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It took longer than expected. Preliminary decisions were questioned. Debates extended into the wee hours. We went through a first draft, then a second and even a third. Countless observers were consulted. It wasn't until I had a full week to mull the 2011 All-NFC North team that I was prepared to make the big reveal.

Via Twitter, @jpberthiaume asked: "Do people really care about these 'teams?'" I guess it's a fair point. I doubt few, if any, of the players listed in the chart wrote a fifth-grade essay about their plans to one day make the All-NFC North team on ESPN.com, even if it was only because the NFC North hadn't yet been formed in those days and ESPN.com was operating out of a Bristol-based closet.

So I'll let you be the judge. This is annually a fun exercise, even if it doesn't lead to a deep understanding of the human condition or even reveal any breakthroughs about the just-completed season. If nothing else, it offers us a blank template to recognize the best-performing players in the division without the hindrance of the politics and reputation.

Some notes on some of the tight decisions, for which I seriously received input from multiple angles:

• One of the fiercest debates came at wide receiver. Everyone agreed that the Detroit Lions' Calvin Johnson deserved one spot, but there was a split about the other two. Did the Green Bay Packers' Greg Jennings, who missed three games because of a knee injury, deserve an automatic bid? And if he did, should the Packers' Jordy Nelson or the Minnesota Vikings' Percy Harvin get the third spot? I thought Jennings' 67 receptions, 949 yards and nine touchdowns in 13 games merited a spot. And ultimately I chose Nelson over Harvin. I realize Harvin caught 87 passes in a punchless offense and added 345 rushing yards to his total, but in the end I couldn't overlook a player who scored more touchdowns (15) than all but four players in the NFL this season. Plus, as Hatterbot pointed out: "Rushing yards don't count in the WR category."

2011 All-NFC North Team

Pos.	Player, Team
OFFENSE
WR	Calvin Johnson (DET)
WR	Greg Jennings (GB)
WR	Jordy Nelson (GB)
LT	Jeff Backus (DET)
LG	Rob Sims (DET)
C	Scott Wells (GB)
RG	Josh Sitton (GB)
RT	Bryan Bulaga (GB)
TE	Jermichael Finley (GB)
QB	Aaron Rodgers (GB)
RB	Matt Forte (CHI)
DEFENSE
DE	Jared Allen (MIN)
DT	Kevin Williams (MIN)
DT	Ndamukong Suh (DET)
DE	Julius Peppers (CHI)
OLB	Clay Matthews (GB)
MLB	Brian Urlacher (CHI)
OLB	Lance Briggs (CHI)
CB	Charles Tillman (CHI)
CB	Charles Woodson (GB)
S-NB	Tramon Williams (GB)
S	Louis Delmas (DET)
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK	Mason Crosby (GB)
P	Tim Mastay (GB)
PR	Devin Hester (CHI)
KR	Percy Harvin (MIN)
ST	Corey Graham (CHI)

