Emery: "Lovie will be the first to tell you that everybody in the NFL is there on a prove-it basis. From what I've seen, he and Phil are working very well together. We hope that shows in results on the field."
• Sean Jensen of the Chicago Sun-Times offers a long profile of Smith.
• Smith spoke with Bears running back Matt Forte after Forte reacted angrily to the singing of backup Michael Bush, according to ESPN's Rachel Nichols.
• Bears receiver Johnny Knox (back) isn't expected to be ready to start the 2012 season, according to Vaughn McClure of the Tribune.
• Thomas Lee of the Star Tribune examines how lucrative naming rights could be for the Minnesota Vikings' new stadium.
• Tom Powers of the Pioneer Press reviews the Vikings' reputation of questionable hits when Tony Dungy was their defensive coordinator.
• The Vikings are committed to a slow rebuild of their defensive secondary, we noted Sunday.
• Free agency is going "exactly as planned," Vikings general manager Rick Spielman said, according to Tom Pelissero of 1500ESPN.com.
• Detroit Lions linebacker Stephen Tulloch explains why he thinks the Lions' defense will improve this season. Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press has more.
• A contract extension for Lions coach Jim Schwartz is one of the last remaining tasks of the team's offseason, writes Anwar S. Richardson of Mlive.com.

We asked a few days ago why a team that boasts the best returner in NFL history would add another one in free agency. The likeliest explanation was for depth purposes, but absent any official word from Chicago Bears general manager Phil Emery, we were left to wonder if the arrival of Eric Weems meant anything for incumbent Devin Hester.

So we should point out that, during a conference call Thursday with reporters, Emery suggested that Weems would play a complementary role to Hester and that both would be on the team in 2012.

Emery noted the Bears' "very strong tradition of having multiple returners and having more than one weapon as a punt and kick returner" in explaining the move. Indeed, the Bears have used Johnny Knox and Danieal Manning to various degrees in recent years. Knox is recovering from a serious back injury and might not be ready to start the season. Plus, Weems signed a relatively affordable three-year deal worth a total of $4.2 million, according to Sean Jensen of the Chicago Sun-Times.

As for Hester, it's true that his original contract called for a $10 million roster bonus. But as ESPN's John Clayton reported at the time, the bonus was based on Hester ascending to a statistical status as the Bears' No. 1 receiver. He has not done that over the course of the contract and thus the roster bonus will de-escalate to a lower value and not impact whether the Bears retain him on their roster.

Let's take a moment to review.

As the Chicago Bears' offense collapsed last season, then-injured quarterback Jay Cutler made a nuanced plea for schematic continuity without directly endorsing the return of offensive coordinator Mike Martz.

A month later, the Bears replaced Martz and promoted offensive line coach Mike Tice into the role.

A few weeks after that, the Bears hired a quarterbacks coach whom Cutler once endorsed for Martz's job and is obviously a personal favorite. Jeremy Bates was one of the Denver Broncos' offensive assistants during Cutler's time there.

On Feb. 20, Cutler spoke openly during an ESPN 1000 interview about his desire for a big receiver and specifically acknowledged his continuing friendship with Brandon Marshall, who at the time was a member of the Miami Dolphins. Tuesday, less than an hour after the NFL's free agent and trading period opened, the Bears acquired Marshall for a pair of third-round picks.

What Jay wants, Jay gets.

Maybe he should have asked for Jake Long, Reggie Bush and a private plane as well.

In all seriousness, I know some of you will think that new general manager Phil Emery and coach Lovie Smith have gone out of their way to placate, suck up to and otherwise make their quarterback happy. But I wouldn't look at it quite that way.

What the Bears have done is take most every step available to maximize the huge investment they made in Cutler in their historic 2009 trade for him.

It's fair to expect an elite quarterback to raise the production of those around him, but the Bears hadn't given Cutler much to work with since his arrival. They traded away his best receiver, tight end Greg Olsen, and hoped he could make it work with former college teammate Earl Bennett, a kick returner trying to play receiver in Devin Hester and a raw speedster in Johnny Knox. Last year's signing of veteran Roy Williams proved a laughably inadequate response to their positional weakness.

It's also fair to expect a quarterback to find common ground with his coordinator, but Cutler has now bid farewell to two of them in his three-year Bears career. The hope now is that Cutler can resume his lockstep relationship with Bates, and get enough flexibility from Tice, to eliminate the red tape and bureaucracy that has stifled the team's offense at times in recent years.

