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We're Black and Blue All Over:

We've already covered the latest arrest of Detroit Lions defensive tackle Nick Fairley. So the other story of note that emerged over the extended Memorial Day weekend was a brief dustup over the Chicago Bears' possible motivations for driving a hard bargain with tailback Matt Forte.

As you know, the sides have been haggling for more than a year on the terms of a multi-year extension, and Forte is currently retained by the franchise tag. David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune suggested that wear on Forte's knees has left the Bears unable to "rule out arthritis setting and becoming a chronic problem…."

Haugh notes that Forte has torn the posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee while playing at Tulane and suffered sprains to both knees during his NFL career. But both Forte and his agent fired back in the ensuing days.

Via Twitter, Forte posted a video of what appeared to be a recent workout with this message: "100Lbs sled up hill i think my knee will be ok."

Agent Adisa Bakari issued this statement to ESPN's Josina Anderson: "Matt Forte is among the most, if not the most, durable, all-purpose running back in the NFL. The 2011 season was the first season of his career that he missed any games. Had the Bears been playoff contenders, he could have returned for the balance of the season. To question his durability at this stage in his career is absurd."

The best way to view this episode is that it was inevitable. Forte has been one of the Bears' top players in recent years and from the outside, there aren't any obvious explanations for why he doesn't have a new deal yet. It's only natural to expect reporters to seek answers, something that routinely happens during the course of a long negotiation. Eventually the truth will come out, if it hasn't already.

Continuing around the NFC North:

• The Bears' offense could look a lot like the Minnesota Vikings' offensive from 2002-05, when current offensive coordinator Mike Tice was the Vikings' head coach, explains Dan Pompei of the Tribune.
• In a column about the Lions' offseason, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press writes that receiver Titus Young was "apathetic" during early offseason workouts.
• Anwar S. Richardson of Mlive.com examines the Lions' secondary in a weekend mailbag.
• Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh is ready to help the Lions' younger players on the field, according to Carlos Monarrez of the Free Press.
• Rob Demovsky of the Green Bay Press-Gazette looks at the Green Bay Packers' likely decision to make Marshall Newhouse their new left tackle.
• It appears a matter of when, not if, receiver Donald Driver returns to the Packers with a restructured contract, according to Jason Wilde of ESPNMilwaukee.com.
• Don Walker of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel examines Driver's newfound marketability.
• Jeremy Fowler of the St. Paul Pioneer Press goes behind the scenes of former Vikings guard Scott Kooistra's recovery from a serious neck injury suffered last summer.
• In case you missed it, the Minneapolis City Council formally approved the Vikings' new stadium bill last Friday, notes Judd Zulgad of 1500ESPN.com.

We're Black and Blue All Over:

We all know most NFL players stay on the field when they suffer mild injuries. But over the weekend, two from the NFC North pushed through in quite unbelievable fashion before getting a serious postgame diagnosis.

We've already discussed Green Bay Packers linebacker Frank Zombo, who fractured a shoulder blade during pregame warm-ups but still saw significant action in the Packers' preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals. Zombo could miss the season.

Now, as Tom Pelissero of 1500ESPN.com reports, we know that Minnesota Vikings guard Scott Kooistra suffered an injury to the C-2 vertebrae near the top of his spinal cord after starting against the Seattle Seahawks. As of Monday night, he was hospitalized in stable condition in the Seattle area. The Vikings, who might have called upon Kooistra as their starting right guard while Anthony Herrera rehabilitates his knee, have already placed him on injured reserve.

And you think preseason football doesn't mean anything to anyone? Wow.

Continuing around the NFC North:

• The Vikings agreed to terms with Georgia running back Caleb King, who wasn't selected in Monday's supplemental draft. Mark Craig of the Star Tribune has more.
• Bob Sansevere of the St. Paul Pioneer Press catches up to Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder.
• I guess I was wrong about the performance of the Chicago Bears' defense in Monday night's 41-13 preseason loss to the New York Giants. Here's what Bears coach Lovie Smith said, via Michael C. Wright of ESPNChicago.com: "Defensively, we haven't played a game like that in a while. We pride ourselves on great third-down defense. We had two third-and-long situations that they converted on and made the touchdowns. Takeaways, we didn't have any. At the end, it doesn't matter who is out there. If you have on a Chicago Bear uniform, you need to make the play."
• Bears receiver Roy Williams is on "cruise control," writes Jeff Dickerson of ESPNChicago.com.
• The Bears weren't happy with safety Major Wright's missed tackle on Brandon Jacobs' touchdown run, notes David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune.
• The Bears' offensive line took a step forward, writes Dan Pompei of the Chicago Tribune.
• Green Bay Packers linebacker Clay Matthews' hamstring injury is mild and he expects to play Friday night against the Indianapolis Colts, writes Jason Wilde of ESPNMilwaukee.com.
• Packers defensive end Mike Neal on his string of injuries, via Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: "It's just frustrating. It gets old. Everybody has their two cents to throw in, but I'm just taking it in stride. One thing I hate is 'injury prone.' People label you injury prone. You can't help injuries. I would give anybody my contract to see them line up and do what we do and say they can't get hurt."
• The Packers are happy with their no-huddle offense, writes Rob Demovsky of the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
• Detroit Lions receiver Titus Young practiced again Monday, but his body language at the end suggested his hamstring injury is still bothering him, writes Chris McCosky of the Detroit News.
• Kick returner Stefan Logan is seeing more practice time with Lions running backs, notes Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press.
• Lions safety Louis Delmas "still brings the noise," writes John Niyo of the Detroit News.
• Lions coach Jim Schwartz isn't worried about winning preseason games, writes Tom Kowalski of Mlive.com.

We're Black and Blue All Over:

Most of the consternation surrounding the Minnesota Vikings' offensive line has focused on the left tackle position, where newcomer Charlie Johnson has made only fits and starts of progress and most recently allowed a scary blindside sack of quarterback Donovan McNabb in Saturday's preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks.

But Tom Pelissero of 1500ESPN.com points out another simmering issue: right guard, where the Vikings have started two different players this preseason and still aren't sure when presumptive starter Anthony Herrera will be ready to go. Herrera is nine months removed from surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament and predictably had a tough first few days back in practice last week.

Chris DeGeare started the first preseason game and journeyman Scott Kooistra started Saturday night.

The Vikings' first-team offense has accounted for three points in the first two preseason games. When healthy, Herrera is a feisty run-blocker who gets by on competitive juices and raw desire. It's clear the Vikings have planned for his eventual return, but the timing yet isn't clear.

Continuing around the NFC North:

• Jeremy Fowler of the St. Paul Pioneer Press grades the Vikings at the midpoint of the preseason.
• Vikings rookie quarterback Christian Ponder, via Judd Zulgad of the Star Tribune: "I think the biggest thing has been getting used to the speed of the game and on top of that learning this offense and building team chemistry. I think the biggest adjustment is the windows aren't as open as they were in college, and you have to make the reads a lot faster and get the ball [out] a lot quicker than last year. It's an adjustment, and I'm part of that learning curve right now but it's been fun."
• Jason Wilde's profile of Green Bay Packers cornerback Charles Woodson at ESPNMilwaukee.com includes this thought from Woodson on his coverage: "It's funny [that] people say my coverage has slipped, but they ignore everything else that I do. I mean, what else do you want me to do? I give everything I have out there on the field, and if you're sitting here telling me I'm getting beat every play [in coverage], then you're wrong. I go out there and play any way they want me to play because that's what I like to do. Sure, yeah, they could sit me out there on the edge all game. Then what? Yeah, they could waste me out there if they wanted to, but why? Then everything else drops off. The point of me doing all that other stuff is that I can go find the ball."
• Packers quarterback Graham Harrell appears to be solidifying his hold on a roster spot, according to Lori Nickel of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
• The Packers are happy to have defensive lineman Howard Green, writes Mike Vandermause of the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
• Chicago Bears guard Lance Louis has reached the turning point of his career as a starter with the team, writes Michael C. Wright of ESPNChicago.com. A poor performance against the New York Giants on Monday night could force a lineup shift.
• The entire offensive line will be under scrutiny Monday night, notes Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.
• Kellen Davis is ready to take over as the Bears' top tight end, writes Sean Jensen of the Chicago Sun-Times.
• Detroit Lions rookie receiver Titus Young returned to competitive drills for the first time since injuring his hamstring on the second day of training camp, notes Chris McCosky of the Detroit News.
• Lions left tackle Jeff Backus on his return to practice after suffering a pectoral injury, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press: "I've worked my butt off in the training room and the weight room trying to get my chest right. It's to the point now where it's not an issue. We just move forward from here."
• Tom Kowalski of Mlive.com breaks down Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford's 27-yard pass to tight end Brandon Pettigrew from Friday night.