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Yes, the start of training camps is two months away, but it’s never too early to consider the coming season. A look at the best-case and worst-case scenarios for the Detroit Lions in 2012.

Dream scenario (12-4): The team moves past its string of silly/immature problems, tightening up not only its off-field behavior but also its discipline on the field during games. Mikel Leshoure and Jahvid Best give the Lions a power/speed dimension in the backfield they lacked for most of last season. Rookie receiver Ryan Broyles' knee heals quickly enough to provide a legitimate fourth option among receivers and further spread out opposing defenses. Defensive tackle Nick Fairley realizes his playmaking potential and teams up with Ndamukong Suh to provide consistent and dominant interior play. Fairley, Suh, Cliff Avril and Kyle Vanden Bosch protect an undermanned secondary, and the Lions make big defensive plays against opponents that feel pressure to keep up with Detroit's offense.

Nightmare scenario (7-9): Best and Leshoure don't provide the balance the Lions hope for, either because of injuries or skill deterioration. Broyles takes longer than expected to return, Titus Young has a sophomore slump, and opponents flock to receiver Calvin Johnson. Left tackle Jeff Backus can't hold up for another season. Despite the formidable defensive line, the Lions can't cover for their secondary and give up too many big plays.

We reached the height of Suh-mania in early February, when a Forbes magazine poll revealed Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was one of America's most disliked athletes. Two of the three men ranked ahead of him -- Michael Vick and Plaxico Burress -- are felons. The third, well, was Tiger Woods.

During a quiet moment at the NFL scouting combine, a few reporters were speaking with Lions coach Jim Schwartz. How did it come to this? Schwartz laughed, shook his head and suggested that Suh had spawned the "first armchair defensive linemen" in the history of NFL observation.

"We've all heard of armchair quarterbacks," Schwartz said, "and everybody has a thought on game strategy and what a coach should do. Everyone sees if a quarterback is having success or not. But Ndamukong is probably the first [lineman] that has that kind of scrutiny, that has Forbes magazine looking at him. … The fact that they're talking about a guy like Ndamukong Suh shows you how different he is and the scrutiny that he does get."

Three months later, an amazing thing has happened. The Suh-as-a-monster theme has been eclipsed by the New Orleans Saints' bounty story, among other offseason discussions about the NFL's violent nature. Ndamukong Suh stomped a player? Well, Gregg Williams ordered his players to take aim at opponents' heads and knees. Checkmate!

Even in a team context, Suh suddenly seems the least of the Lions' problems after an offseason in which three members of their 2011 draft class have been cited for marijuana incidents and a fourth -- receiver Titus Young -- sucker punched teammate Louis Delmas during a confrontation last week.

From this vantage point, it appears Suh has been handed an extraordinary opportunity if he cares about it. (And based on his carefully orchestrated offseason, which included an in-depth personality profile with ESPN's Hannah Storm and an upcoming appearance on a reality dating show, I'm guessing he does.) Public crusaders have abandoned their camp outside Suh's locker to chase new offenders, leaving Suh to redirect discussion back to where he and the Lions want it: to his on-field performance.

Speaking to reporters Monday, Suh said 2012 is "a very important year" in terms of restoring and/or enhancing his reputation as one of the NFL's most formidable defensive tackles.

"Every year I want to outdo the previous year," he said. "My rookie year was good. Last year was indifferent. This year we have an opportunity to have an outstanding year."

By "indifferent," I assume Suh meant he doesn't have a strong opinion about a 2011 season that saw his sacks drop from 10 to four and his tackles from 66 to 36. He was a Pro Bowl alternate after being voted a starter, as well as a first-team All-Pro, as a rookie in 2010.

To me, the question is if Suh's performance really dropped by the same percentage as his tackles and sacks. Was he half the player in 2011 he was in 2010? And will he need to be twice the player in 2012 to match his original promise?

The answer, based both on the Lions' assessment and that of independent observers, is no. Suh did not make the same kind of statistical impact and didn't have an elite season in 2011. But it's only fair to point out the flaws in relying purely on sacks and tackles to evaluate a defensive lineman.

Earlier this winter, Schwartz went back and watched every play of Suh's season. Afterward, he said, "I had more appreciation for what he did."

Schwartz added: "There are a lot of guys that are judged on a lot of different things. Defensive players, the only thing you get judged on are tackles, sacks and interceptions. There's not a whole lot that goes into it. Offensive linemen, it's tough to quantify those positions. …

"There's a couple plays in there, had a great pass rush, quarterback threw the ball before he wanted to. He's free to the quarterback, the quarterback gets rid of the ball, throws an interception. No stat at all for a defensive lineman. No sack, anything that people in the media or fans can look at, but obviously that’s an impact play."