There is no such thing as a perfect environment in the NFL, and it's worth noting that pass protection has probably been the single biggest issue the Bears offense has faced since Cutler arrived. Regardless, the Bears have surgically repaired much of the ruins around him.

Cutler has been reunited with his favorite coach and top receiver, and frankly it's on him to make it work. The Bears have reinforced their commitment to their franchise quarterback. The rest is up to him.

INDIANAPOLIS -- The issue of "big receivers" has been a big topic for us considering the annual outcry about the Chicago Bears' imbalanced roster and the Minnesota Vikings' futile attempts to find a replacement for Randy Moss -- a list that includes Sidney Rice, Vincent Jackson and Moss himself. So this post from NFC West colleague Mike Sando has relevance on several issues for us.

First, the combine has told us that Blackmon isn't a "big receiver" in the traditional sense, having measured at 6 feet and seven-eights of an inch and 207 pounds. That doesn't mean he won't be an excellent NFL receiver, but it does mean there wouldn't be much of a gap between his size and that of Bears incumbents Devin Hester (5-10 1/4 at his combine), Earl Bennett (5-11 1/4), Johnny Knox (5-11 1/4) and Dane Sanzenbacher (5-11).

I'm not saying the Bears wouldn't take Blackmon if he falls to their spot at No. 19 overall, but I'm not sure if he's what quarterback Jay Cutler had in mind last week when he spoke of the need for a receiver over 6-2.

Second, as Sando writes, Blackmon doesn't have the kind of frame teams have sought when drafting receivers among the top 3. Since 1985, there have been only two receivers under 6-3 who were a top-5 draft pick. That knowledge, combined with offensive tackle Ryan Kalil's performance at the combine, makes it hard to imagine that Blackmon is a legitimate candidate for the Vikings to draft at No. 3 -- or for another team to trade picks with in order to select him.

Chicago Bears receiver Johnny Knox provided a glimpse Thursday into his recovery from a serious neck and back injury via Twitter, offering this photograph of the torso brace he must wear until the middle of March and not directly answering a question about whether he'll be cleared to play in 2012.

Asked if he thought he would play, Knox tweeted: "I'm focusing on getting 100% first!"

Knox needed surgery to fuse a vertebra in his back after a violent collision bent him backwards in a Dec. 18 game against the Seattle Seahawks. Asked via Twitter how close he was to never walking again, Knox tweeted: "If i tell u u wont be able to sleep."

The Bears have expressed hope that Knox will resume his career, but for the purposes of offseason planning, they might not be able to expect it. His situation is one more reason why the receiver position will be an offseason priority.

By nature, the Chicago Bears' decision to fire general manager Jerry Angelo leaves them a substantively different organization Tuesday evening. The general manager establishes a long-term football vision for every franchise, and the Bears' will change based on whom they hire to replace Angelo.

With that said, Bears officials took great pains during a news conference to insist that the nature and structure of the franchise will remain intact. Team president Ted Phillips said that the new general manager will have the same role and authority that Angelo did, including supervision of the head coach, and new chairman George McCaskey denied being the catalyst for Angelo's ouster.

Earlier Tuesday, we wondered if this episode signaled a new era of Bears ownership after more than a decade of hands-off rule. But unless McCaskey was telling a bald-face lie Tuesday, this was not the case of a trigger-happy new sheriff.

"I said when I became chairman that I didn't feel any particular need to place a personal stamp on the Bears," McCaskey said. "[M]y job was to work with and support the CEO and that's what happened in this case. Ted consulted with me. I supported his decision."

In the end, the Bears weren't looking to effect a culture change after missing the playoffs for the fourth time in the past five years. Instead, Phillips said, they are just looking for a way to get better players.

"We want to close that talent gap with our division rivals," Phillips said, "and that's why that decision was made."

Phillips wouldn't go into a point-by-point assessment of Angelo's shortcomings, but he did say that the Bears need better success at the top of the draft. Only two of Angelo's first-round draft picks remain part of the organization, and both -- tackle Gabe Carimi and guard Chris Williams -- finished the season on injured reserve.

Angelo deserves credit for some of his mid-draft selections, including receivers Earl Bennett and Johnny Knox. But in the past six drafts, the Bears have selected only three players who have made the Pro Bowl: Running back Matt Forte, returner Devin Hester and Knox, who was originally an alternate and made it as a returner in 2009.

Phillips will conduct the search for a new general manager, making clear to all candidates that coach Lovie Smith will remain in his job. Smith is not a candidate to be elevated, Phillips said, and Angelo assistant Tim Ruskell will operate the personnel department in the interim.

