ESPN NFL

We're Black and Blue All Over:

Monday's scheduled adjournment of the Minnesota state legislature came and went without resolution on any significant issue, meaning the session will continue on. That gives the Minnesota Vikings stadium bill a chance to be heard and approved at some point between now and May 21, the constitutionally required day to adjourn.

As the Star Tribune explains, there are at least two other issues -- business-tax relief and bonding -- that legislators appear to have put ahead in line of the stadium bill.

It's impossible to know how long those issues will take to resolve, and there's no sense trying to project the timetable. We'll keep you updated on any progress.

Continuing around the NFC North:

• Vikings coach Leslie Frazier thought the team's depth was "abysmal" in some areas last season. Tom Pelissero of 1500ESPN.com has more.
• Vikings general manager Rick Spielman to Bob Sansevere of the St. Paul Pioneer Press: "I have to admit, my wife had to wake me up at 8 this morning because I was physically and mentally exhausted."
• Former Vikings and Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre will have to testify in court about sexually suggestive text messages he allegedly sent while with the New York Jets in 2008, according to the Associated Press.
• Tackling skills were a big part of the Packers' draft evaluation, writes Rob Demovsky of the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
• Jason Wilde of ESPNMilwaukee.com wonders if Oakland Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie will hire any former Packers scouts.
• The Packers' unsettled safety position means that rookie Jerron McMillian will have a legitimate opportunity to play, writes Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
• The Detroit News has video of Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson's Top 10 list on "Late Show with David Letterman."
• New Lions quarterback Kellen Moore on draft weekend, via Chad Cripe of the Idaho Statesman: "Very frustrating process, but a great outcome in the end."
• Kick returner Stefan Logan might face a roster challenge this summer, writes Justin Rogers of Mlive.com.
• ESPN analyst Mel Kiper backed the Chicago Bears' choice of defensive end Shea McClellin, notes Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun-Times.
• Fred Mitchell of the Chicago Tribune speaks with former Bears running back Rashaan Salaam.

We're Black and Blue All Over:

Free agent Ted Ginn Jr. visited two of our NFC North teams as he tested the market, presumably in search of a role or contract better than what the San Francisco 49ers were offering. He must not have seen enough opportunity with either the Detroit Lions or Minnesota Vikings, because Ginn returned to the 49ers late Thursday night on a one-year contract.

In Detroit, Ginn would have been at best the No. 4 receiver. It's worth monitoring whether the Lions will bring back Stefan Logan considering Ginn likely would have replaced him.

Meanwhile, the Vikings' primary motivation to pursue Ginn might have been to relieve Percy Harvin of most return duties. The Vikings don't have a bevy of receiver depth, but Ginn took a pass regardless.

Continuing around the NFC North:

• Lions general manager Martin Mayhew on linebacker Stephen Tulloch, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press: "Bigger than his production on the field is what he gives us in our locker room and what he means to our football team. His leadership, his toughness, competitiveness, football character, his work ethic, all of those things are really important to us and really a great example for our younger players."
• Tulloch once predicted that Jim Schwartz would become coach of the Lions, notes Philip Zaroo of Mlive.com.
• Tulloch's contract value wasn't as high as he had hoped, according to Anwar S. Richardson of Mlive.com.
• Free agent cornerback Chris Carr was scheduled to begin his visit with the Vikings on Thursday night, according to Jeremy Fowler of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
• Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybak needs to sway the Minneapolis City Council into supporting the Vikings' stadium bill by the end of this week, according to the Star Tribune.
• Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel speaks with Packers safety Nick Collins about his upcoming neck examination.
• Rob Demovsky of the Green Bay Press-Gazette looks at the success rate of Packers general manager Ted Thompson in the second round of the draft.
• David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune hammers Bears tailback Matt Forte for his public comments after the team signed backup Michael Bush. Haugh: "The more Forte expresses himself over his ongoing contract dispute, the less he comes across as a good guy. The more yards he gains, the more perspective he loses. This is what nobody in Forte's inner circle will tell him: Complaining about the Bears signing a player that improves the team casts him as a me-first prima donna, a pro sports cliché."
• Many of the contract terms in the Forte dispute aren't known, acknowledges Sean Jensen of the Chicago Sun-Times.
• ESPNChicago.com has a photo gallery of the Bears' new faces.

