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No NFL team claimed former Green Bay Packers cornerback Al Harris on waivers, according to the National Football Post, and he is now a free agent and available to sign anywhere at any time.

In retrospect, it makes perfect sense to pass on a waiver claim for a 35-year-old cornerback a year removed from major knee surgery. Any interested team can bring Harris in for a physical and/or workout before signing him.

The Post, which counts Harris’ agent as a founding partner, reported that six teams are interested and several are already in negotiations. One NFC North was among the original interested parties. I'm guessing it was the Detroit Lions, who released cornerback Jonathan Wade on Tuesday to make room for new place-kicker Dave Rayner. Starting cornerback Chris Houston is dealing with a dislocated shoulder.

There has been some speculation that the Vikings would be interested, but coach Brad Childress downplayed that possibility Monday. So did Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith. Stay tuned.

The Green Bay Packers' decision to release cornerback Al Harris was "not a physical decision," coach Mike McCarthy said Monday. Instead, McCarthy said, "this is a big-picture roster decision."

Translation: The Packers didn't have much use for a reserve cornerback who wouldn't be a special-teams contributor and might hinder the development of a younger player.

Harris obviously wasn't going to reclaim his starting job from Tramon Williams, and the Packers like what they've seen from rookie nickel back Sam Shields. So at best, Harris would have been the Packers' dime back assuming everyone ahead of him remained healthy.

Every team has its own philosophy in roster building, and the Packers lie on one extreme of the spectrum. Whether you like it or not, the Packers almost always use young players to fill out the back end of the roster in hopes they will one day develop into starters. That pipeline produced Williams, Shields, linebacker Desmond Bishop and others.

Teams rarely turn loose good cornerbacks, however, so you have to wonder if McCarthy wasn't just being nice when he said he has "no doubts" that Harris can still play. Remember, Harris suffered a much worse knee injury a year ago than originally believed. But if the Packers truly do believe Harris can still play, then they are a rare team which has jettisoned a cornerback who is at least serviceable because he doesn't fit their roster profile. Moreover, they were willing to overlook last season's personnel disaster at the position in making this move.

If you recall, the Packers lost Harris, Brandon Underwood, Pat Lee and Will Blackmon to season-ending injuries and entered the playoffs with a patchwork group. Even an aging Harris would have some value this season if they experienced another personnel shortage.

"We feel this is the best path for us," McCarthy said. "There is a lot of different variables involved, and those were all discussed. ... The course we've taken, particularly at corner and the whole secondary, all the players involved, the other responsibilities that the players also have, this is the decision we made."

Like all veteran players released after the trading deadline, Harris is now subject to waivers. He told Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he believes he could land with an NFC North team.

The Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings all have varying needs for a cornerback. The Lions might be the most needy, and they have the best position among division teams on the waiver wire. It's also worth nothing that Harris and Vikings quarterback Brett Favre remain close friends. Let's take a closer team-by-team look:

Chicago Bears

Starter Charles Tillman has been struggling, and the Bears could move to a rotation situation when Zack Bowman (foot) returns to the field. But with Tim Jennings starting on one side and D.J. Moore providing strong depth, the Bears are pretty well set at both spots. *Update: Coach Lovie Smith said Monday he is pleased with his current depth.

Detroit Lions

Starter Chris Houston dislocated his shoulder Sunday against the New York Jets, and the Lions have banished former starter Jonathan Wade to the dime position. Alphonso Smith is starting at one position on the other side, and on Sunday, Brandon McDonald was serving in the nickel role. The Lions have been relying on Nate Vasher for depth, but Harris would certainly be an upgrade over Vasher.

Minnesota Vikings

Starter Cedric Griffin is out for the season, and teams have picked on replacement Asher Allen. Rookie nickel back Chris Cook has been uneven, and the Vikings have two veteran free-agent pickups -- Lito Sheppard and Frank Walker -- playing in the dime. Based on that depth, Harris could start or at least play nickel for the Vikings. *Update: Coach Brad Childress said Monday that "I don't know if there is a spot for us right now in that area."

We're Black and Blue All Over:

Thursday, I threw out this thought on Twitter: "Will keep saying it. Childress, not foot, is Favre's biggest obstacle." So goes the prevailing sentiment about how the Minnesota Vikings will determine if quarterback Brett Favre will play Sunday against the New England Patriots.

The Star Tribune reports that while Favre thinks he can play with two fractures in his left foot, coach Brad Childress is leaning toward sitting him and starting Tarvaris Jackson. Childress has said several times that his job sometimes calls for him to protect people from themselves, a reference to Favre perhaps being blinded by his history and not realizing how hurt he is. But Childress is also well-known to be upset with Favre's 14 turnovers and tendency to veer from the offensive scheme this season.

This could all change Friday, the day Favre has targeted to return in some form to practice. By doing so, Favre could remove all doubt about this weekend -- one way or the other -- by his Friday performance. I know some of you aren't thrilled with how heavy we've covered this story, but to me it's a pretty big deal when a quarterback could potentially miss his first start in 292 games -- especially when we don't know if it will be because of injury or a coach's decision.