Indeed, Pro Football Focus credited Suh with more quarterback pressures -- 27 -- than any NFL defensive tackle last season.

To be clear, I'm not rationalizing what was a less impactful second season for Suh. I just think it's fair to note he wasn't rendered completely ineffective and point out he doesn't have to make a huge jump to return to elite status. It might be difficult to judge him based purely on sack totals, as the charts suggest, but mostly I think we should all take advantage of a moment in time when Suh's football exploits are the only points of relevance in our discussions about him. Armchair away!

We're Black and Blue All Over:

The Detroit Lions had a busy news day Monday. We noted both the charity of quarterback Matthew Stafford and the poor behavior of receiver Titus Young, but that left out plenty of other tidbits.

Running backs Jahvid Best (concussion) and Mikel Leshoure (Achilles) were both on the field, participating in a limited portion of the Lions' opening organized team activity (OTA) of the offseason. So was rookie receiver Ryan Broyles, who is six months removed from major knee surgery.

Middle linebacker Stephen Tulloch, meanwhile, didn't practice because of knee tendinitis and might not be back on the field until training camp. That's a bit of a disconcerting turn of events for a player so critical to the Lions' 2011 improvement, but keep in mind that Tulloch hasn't missed a game in his six-year career.

Continuing around the NFC North:

• Broyles didn't participate in all of the drills Monday but got a personal side session with Stafford and offensive coordinator Scott Linehan, according to Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press.
• Lions defensive tackle Nick Fairley showed off a new physique at Monday's OTA, according to John Niyo of the Detroit News.
• The 2012 season will be "very important" for Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, according to Justin Rogers of Mlive.com.
• Former Chicago Bears running back Garrett Wolfe is headed to the CFL, according to Jeff Dickerson of ESPNChicago.com.
• At some point, writes Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun-Times, the Bears will have to decide whether to give running back Matt Forte a "shut-up-and-play" deal.
• We discussed the possibility of the Bears acquiring tight end Kellen Winslow, but he ultimately was traded to the Seattle Seahawks, notes the Associated Press.
• Kendra Meinert of the Green Bay Press-Gazette has a review of Green Bay Packers receiver Donald Driver's turn Monday night on "Dancing with the Stars."
• The Packers termed it "simply speculation" that team president/CEO Mark Murphy has interest in the Stanford athletic director job, according to Rob Demovsky of the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
• Murphy once had interest in the job, writes Jason Wilde of ESPNMilwaukee.com, but not now.
• The Minnesota Vikings will soon have discussions with Minnesota State, Mankato, to create a long-term contract on training camp, according to Judd Zulgad of 1500ESPN.com.
• Martiga Lohn of the Associated Press examines the state funding mechanism for the Vikings' new stadium.
• Final passage of the bill by the Minneapolis City Council this week appears inevitable, writes Eric Roper of the Star Tribune.

Fans of NFC North teams might be aware of the Griese-Hutchinson-Woodson fundraising weekend, which includes a gala and a golf outing to benefit the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital. The headliners include former Minnesota Vikings guard Steve Hutchinson and Green Bay Packers cornerback Charles Woodson, both of whom played at Michigan along with former NFL quarterback Brian Griese.

Based on local reports, it sounds as if another NFC North player made a really nice charitable gesture during the Saturday auction. Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford bid $15,000 for a gift that included six tickets to the Lions' Oct. 22 game against the Chicago Bears on ESPN's "Monday Night Football," according to Angelique S. Chengelis of the Detroit News.

Stafford had already donated the tickets to the event and, along with his girlfriend Kelly Hall, had been sitting with a girl named Faith Falzone, who is scheduled to have surgery this week. Stafford plans to give the tickets to Falzone and her family.

In a text message to the News, Stafford said: "They have been through so much in the past couple years, and to see how much they all supported each other and faith through their tough times was really inspiring. I wanted to give them something they could really be excited about and something I know they deserved."

Hutchinson was particularly moved by Stafford's commitment to being involved in the Michigan community. Stafford is from Texas and played at Georgia.

"Let's be honest," said Hutchinson, who is now with the Tennessee Titans. "The state of Michigan hasn't gone through the greatest times with the economy and the jobs around here. To have a guy that's from Georgia get drafted by the Lions and be a very integral part of that team turning their franchise around and then to be able to come to a U-M event that he has no affiliation with and donate $15,000 and buy his own tickets that he donated and then give them to a family whose daughter is going to have surgery in the next couple days here ... you couldn't write a better fictional story if you had to."