The Detroit Lions have a well-documented shortage of salary-cap space, relegating them to secondary players on the free-agent market. But there's a difference between sitting out the first wave of free agency and being inactive.

By my count, the Lions have hosted five veteran free agents on visits to their practice facility. They have a sixth visit scheduled and two others were canceled when the players signed elsewhere first.

Linebacker/special teams ace Tim Shaw was the latest to visit Monday. He joined a list that also includes cornerback Jacob Lacey, offensive lineman Marcus McNeill, receiver Ted Ginn Jr. and offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz. Of that list, the only player we can rule out for a future signing is McNeill, who was likely a backup plan had the Lions not re-signed Jeff Backus.

Safety O.J. Atogwe is scheduled to visit later this week, according to the team's web site. Safety LaRon Landry and offensive lineman Eric Winston were also scheduled visits before signing with the New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs, respectively.

Based on this list, it's safe to assume the Lions are looking for reasonable ways to upgrade their safety position as well as their offensive line depth. It's also easy to imagine Ginn providing an upgrade as a returner over Stefan Logan. Stay tuned.

The Detroit Lions this season have provided anecdotal evidence of what has long been asserted through statistical analysis: Penalty totals don't necessarily correlate with winning percentage.

The Lions ranked third in the NFL this season in accepted penalties (128) and second in the amount of yards lost (1,075). They drew national attention for committing three post-whistle personal fouls in their Week 13 game at the New Orleans Saints, but even after cleaning up that issue, they exceeded their season averages in three of their subsequent four games, as the chart shows.

Those numbers coincide with what Lions coach Jim Schwartz preached in the days after that Saints game: The timing and nature of the penalty is more important than the raw totals. Against the Saints, the Lions were penalized 11 times for 107 yards, but also had 113 yards in gains nullified by those penalties. Three offensive pass interference calls against receiver Nate Burleson, along with post-whistle mistakes by receiver Titus Young, tight end Brandon Pettigrew and kick returner Stefan Logan, caused a disproportionate amount of the damage.

"The one thing you don't want to do in a game like that is give away anything for free," Schwartz told New Orleans-area media. "In a playoff game you want to earn it. You want your opponent to have to earn it. That's one thing we need to do better Saturday than we did the last Sunday night game."

Given a choice, I'm sure Schwartz would prefer that his team lower the penalty average Saturday night. But as long as they avoid penalties that, as he said, give away yards for free, I'm guessing he can live with it.

After a week of public discussion about the issue, Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz did not bench any of the three players who received post-whistle personal fouls in a Week 13 loss to the New Orleans Saints.

Instead, according to ESPN's Chris Mortensen, Schwartz instituted a zero-tolerance policy that called for any offending player to be benched for the remainder of any game in which he committed that type of penalty. Several players mentioned the policy last week, but Schwartz would not confirm it. Still, Mortensen reported that Schwartz reminded players of it Saturday night in a team meeting.

Schwartz benched right tackle Gosder Cherilus in Week 2 after a late-game penalty in Week 1, prompting speculation that receiver Titus Young, kick returner Stefan Logan and/or tight end Brandon Pettigrew would suffer a similar fate Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings. But all three made important contributions to a 34-28 victory.

Benching three prominent players sounds good in theory, but ultimately Schwartz didn't consider it realistic. He essentially became the parent that tells his children: "Don't do it again -- or else." Both the parent and Schwartz are hoping the threat is enough to avoid the "or else." So far, so good.

Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz has gone to great lengths this week to classify his team's penalty problems. He said Monday, in fact, that he is concerned about two kinds of penalties -- those that occur before the snap and after the whistle -- and has zeroed in on five of the latter as the source for national discussion about the Lions' discipline.

The implication has been that five penalties over the course of 12 games falls short of a systemic, program-wide issue. That characterization, however, glosses over some unflattering big-picture trends.

The Lions have committed an NFL-high 28 personal fouls this season, according to an ESPN Stats & Information analysis based on all qualifying penalties. That's seven more than the next-highest team, the Tennessee Titans. Overall, 25 of the NFL's 32 teams have committed 15 or fewer such penalties. Considered broadly, the Lions have been called for nearly twice as many personal fouls as a quorum of teams.

Since Schwartz began his tenure in 2009, meanwhile, the Lions have led the league in personal fouls and are second only to the Oakland Raiders in total penalties.

I'm well aware that statistical studies have found little correlation between penalty totals and winning percentage. But I think we can agree that 15-yard penalties, by their nature, exert a disproportionate impact on a game.

The five penalties Schwartz has focused on include:

• Right tackle Gosder Cherilus' post-whistle shove in Week 1 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
• Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh's stomp of Green Bay Packers guard Evan Dietrich-Smith in Week 12.
• Post-whistle extracurriculars by receiver Titus Young, tight end Brandon Pettigrew and kick returner Stefan Logan in Week 13 against the New Orleans Saints.

"Obviously the last two weeks," Schwartz said, "we haven't done a very good job with that and it's been situations that have put the team in a bad position."

In reality, a 15-yard penalty for pushing a player after the whistle hurts the team precisely as much as a late quarterback hit, a horse collar or any other personal foul. They might emanate from different motivations -- Schwartz considers the five penalties in question to be "selfish" compared to others that result from aggression -- but that's of minimal consequence in terms of game impact.

I'm sure the Lions don't agree with every personal foul they've been called for this season. That's no different than any team. The truth is that they might absorb a few extra calls because of the reputation they've earned for aggressive play.

But if you eliminate all five of the penalties Schwartz is concerned with, the Lions would still lead the league in personal fouls. That alone suggests the problem runs deeper than a handful of mistakes over a course of a long season. Just my two cents.

Will the Detroit Lions bench three prominent players for committing post-whistle personal fouls in a 31-17 loss to the New Orleans Saints? Coach Jim Schwartz wasn't saying during a radio interview Tuesday. But Schwartz did have a message for those who have suggested he sit down receiver Titus Young, kick returner Stefan Logan and tight end Brandon Pettigrew.

"We're going to do everything we can to be as efficient as we can and not to put a team in those positions,” Schwartz said, via the Lions' web site. "It boils down to if somebody's hurting the team, whether they're not a good enough player or they're hurting the team with penalties, or whatever. They aren't going to be on the field.

"But let me say this: We don’t have a suggestion box. We're going to do whatever we can in our view to operate as efficiently as we can and to put a good product on the field to win football games and to put guys on the field that will do those things. Every case is different."

And here I thought Schwartz was spending all day sifting through blog entries looking for ideas.

Meanwhile, we noted Tuesday morning that additional details have emerged about the car accident Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh had last weekend in Portland. Most notably, two women have stepped forward to say they were passengers in Suh's car and were injured, causing Portland police to issue a supplemental report but again decline to press charges.

In the interest of fairness, we should pass along Schwartz's reaction. The Lions haven't been able to speak with Suh because of NFL rules regarding suspended players, but Schwartz said he had no concerns about the accident.

"The fact that he was in a fender-bender?" Schwartz said. "How guys drive and things like that … let's worry about him on the field. Ndamukong is a hard-working guy and he hasn't had any kind of issues with the law, including this one. Let's worry about him on the field and get him back playing well. He's under a microscope, but that's too much of a microscope."

In 2009, Suh collided with three parked cars while driving an SUV in Lincoln, Nebraska. He was not charged after his blood alcohol content was revealed to be .035, well below the legal limit of .08, but received a ticket for negligent driving.