Continuing around the NFC North:

• There is a "near-comical dichotomy" in the actions of Favre and Childress this week, writes Tom Pelissero of 1500ESPN.com.
• Jeremy Fowler of the St. Paul Pioneer Press: "For all the talk about Brett Favre's turnovers and the lack of production at wide receiver, the Vikings are 2-4 partly because of these averages for 12 opening drives this year: 4.5 plays, 13.58 yards, 2:55 time elapsed."
• The odds don't look good for Green Bay Packers defensive linemen Cullen Jenkins and Ryan Pickett playing Sunday against the New York Jets, according to Jason Wilde of ESPNMilwaukee.com.
• Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tells the story of how defensive lineman Howard Green arrived in Green Bay.
• Rookie Bryan Bulaga is playing well enough at right tackle that he might not relinquish the role to injured veteran Mark Tauscher, writes Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
• Detroit Lions cornerback Jonathan Wade might have found a home as the team's nickelback, writes Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
• John Niyo of the Detroit News profiles Lions kick returner Stefan Logan.
• Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune: "Rod Marinelli has fit the role of coordinator well as the Bears' third in as many seasons. You never would think this is a first for him in the NFL."
• The numbers show improvement in the Bears' defense, writes Jeff Dickerson of ESPNChicago.com.
• The Chicago Sun-Times looks to assess blame for the Bears' sack total.

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Some sharp passing from quarterback Aaron Rodgers has given the Green Bay Packers a two-touchdown lead (21-7) midway through the second quarter over the Detroit Lions.

Rodgers threaded a needle to hit tight end Jermichael Finley for a 13-yard touchdown pass and later found a wide-open Donald Driver for 48-yard gain. The latter pass set up a 17-yard scoring toss to receiver Greg Jennings, a ball Rodgers drilled over the head of Lions cornerback Jonathan Wade.

In all, Rodgers has completed eight of his first nine passes for 131 yards and three touchdowns. His only incompletion was a pass thrown out of the end zone.

We’ll have some additional thoughts at halftime.

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

Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 2:

The Dallas Cowboys better get their nickel defense ready, because the Chicago Bears are a three-receiver offense. That's what we expected when Mike Martz took over as offensive coordinator, and it played out in Week 1 against the Detroit Lions in an obvious way. Receivers Johnny Knox, Devin Hester and Devin Aromashodu were all in the starting lineup, and the Bears had three receivers on the field for 71.4 percent of their plays, according to ESPN's Stats & Information. In addition, they were in that set on 83.7 percent of their passes. Quarterback Jay Cutler averaged a strong 8.4 yards per attempt on plays when three receivers were on the field. It will be an interesting matchup because, like the Minnesota Vikings, the Cowboys have only three true cornerbacks on their active roster: Terence Newman, Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick.

The Vikings miss receiver Sidney Rice in many ways, but none more than when quarterback Brett Favre is under pressure. Rice was Favre's most dependable safety valve when blitzed last season, and the Miami Dolphins would be wise to test his ability to adjust Sunday at the Metrodome. According to ESPN's Stats & Information, Rice caught 80 percent of the passes Favre threw his way last year when facing a blitz. In the Sept. 9 season opener, the New Orleans Saints blitzed Favre on 13 of 28 dropbacks. Favre completed just three of those 13 passes, including 1-of-6 to receivers Bernard Berrian and Percy Harvin. The Dolphins would be silly to sit back in coverage.

Attention, Minnesota defense: Play close to the line of scrimmage, especially when the Dolphins are in the red zone. According to ESPN's Stats & Information, Dolphins quarterback Chad Henne hasn't had much luck throwing into the end zone in his career. Since the start of last season, Henne has completed only 20 percent (five of 25) of those passes. It's obviously not the easiest pass to throw, and for some perspective, you should realize Favre has led the NFL over that stretch with a 53.8 completion percentage on passes into the end zone. But with Henne, you're much more likely to see a shorter pass that asks the ball carrier to zip into the end zone.

Ryan Grant's season-ending ankle injury removed a player who took at least some attention from Green Bay Packers tight end Jermichael Finley. After his strong second half of last season, Finley entered 2010 as arguably the Packers' top offensive weapon. The Philadelphia Eagles certainly approached him that way with regular double-teams, and occasional triple-teams, during last Sunday's 27-20 Packers victory. The Buffalo Bills have no reason not to follow the same pattern, especially when the Packers take the field without a proven running back on their roster. I realize we're talking about running games and passing games here, but ultimately the Bills have one less player to keep track of in the Packers' offense. Grant might not have been a world-beater, but he reliably picked up yards. Will backup Brandon Jackson do the same? That's uncertain. If possible, Finley will be more of a marked man this Sunday.

As much as I like the Detroit Lions' defensive line, I'm not confident in the team's chances against Eagles quarterback Michael Vick. Unless the pressure is sudden and fierce, Vick has a pretty good chance of escaping the pocket against any team. And if he does that against the Lions, Vick will be off to the races against a hobbled and unproven back seven. Even if middle linebacker DeAndre Levy plays, he is nowhere close to 100 percent because of a groin strain. The same goes for safety Louis Delmas. And the Lions still have two starters -- safety C.C. Brown and cornerback Jonathan Wade -- playing with a fractured forearm and finger, respectively. The Lions' best hope is to get to Vick before he gets out of the pocket.

Long-time blog readers know that I typically circle back Friday morning on our Have at It topic. I plan on continuing that schedule this season, but Thursday night's game in New Orleans temporarily set me back. So, better late than never, right?