This is not to single out Stafford as the only charitable player in our division. As we've noted before, Vikings running back Adrian Peterson donated $1 million to the University of Oklahoma last month. Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh has pledged more than $2 million to the University of Nebraska. And Woodson hasgiven $2 million to the Michigan children's hospital that benefited from this weekend's efforts.

But impact comes in all shapes, sizes and denominations. Stafford's gift will no doubt leave an intense impression on one family, giving it something to look forward to and cherish for some time.

We're Black and Blue All Over:

Ben of Frankfurt was among those who sent us a heads-up of European Internet reports that made for an unusual offseason note: A professional German football player traveled to Detroit this week for a tryout with the Detroit Lions, a relative rarity in NFL player procurement.

Receiver Christian Bollmann is scheduled to work out Wednesday, according to this press release from his New Yorker Lions team. (You'll need to run a translator program to read it, unless you know German.) Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press confirmed the workout, which was arranged by coach/general manager Phil Hickey, who has a relationship with Lions general manager Martin Mayhew dating to their time in the XFL.

Bollmann is 6-foot-5, 220 pounds and runs a 4.5 in the 40-yard dash, according to Hickey.

It's rare but not unprecedented for a player without American high school or college experience to get attention from the NFL. The league doesn't keep records of such things, but typically when European players make their way to the NFL, even on tryouts, they have some American experience.

The most recent example is defensive tackle Markus Kuhn, a German who attended North Carolina State before the New York Giants made him a seventh-round draft choice this year. Kuhn is one of three European-trained players to be drafted. The others are defensive tackle Sebastian Vollmer in 2009 by the New England Patriots and defensive tackle Romeo Bandison by the Washington Redskins in 1994.

Continuing around the NFC North:

• Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and tight end Tony Scheffler opened a gym in suburban Detroit, notes Birkett for the Free Press.
• Rod Beard of the Detroit News profiles Lions rookie running back Stephfon Green.
• The Lions placed running back Jerome Harrison on the non-football/reserve injury list as he continues to recover from a brain tumor discovered last fall. Harrison is not eligible to play in 2012, notes Anwar S. Richardson of Mlive.com.
• Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel looks at how the Green Bay Packers are adjusting to a shorter offseason.
• Weston Hodkiewicz of the Green Bay Press-Gazette speaks with Packers receiver Jordy Nelson before Nelson joins the team's Tailgate Tour.
• The Packers still own the NFL rights to defensive tackle Johnny Jolly, who is under indefinite suspension but was released from jail Tuesday. Jason Wilde of ESPNMilwaukee.com has more.
• The Minnesota Vikings signed defensive tackle Nick Reed and claimed offensive lineman Kevin Murphy off waivers, notes Tom Pelissero of 1500ESPN.com.
• The Chicago Bears signed third-round draft choice Brandon Hardin, completing negotiations with their draft class, notes Michael C. Wright of ESPNChicago.com.
• Bears receiver Alshon Jeffery changed his mind and has decided to attend the NFLPA Rookie Premiere presented by Nike, according to Jeff Dickerson of ESPNChicago.com.

Bill Polian's list of 10 pivotal players in the NFL this season includes Detroit Lions defensive tackle Nick Fairley. You'll need an Insider subscription to see the entire file, but here is what Polian wrote about Fairley:

Fairley could be the missing piece in making the Detroit defense dominant. If the big Auburn alum can reach his potential, a trio of him, Ndamukong Suh and the emerging Corey Williams could make the Lions' D-line extremely hard to handle up the middle and wreak havoc on the pocket (which will help an improving secondary).

Fairley

I still think the Lions need more from the running back position to be legitimate title contenders, but if Fairley steps up, an already improved defense will be taken to another level.

The most interesting part of the choice is that Polian didn't bother suggesting that one of the Lions' defensive backs needs to step it up, whether it's safety Amari Spievey or cornerback Aaron Berry or anyone else who might play a prominent role in improving the team's pass defense. Polian instead focused on the impact of strengthening what is already one of the NFL's more dominant defensive fronts.

That appears to be in line with the Lions' philosophy when you look at how they've focused their roster building in recent years. Over the past three years, they've committed big money to sign defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch and retain defensive end Cliff Avril. They've used the No. 2 overall pick in the draft to select Suh, and the No. 12 overall pick brought them Fairley.

On the other hand, the Lions did use the No. 33 overall pick of the 2009 draft to select safety Louis Delmas. But for the most part, they have cobbled together the secondary with second-tier moves (and players), knowing it would be protected by a more-talented defensive line. It stands to reason that Fairley's emergence in 2012 would only enhance that approach.

Earlier: The Lions have high expectations for Fairley now that he is recovered from a foot injury he originally suffered last summer, despite a recent marijuana charge.