He is eligible to rejoin the Lions on Dec. 12.

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

FALLING

1. Our "Watch" series: At various times this season, Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen was on pace to break the NFL record for sacks in a season. Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson was on track to contest the single-season record for touchdown receptions and Chicago Bears tailback Matt Forte was in contention to set a new record for all-purpose yards. All three have fallen off those record paces, unfortunately. Allen has one sack in his past three games, Johnson has one touchdown catch in his last four games and Forte has produced 246 all-purpose yards over his last four games and is now sidelined by a sprained knee. All three players have had great seasons, of course, and their record pace was fun while it lasted.

2. Roy Williams, Chicago Bears receiver: Williams hasn't inspired much confidence with his underwhelming showing this season, and I can't imagine a quarterback on the Bears' roster feeling good about throwing in his direction after he turned what should have been a touchdown into a game-changing interception Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs. Quarterback Caleb Hanie delivered a perfectly placed ball into Williams' chest at the goal line late in the fourth quarter. But Williams bobbled it, knocked it into the air and ultimately couldn't prevent Chiefs safety Jon McGraw from making the interception. The score would have tied the game at 10. Ultimately, the Bears lost 10-3.

3. Direction in Detroit: This week might be the most critical in the tenure of Lions coach Jim Schwartz. The NFL made his job as team disciplinarian easy last week by handing defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh a two-game suspension. The league isn't likely to step in on the cases of receiver Titus Young, tight end Brandon Pettigrew and kick returner Stefan Logan, all of whom received costly personal fouls Sunday night in the Lions' 31-17 loss to the New Orleans Saints. I'm sure some people don't enjoy watching that kind of football, but the real issue Schwartz has is that the penalties have impacted his team's competitiveness. Schwartz is facing the prospect of benching three prominent players during a playoff run. His response to this crisis will go a long way toward determining whether the Lions make the playoffs.

RISING

1. Debate in Minnesota over quarterback Christian Ponder: On the one hand, Ponder threw for a career-high 381 yards and had the first three-touchdown game of his career Sunday against the Denver Broncos. On the other hand, he committed three costly turnovers in a 35-32 loss. He now has nine turnovers in six starts this season. Are we seeing the typical hot-and-cold performance of a rookie quarterback, especially one who had no offseason work due to the NFL lockout? Or is that excuse-making? Reasonable people could occupy both sides of that argument.

2. Intrigue surrounding Mike Martz, Chicago Bears offensive coordinator: In recent weeks, we've seen reports that Martz has interest in several college football openings, including Arizona State and UCLA. On Sunday, ESPN reported that Martz appears unlikely to return to the Bears when his contract expires after the season. On Monday, Bears coach Lovie Smith said those reports have been "made up" because, as the man who hires and fires assistant coaches, he could be the only credible source on the topic. Some of what we have seen lines up with classic contract leveraging: creating the perception of a market for a soon-to-be free agent. Some of it could reflect the hope of others in the Bears organization. I'm not sure. But I'll repeat my earlier sentiment: Martz is far from perfect, but starting over with a new coordinator and/or scheme would be a destructive setback for quarterback Jay Cutler and render moot two years of roster maneuvering to fit Martz's player requirements.

3. Cash accounts, Green Bay Packers: The Packers launched the fifth stock offering in franchise history Tuesday morning, putting up 250,000 shares at $250 apiece to help pay for a looming $143 million expansion and renovation project for Lambeau Field. It's a little early for a progress report, but I know I had a hard time even accessing the dedicated website (www.packersowner.com) to see what all the fuss was about. Most every NFL team solicits public money for stadium projects, but in this case, only the people interested in contributing have to participate. Taxpayers with no interest in football have no obligations.

I just got done catching up on Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz's nearly-30 minute news conference with local reporters Monday. Without saying it directly, Schwartz clearly paved the way for further discipline against the three players who committed personal foul penalties in Sunday's 31-17 loss to the New Orleans Saints.