• I went with the Lions' Rob Sims at left guard in part on the advice of John McTigue of ESPN Stats & Information, who noted that Sims was the only NFC North left guard to play the position for 16 games this season. Sims also had the best pass-sack ratio (19.7 passes per sack) of the group, based on video study.
• There is no doubt that the Lions' Brandon Pettigrew (83 catches) had a more productive season then the Packers' Jermichael Finley (55). But the Lions often used Pettigrew as a substitute for their punchless running game, and that's why his per-catch average of 9.4 yards was lower than any other tight end with at least 30 catches. According to ESPN Stats & Information, the average pass to Pettigrew this season traveled 6.5 yards in the air. The average pass to Finley traveled 11.4 yards. Finley caught five passes of at least 30 yards. Pettigrew's longest was 27. Both players had their share of drops, combining for a total of 15, but I thought Finley made a bigger impact on his catches than Pettigrew did.
• I really debated the Bears' Julius Peppers and the Lions' Cliff Avril at defensive end. Avril (11.5) had a half-sack more than Peppers (11) and forced twice as many fumbles. But one of the advantages we have on this team is investigating beyond the conventional numbers. Our friends at Pro Football Focus (PFF) credited Peppers with 53 quarterback pressures, the second-highest total in the NFL. Avril ranked No. 8 with 37, but in a close race, I chose the maximum mumber of plays impacted over Avril's slight edge in "playmaking" statistics.
• I used a similar approach in choosing the Vikings' Kevin Williams and the Lions' Ndamukong Suh as my defensive tackles. It's true that the Bears' Henry Melton led the NFC North's defensive tackles with seven pressures, but PFF had Suh with 27 quarterback pressures, an NFL high for an interior lineman. Williams tied for No. 3 with 25. Melton wasn't that far behind at 23, but I also took into account that the Bears nearly benched him for inconsistency at one point in the season. (Coach Lovie Smith in November: "He hasn't showed up as much. Whether teams have adjusted to him or whatever, we need to get more production from him because he's capable of it." Meanwhile, I thought Packers defensive lineman B.J. Raji took a step backward in 2011. PFF credited him with only 10 stops (the cumulative number of plays made that constitute an offensive failure) in 842 snaps.
• If you want to say I chickened out at linebacker, go ahead. I originally left open the middle and one of the outside spots, but in the end I went with our division standbys: Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs. For starters, Briggs was one of six non-offensive linemen to play 100 percent of his team's snaps in the NFL this season. There's something to be said for being available to your team. And while I do think that the Packers' Desmond Bishop and the Lions' Stephen Tulloch had good seasons, I couldn't find a statistic or an opinion that convinced me they were better than Urlacher. Someday, there will be turnover among NFC North linebackers. But it didn't happen this season.
• Safety play was poor throughout the NFC North, so I'm not at all ashamed to have chosen a third cornerback to replace one of the safeties on this team. It came down to the Lions' Chris Houston and the Packers' Tramon Williams. Both had their ups and downs in coverage. Houston had five interceptions and two touchdowns in 14 games, while Williams had four interceptions and one touchdown in 15 games. In the end, I chose Williams because I think it was pretty clear he was pushing through a really limiting shoulder injury for much of the first half of the season.
• I chose the Packers' specialists, kicker Mason Crosby and punter Tim Masthay. Crosby converted 24 of 28 kicks, including a 58-yarder, and ranked third in the NFL with 49 touchbacks. Masthay downed a division-high 23 punts inside the 20-yard line despite a division-low 55 punts.
• I mistakenly left off a coverage specialist from our original post. There should be no debating that the Bears' Corey Graham deserves that spot.
• Go ahead. Rip away....

Coming later this week: Some supplementary NFC North awards, including our top coordinators.

Three things to know about next Sunday's New York Giants-Green Bay Packers divisional playoff game:

1. Memories: It's inevitable. Tom Coughlin, Eli Manning, Lawrence Tynes, Corey Webster and their Giants teammates will all return to the scene of one of the Packers' most disappointing games ever: an overtime loss in the 2007 NFC Championship Game. On a minus-3 degree day at Lambeau Field, quarterback Brett Favre threw an overtime interception to Webster on what turned out to be Favre's final pass as a Packers player. Tynes kicked a 43-yard field goal to pull off the upset and deny the Packers a chance to play in the Super Bowl. Sunday's rematch will be the Packers' first home playoff game since that loss. For those interested, long-range forecasts are calling for a high of 21 degrees. Here's what receiver Greg Jennings tweeted Sunday afternoon: "The team that kept us from our potential Super Bowl in 08 is back on OUR turf now. Trust me, we haven't forgotten. Here. We...GoPackGo! #BeGreat"

2. Close as ...: The Giants might have given the Packers their second-toughest game of the regular season, getting 347 yards from Manning in a 38-35 Packers victory. It wasn't until quarterback Aaron Rodgers led the Packers on a 69-yard drive over the final 58 seconds that the Packers were able to secure a victory with the decisive Mason Crosby field goal. The Giants rolled up 447 total yards despite holding the ball for only 26 minutes, 47 seconds, getting big chunks along the way and averaging 8.7 yards per play. The Packers were the better team that day, but the teams were evenly matched for most of it.

3. Theory tested: If they are to win the Super Bowl again, the Packers quite possibly will have to defeat a Pro Bowl quarterback every step along the way. That begins with Manning and could move next to the New Orleans Saints' Drew Brees. That will be the ultimate test of a Packers defense that gave up more passing yards than any team in NFL history during the regular season. The Packers got by because they also led the league in interceptions, but the concern during the regular season was that an elite quarterback could roll up the yards, avoid the interceptions and knock the Packers out of the playoffs. Manning is first up.