We're Black and Blue All Over:

Let's take a break from our (relatively) serious coverage of the Minnesota Vikings' stadium bill to note some highly significant intersections of the NFC North and reality television.

First, Green Bay Packers receiver Donald Driver made it through another week on "Dancing with the Stars" and is headed to the semifinals of the competition. I guess that means we'll need to ramp up our "DWTS" coverage. Via Twitter, Driver said: "I want to bring the Mirror Ball to Titletown." The question now is if Titletown is ready for the Mirror Ball.

Meanwhile, EW.com reports that Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh is part of a new celebrity dating show on Fox called "The Choice." New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is also a cast member.

Whether this appearance fits into Suh's offseason image repair plan remains to be seen.

With that, let's continue around the NFC North:

• The Packers expect to have all of their draft choices signed this week, according to Rob Demovsky of the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
• Packers cornerback Charles Woodson was in Washington, D.C., for the annual White House correspondent's dinner, but he told ESPN 540 in Milwaukee that he has no interest in politics as a post-playing career.
• Free agent running back Ryan Grant canceled a visit to the Detroit Lions because of "economic issues," according to his agent via Jason Wilde of ESPNMilwaukee.com.
• The Detroit Free Press has a look at the cover of "Madden NFL 13" with Lions receiver Calvin Johnson front and center.
• Andy Hoag of Mlive.com has the latest on former Lions receiver Charles Rogers' legal woes.
• Lions receivers coach Shawn Jefferson has some strong feelings on the issue of post-career depression among NFL players, as Chris McCosky of the Detroit News found out.
• The Chicago Bears agreed to terms with two more draft picks, tight end Evan Rodriguez and cornerback Greg McCoy, notes Michael C. Wright of ESPNChicago.com.
• Dan Pompei of the Chicago Tribune thinks the Bears should bring back Tommie Harris as a reserve defensive tackle.
• The Vikings' head athletic trainer isn't ready to say that tailback Adrian Peterson will be ready to play in Week 1, notes Dan Wiederer of the Star Tribune.
• The Vikings hosted free agent linebacker Rocky McIntosh on a visit, according to Judd Zulgad of 1500ESPN.com.

As we noted earlier, Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson is visiting ESPN Headquarters for the proverbial Car Wash treatment. Here is a podcast of his visit with ESPN's Radio's "The Herd with Colin Cowherd."

Johnson said he enjoys the bad-boy image the Lions bring to opposing stadiums. Laughing, he said: "With [Ndamukong] Suh on the team, we're getting booed."

He also suggested defense as the Lions' top priority in the upcoming draft.

"I feel we have the pieces on offense and pieces on defense," he said. "But I feel the better the defense can be, the more unstoppable we can be. We can put up points as long as we stay healthy."

This is supposed to be quiet time in the NFL, when teams hunker down to prepare for the draft while its cast their gaze (temporarily) toward the Final Four, the looming NBA playoffs and the start of the baseball season. So naturally we spent the past few days buried in excitement (or lack thereof) over the league's new Nike uniforms, reports of a low Wonderlic score for a top draft prospect and then the revelation of audio that took the New Orleans Saints' bounty story to a new level.

So it goes. Your thoughts are always welcome via the mailbag, Twitter and Facebook. I read everything and respond when I can. Including right now….

VikingQuest channels his inner Johnny Drama and has this to say about reports of LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne's score of a 4 (out of 50) on the Wonderlic: Wow, did you miss the boat. Again. Claiborne's Wonderlic score being leaked should ABSOLUTELY outrage you. It has NOTHING to do with the 32 teams or his draft status. It has to do with his public perception, and this will make him appear "stupid," which I have heard he is not. Public perception is a HUGE part of these kids' lives. Has nothing to do with the draft. Lots of people will now think less of him and MANY of those people won't follow where he's drafted. It's embarrassing to him, I'm sure. And it's NONE of our business what his Wonderlic score was. Especially when Roger Goodell already made it clear that this info was not to be leaked.

Kevin Seifert: For those who didn't see our post on the topic, I wasn't outraged by a leak of information that is widely disseminated within the league -- but would be if Claiborne's draft status dropped as a result. The Wonderlic is one of countless tools the league uses to evaluate prospects, but most football people will point to the tape of Claiborne's college career and declare him the best cover corner available this year. Nothing about that changed this week, I hope.

Team officials have known the results of the Wonderlic for months. What would be truly outrageous is if anyone passed on him to avoid ridicule from a populace who now knows his scores. I can only assume that was the intent of the person or people who leaked the information in the first place.