How that manifests itself is yet to be determined, however. Receiver Titus Young saw only a couple of snaps after his second-quarter penalty, and that could represent his punishment. But Schwartz also will have to deal with kick returner Stefan Logan and tight end Brandon Pettigrew, whose late-game extracurriculars enraged Schwartz and led to a meeting with team captains on the Lions' charter plane.

"Unsportsmanlike conduct is a selfish penalty," Schwartz said. "It makes one player feel good and the rest of the team [is hurt]."

Schwartz noted on a number of occasions that right tackle Gosder Cherilus was benched for the Lions' Week 2 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs because of a personal foul he committed the week before. If he continues to follow that template, it stands to reason that Logan, Pettigrew and Young will have their playing time curtailed, if not eliminated altogether, for Sunday's game against the Minnesota Vikings.

"We had one [post-whistle unsportsmanlike conduct] in the opener," Schwartz said. "We addressed it. We went a pretty long time without another one. … We had Gosder, we had [Ndamukong] Suh. We had three guys this week."

Suh is serving a two-game league-mandated suspension for his ejection from the Lions' Thanksgiving Day game against the Green Bay Packers. Putting Cherlius and Suh in the same sentence with Young, Logan and Pettigrew would seem to suggest looming discipline. Schwartz said it is important to be "consistent" but careful to avoid overreacting or "putting more [emphasis] on one situation."

Cherlius' benching wasn't obvious until the morning of the Lions' game against the Chiefs. We might not know how Schwartz has decided to handle these latest instances until this Sunday. But the precedent has been set, and Schwartz ran the media through that template Monday. You might think Schwartz would be taking a risk by benching three prominent players during a playoff race, but I would suggest the Lions won't make the playoffs unless they get this situation under control first.

After Detroit Lions' 31-17 loss to the New Orleans Saints, here are three issues that merit further examination:

1. Kevin SeifertFollowing a loss to the Saints, the Lions take their turn in the examination room.
   Lions coach Jim Schwartz benched right tackle Gosder Cherilus in Week 2 because of a personal-foul penalty he committed at the end of a Week 1 victory. It was an aggressive, clear precedent for future offenses, and it seemed to work in Cherilus' case. But the message seems lost among many of Cherilus' teammates. If he wants to recapture control of this team, Schwartz needs to sit multiple players for next Sunday's game against the Minnesota Vikings, including receiver Titus Young, kick returner Stefan Logan and tight end Brandon Pettigrew. Given the Cherilus precedent, anything less will imply tacit consent and almost certainly disappoint veteran players who are hoping to make their first legitimate playoff push in Lions uniforms. For two consecutive weeks, post-whistle penalties have played a direct role in the outcome of Lions games.
2. The Lions' mistakes Sunday night weren't just of aggression. They were of technique as well. Reasonable people can debate the merits of the first offensive pass interference penalty against receiver Nate Burleson. But after a call like that is made, Burleson needed to adjust to ensure that he didn't give officials a chance to make it again. Instead, Burleson was whistled two more times and negated a total of 67 passing yards. In records dating back to the start of the 2011, ESPN Stats & Information couldn't find a prior instance of a player receiving three offensive pass interference penalties in one game.
3. Sunday night gave us our first glimpse of rookie defensive tackle Nick Fairley, who started for the suspended Ndamukong Suh. Fairley responded with three tackles and his first NFL sack before leaving in the second quarter after appearing to re-injure his surgically repaired foot. Schwartz said Fairley's foot isn't broken but that it's "sore." It's been obvious that Fairley has been doing his best to play through what clearly wasn't a fully healed injury this season, and he deserves credit for that. It's not clear whether he'll need more time away to heal, but Lions fans should be excited about what Fairley could do next season when he is presumably fully healthy.