Three things to know about next Sunday’s NFC divisional playoff game between the New York Giants and the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.

1. So soon? The Giants and the Packers played each other Dec. 4 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. It was one of the more entertaining games of this NFL season. The Giants tied the game at 35-35 with 58 seconds to go on a touchdown pass from Eli Manning to Hakeem Nicks, but Aaron Rodgers marched the Packers right down the field and into range for a game-winning field goal from Mason Crosby. The Giants’ takeaway from that game is the knowledge that they can score with the Packers, which is no small thing. The key will be to get more pressure on Rodgers than they did last time, because that game also proved that Green Bay’s excellent receivers can burn the Giants’ secondary if given any time at all.

2. Rest vs. repetition. The Packers finished 15-1 to claim the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs and earn a first-round bye. That means they will have had two full weeks off since their last game by the time Sunday’s game kicks off at 4:30 pm ET. Rodgers, who sat out the Week 17 victory over Detroit, will have had three full weeks off. The Giants, meanwhile, had to win their final two games just to get into the playoffs and have therefore effectively been playing under postseason pressure for three weeks in a row. Will the Packers be rusty? Will the Giants be worn out? It’s an age-old debate as to how much rest helps at this time of year. Historically, teams that get first-round byes perform very well in their first playoff games. But last year, the No. 1 seeds in both conferences lost their first postseason games -- Atlanta to the Packers and New England to the Jets.

3. Packing more punch? The Giants rushed for 100 yards on 20 carries in the December game -- one of their most successful rushing efforts of the season. But the Packers that day were without linebackers Desmond Bishop and A.J. Hawk. The Giants ranked 32nd in the league this year in rushing yards, but have been far more effective on the ground over their last six games. We’ll see if the return of those Green Bay linebackers makes it more difficult for the Giants to run the ball, or if they really did something in that Dec. 4 game that has been working since.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- That'll do it. The Green Bay Packers will finish this season 16-0 unless they decide they don't want to. They took the best shot Sunday of arguably the best team they're scheduled to face for the rest of the regular season, and at the first moment when the outcome appeared in doubt, the Packers flew downfield with scary precision and perfect clock management for the game-winning score.

Sunday's 38-35 victory over the New York Giants served notice that the only team likely to stop the Packers' march to 16-0 is the Packers themselves, either through a self-destructive defeat or a late-season decision to rest their starters. They'll play three of their final four games at Lambeau Field, where they haven't lost in 14 months, and each of their remaining opponents -- the Oakland Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs, Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions -- are dealing with issues that could bring them to the Packers at far less than full strength.

That the Packers finished Sunday's game with another two prominent players sidelined, on top of the three starters that were declared inactive for the game, speaks to the Packers' current strength. Cornerback Charles Woodson's concussion makes him a candidate to miss next week's game against the Raiders, but the Packers left MetLife Stadium on Sunday with the supreme confidence that they found yet another way to win.

"We can be taken to the line," receiver Greg Jennings said, "but at the same time we can make the comeback and win these close games. … We had to be that fighter that would punch back and not let them sneak away with one today, and we were able to do that."

As promised, the Giants got after the Packers' passing offense for a good portion of the game, sacking quarterback Aaron Rodgers twice and unofficially hitting him on six other occasions. But twice in the fourth quarter, the Packers fought back emotional surges from the Giants.

Rodgers completed eight of his final nine passes for 110 yards, engineering a touchdown drive after the Giants had closed to within 28-27 and getting in position for Mason Crobsy's 31-yard field goal after the Giants tied it at 35. The second possession was particularly illustrative of why it's going to be so tough for someone to beat the Packers this month. Based on interviews in the Packers' locker room, here's what I can tell you about it:

The calculator in Rodgers' brain had been spinning on the sideline, considering various scenarios for when the Packers might regain possession. As it was, they got it back at their 20-yard line with 58 seconds and one timeout remaining.