Some of you were taken aback by the sharp nature of our topic for Week 1, typically a time for sunshine demeanors and happy thoughts. (Ba, humbug.) I wanted to know who you thought will get the best of the matchup between the Chicago Bears' still-developing offense and the Detroit Lions' still-undermanned defense Sunday at Soldier Field. I called it an occasion of a completely resistible force confronting a highly movable object, and Tdbuddah was the only one hung up by that analogy:

"I always wondered, what about a mass of salt and a mass of water? The salt dissolves into the water, right? So aren't they occupying the same place at the same time?"

Luckily, Behr-34 set the topic straight: "No. They are not. The spaces they are occupying are infinitely smaller due to the salt dissolving into its individual atomic masses, but each element's atoms still do not occupy each other's space. They move around and next to each other, but do not occupy the *same* space."

Thanks, Behr-34, for edumacating all of us. Now, for the topic at hand....

My sense is that you're pretty split on that state of both teams. Benmzion was among many who downplayed the significance of any ineptitude we might have seen during the preseason: "I understand that there isn't much to go on, at this point, but can we stop pretending that anything the Bears or anyone else did in the pre-season matters? There is literally no correlation at all between preseason performance and performance during the regular season. Concerns arising from the fact that they looked bad in preseason are meaningless."

But there is a difference between overlooking preseason performance and buying into rhetoric suggesting the Bears didn't use the good parts of their offense this summer in order to maintain the Week 1 surprise factor. I'm sure their calls were vanilla, but many of you noted the execution of what they did run was still poor.

Wrote Realfootballisplayedongrass:

I think its possible the Bears were holding back some of their offense and maybe putting players alone on an island just to see what they could do and how they would react, but I really doubt that when their offense comes out in game one it will be a completely different result.

The Bears need to gel fast on offense so why would they not work on a majority of their offense in live action against a real opponent? I also don't think the Lions improvement at D. line can improve other positions a whole lot, I'm sure it will help but even the best defensive line can't make up for inexperience and lack of skill.

That said, many of you aren't ready to believe the Lions' talented line can cover for the rest of the defense in a substantial way. Wrote sonealcti "I think people are giving way too much credit to the 'new look' Lions defensive line. Sure, the players are of a higher caliber than were on the line last year, but the new version still has a lot of potential holes.

"Corey Williams is a journeyman who has been traded multiple times and has been unable to settle in successfully as either a 4-3 tackle or a 3-4 defensive end. Kyle Vanden Bosch is disciplined and a high-motor guy. Great -- he also has 7.5 sacks combined over the last two seasons. Cliff Avril was there last year, and Ndamukong Suh remains a question mark until he actually does something in the NFL.

"So I'll take the Bears on this one, and I don't think it will be close."

That assessment was pretty harsh, I thought. Williams was a good 4-3 tackle with the Green Bay Packers. He flamed out in Cleveland because he's not really a 3-4 end. And I think we all know Suh is going to be special. RestoreTheRoarMan thinks the group will be plenty against a team in flux like the Bears: "I think if there's any game this year where the Lions secondary will look good, due to the Dline creating pressure, it will be this game. My only question is how many sacks/hurries Jay Cutler gets."

My take? My gut keeps telling me this game will be a shootout for both sides. No matter how disjointed the Bears offense seemed this summer, you have to take the fact of the Lions' defense into account. They'll be playing without middle linebacker DeAndre Levy, and three of their starting defensive backs are playing with significant injuries. Safety Louis Delmas has a sore groin, cornerback Jonathan Wade has a fractured finger and safety C.C. Brown has a fractured forearm.

I do think the Lions' defensive line will create some havoc for Cutler. But it will have to be overwhelming and constant to cover for a back seven that is as limited as the Lions appear. I think the Bears should get the better of that matchup. But more than anything, I'm on board with Bigwalt2990, who wrote, simply: "Can't wait for Sunday."

Every Friday, NFL teams are required to classify each injured player's availability for the next game. And so traditionally on this blog, we take that occasion to translate the information as best we can. The big Week 1 news is that Detroit Lions linebacker DeAndre Levy (groin) appears awfully, awfully unlikely to play against the Chicago Bears.

Let's get to it:

Chicago Bears: The only player at risk is safety Craig Steltz (ankle), who participated fully in Friday's practice but is still listed as questionable. At most, Steltz would be a special teams participant Sunday against the Lions. Linebacker Lance Briggs (ankle), who missed practice earlier in the week, is listed as probable and will definitely play. The same goes for tight end Desmond Clark (ankle).

Detroit Lions: Levy never practiced this week and is listed as doubtful. Veteran Landon Johnson is expected to start in his place. Safety Louis Delmas (groin) has been limited in practice but is expected to play. Safety C.C. Brown (fractured forearm) and cornerback Jonathan Wade (fractured finger) are both probable and will play with heavy padding.

Green Bay Packers: Cornerback Brandon Underwood (shoulder) was declared out. The only other players at risk are linebacker Desmond Bishop (hamstring) and defensive lineman Mike Neal (side). They're listed as questionable, but neither participated in practice on Thursday and Friday. That's not a good sign. Linebacker Brady Poppinga (knee) returned to practice Friday and is probable. Linebacker Clay Matthews (hamstring) had full participation all week.