Who knows where this search will take the Bears. Phillips said he is still accumulating a list of candidates and is willing to spend a month or longer on the process. But if you were hoping the Bears would clean house or make a dramatic show of change after their disappointing finish, well, they've fallen short of your expectation. Their basic structure and many of the components remain in place. Only the identity of the general manager will change.

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The misery is coming to an end for the Chicago Bears. Sunday night's 35-21 loss to the Green Bay Packers was their fifth consecutive defeat and officially eliminated them from playoff contention. Their 2011 season will end next Sunday at the Metrodome against the Minnesota Vikings, and it can't come quickly enough.

"I'm not happy about where we're at," linebacker Brian Urlacher said. "No one is. Our coaches aren't happy. But that's what we've got. The season will be over next week. That's good."

The Bears have now missed the playoffs in four of the five years after their Super Bowl appearance in 2006. Sunday's loss also ensures them of their third non-winning record since then.

To be fair, the Bears were 7-3 this season before quarterback Jay Cutler's broken thumb sparked a string of injuries that ultimately sidelined him, tailback Matt Forte, receiver Johnny Knox and severely limited kick returner Devin Hester.

"We had a lot of big goals this season," center Roberto Garza said. "We suffered a lot of injuries, but that doesn't matter. We have to step in and guys have to step up and make plays and obviously we haven't done that. We haven't been able to finish games and we haven't been able to score enough points. It falls squarely on us and we have to go out there and do a better job."

For the 2011 season, at least, it's a moot point.

» NFC Final Word: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Five nuggets of knowledge on Week 16:

Busted rivalry: When the NFL released its schedule this spring, many of us had high expectations for a late-December matchup between the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears. Instead, an injury-devastated Bears team will limp north as a (deserved) 13-point underdog. It's possible the Packers will have clinched home-field advantage even before taking the field Sunday night, if the San Francisco 49ers lose Saturday at the Seattle Seahawks. If not, the Packers will attempt to secure it against a team playing without quarterback Jay Cutler, running backs Matt Forte and Marion Barber, and receiver Johnny Knox. Third-string running back Kahlil Bell is expected to start, pairing with third-string quarterback Josh McCown -- who has a history of helping the Packers' playoff positioning. (See: Noooooooooooooooo!) One other interesting bit of history: The Packers are one of five teams in NFL history to open a season 13-0 and then lose in their 14th game. All four of the other teams lost their 15th game, too. That list includes the 2009 and 2005 Indianapolis Colts, the 2009 New Orleans Saints and the 1998 Denver Broncos.

Packers' run game: For several reasons, Sunday night's game would be an obvious target for the Packers to try to enhance their running game. James Starks (ankle) and Brandon Saine (concussion) are expected to return. The Packers will start a makeshift offensive line that likely will include T.J. Lang at right tackle and Evan Dietrich-Smith at left guard; the best way for offensive linemen to get comfortable is via run blocking. And it's also worth repeating that the Bears historically have done a good job limiting Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers' downfield opportunities. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Rodgers has completed only five of 26 attempts on throws against the Bears that traveled in the air 21 yards or more. He's thrown for one touchdown, a game-winner to receiver Greg Jennings in 2009, and two interceptions on those passes.

Detroit's challenge: The Detroit Lions will clinch a playoff spot Saturday if they beat the San Diego Chargers in what will likely be a raucous atmosphere at Ford Field. (There are also several scenarios to clinch this weekend even if they lose. They're noted in this post.) Hopefully everyone knows the Chargers are on one of their annual December rolls. They've won three consecutive games after a six-game losing streak. Since Norv Turner took the head coaching job in 2007, the Chargers are 20-2 in December. This will be no cakewalk.

Big targets: Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers struggled earlier this season, but he has been the NFL's most efficient quarterback over the past three weeks based on Total Quarterback Rating. Rivers has hit a groove with a pair of 6-foot-5 receivers that will pose significant matchup problems for the Lions. Malcom Floyd has 11 receptions for 233 yards and two touchdowns over the past two games, while Vincent Jackson has caught 12 passes for 211 yards and a touchdown. Jackson has been sidelined in practice this week by a groin injury. Lions cornerback Chris Houston (knee) clearly wasn't 100 percent last week against the Oakland Raiders, and the team re-signed Brandon McDonald this week for extra depth. Safety Louis Delmas (knee) also remains sidelined, and backup Chris Harris was cleared Thursday to practice following a concussion.