But with that said, I don't think we need to fall over ourselves trying to protect Claiborne. I understand that the NFL pledges privacy to those who take the test, out of sensitivity to the very reaction his score has caused. Independent media members, however, aren't bound by the league's rules. If some reporters decided not to use the information, so be it. But Claiborne is a man and is headed toward to the top of his chosen profession. He doesn't need the media to protect him.

His score was the lowest by a draft prospect in at least 12 years, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. It's a fact of his pre-draft evaluation. The test ostensibly measures intelligence, but like any standardized affair, it's not unheard of for practice and preparation to elevate scores.

Regardless, if the test is important enough for the NFL to administer, the results are newsworthy whether or not the league releases them. Then it's important to note the appropriate context, namely that Wonderlic scores alone have never correlated with NFL success. Sometimes it's important to understand the level of a player's intelligence and/or test-taking ability. But in the case of Claiborne, the rest of his evaluation is so off the charts that the Wonderlic shouldn't affect his draft status. At least, it better not.

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Brent of Madison, Wis., has a different take on the issue: They say that Wonderlic tests are private but I think they should be public. If it's a state school I think that they should be tested and the results published. If not, why even have the illusion that they are going to class or trying and just make college football minor leagues for the pros?

Kevin Seifert: Schools and athletic programs are held to some statistical standards when it comes to the success of players in the classroom. But the Wonderlic wouldn't be a fair tool for that.

I wouldn't expect schools to raise intelligence levels. If you want to judge players and schools, perhaps better tools would be graduation rates and grade-point averages. Those statistics generally make their way into the public eye.

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Bruce of Plymouth, N.H., notes my mention of two seven-figure donations from NFC North players to their respective colleges and reminds me of a third: Don't forget Charles Woodson's $2 million dollar donation (2009) to a children's hospital in Michigan.

Kevin Seifert: Yes, of course. The Green Bay Packers' cornerback made his donation to help build the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital near his University of Michigan. The other players, of course, were Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh (Nebraska) and Minnesota Vikings tailback Adrian Peterson.

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Corey of Knoxville, Tenn., writes: In a player's contract, can a team work in a clause about substance abuse? For example, if the Lions were to draft Janoris Jenkins, could they insert a clause that if he gets caught breaking the substance abuse policy, then he is no longer eligible for any escalators or something along those lines?

Kevin Seifert: Not specifically, no. The NFL and NFL Players Association have agreed on the substance-abuse policy for disciplining players and protecting teams from drug abuse. Jenkins and every other player would be classified confidentially in the program. Positive tests would lead to increasingly tough penalties, including fines and suspensions. With that said, a team can have generic playing-time escalators and other devices that obviously wouldn't be reached if a player is suspended as part of a positive test.

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Mike of Eau Claire, Wis., notes that the Packers acknowledged last year that receivers creating a "reverse bounty" for dropped passes last season and writes: Not exactly a bounty as it was not done by the Packers or coaches, but not too far removed. I see a distinction but I wonder if this might be too close to the line now being drawn.

Kevin Seifert: Yes, as ESPNMilwaukee.com's Jason Wilde reported last season, Packers receivers organized a system where a $100 Best Buy card was contributed for every dropped pass. That's a little different than a bounty system, and certainly much less harmful. But if the players eventually disbursed the cards to each other, it would technically count as what Goodell referred last month as "non-contract bonus payments."

These payments, even if they're a fraction of a player's base salary, circumvent the salary cap and could open the door to larger stakes in the future. Moving forward, Goodell has required each team to certify that no players receive non-contract bonus payments. Regardless, given the heightened tension of this issue, Packers players should find a non-financial way to hold each other accountable moving forward.

We're Black and Blue All Over:

While most of the NFL world was focused on one of the dirtiest stories in league history Thursday, the University of Oklahoma announced a $1 million pledge from Minnesota Vikings tailback Adrian Peterson. It's the second seven-figure college donation by an NFC North player in recent years. Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh has pledged more than $2 million to the University of Nebraska.

Peterson's pledge came about eight months after he signed a record-breaking contract extension that included $36 million guaranteed. According to a school press release, the funds will go toward construction of a privately financed housing facility and also create a football scholarship endowment.

Peterson is rehabilitating from a major knee injury and recently resumed running. He has set a goal to return to the field in time for the first game of the 2012 season.