Some NFC North teams will continue tweaking their rosters over the next 24 hours, but for the most part, what you see is what you're going to get for Week 1 games. In that vein, let's take a look at some random but interesting (to me) trends we're seeing. Some of the observations are mine, and I've given credit to those who came up with the others:

1. Of the 53 players on the Bears' roster, only 23 of them were drafted by the team over the past seven years. Seven drafts should form the foundation of any team, but for the Bears it represents only 43 percent of the roster. (Source: Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune)
2. The Bears did bring back 2009 draft pick Juaquin Iglesias to the practice squad. The same could not be said for defensive lineman Jarron Gilbert.
3. The Green Bay Packers have more fullbacks (three) than tailbacks (two) on their roster. I can only assume that John Kuhn, Korey Hall and Quinn Johnson will participate heavily in special teams. The Packers had hoped to bring back Kregg Lumpkin on their practice squad to serve as a quasi-No. 3 runner, but Lumpkin was claimed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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Andrew Weber/US PresswireSafety Louis Delmas is the only Lions defensive back who was on the roster last season.
4. By reaching an injury settlement with Will Blackmon and releasing Jason Chery, the Packers left themselves with no obvious kick returners. If that's their biggest problem, I'm not too worried about it. But in the short term, it looks like Jordy Nelson or possibly Brandon Jackson could fill the role. *Update: Coach Mike McCarthy said Monday that Tramon Williams and Greg Jennings are options at punt returner.
5. The Detroit Lions have turned over their entire secondary with the exception of safety Louis Delmas. Every other defensive back is new to the team this year. (Source: Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.)
6. To put a bow on a couple of trades: The Minnesota Vikings received a 2011 fifth-round pick and a conditional 2012 seventh-round draft pick from the New York Giants in return for quarterback Sage Rosenfels and kick returner Darius Reynaud. Meanwhile, the Lions and Denver Broncos exchanged undisclosed draft 2011 picks to complete the Alphonso Smith-Dan Gronkowski trade.
7. In announcing their waiver claim of former Green Bay tight end/linebacker Spencer Havner, the Lions listed him as a linebacker. That makes perfect sense considering the Lions' strong depth at tight end and thin situation at linebacker.
8. The Lions currently have five players listed as cornerbacks on their roster: Smith, Chris Houston, Jonathan Wade, Aaron Berry and Amari Spievey. But Spievey has been working at safety the past few weeks, and Berry is a rookie who missed much of training camp because of a hamstring pull. Your guess is as good as mine right now about who will fill the nickel and dime roles.
9. The Vikings are in a similar situation. They have three cornerbacks on their active roster, and even if they bring someone in over the next day or so, it's hard to imagine him participating Thursday night at New Orleans. You figure Antoine Winfield, Lito Sheppard and Asher Allen will make up the nickel package. But who will the Vikings play if they need a sixth defensive back? At this point, it will have to be one of their backup safeties.

Check here for a full list of Detroit's's roster moves.

Biggest surprise: Veteran cornerbacks Dre Bly and Eric King were among six cornerbacks released. The Lions' secondary was hardly exemplary during the preseason, but you figured Bly or King would make the team to provide some level of veteran presence. As it stands now, the Lions' cornerbacks include starters Chris Houston and Jonathan Wade, rookie Aaron Berry and newcomer Alphonso Smith. I'm not saying it was a mistake to cut Bly and King. Just a bit surprising. Defensive tackle Landon Cohen, meanwhile, saw the Lions overhaul his position in the offseason, but seemed to make enough plays in training camp and during the preseason to earn a roster spot. Instead, his spot went to Andre Fluellen. Finally, the Lions chose Aaron Brown over DeDe Dorsey for the final running back spot. Dorsey made two big plays in the preseason finale, but coaches chose Brown's speed and potential special teams contribution.

No-brainers: I give the Lions credit for releasing linebacker Vinny Ciurciu. He entered training camp as a player focused on special teams, but spent most of it filling in for injured middle linebacker DeAndre Levy. Ciurciu hasn't played much linebacker in his career, and unfortunately for him, the extended time revealed that he wouldn't be able to hold down the position should he be called on in a relief role during the season.

What's next: The Lions need to settle their secondary following this weekend of flux. Who is their nickel back? What about the dime? Will rookie Amari Spievey remain at safety or move back to cornerback to provide more depth? The team is also going to need to spend some more time looking for depth at linebacker. It wouldn't be a surprise to see them focus at that position over the next few days.

Before anyone starts doing cartwheels over the Detroit Lions' latest swindle/trade, let's remember one thing: Good cover cornerbacks are never, EVER reasonably available when under contract. You can get them, but it almost always requires a ridiculous contract on top of premium trade terms.

The Lions had to do neither Saturday afternoon in order to pry Alphonso Smith away from the Denver Broncos. Instead, general manager Martin Mayhew sent No. 4 tight end Dan Gronkowski to the Broncos. And that's it. As of now, at least, there are no indications that the Lions included any draft picks for Smith, who was the No. 37 overall pick of the 2009 draft. *Update: Reports are emerging that the Lions might send a low-round pick to Denver to complete the deal. We'll bring it to you officially when it is announced.