Make it stop: If you're a big-picture observer, you see ample motivation for the Minnesota Vikings to lose Sunday at the Washington Redskins. One more victory by the Indianapolis Colts, in conjunction with two more Vikings defeats, would give the Vikings an excellent chance to secure the No. 1 overall pick of the 2012 draft. A loss to the Redskins would extend the Vikings' losing streak to seven games, tying a franchise record set in their expansion season of 1961. But I'm not sure what would be worse: tying that record or extending their NFL record of games without an interception, which stands at nine. Redskins quarterback Rex Grossman has thrown at least one interception in his past 10 starts, and he is tied for the second-most interceptions in the NFL (18) despite missing three games this season. Something's got to give.

» NFC Stock Watch: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

FALLING

1. Health, Chicago Bears: The Bears led a charmed life on the way to their 2010 NFC North title, losing only a handful of starts because of injury all season. But their four-game dive in 2011 has coincided with injuries to quarterback Jay Cutler and running back Matt Forte. Receiver Johnny Knox has been lost for the season, and receiver/kick returner Devin Hester clearly has been limited by an ankle injury. Two members of their Week 1 offensive line, left guard Chris Williams and right tackle Gabe Carimi, are also on injured reserve. I've always considered it silly to say that injuries come in bunches, but that has been the case this season for the Bears and provides a ready-made excuse for why they are likely to miss the playoffs in 2011.

2. Offensive line, Green Bay Packers: It's very possible that the Packers will have replacement starters at three of their five positions Sunday night against the Bears. Left tackle Marshall Newhouse will make his 10th start at left tackle after taking over for veteran Chad Clifton, who has been working through hamstring and back injuries. Left guard T.J. Lang could move to right tackle, replacing Bryan Bulaga (knee) and Derek Sherrod (broken leg). And that would mean Evan Dietrich-Smith would return to the starting lineup in Lang's spot. Dietrich-Smith made two starts earlier this season in place of right guard Josh Sitton (knee). That's hardly the kind of continuity you want heading into the playoffs, but the Packers have dealt with such issues before.

3. Sleep totals in Detroit: Lions coach Jim Schwartz admitted it Monday. "I'm just tired as hell," he said during a news conference less than 24 hours after his team pulled off a wild comeback victory in Oakland. In the interim, the Lions made the long flight back east and immediately began preparations for the biggest week in recent team history. Playing a day early because of the Christmas weekend, the Lions are hoping to clinch their first playoff berth since 1999 with a win Saturday over the San Diego Chargers. There won't be much time to sit by the fire or sip eggnog this week. Serious business is at hand.

RISING

1. Cliff Avril, Detroit Lions defensive end: I know we've been touting Avril regularly here on the blog, but something caught my eye late in Sunday's game that merits a mention. Moments after Calvin Johnson's go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter, television cameras showed Avril pointing demonstratively at defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and then at defensive tackle Corey Williams. Poking both in the chest, Avril appeared to be saying something along the lines of: You make a play. As it turned out, Avril made one himself a few minutes later, sacking quarterback Carson Palmer and forcing the Raiders to use their final timeout. Suh went on to block the Raiders' attempt at a winning field goal. Avril now has 11 sacks this season, but it was also nice to see him recognize the moment and, as a leader, challenge his teammates in a positive way.

2. Questions about Jermichael Finley, Packers tight end: When the season began, there were those who thought Finley was the best young tight end in the NFL. The New England Patriots' Rob Gronkowski (15 touchdown receptions) has captured that title, and Finley has regressed a bit in the past month with more drops than the Packers would like to see. He entered Sunday's game at Kansas City with five drops in 66 targets, according to ESPN Stats & Information, and probably had three more against the Chiefs, depending on how strict of a grader you are. Finley blamed no one but himself for the drops, and we should note that his 41-yard catch to set up the Packers' first touchdown required a high degree of skill and concentration. But through 15 weeks of the season, I'm not sure we can say Finley has broken through to the degree most thought he would. He'll need 10 catches over the next two weeks to match the career high of 55 he set in 2009 -- in 13 games.

3. Jim Kleinsasser, Minnesota Vikings tight end: Multiple reports suggest Kleinsasser is prepared to retire at the end of his 13th season, marking the end of a career that is to be admired in many ways, even if it rarely was reflected in the box score. Few recall that Kleinsasser was emerging as a reliable receiving threat in the early 2000s before he tore his ACL in Week 1 of the 2004 season. Since then, he has handled one of the NFL's most inglorious jobs with aplomb, serving as a blocking tight end/quasi-third tackle and earning the respect of three different coaching staffs along the way. His approach has been a model for anyone who wants to maximize an NFL career. For 13 years, Kleinsasser has hit people hard and kept his mouth shut.