Rodgers said he was "half-expecting" coach Mike McCarthy to call a draw on the first play to minimize the chance for a turnover deep in Giants history. (That's an indication of how well Rodgers thought the Giants' defense was playing.) But in what several players described as a calm huddle, Rodgers got an aggressive playcall from McCarthy.

"Things were just relaxed for us," guard T.J. Lang said. "It was the same approach we always have, no matter what the score is or how much time is left in the game. There was a little more urgency, but nobody was going to try to play out of the system or make some superhero play."

Rodgers figured the Packers needed to get to their 40-yard line within their first two plays to give the drive a chance. They got past it on the first one, a 24-yard catch-and-run to tight end Jermichael Finely against a surprising straight man defense.

"I probably made the best move of my career on that play," Finley said.

From their 44-yard line, the Packers were again surprised to see the Giants match up their receivers in a man-to-man defense with a single-high safety. The Giants didn't want to play a classic late-game zone, but most everyone would recognize the mismatch of man coverage against the Packers' fleet of receivers. The Packers didn't miss it.

"We made an adjustment on that one," Rodgers said. "Jordy did a little double move and gave me enough room on the sideline to put it in a spot where he could get it."

The play netted 27 yards. In two plays, using a total of 17 seconds, the Packers had moved 51 yards and were in field goal position. An 18-yard pass to Jennings made it a chip-shot for Crosby, and the Packers calmly drained the clock to three seconds before setting up the field goal.

"That drive was really just an example of us trusting the things that we've done in practice so many times," Rodgers said.

So there you have it. The Giants gashed the Packers defense for 447 total yards and 24 first downs, despite holding the ball for only 26 minutes, 57 seconds.They made one costly mistake, an Eli Manning interception that linebacker Clay Matthews returned 38 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter, and committed a modest six penalties. They had the Packers perhaps one incompletion from playing for overtime. But with the game in the balance, they couldn't so much as slow down the Packers' machine.

The Packers didn't just find a way to get in field position. Their tight end made the move of his career. Two receivers ran precise routes. And as a team, the Packers flew downfield in a rage hat separated them from every team in this league.

"This is exactly what we needed," Matthews said. "Of course, we would love to have blow out victories each and every week. But when it comes down to it, there are some good teams out there and the Giants are no exception. They fought hard. They brought us to the last play. Fortunately were able to march down, get a much needed victory in a much-needed way."

What we saw Sunday was the most impressive installment yet in what has the makings of a historic season. I'm ready to say it. This is a 16-0 team. Whether they do it is entirely up to them.

SAN DIEGO -- It appears we're headed toward a competitive fourth quarter here at Qualcomm Stadium.

The San Diego Chargers have made it a one-score game, countering the Mason Crosby's 47-yard field goal with an 11-yard touchdown pass to tight end Antonio Gates in a fast-moving third quarter. The Green Bay Packers lead 31-24 as the fourth quarter beckons.

Barring some immediate craziness, I'll be back with you shortly after the game.

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Green Bay Packers have produced any number of memorable moments over the first seven weeks of the NFL season. My personal favorite came late in Sunday's 33-27 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.

The Packers, of course, had built their lead with a near-perfect performance from quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who competed 24 of 30 passes for three touchdowns against the Vikings' undermanned secondary. Of those six incompletions, only one was an off-target throw. (Two were dropped, two were obvious throw-aways and one was a spike to stop the clock.)

Yet when it came time for the Packers to eat the final 2 minutes, 30 seconds to preserve their lead, the Packers turned to what coach Mike McCarthy jokingly called their "phone booth" running game. Rodgers handed the ball on six consecutive plays to tailback James Starks, who tallied 55 yards and three first downs to close out the game. Prior to then, Starks had managed 20 yards on seven carries.

"They knew we were going to run the ball and we knew we were going to run the ball," Packers guard T.J. Lang said. "At that point, it's basically who wants it more. ... It's a great feeling when you can take the ball, get it in your hands and not give it back until you've won the game. That was a great way to go into our bye."

Indeed, the Packers are 7-0 heading into their bye week and there is little doubt they are the NFL's best team. I have no idea if they'll go undefeated, a largely irrelevant discussion to their championship aspirations, but they sure have the look of a team that is going to be every bit as difficult to beat in its final nine games as it was in its first seven.