It's rare that a team gives up on a highly-drafted cornerback after one year. It was especially painful for Denver which, as my AFC West colleague Bill Williamson recently pointed out, traded its 2010 first-round pick (No. 14 overall) to jump back into the second round in 2009 to draft Smith. But he was buried deep on the Broncos depth chart this summer and would have been released were it not for this trade.

That said, Mayhew had every reason to make this trade. Even though Gronkowski had a strong preseason, there was little chance he would play in a tight end group that includes established veterans Brandon Pettigrew, Tony Scheffler and Will Heller. Cornerback is a much more important position than tight end, and the Lions' need there is acute.

Chris Houston and Jonathan Wade finished the preseason as the starting cornerbacks, with Eric King working at nickel. But Smith will get every opportunity to turn around his career in Detroit, at minimal cost to the Lions. Advantage, Detroit.

As we enter the final week of the preseason, position battles and depth chart competition should be nearing their conclusion. No clear answers generally means trouble. So with that timing in mind, let's take a look at the key summer issues in each NFC North locale:

Chicago Bears
Unsettled positions: Both safeties and strongside linebacker
Comment: The safety issue will come down to how quickly rookie Major Wright can return from a fractured finger. If it's soon, he could be the free safety with Chris Harris at strong. If not, the Bears might have to patch the position together with Harris at free safety and Danieal Manning or Craig Steltz on the strong side. Meanwhile, Nick Roach seemed to have the linebacker job won before having knee surgery. Can Pisa Tinoisamoa hold him off?

Detroit Lions
Unsettled positions: No. 2 cornerback, strong safety
Comment: Jonathan Wade held down the cornerback job in camp until a finger injury knocked him from the lineup. Eric King or Dre' Bly could be his short- and/or long-term replacement. C.C. Brown was the first-team strong safety for most of camp, but his hand was in a cast last week. Randy Phillips has been the primary replacement, but fellow rookie Amari Spievey was moved from cornerback to safety last week.

Green Bay Packers
Unsettled positions: Left guard and punter
Comment: Daryn Colledge won the left guard job by default after a hip flexor slowed rookie Bryan Bulaga. Tim Masthay appears to have an edge on Chris Bryan in the punting battle, but the Packers will take the competition through the end of the week.

Minnesota Vikings
Unsettled positions: No. 2 cornerback, strong safety, center, third-down back
Comment: Rookie Chris Cook appears on the brink of beating out Lito Sheppard and Asher Allen for the right cornerback job. Tyrell Johnson is trying to hold off Jamarca Sanford at safety. That battle is too close to call. The Vikings are worried that center John Sullivan's calf injury has put him too far behind to be ready for the Sept. 9 season opener at New Orleans, leaving them to decide whether to play backup Jon Cooper or move over right guard Anthony Herrera. The Vikings have rotated Adrian Peterson, Toby Gerhart and Albert Young in the third-down role and might use a combination when the season begins.

Who knows what evil lurks in the heart of preseason Week 2? Your NFC North blogger knows …

Chicago Bears
Opponent: Oakland Raiders
Location: Soldier Field
Date/Time: Saturday, 8:30 p.m. ET
Personnel notes: Starters are expected to play into the second quarter. Those who won’t play include receiver Earl Bennett (hamstring), safety Major Wright (finger), quarterback Caleb Hanie (shoulder), safety Craig Steltz (ankle), and possibly long-snapper Patrick Mannelly (stinger). Tight end Desmond Clark would handle Mannelly’s long-snapping duties if necessary.
Focal point: Normally, established starting quarterbacks don’t need -- or want -- much preseason work. I’m thinking that’s not the case for Jay Cutler, who is still learning an intricate new offense. I’d like to see Cutler make much more than the two passes he threw in the preseason opener in San Diego. Let’s see how comfortable he is throwing to receivers other than Johnny Knox, and whether he’ll react better to pressure than he did last season.

Detroit Lions
Opponent: Denver Broncos
Date/Time: Saturday, 9 p.m. ET
Personnel notes: Starters could play into the second quarter. Safety Louis Delmas (groin) has said he would like to play, but the Lions might not take that risk. The same goes for tight end Brandon Pettigrew (knee) and running back Kevin Smith (knee). Cornerback Jonathan Wade (finger) won’t play. Middle linebacker DeAndre Levy (back) is expected to make his preseason debut.
Focal point: Coach Jim Schwartz said this week that there will be a big emphasis on evaluating special teams, including return men. “Kickoff and punt return, I think we’re going to need to really do a good job of putting guys in positions and maybe creating some positions to put them in and things like that, and just see how they do,” Schwartz said. “That’s going to be a big part of the evaluation of a lot of these guys.”

Green Bay Packers
Opponent: Seattle Seahawks
Location: Qwest Field
Date/Time: Saturday, 10 p.m. ET
Personnel notes: Starters will play about the same as they did last weekend, or about 20 plays. Among those who could be sidelined are linebacker Clay Matthews (hamstring), safety Will Blackmon (knee) and running back Kregg Lumpkin (hamstring.)
Focal point: Sorry. It’s unlikely the Packers will spice up their defensive looks in response to last week’s soft performance against the Cleveland Browns. “I think it’s important not to rely too much on scheme and really stay focused on the fundamentals,” coach Mike McCarthy said. “Last year was a totally different mindset for us because we were going from a totally different defensive scheme to more of a pressure scheme. It wasn’t the schematic volume that was important in preseason, it was the ability to play pressure football in live game. That’s why we pressured as much as we did last year. It wasn’t as much as the different schemes we were trying to play against the preseason opponents as to develop that mindset, that speed, to get the pressure off the ground. The volume for this game, we’re more focused on how we’re playing specifically, the details we’re playing with within the schemes.”