And here is one issue I don't get:

The Lions held the Saints 10 points below their home scoring average, but 31 points was still too much to give up on this night. With cornerbacks Chris Houston and Brandon McDonald sidelined, it's not surprising that Saints quarterback Drew Brees completed 15 of 18 passes outside of the numbers. But with Suh out and Fairley injured, you wonder if the Lions should have moved off their season-long strategy of mostly four-man rushes. They entered the game rushing four or fewer on 79 percent of opponents' drop backs, and Sunday night that percentage was 77 percent. Against that front, Brees completed 22 of 28 passes for 297 yards and three scores. Brees does well against the blitz, too, but perhaps the Lions needed to mix it up more on this occasion.

Stop wringing your hands. Put away your shovels. It's not quite time to bury the kickoff return, at least not in these parts.

NFC North teams returned two kickoffs 100-plus yards for touchdowns in Week 1, making it difficult -- at least for the moment -- to gauge the true impact of a new rule that moved kickoffs up to the 35-yard line. We have all assumed that returns would be diminished, but in one week the NFC North matched its combined 2010 total.

So what do we make of Green Bay Packers rookie Randall Cobb and the Minnesota Vikings returner Percy Harvinboth taking it to the house in Week 1? How do we reconcile the fact that 54.5 percent of kickoffs in our games (24 of 44) went for touchbacks while also accepting that the 20 returns included efforts of 108, 103, 78 and 57 yards?

Was it a Week 1 fluke that will even out over time? Or did we learn an important lesson right out of the gates?

For what it's worth, I'm going to take the latter position. Here's what Week 1 told me: Don't allow your opponent to neutralize a dynamic returner if you have one. You can't take every deep kick out of the end zone, but any hard-and-fast rule about bringing it out might give too much respect to the new rule.

Many of us have overlooked the potential impact of a secondary portion of the change. Yes, kickers are 5 yards closer to the end zone and coverage teams have 5 less yards to account for. But cover men also are limited to a 5-yard head start before the kick, and I don't think we fully understand yet how much impact that limitation will have.

It's worth considering, at least, that overreacting to the new rule is a bigger mistake than ignoring it.

Consider Cobb's return (via NFL.com), which began 8 yards deep in the end zone and directly violated the Packers' standard of accepting a touchback on anything 5 yards or deeper in the end zone. Two Saints cover men were close to converging on him at the 10-yard line, but one was blocked and the other couldn't slow down in time to get in position for a tackle.

No one touched Cobb, in fact, until he reached the Saints' 30-yard line. After some help from teammate John Kuhn, Cobb rebalanced himself and won a footrace over the final 70 yards for the score.

I suppose there are multiple ways to evaluate that play, but I looked at it and saw two lead cover men whose acceleration and deceleration were altered by the new positioning. I saw a superior athlete outrun the rest of the group, and I saw a play that could happen again if provided the right opportunity.

Now take a look at Harvin's return. As with Cobb, you see a member of the Chargers coverage team reach him at the 10-yard line. But Darrell Stuckeywas still in full sprint when he got to the 10 and was in no position to break down and make a tackle. Stuckey's miss gave Harvin an opportunity to reach full speed, and the advantage switches to the returning team when an elite open-field runner gets to that point.

Look, I'm not purporting to be a special-teams expert here. I'm just suggesting there are many ways to view this issue. All four NFC North teams have potentially elite returners when you add the Chicago Bears' Devin Hester and the Detroit Lions' Stefan Logan to the mix. Allowing opponents to dictate their exclusion from the game would seem an overreaction to me. I'd like to see them return more kicks, not less, and at least see what happens.

Harvin, for one, said he knew he had a touchdown the moment he reached full speed. Cobb, meanwhile, acknowledged that coaches weren't happy he brought out the kick and made a point to note he didn't do it again. But to me, his touchdown return was an argument for the opposite: Allowing a game-breaking returner the flexibility to take back a kick from any point in the end zone.

"You've got to make the most of your opportunities and the chances that you do get," Cobb said.

I agree.