The end of Sunday's game was a reminder of how multi-faceted and well-rounded this team is. The Packers have a schematic response to every possible bout with adversity and are built to win games in almost every way imaginable. They have a place-kicker in Mason Crosby who is 18-for-18 this season and demonstrated Sunday that his range is at least 58 yards. And in some respects, the Packers are just scratching the surface. (Yes, you saw it correctly: Rookie Randall Cobb took a handoff from the tailback position on the first play of the third quarter.)

"We walked out of here with our running game being on at the end and a quarterback who is on fire," said tight end Jermichael Finley, who caught a touchdown in the third quarter. "We've been playing well for a long period of time. You think about 16 games, and the sky is the limit for us."

There's not much more we can say about Rodgers, who is the first player in NFL history to record a passer rating of at least 110 in each of his first seven games to start a season. Sunday, he quite literally missed almost nothing. He was the first quarterback this season to have less than two off-target throws in a minimum of 30 attempts, according to ESPN Stats & Information. (That throw was a missed third down conversion to receiver Greg Jennings in the third quarter.)

It's gotten to the point where McCarthy is so confident that he is routinely deferring the coin toss when the Packers win it. Sunday, he said he wanted to "make sure that we had the ball coming out in the second half" and obviously wasn't concerned about what might happen in the emotional early going of Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder's first start.

Sure enough, the Packers trailed 17-10 in the second quarter and 17-13 at halftime. But when you have a quarterback who isn't missing anything, you can confidently sit back and wait for your opponent to make a mistake. That happened on the second play of the third quarter, when Vikings safety Husain Abdullah lost sight of receiver Greg Jennings in a zone defense.

Rodgers didn't miss him, however, and hit Jennings for the easiest 79-yard touchdown play you'll ever see. That Packers never relinquished the ensuing lead.

"It really doesn't matter who is on the opposing team defending us," Jennings said. "We have the mindset that we're going to beat out our guy. You can call it arrogance. You can call it real confidence. You can call it anything you want. You've got to have some type of confidence in yourself. We feel as a group and as a unit we can beat our guy and get the job done."

The same is true for the Packers defense, which continues to give up more yards than you would like, but is also continuing to make drive-killing plays at critical moments. The Packers entered the game with the NFL's second-most interceptions (11), and on Sunday cornerback Charles Woodson added two more to that total. Those plays set up two of Crosby's field goals, and it's probably no coincidence that they represented the final margin of victory.

"I've never been 7-0," Woodson said. "So I guess you've got to say by far this is the best team I've been on. We know we're going to have more games like today where we are going to have to gut it. … I think it's actually good for us to have this kind of game going into the bye. Understanding that when we come back that it's not always going to be easy."

It doesn't matter if it is easy, painful or somewhere in between. These Packers are built to get it done. McCarthy, of course, said he won't start considering playoff scenarios until the Packers have 10 victories.

At this rate, they'll be there before Thanksgiving. Hang on, folks. This is just starting to get interesting.

MINNEAPOLIS -- The kick seen around the (NFL) world Sunday was "cowardly," according to the recipient. It was "something that hopefully I won't repeat in the future," according to the kicker.

So went the reactions of Green Bay Packers offensive lineman T.J. Lang and Minnesota Vikings defensive end Brian Robison to the latest NFC North altercation that is sure to be replayed about a couple hundred or so times before it loses steam. For those who missed it, Robison kicked Lang squarely in the groin after Mason Crosby's 39-yard field goal in the second quarter of the Packers' 33-27 victory.

"It is what it is," Robison said. "It happened. There's nothing I can do about it. It's something that if I could go back, I wouldn't have done it. There's nothing I could do about it now. There was a penalty, and hopefully it won't happen in the future."

Said Lang: "It was really surprising. You don't want to see that in a football game. I think it was a pretty cowardly move on his part. I don't think I did anything to get that reaction."

Lang said he and another Packers player stopped Robison from shooting a gap during the field goal attempt.

"We caught his legs and pushed him," Lang said. "He landed on his back. I didn't say anything to him. He just responded."

Robison described the block a bit differently and implied he was provoked. He said officials "always catch the second guy" and added: "From what I hear, it didn't show up on the TV copy. But if you watch the game, you can clearly see that he kind of picked me up in midair, put me on my back and started coming toward me. So I was automatically in defense mode.