Minnesota Vikings
Opponent: San Francisco 49ers
Location: Candlestick Park
Date/Time: Sunday, 8 p.m. ET
Personnel notes: Starters will play at least the first quarter, with quarterback Brett Favre taking the first series or two before yielding to Tarvaris Jackson. Middle linebacker E.J. Henderson will start for the first time since fracturing his left femur last December. Players who won’t participate include center John Sullivan and receivers Sidney Rice (hip) and Percy Harvin (migraines).
Focal point: In some ways, the Vikings began training camp Wednesday when they finally got Favre on the field. But with Rice, Harvin and Sullivan still sidelined, their offense represents a work in progress. I’m guessing Favre wants to get a few throws in and then get the heck off the field.

We're Black and Blue All Over:

Thanks to everyone for their patience during what was a wild Tuesday afternoon in the NFC North. Brett Favre's return to Minnesota forced us to cancel our weekly SportsNation chat, which I promise to make up later this week, and veered us from our division-wide mission for one day.

I'll be at the Vikings' Winter Park practice facility Wednesday afternoon, having taken the team's statement that "media availability with QB Brett Favre is to be determined" as quasi-confirmation that he has in fact been reinstated to the roster. But we'll also resume coverage of the entire division, beginning with our morning spin.

Suamico72 -- who, like me, never sleeps but unlike me is counting consecutive FavreWatch posts -- will be so disappointed.

• After a few swings and misses, the Chicago Bears brought in free-agent quarterback Matt Gutierrez for a visit as a potential short-term replacement to injured backup Caleb Hanie. ESPNChicago.com's Jeff Dickerson has more.
• The "turbo" gear of Bears tailback Matt Forte has been evident in training camp, writes Sean Jensen of the Chicago Sun-Times.
• Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune: "Frank Omiyale's adventure at right tackle has been much smoother than a year ago, when the Bears inserted him at left guard. Omiyale graded out well in Saturday's exhibition opener, and the Bears are hoping that will serve as a building block for the offensive line. He looked more comfortable and natural, even if he's more accustomed to the left side, after struggling to play with proper leverage a year ago."
• Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press: "Last week in the middle of training camp, when tired legs and body aches were beginning to set in, Turk McBride gave the rest of the [Detroit] Lions defensive linemen a pick-me-up by hanging stuffed monkeys in their lockers."
• Lions coach Jim Schwartz had to cut Tuesday's practice short because of "an acute personnel shortage in the secondary," according to Chris McCosky of the Detroit News. Here is McCosky's rundown of the injury list: Cornerbacks Jonathan Wade (finger), Dre Bly (thigh), Aaron Berry (hamstring) and Jack Williams (knee), and safeties Louis Delmas (groin), Dante Wesley (unspecified) and Ko Simpson (knee). Safety Randy Phillips also left the field because of dehydration.
• Rookie Lions defensive end Willie Young flashed enough promise in last Saturday's preseason opener at Pittsburgh to make veteran end Jason Hunter expendable, writes Tom Kowalski of Mlive.com.
• The Green Bay Packers' fluid situation at outside linebacker has yet to clear itself up, writes Rob Demovsky of the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
• The Packers passed on signing free-agent tailback Brian Westbrook, who ultimately landed in San Francisco, writes Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
• Uh-oh. Oft-injured Packers defensive lineman Justin Harrell experienced tightness in his back Tuesday and sat out both practices, according to Jason Wilde of ESPNMilwaukee.com.

We're Black and Blue All Over:

Although backup quarterback Caleb Hanie's right shoulder injury isn't deemed serious, it appears the Chicago Bears aren't taking any chances. According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, the Bears are attempting to sign veteran free agent Todd Collins as insurance to starter Jay Cutler.

The Bears also reached out to retired veteran Trent Green but were rebuffed. Although Collins has never played for offensive coordinator Mike Martz, he learned a similar scheme while in Kansas City under former coach Dick Vermeil.

I know there was plenty of talk about the Bears signing a veteran backup this offseason, but I'm not sure I would read the Collins situation as a signal that Hanie won't regain his job when healthy. The Bears are in a tough predicament here. Rookie Dan LeFevour hasn't gotten much work with the offense in camp and wouldn't be ready to back up Cutler if needed. The same would be true of a so-called camp arm who had no familiarity with the Martz scheme.

Collins, on the other hand, could step in on a short-term basis with much less preparation. Let's just see how this goes.