Catching up on Mondays newsbits in the NFC North:

Chicago Bears: Receiver Johnny Knox had successful back surgery Monday, the team announced, and the prognosis for continuing his career is good. Meanwhile, coach Lovie Smith refused to name a starting quarterback for the Bears' next game, sparking speculation that he will bench Caleb Hanie for either Josh McCown or Nathan Enderle.

Detroit Lions: Coach Jim Schwartz said he hasn't ruled out any player on the active roster for Saturday's game against the San Diego Chargers. That includes defensive end Lawrence Jackson (thigh), cornerback Chris Houston (knee) and safety Louis Delmas, who had arthroscopic knee surgery on Saturday.

Green Bay Packers: Right tackle Bryan Bulaga has a sprained knee cap and isn't likely to play Sunday night against the Bears, coach Mike McCarthy told reporters. Rookie offensive lineman Derek Sherrod has already undergone surgery on his broken leg. McCarthy indicated the Packers will practice this week with T.J. Lang at right guard and Evan Dietrich-Smith at left guard, but he also said that veteran left tackle Chad Clifton is expected to return to individual drills Wednesday.

Minnesota Vikings: Two players are being monitored after suffering concussions Sunday: Left guard Steve Hutchinson and cornerback Asher Allen. Meanwhile, tight end Visanthe Shiancoe told reporters that some of his teammates quit in Sunday's loss to the New Orleans Saints. "Not a lot though," Shiancoe said. "Like a very small handful of guys."

After the Chicago Bears' 38-14 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, here are three issues that merit further examination:

Kevin SeifertFollowing their loss against the Seahawks, the Bears take a seat in the examination room.
1. Generally, I'm not in favor of promoting untested players solely for the purpose of evaluation. There should be a justifiable reason for getting that player on the field. None of us have seen rookie quarterback Nathan Enderle in practice, or for that matter veteran Josh McCown. So we can't say that either player has demonstrated a capacity for better performance than current starter Caleb Hanie. On the other hand, prolonging failure based on the perceived lack of a better option isn't healthy, either. So after watching Hanie flail for a full four games, I think it would be reasonable to consider other options. And even though the Bears are still technically in the playoff race, it would be incredibly short-sighted to start McCown against the Green Bay Packers next Sunday night. McCown is the shortest of short-term backups. Hanie might have played himself off the 2012 roster, and Enderle's pedigree as a fifth-round draft choice suggests he should be in the mix for the No. 2 role. McCown is not, but he could always rescue Enderle if the rookie proves to be in over his head.
2. If you're an eternal optimist, you could use ESPN.com's Playoff Machine to find how the Bears could still make the playoffs. First, they would have to defeat both the Packers and Minnesota Vikings, on the road, without running back Matt Forte and receiver Johnny Knox and, probably, quarterback Jay Cutler. Then they would need the Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions to lose their remaining games, and then hope to win some tiebreakers with the remaining field. The biggest obstacle would be finishing 2-0 themselves. They've lost four consecutive games in increasingly uncompetitive fashion and, as Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune points out, they've scored two offensive touchdowns in the past 188 minutes.
3. Lost in this four-game losing streak has been defensive end Julius Peppers' return to the double-digit sack club after a one-year absence. His sack/forced fumble in the end zone of Seahawks quarterback Tarvaris Jackson led to an Israel Idonije touchdown. Playing on a gimpy knee for much of the season, Peppers has 10 sacks, four pass knockdowns and three forced fumbles in 14 games. I have no idea how the voters will stack them for the Associated Press All-Pro team, but I would imagine Peppers is in the conversation for being one of the two defensive ends on the first team once again.

And here is one thing I still don't get:

Hanie has been with the organization for four years under two offensive coordinators. Did the Bears miss that badly on their evaluation of him? Has he choked under the pressure? Or is it a combination thereof? I realize Hanie didn't have much regular-season experience when he took over for Cutler, and not all of his mistakes have solely been his fault. But can you see any measure of improvement from his first start to his fourth? Me either. Progress is a fair expectation for a player who has spent nearly four years on an NFL roster. Even some rookies would have pulled the ball down upon finding Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright closing in for a sack. Instead, Hanie inexplicably threw into the hands of defensive end Red Bryant for what turned out to be a touchdown. It's too bad, because Hanie is one of the nicest people in the Bears' locker room and someone who seemed to have received a career-changing break when Cutler was injured. Instead, it could be a career-ender.