"It was in the heat of the moment. In hindsight, I wish it wouldn't have happened."

I'm not sure if a body slam, even if it occurred that way, necessitates a groin kick in retaliation. So kudos to Robison for owning up to what was an overreaction at the very least.

Asked if he was OK after the kick, Lang laughed and said: "Well, I'm glad I already had one son." He also tweeted: "Glad to report my genitalia are in stable condition and expected to make a full recovery!"

Turning serious during a postgame interview, he added: "I don't think there is any room in the game for that kind of move. We'll see if there is any [discipline]. From what it sounds like, the TV cameras caught it pretty well. I think it should be the same as a punch."

Expect Robison to receive an NFL fine. Unless, of course, the league decides it wasn't a fight. We've already seen precedent for how the league treats contact between two team employees that falls short of a fight.

A few thoughts on the Green Bay Packers' comeback 25-14 victory over the Atlanta Falcons:

What it means: The Packers improved to an NFL-best 5-0 after their most impressive performance of the season. The Packers also extended their winning streak to 11 games, dating to last season and including the playoffs. Now the Packers will watch Monday night to see if the Detroit Lions can match their record by defeating the Chicago Bears at Ford Field.

Adversity football: That's a phrase coach Mike McCarthy uses often. Sunday night, the Packers faced their first two-touchdown deficit since midway through the 2009 season, trailing 14-0 with nearly four minutes remaining in the first quarter. They outscored the Falcons 25-0 the rest of the way. They also overcame the loss of left tackle Chad Clifton, who suffered what appeared to be a serious hamstring injury in the second quarter. The Packers finished the game with Marshall Newhouse moving from right tackle to left tackle and rookie Derek Sherrod at right tackle.

Newhouse praise: Newhouse looked pretty solid at left tackle, but don't take it from me. Here's what ESPN analyst and former NFL offensive lineman Mark Schlereth tweeted during the game: " Newhouse is gonna be a star in this league at tackle I can't tell you how hard it is to switch from RT to LT and not skip a beat!"

Defensive shutdown: The Falcons rolled up 140 yards on their first two possessions, both of which ended in touchdowns. The Packers defense held them to 111 yards the rest of the way, and safety Charlie Peprah ended the Falcons' only legitimate scoring threat with an interception at the Packers' 14-yard line midway through the fourth quarter. They only sacked Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan once, but they unofficially hit him seven times and clearly knocked him off his rhythm in the second quarter and beyond.

RodgersWatch: Quarterback Aaron Rodgers finished with 396 yards, bringing his two-week total to 804. He tied a Packers record by completing a pass to 12 different receivers. Only one skill-position player who was active for the game didn't catch a pass: Fourth-string tight end Ryan Taylor. We'll give him a pass.

JonesWatch: Receiver James Jones entered the game with nine catches for 88 yards. He complained briefly about his role in the offense but wisely waited his turn. His five-catch, 140-yard performance included a 70-yard touchdown. But I thought his best play came in the fourth quarter, when he made sure to stay in bounds near the sideline at the end of a 21-yard play.

FinleyWatch: Tight end Jermichael Finley had an odd night, dropping a touchdown pass in the second quarter and also a third-down opportunity in the third quarter. Finley failed to come up with a catchable two-point conversion pass as well. But his final catch, a 24-yarder in the fourth quarter, converted a third down and was critical in the Packers' efforts to run out the clock.

CrosbyWatch: Let's not forget that place-kicker Mason Crosby tied his franchise record with a 56-yard field goal on the Packers' second possession of the second half. The kick made the score 14-9. Had he missed it, the Falcons would have held their 14-6 lead while taking over near midfield.

What's next: The Packers will host the winless St. Louis Rams next Sunday at Lambeau Field. Six and oh, anybody?