The risk, of course, is getting tackled inside the 20-yard line, where a touchback would otherwise be marked. The second chart notes where each NFC North team opened its average drive after kickoffs in Week 1. Predictably, they were all over the map. The Atlanta Falconsmostly bottled up Hester, while the returns of Cobb and Harvin inflated the numbers for Green Bay and Minnesota, respectively.

Those figures will balance over time. But don't you think Hester and Logan will eventually pop a big one? And would you exchange such a big play for a few drives starting inside the 20-yard line?

The latter obviously didn't hurt the Bears' offense Sunday. Five of their scoring drives started between their 8- and 28-yard lines.

It's quite possible that by the end of this season, all of our fears about the kickoff rule change will be realized. Maybe we've seen all we're going to see. But Week 1 told us not to give up quite yet.

In recent history, based on the excellent database over at pro-football-reference.com, teams that have return a kickoff for a touchdown win two-thirds of the games in those instances. Obviously, the NFL average winning percentage is 50 percent. If there is a play available that can substantively add to your chances of victory, wouldn't you look for every way possible to preserve it?

Every summer, we spend countless hours breaking down all facets of the NFC North. And yet one important issue almost always remains unresolved until days before the season is set to begin. In some cases, teams can't identify their kickoff and punt returners until they make unrelated roster decisions, gauge the health of their veterans and assess their depth at certain positions.

The NFL's decision to push kickoffs up to the 35-yard line devaluated the role of a kickoff returner, at least early in the season. I'll do my best to track the rule's impact on the NFC North this season, especially considering the presence of the game-breaking returners whose names appear below.

But based on what teams have revealed publicly, here is who you can expect to handle return duties in Week 1:

Chicago Bears
Kickoffs: Johnny Knox
Punts: Devin Hester
Comment: Coach Lovie Smith indicated both jobs could fluctuate based on game conditions. Knox has had success as a kickoff returner, but it would be smart to get Hester a few chances at kickoff return despite the new rule.

Detroit Lions
Kickoffs: Stefan Logan
Punts: Stefan Logan
Comment: Logan was a great find for general manager Martin Mayhew last year and his kickoff impact will be limited by the new rule. But don't forget he averaged 12.1 yards per punt return in 2010.

Green Bay Packers
Kickoffs: Randall Cobb/Alex Green
Punts: Randall Cobb
Comment: The Packers' public depth chart lists Cobb in both roles, but Green got extended time on kickoffs during training camp and the preseason. If Cobb's bruised knee prevents him from playing Thursday night, next up at punt return might be Jordy Nelson or Tramon Williams.

Minnesota Vikings
Kickoffs: Percy Harvin/Lorenzo Booker
Punts: Marcus Sherels
Comment: Sherels is a nice open-field runner but had a preseason fumble. Booker has dealt with injuries this summer but the Vikings would prefer to limit Harvin's special-teams reps to maximize his availability as a receiver.

NFC West colleague Mike Sando has compiled his annual roster rankings by age, and the results are of particular interest in the NFC North.

Based on rosters as of Sunday morning, the Detroit Lions are the fourth-oldest team in the NFL. The Green Bay Packers, meanwhile, are the second-youngest. Keep in mind that NFL teams will continue to tweak their rosters over the next few days, but nothing should dramatically shake up these rankings.

The Packers ensured their continued youth by including 10 rookies among the 53 players on their final roster Saturday. And as the chart in Mike's post shows, the Lions' offense is primarily responsible for their relative age.

The Lions' offensive line includes a pair of 32-year-olds in Jeff Backus and Dominic Raiola. Backup receiver Rashied Davis is also 32. Backup quarterback Shaun Hill and running back Maurice Morris are 31. And tight end Will Heller, kick returner Stefan Logan and receiver Nate Burleson are all 30.

There are many paths to building a winning roster, and these rankings aren't a comment as much as they are a peek into each team's philosophy. With that said, here are the full NFC North rankings:

4. Detroit Lions
10. Minnesota Vikings
23. Chicago Bears
31. Green Bay Packers

In which we look ahead to NFC North preseason football over the next two days.