Continuing around the NFC North:

• The White Earth Nation has offered a deal to provide $400 million for a new Vikings stadium in exchange for legislative permission to build a metro casino, according to the Star Tribune. The state is currently planning its $398 million contribution to come from electronic pull-tab revenue.
• The Vikings are facing a grievance of unknown cause from defensive tackle Kevin Williams, according to Tom Pelissero of 1500ESPN.com.
• A new Milwaukee Brewers advertisement featuring Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers will debut every three weeks, according to Jason Wilde of ESPNMilwaukee.com.
• The Chicago Bears signed cornerback Jonathan Wilhite on Thursday a few hours after inking cornerback Kelvin Hayden. Jeff Dickerson of ESPNChicago.com has more.
• The Bears are likely to add a safety at some point before training camp, notes Vaughn McClure of the Chicago Tribune.
• Former Detroit Lions receiver Charles Rogers turned himself in to authorities Thursday after two warrants were issued seeking his arrest. Andy Hoag of Mlive.com explains.
• The Lions lost linebacker Bobby Carpenter to the New England Patriots, notes the Associated Press.

If you were plugged into social media Tuesday morning, chances are you were overwhelmed with discussion on the NFL/Nike uniform announcement. I would say that a few key marketers are getting hefty, hefty bonuses.

I can report to you that, as expected, none of the NFC North teams changed the essence of their uniforms.

The photo in this post shows Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher, Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, Green Bay Packers tight end Jermichael Finley and Minnesota Vikings receiver Percy Harvin in their 2012 attire.

You'll notice that the Bears' jersey has the television numbers on the shoulder, rather than the sleeve, and Nike reported that the "GSH" patch honoring George S. Halas will remain a part of the uniform. The Lions' pants don't have quite as much shine, and in some cases there is a new "flywire collar." It's also worth noting that each player in the photograph has shoes that match his team's primary color. Previously, players wore white or black shoes.

For now, at least, the change to Nike has impacted material and technology more than anything. If you want details on that, be sure to check out Nike's website. At the moment the site is quite slow, but eventually this link will take you to the Vikings' page. There is a scrolling mechanism at the bottom to take you to any of the 32 team pages.

Yeehaw!

We're Black and Blue All Over

PALM BEACH, Fla. -- We've arrived at the final day of the 2012 NFL owners meetings, one that might be the busiest from an NFC North perspective.

There is a 7:15 a.m. ET breakfast with NFC coaches, and I'll do my best to circulate among Lovie Smith, Jim Schwartz, Mike McCarthy and Leslie Frazier without spilling orange juice all over myself. I'll then endeavor to give you a blog post from each interview session, while saving some of the information for later posts, and by midday we should get word on any rule changes approved by NFL owners before the meeting has adjourned. An early-evening flight back to blog headquarters is also on the docket.

I know we've been a little light on Chicago Bears coverage here, but they've been quiet from a news perspective and sometimes life isn't fair. Hang in there.

Continuing around the NFC North:

• The Bears' shift to general manager Phil Emery has been a "smooth transition," according to Smith via Dan Pompei of the Chicago Tribune.
• Bears receiver Brandon Marshall is still well liked by former Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan, writes Sean Jensen of the Chicago Sun-Times.
• Detroit Lions general manager Martin Mayhew has had trade discussions about veteran players while at the owners meetings, writes Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
• Mayhew said he has never been part of a team that put up money for big hits, writes Chris McCosky of the Detroit News.
• Mayhew admitted he told defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh to slow down after a recent traffic ticket, notes Philip Zaroo of Mlive.com.
• Jason Wilde of ESPNMilwaukee.com speaks with former Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin, now the Miami Dolphins coach, about his decision to move his family immediately to Miami after the death of his son, Michael.
• Free-agent defensive end Dave Tollefson will visit the Packers at the end of the week, according to Rob Demovsky of the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
• Nine of the Packers' 12 draft picks will come on the final day of the draft, notes Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
• The Minnesota Vikings lobbied owners and then made a presentation of their stadium situation Tuesday at an afternoon session, according to Tom Pelissero of 1500ESPN.com.
• Political support for the stadium in the Minnesota state legislature is tenuous, writes Mike Kaszuba of the Star Tribune.

PALM BEACH, Fla. -- In the midst of the early glimpses into the New Orleans Saints' bounty program, this nugget escaped us on the blog: Former Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy suggested that the Tennessee Titans had a bounty on quarterback Peyton Manning during the time when Jim Schwartz was their defensive coordinator.

It was at least the second time that Dungy had indirectly criticized the Detroit head coach in a public forum; the first came last November when Dungy said the Lions needed to do a better job of keeping defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh under control.

During a break Tuesday at the NFL owners meetings, Schwartz was asked if Dungy's newest criticism was accurate: Did the Titans have a bounty on Manning during that time period?

Schwartz's initial response: "I don't have any comment on what Tony Dungy said."