Reviewing Friday's action at Lucas Oil Stadium:

Green Bay Packers 24, Indianapolis Colts 21

Preseason record: (2-1)

Of interest: The Packers offense opened with a three-and-out and then shifted to its increasingly intriguing no-huddle offense. It led to a total of 10 points for the starters in the first half, including Aaron Rodgers' 18-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jermichael Finley. Rodgers finished with 204 passing yards in the first half. But the Packers walked away with plenty to work on. Rodgers continued to take more hits than you would like. Left tackle Chad Clifton struggled with defensive end Dwight Freeney, contributing to a pair of sacks and also producing a holding penalty that wiped out a 20-yard touchdown pass to Chastin West. Right guard Josh Sitton gave up a sack for the second consecutive week, this time to former Chicago Bears defensive tackle Tommie Harris. ... Tailback Ryan Grant managed 16 yards on six carries, an effort that will keep his competition with James Starks in play. Starks got only one carry but caught five passes for 38 yards. ... The first-team defense blitzed Colts quarterback Curtis Painter extensively but eventually gave up a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter. One came on a busted coverage by safety Morgan Burnett, while the other came with the always-shaky Jarrett Bush in man coverage. ... Coach Mike McCarthy worked hard to ensure this victory, however, ordering a 2-point conversion after Ryan Taylor's 11-yard touchdown reception with 35 seconds remaining. After a successful onside kick, place-kicker Mason Crosby atoned for an earlier miss with a 50-yard game-winner. ... Quarterback Graham Harrell's late-game heroics could go a long way toward making the team.

Local coverage: McCarthy said he never considered kicking an extra point after Taylor's touchdown to leave with a 1-point loss, according to Rob Demovsky of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. McCarthy: "I understand the mindset of kicking the extra point and going home a little healthier. That's a terrible message to send to your team, in my opinion. ... I thought it was a tremendous boost for our football team. I think anytime you win a game in that fashion, it's healthy." ... The Packers starters should have scored more points, Demovsky quotes right tackle Bryan Bulaga as saying. ... Players seemed tired at times as a result of the no huddle, but Clifton (via Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) said: "There's no excuse for it. I need to play better. Our job is to perform and perform at a high level. I didn't do that tonight. I know it wasn't one of my finest performances. I'll just have to learn from it." ... Burnett admitted he was at fault in the busted coverage that led to Reggie Wayne's 57-yard touchdown. Via Tyler Dunne of the Journal Sentinel: "That was on me all the way. I should have stayed deep in my half. It's just a routine play. I need to really work on that. I can't put too much thought in it. Just need to bounce back." ... Rodgers on his touchdown pass to Finley, via Jason Wilde of ESPNMilwaukee.com: "It was two guys on the same page. It was nice to be able to have that non-verbal acknowledgement of what we're trying to do there."

Up next: Thursday against Kansas City Chiefs

In case you haven't heard, the NFL has mandated all kickoffs be marked at the 35-yard line this season (and preseason). But we spent so much time dissecting the Chicago Bears' mistake/miscommunication/passive protest earlier this week that I think we missed the opportunity to examine both the larger picture and how this mess will affect the NFC North later this season.

Based on my unofficial review of play-by-plays from Week 1 of the preseason, 11 of the NFC North's 12 kickoffs from the 35-yard line traveled into the end zone. The other landed at the 1-yard line. Here is how it broke down:

There are a couple of interesting points to make here. Most notably, we saw some divergent strategies already starting to emerge.

For the most part, Green Bay Packers place-kicker Mason Crosby aired out his strong leg. But if the Packers thought that kicks deep into the end zone would automatically result in touchbacks, they found out otherwise Saturday night. The Cleveland Browns brought back all four kickoffs, returning them twice to the 20-yard line, once to the 21 and once to the 15.

Because some teams don't want to surrender the potential for a big kick return, it's quite possible we'll see many more kickoffs returned from previously too-deep spots in the end zone. Speaking generally this week, Minnesota Vikings place-kicker Ryan Longwell said: "I really do think that. I really think when they can judge the hang time of it, and you've got a lower kick that is 7 or 8 yards deep, I think that will come out a lot more often this year than it has in the past."

On the other hand, Longwell and the Vikings appeared to pursue an alternate goal. The strategy calls for putting high kickoffs short of the goal line in hopes of tackling the returner shy of the 20, where a touchback would be marked. It didn't work too well on Longwell's first kickoff against the Tennessee Titans, which landed 1 yard deep in the end zone and was returned to the 27-yard line. But his second kickoff generated more than four seconds of hang time, according to Vikings special teams coordinator Mike Priefer, and resulted in a return to the 11-yard line.