Continuing around the NFC North:

• Green is entrenched as a broadcaster and uninterested in returning to the field, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
• The Bears are hoping for a quick recovery from rookie safety Major Wright, writes Bob LeGere of the Daily Herald.
• It was surprising to see the Bears make three special teams mistakes Saturday night at San Diego, writes Jeff Dickerson of ESPNChicago.com.
• Minnesota Vikings receiver Sidney Rice (hip) doesn't appear close to returning to practice, according to the Star Tribune, but he did work on change-of-direction drills for the first time Monday.
• It's another "typically atypical August" for quarterback Brett Favre, writes Tom Pelissero of 1500ESPN.com.
• The Green Bay Packers are waiting for running back Ryan Grant (concussion) to be cleared by a neurologist before he returns to practice, according to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
• Jason Wilde of ESPNMilwaukee.com: "Brandon Jackson doesn't know how long this will last -- perhaps only until Tuesday night -- but as long as the Green Bay Packers' running back ranks are this thin, then he's going to enjoy every overworked minute of it."
• Packers rookie Bryan Bulaga continues to split time at left guard with starter Daryn Colledge, writes Kareem Copeland of the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
• Detroit Lions cornerback Jonathan Wade is dealing with a fractured finger, writes Tom Kowalski of Mlive.com.
• Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh dealt with double-teams in the preseason opener at Pittsburgh. Tim Twentyman of the Detroit News has more.
• Lions defensive end Cliff Avril has made substantial progress this summer, according to the Detroit Free Press.

ESPN.com NFL Power Ranking (pre-camp): 29

ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- If the measure of a good team is roster stability, then, well, we know where the Detroit Lions stand. General manager Martin Mayhew and coach Jim Schwartz spent most of their first year together operating like an expansion franchise, using their roster to sift through dozens of nomadic no-names and aging veterans while effecting a near-weekly rotation at a half-dozen positions -- left guard, defensive end, cornerback and safety chief among them.

So as they reported to training camp this summer, the Lions were hoping to slow that train and accelerate the installation of permanent building blocks in their lineup. Schwartz remains realistic about the job ahead of him but is certain the Lions are pointing in the right direction.

"Hope isn't a strategy," Schwartz said. "You need good players. I think what we proved last year is that we weren't ready to accept sub-par performance. We were willing to make changes and things like that. I think that was an important statement to make. In a perfect world, all of our positions would be solidified and you would feel good about it every week. Probably 32 NFL teams are going to be dissatisfied with a couple positions ... but I think the sign of a good team is having less spots that you look at and say, wow, what are they going to do there?"

After a few days at Lions training camp, it was evident the Lions are not there yet. But they're closer than they were last year, having upgraded at receiver, running back, tight end, left guard and along the entire defensive line. Questions remain at linebacker and in the secondary, but the Lions are working methodically to narrow that gap.

"We have a big sense of urgency," Schwartz said. "I don't want to say we've been patient. We just haven't deviated from our plan and we haven't gone too much for immediate gratification."

THREE HOT ISSUES

1. Can Matthew Stafford make the jump the Lions need? Stafford's rookie season wasn't unusual for a highly drafted quarterback. Playing on a bad team, he threw 20 interceptions in 10 games. Injuries cost him six starts. But after surrounding him with receiver Nate Burleson, tight end Tony Scheffler and running back Jahvid Best, the Lions are expecting a much more positive second-year experience.

Stafford spent the early part of the offseason studying the causes of each interception, concluding that the majority of them were "trying to make a play when it wasn't there," he said. He added: "A lot of them were on third-and-long. I've got to be better on third-and-long to trust our backs, to throw a checkdown and let him run and go get it. I have to know that the best teams in this league are 35 percent [conversion rate] on third-and-long. Not everybody's making it every time. The goal this year is to stay out of those as much as possible."

The potential is there. Stafford has spent the entire offseason working with receivers, putting a special emphasis on developing chemistry with Calvin Johnson. He has taken every first-team snap in practice and has a set of skill players that can rival other NFC North offenses.

"We have a lot of weapons this year," he said. "It's up to us to get some rhythm and get it going."

2. Can an overhauled defensive line compensate for uncertainty at linebacker and safety? I like to compare the Lions' defense to an episode of "Hoarders." When Mayhew and Schwartz opened the front door, they found a mass of junk. So they picked one corner, the defensive line, and starting digging their way out.

As training camp opened, the Lions had NFL-caliber starters at right end (Kyle Vanden Bosch) and nose tackle (Corey Williams), along with a potential superstar in defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. But remember, the Lions are the only team since the 1970 merger to finish with the NFL's worst defense in three consecutive years. In order to move up significantly in those standings, they'll need their line to be so good that it overshadows inexperience at linebacker and another year of patchwork in the secondary.

"If this defense is going to be good, it's going to be on us up front, and we're just going to have to wreak havoc," Vanden Bosch said. "We're going to have to bring energy to every practice and we're just going to have to keep on pushing each other and make improvements."

As we discussed earlier this week, it's schematically possible for an elite pass rush and strong run-stoppers to reduce the strain placed on other positions. Based on how the rest of the Lions' defense is shaping up, they'll need nothing less.

3. Can the Lions expunge what safety Louis Delmas referred to as a "ho-hum attitude?" If you're keeping track, the Lions have lost 31 of their past 33 games and 37 of their past 40. You often hear about new attitudes in training camp, so take this for what it's worth. After jettisoning a number of veteran players this offseason, Delmas said that now "everyone wants to be here and they want to learn." He added: "That's something I don't think we had last year. Guys were just here. The coaches are motivating us to go out there and get better. We've got a great attitude."

As for low expectations among national observers, Stafford said: "I don't think anyone here believes that. They play the games for a reason. The season hasn't started yet. Everybody is 0-0. Come the first Sunday, it's go out there and prove it and see what we can do."