Schwartz, however, went on to speak extensively on the distinction between encouraging aggressive, legal play and organizing illegal bounties. He suggested public discussion on the Saints' program has lumped too many unrelated practices together and said his intent has always been to elicit "a big hit within the rules."

Like many defensive coordinators, Schwartz said he awarded players with a lacquered baseball bat, and later boxing gloves, for the biggest legal hit in a game when he was with the Titans. Many special-teams coaches, he said, print T-shirts with aggressive mantras on the front.

"There's a big difference between that and cash bonuses and bounties and things like that to put people out of the game," Schwartz said. "I think people focus more on the exception rather than the rule."

I agree that, in some segments of this debate, the lines have blurred between aggressive players and players who have been incentivized with cash to injure players with cash. The former is a part of the game. The latter should never be. It's wrong to view the two in the same light.

"This is a game that is meant to be played with a physical nature," Schwartz said. "You're trying to hit guys as hard as you can. You're not trying to get penalties and not doing anything to encourage penalties."

The Detroit Lions have accomplished the difficult, complicated and expensive task of retaining the core of the team that lifted them to their first playoff appearance in a decade. The final domino to fall was middle linebacker Stephen Tulloch, who agreed to a five-year contract hours before his potential replacement was scheduled to visit the team's practice facility.

Tulloch's deal means that 21 of the Lions' 22 offensive and defensive starters from last season are now under contract. The exception is cornerback Eric Wright, whom the Lions wisely chose not to pursue once the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offered him a pricey five-year contract worth $37.5 million.

Otherwise, however, the Lions systematically took care of business over the past month, navigating a tight salary cap situation by using most every tool at their disposal. At times, it required premium cash outlays that not every NFL team would commit to.

In summary, the Lions:

• Restructured the contracts of quarterback Matthew Stafford, receiver Nate Burleson and defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, freeing up some $16 million in cap space.
• Used the franchise tag to prevent the departure of defensive end Cliff Avril, a move that in essence guarantees Avril a one-year deal worth $10.6 million.
• Issued a second-round tender to linebacker DeAndre Levy, essentially giving him a one-year deal worth $1.927 million.
• Took a $1.6 million cap credit as their share of an NFL discipline that took cap space away from the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys.
• Freed up about $9 million more in cap space by extending the contract of receiver Calvin Johnson. For the moment, at least, Johnson is the NFL's highest-paid player with an eight-year deal worth a total of $132 million, of which $60 million is guaranteed.
• Re-signed left tackle Jeff Backus to a two-year deal worth $10 million.

Although it took the longest, Tulloch's agreement was no less important than any of those we just ran through. Tulloch made a substantive impact on the Lions' defense as both a leader and a sure tackler. He proved exceptionally durable, playing on all but 19 of their defensive snaps in 2011, and provided a true fixture that allowed Levy to play a more a natural role on the outside.

Negotiations stalled to the point where the Lions scheduled free agent David Hawthorne for a visit. (Funny how the timing often works.) In the end, however, the Lions have managed to keep together their best team in a generation, and now they can look for ways to supplement it through secondary free agency and the draft.

Given how fluid this time of year is, I once again mined the mailbag for questions and topics that didn't figure to be impacted by breaking news over the weekend. You can get in touch with me via the mailbag, Twitter or our nearly full Facebook page.

Onward….

Mark of San Diego writes: I've seen several columnists comment on the high amount of drops Brandon Marshall has had in his career, but they all mention in almost the same breath how many targets he gets. Is there a chart someplace (like maybe a future blog post) that shows drops as a percent of targets?

Kevin Seifert: That's a good and fair question, Mark. Statistics are always more valuable when viewed in context, and it stands to reason that the more passes a player is thrown, the more likely he'll have a higher number of drops.

The raw number, according to ESPN Stats & Information, is that Marshall has dropped 26 passes since 2008, the third-highest total in the NFL over that stretch. I don't have his total targets over that stretch, but I can give you a glimpse into his drop percentage over the past two seasons and how that fits into the league rankings.

In 2010, Marshall had a drop percentage of 8.5, which ranked 60th in the NFL that season. That means 59 receivers caught a higher percentage of the catchable passes thrown their way.

In 2011, Marshall's drop percentage was 6.9, ranking him No. 52 in the league.

In this case, the percentage confirms what the raw numbers suggest. Marshall's drops weren't only a function of his high involvement in the Miami Dolphins offense. He missed more catchable passes than dozens of other NFL receivers.

To be clear, that shouldn't take away from Marshall's accomplishments as one of the league's most productive receivers over that period. The percentages merely give us a broader view of his performance.

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Matt of Appleton, Wis., is curious about the long-term salary cap implications of Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson's new contract.