We're Black and Blue All Over:

Wow. Week 15 brought us some serious drama and a bunch of twists and turns. Three of our teams remain in the playoff picture, while the fourth -- the Minnesota Vikings -- have regained position for the No. 2 overall position in the 2012 draft. (That's according to ESPN Stats & Information's rendering of each teams' strength of schedule.)

We're going to hear a lot this week about the Green Bay Packers' first defeat, the chances of the Detroit Lions clinching a playoff berth and the future of the Chicago Bears following an increasingly disturbing four-game losing streak. We might even discuss the holiday week that is nearly upon us. (Six shopping days left!)

But while I make my way back to NFC North blog headquarters, let's make the rounds of local coverage around the NFC North:

• It's time for the Bears to bench quarterback Caleb Hanie, writes Dan Pompei of the Chicago Tribune.
• Jeff Dickerson of ESPNChicago.com agrees that Josh McCown should start Sunday night against the Packers.
• David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune: "I wonder if [Bears coach Lovie] Smith or anybody else at Halas Hall sees how much recent events have damaged civic confidence in the Bears."
• The Bears' defense has not been able to carry the team this month, writes Melissa Isaacson of ESPNChicago.com.
• Receiver Johnny Knox will undergo surgery Monday to stabilize a vertebra in his back, but his scary injury Sunday is not expected to threaten his career. Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun-Times has more.
• Mike Vandermause of the Green Bay Press-Gazette on the Packers' first loss of the season: "No one should be ashamed of their 13-1 record, and they remain on the brink of clinching home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. But what the Packers can't afford to do is continue playing like they did against the Chiefs and expect to advance very far in the postseason."
• Tom Oates of the Wisconsin State Journal: "But while there was no reason to mourn the passing of an undefeated season, there was something disquieting about the Packers being dominated by a down-and-out Chiefs team playing for a new coach (Romeo Crennel) and with a new quarterback (Kyle Orton). It was cause for alarm because the Chiefs exposed the Packers in ways no other team has. Not only did they show the rest of the NFL that the Packers can be beaten, they were kind enough to provide a blueprint for getting it done."
• The Packers' injury list is growing, writes Jason Wilde of ESPNMilwaukee.com.
• Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers on the offense's role in the loss: "They had a good plan and we didn't execute. They got to me and executed with the four-man rush. We didn't throw it well, we didn't catch it well and we didn't play well." Michael Hunt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has more.
• Bob Wojnowski of the Detroit News after the Lions' wild comeback victory over the Oakland Raiders: "This confirmed how quickly the Lions can travel from one end to another, and the precise way to do it. The path to the end zone goes from Matthew Stafford to Calvin Johnson, right down the field, right through the heart of the Raiders defense, right to the brink of the playoffs."
• Michael Rosenberg of the Detroit Free Press on Johnson's 214-yard game: "This was a performance for the ages, the kind that should shut up Johnson's three remaining doubters, two of whom just moved to a cave in South America."
• Lions safety Louis Delmas had arthroscopic knee surgery Saturday and missed his third consecutive game, notes Chris McCosky of the Detroit News. Lions cornerback Chris Houston returned from a knee injury but was obviously limited.
• Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh made another unsolicited apology for his two-game suspension and confirmed he apologized via phone to Packers guard Evan Dietrich-Smith for kicking him on Thanksgiving Day. The Detroit Free Press has more.
• Don't forget about a key 5-yard scramble Stafford made for a first down late in the fourth quarter, notes Philip Zaroo of Mlive.com.
• Tom Powers of the St. Paul Pioneer Press on the Vikings' one-sided loss to the New Orleans Saints, who outgained them 573-207: " On Sunday, the Vikings were manhandled so badly by the half-interested New Orleans Saints that Dec. 18 may go down in history as the day that hope died."
• Vikings defensive end Jared Allen, via Tom Pelissero of 1500ESPN.com: "At some point, you just have to say, 'What the heck? We're 2-12, what do we have to lose? Try to make every play.' A lot of people are probably going to get fired at this point anyways. What are you going to lose? Go out, make plays and try to put your best effort out there and win games."
• Quarterback Christian Ponder received a healthy dose of booing Sunday, according to Brian Murphy of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
• Dan Wiedrer of the Star Tribune uses these words to describe the loss: "Pitiful. Sickening. Bloodbath. Comical. Ridiculous. Predictable. Lethargic. Lousy. Typical."