Green Bay Packers
Opponent: Indianapolis Colts
Location: Lucas Oil Stadium
Day/Time: Friday/8 p.m. ET
Personnel notes: Coach Mike McCarthy estimated that starters will play midway through the second quarter. Although they could see extra time, it's not expected that McCarthy will bring them out for the third quarter. ... Receiver/returner Randall Cobb (knees) and defensive end Mike Neal (knee) aren't expected to play. Receiver Greg Jennings (knee) could join them on the sideline. Running back James Starks (ankle) and linebacker Clay Matthews (hamstring) should return from a week off.
Focal point: I'm curious to track how the Packers' offense performs when it is not in the no-huddle. That alignment has given them most of their success in the preseason, but I'm assuming they won't be running it every play during the regular season. From a competition standpoint, it's worth keeping a close eye on how tailback Ryan Grant performs and if Starks picks up where he left off before the ankle injury. Could Starks lay claim to the starting job with a strong showing?

Chicago Bears
Opponent: Tennessee Titans
Location: LP Field
Day/Time: Saturday/8 p.m. ET
Personnel notes: Most starters will play at least a half. ... Receiver Sam Hurd (ankle), linebacker Lance Briggs (knee) and defensive tackle Anthony Adams (calf) have been ruled out. Tight end Kellen Davis (back) could miss the game, while cornerback Zack Bowman (concussion) appears likely to resume playing.
Focal point: The Bears' current offensive line configuration could lock itself into a Week 1 assignment with a solid outing that builds off last week's performance against the New York Giants. On the other hand, receiver Roy Williams needs to make a few catches in order to assure the Bears he is worthy of the starting job they handed him in training camp. Like most NFL teams, the Bears would like to see their offense produce a few touchdown drives before the preseason is over. Finally, I would like to see the Bears' defensive line rotation start shaking itself out. It's not clear at this point if they have a legitimate backup defensive end or if any of their two reclamation projects, Vernon Gholston and Amobi Okoye, will provide any help.

Detroit Lions
Opponent: New England Patriots
Location: Ford Field
Day/Time: Saturday/8 p.m. ET
Personnel notes: Starters will play around half of the game... Running back Jahvid Best (concussion) and Maurice Morris (hand) aren't expected to play, so the Lions are likely to start Jerome Harrison. Mike Bell, Aaron Brown and Stefan Logan will be available to rotate in. Defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch (shoulder) is a strong candidate to sit out as well.
Focal point: The Lions' uncertain depth at running back will be on full display. By the end of the night, we should have an idea if they have someone capable of carrying a significant load while sharing the job with Best. On the other hand, fans might get their first look at rookie receiver Titus Young. Meanwhile, the countdown continues for the first preseason hit on quarterback Matthew Stafford. He told reporters this week: "You guys can ask all you want. I don't think about it. I just play football and whatever happens, happens."

Minnesota Vikings
Opponent: Dallas Cowboys
Location: Metrodome
Day/Time: Saturday/8 p.m. ET
Personnel notes: Some starters are expected to play into the third quarter. ... The Vikings have a long injury list. Tight end Visanthe Shiancoe (hamstring), linebacker Heath Farwell (hamstring), linebacker Jasper Brinkley (hip), tailback Toby Gerhart (ankle), defensive tackle Kevin Williams (foot) and cornerback Asher Allen (toe) are among those who won't play.
Focal point: The Vikings' first-team offense has produced three points this preseason and isn't likely to be on the field much in the preseason finale. So Saturday night is their best and last chance to build some momentum for the regular season. The offense hasn't appeared disorganized or confused. It just hasn't had much punch yet and its personality is far from defined. It would also be helpful if rookie Christian Ponder can establish himself as the No. 2 quarterback so the Vikings can free up Joe Webb to focus on the Wildcat and other unique packages.

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.