Kevin Seifert: Johnson signed what is technically an eight-year, $132 million deal. Deals that long often get restructured before the end, but usually teams at least leave the first three years intact before going back at it.

To that end, former agent Joel Corry provided a three-year cap breakdown for the National Football Post. The deal will count $11.5 million against the cap in 2012, $12.2 million in 2013 and $12.2 million in 2014, according to Corry.

It's never ideal to have a player count more than $10 million against the cap, especially in the case of the Lions, who have three players -- Johnson, quarterback Matthew Stafford and defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh -- who will always have high cap numbers because they were top draft picks under the previous NFL system for rookie contracts.

But remember, Johnson was going to count $22 million this season against the cap, and if he received the franchise tag, $26.4 million in 2013 and $31 million in 2014. Considered that way, his new cap charges seem quite reasonable.

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Eric of Fariview Heights, Ill., isn't satisfied with our explanation for why the Minnesota Vikings didn't participate more actively in the opening days of free agency. Carl Nicks is 26 and probably if not absolutely is the best guard in the league. A five year deal helps Ponder and Peterson, neither of which are getting protected. Talks with an aged, twice injured TE is more important than a top WR signing? Explain! So we want Percy Harvin, John Carlson, and Kyle Rudolph clogging up the middle? Where is our deep threat? How can you write an article defending not going after Nicks, a top receiver, OR one of the top cornerbacks? I mean seeing how we've been HORRIBLE in the secondary... It's a joke. Let's hear the true talk on this inactivity please!?

Kevin Seifert: That's fair. First I'll give you a rundown of what I would guess the Vikings were thinking, and then I'll offer my own comments.

Six years ago, the Vikings signed Steve Hutchinson to the biggest contract for a guard in NFL history. Historically, however, NFL teams don't like to devote cap space to the guard position. There are too many instances of success when inserting younger, cheaper players into those jobs while spending your money on left tackle and center. Hutchinson, the Vikings thought then and now, was a once-in-a-generation player.

Rather than devoting $47.5 million to Nicks over the next five years, the Vikings figure they can move Charlie Johnson to left guard. Johnson signed a three-year, $10 million contract last summer. He might not perform to Nicks' level, but is the difference between Nicks and Johnson worth, say, twice or three times the salary cap space? The Vikings didn't think so.

The same goes for cornerback. The Vikings will get the promising Chris Cook back on the field in 2012, which is an automatic upgrade from what they finished with. I can only assume that they didn't think any of the cornerbacks available on the market, most notably Brandon Carr and Cortland Finnegan, were worth the $10 million annual salaries they eventually received.

As for Carlson, none of us can pretend to understand whether he is a risk for injury moving forward. Beyond that, the Vikings saw him as a polished 27-year-old pass-catcher who could make their offensive more dynamic. Does he solve all of their problems, including the deep threat issue? No. But that doesn't mean he can't help.

General manager Rick Spielman said last week that the team wasn't "one player away" from contending for the Super Bowl. That's one of the reasons the Vikings weren't more aggressive. A fair counterargument, of course, is this: What if they are? What if quarterback Christian Ponder develops quickly, and tailback Adrian Peterson returns to form and the offensive line improves with the presumed drafting of Matt Kalil?

In that case, the Vikings would be vulnerable in their otherwise unaddressed secondary, and a chance to have a better-than-expected season could be quashed. I'm fine with the Vikings sitting out the crazy receiver market. I do question if they're going to be able to field a competitive defensive secondary, but we'll withhold final judgment until the full players acquisition period is complete.

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Grayson of Roseville, Calif., writes: Why wouldn't the Packers have made a play for Mario Williams? I know they don't often do anything in free agency but Williams seems too good to pass up, like Reggie White and Charles Woodson were. It makes so much sense!

Kevin Seifert: It makes sense from the standpoint of the Packers needing a pass rusher (or two) and Williams is the best pass rusher on the market. Williams has more experience as a 4-3 end rather than a 3-4 outside linebacker, but perhaps the idea of playing opposite Clay Matthews -- and the presumably favorable matchups that would go with it -- might have been enough to lure him to the Packers.

But as we noted during the week, the Packers aren't really in position to start handing out $100 million contracts to free agents -- at least, not if they plan to re-sign a trio of players who are in line for extensions. Matthews, receiver Greg Jennings and quarterback Aaron Rodgers could have their deals addressed in the next calendar year. I'm guessing the Packers prioritized them over any free agent.

With that said, it doesn't mean the Packers couldn't afford to investigate other free agent pass rushers. I wouldn't be opposed to them pursuing Kamerion Wimbley, whom the Oakland Raiders released Friday.