BIGGEST SURPRISE

Tight end Brandon Pettigrew tore an anterior cruciate ligament on Thanksgiving Day 2009. A little more than eight months later, Pettigrew was back on the field doing much more than at least I would have expected. He's practicing at least once per day and participating in some contact drills, even while wearing a brace on his knee.

If he has a hitch in his gait, it's barely noticeable. And on at least one play this week, Pettigrew displayed enough speed to get past linebacker Julian Peterson and catch a nice seam pass from Stafford. "He's had a really good rehab and we don't want to set him back by trying to do too much too soon," Schwartz said. At this rate, it seems quite reasonable to expect Pettigrew to be ready for a significant role in the season-opening game at Soldier Field. That has to be the best-case scenario the Lions could have imagined when the injury first occurred.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

Two key parts of any defensive improvement the Lions will have this season weren't on the field for any part of the five practices I watched. Delmas hasn't practiced since the spring because of a groin injury that Schwartz said has healed but impacted his conditioning. But Delmas is an "established" player who probably could get away with missing a portion of training camp after starting 15 games last season. Linebacker DeAndre Levy, however, needs every practice rep he can get while making the permanent transition from the outside to the middle. Levy reported to training camp with tightness in his back, and he was pulled from practice this week. There is no long-term concern at this point, and the Lions must hope nothing develops. At this point, there are no viable internal options to turn to. Levy's backup is veteran Vinny Ciurciu, an undersized career special-teams player.

OBSERVATION DECK

• Burleson signed a five-year, $25 million contract in the offseason that included $11 million in guaranteed money. Then, in one of the first meetings of the Lions' reconfigured receiver position, Burleson stood up to speak. "There's a lot of things that can get between players when new guys come along, especially when money's involved," he said. "So I made an announcement that I've been in the league long enough to know, as a guy who just got paid, I'm going to play a lot. So my goal is to prove I'm worth more than what they paid me. I'm here for the team, not to pat myself on the back." In part because No. 1 receiver Calvin Johnson is so quiet, Burleson has taken on the leadership role of this group.
• Johnson is hopeful that coverages will loosen on him this season, but it will require players like Burleson making big plays to do it. Burleson doesn't think it will be a problem. "My goal is to come in and make enough plays to where Calvin will get more single coverage and Bryant [Johnson] will make plays," he said. "You hear about [Terrell Owens] and Chad [Ochocinco] in Cincinnati. I'm going to say firsthand that we will be the most-respected receiving corps after it's all said and done." Wow.
• Suh is one serious man. During a news conference to announce his arrival to camp, a reporter asked a pretty standard first-day question for a top draft pick: "What are you going to treat yourself to after becoming a millionaire?" Most players bite and say they bought a new car, or a house for their mother or some such splurge. Suh? Here's what he said: "I'm treating myself to getting on this field and getting ready." OK then.
• Vanden Bosch makes it a point to touch the ball on every practice play from scrimmage. Sometimes that happens at the line of scrimmage. But whether the play comes directly toward him or goes 30 yards downfield, he chases without fail. If that means sprinting 40 yards, so be it. Although the Lions didn't necessarily sign Vanden Bosch for that reason, he sets an excellent example for a historically moribund defense. "You don't get any points for that," Schwartz said. "But if I was a professional football player, I would hope that I would practice and I would play the way Kyle Vanden Bosch does. I think it is contagious for sure and I think that it's tremendous leadership. I think it makes the running backs better. The running backs are now finishing their runs deeper down the field because they don't want him catching them."
• Right tackle Gosder Cherilus, the Lions' No. 1 draft pick in 2008, might be down to his final chance to lock down a permanent starting job. He's sharing repetitions with veteran Jon Jansen, and a decision might not come until the end of the preseason.
• Linebacker Zack Follett is on his way to locking down the weakside linebacker job a year after he nearly cost himself his career with a poor showing in training camp. "I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off," Follett said. "This year, it's 100 percent different."
• Poor Chris Houston. As the Lions' erstwhile No. 1 cornerback, Houston finds himself lined up against Johnson in 1-on-1 drills more often than not. That's not even fair. I saw Houston make some decent plays against other receivers, suggesting he deserves to be on the field as a starter. But few teams have a true No. 1 cornerback, and the Lions aren't one of them.
• With Delmas injured, the same four players made up the first-team secondary during my visit: Houston and Jonathan Wade at cornerback, with C.C. Brown and Marvin White at safety. One thing I'll say is that Wade is feisty, even if he is a bit undersized. Delmas noticed the same thing. "He gave up a big play on Calvin," Delmas said. "And then he came back to us as a group and said, 'We can't do that! I can't do that!' Then he went out and didn't give up another big play. In order to be one of the best secondaries in the NFL, we have to start with that."
• In an earlier post, I suggested that rookie receiver Tim Toone had looked sharp and ranked him no worse than No. 4 among the Lions' receivers. In the comments section, some of you suggested that second-year receiver Derrick Williams was having a better camp than I gave him credit for. All I can say is that every time I looked, Williams was dropping a pass while Toone was catching one. Regardless, there is a long way to go for both players.
• One beneficiary of Suh's holdout was second-year defensive tackle Sammie Hill. Schwartz said Hill "has taken the biggest step that I've seen him take." Assuming those weren't just kind words for a player destined to cede his first-team status to Suh, this development offers the Lions a level of depth they didn't have last season.