Said Longwell: "I think that you're going to see a lot of the coaches saying, 'If there is a touchback potential, why do we give them the 20 when we can hang it high inside and the 5, and tackle them inside the 20?' I think it's actually going to flip the other way, from just banging it out and giving them the 20, to 'Hey, let's stuff them inside the 20.' I think there will be a big movement [toward] that as well."

Meanwhile, there are a number of kickers and special teams coaches in the NFC North who are convinced this dynamic will diminish once the weather turns colder. Bears place-kicker Robbie Gould cited the weather issue as a reason he wanted to kick off from the 30 Saturday night against the Buffalo Bills, hoping it would give coverage teams a chance to cover a live return the way they presumably will need to in November and December.

"As the weather changes," Longwell said, "the ball just doesn't fly as far. It's a fact. I think those [deep] numbers will come down."

The Bears have four games at Soldier Field and the Packers have five at Lambeau Field after Nov. 1. We probably won't see many touchbacks, at least in those games. But I'm not convinced we'll see as many touchbacks as we think we might in the first two months of the season. Strategies and skills are still evolving. Stay tuned.

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- All available evidence suggested that the Green Bay Packers and receiver James Jones would amicably separate this summer. Jones was no doubt seeking a market-level second contract, and the Packers already have a full house of established pass-catchers and added a high draft choice to the mix this spring.

It made sense that Jones would sign elsewhere and the Packers would roll with Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, Jordy Nelson, rookie Randall Cobb at receiver, with a fully healed Jermichael Finley at tight end. But two things happened on the way to a what the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Tom Silverstein first reported was a three-year contract agreement between the Packers and Jones. ESPN's John Clayton has confirmed the deal

First, quarterback Aaron Rodgers began publicly lobbying for Jones' return, saying Jones should be the Packers' No. 1 offseason priority. (Clearly he was not, because their first move was to re-sign place-kicker Mason Crosby.) Jones confirmed to Jason Wilde of ESPNMilwaukee.com that Rodgers, as well as Driver and Jennings, went to bat for him.

"Having your teammates push for you and want you back, not a lot of guys would do that, two high-profile guys like them two dudes," Jones said. "And for Greg and Donald [to] want me back on that team, that shows how unselfish we are."

Speaking in the Packers' locker room shortly before Sunday's agreement, Rodgers said the Packers "need" to re-sign both Jones and running back John Kuhn, another unrestricted free agent. (The countdown for Kuhn's new deal begins in 3, 2, 1 ...)

"Those are two guys out there that are important to us," Rodgers said. "It's not my decision, but I'm definitely pulling for those guys to come back."

Why was Rodgers so adamant about Jones, whose otherwise productive seasons with the Packers have been marred by some high-profile drops? Ultimately, I think it comes down to human nature. People like what they know and they worry about what's next. Rodgers has devoted four years to developing a level of chemistry with Jones. Why not continue capitalizing on that experience for as long as possible?

Second, a number of teams that originally expressed interest in Jones went in different directions. As we discussed Saturday, the Minnesota Vikings agreed to terms with receiver Michael Jenkins. On Sunday morning, coach Leslie Frazier said he had the group "we're going to roll with," indicating Jones was no longer a possibility.

An hour or so later, the New York Jets -- another team linked to Jones -- agreed to terms with free-agent receiver Plaxico Burress.

Ultimately, I think the Packers were by far the best situation for Jones. We've all cringed at free-agent moves that seem destined to fail from the start. Is James Jones ready to be another team's No. 2 receiver? The fresh start of free agency sometimes jump-starts a career, but my guess is that Jones didn't need that. What he needs is to continue growing in an established system with one of the NFL's top quarterbacks while in the relative comfort zone of one of the league's deepest receiving corps.

If he one day succeeds Driver as the Packers' No. 2 receiver alongside Jennings, then so be it. He'll be better suited than he would have been with another team right now.

Multiple reports suggest it's only a matter of time before the Green Bay Packers formally part ways with offensive lineman Daryn Colledge. The Arizona Cardinals appear to be the leading candidate for his services.

This news should come as no surprise because the Packers have declined numerous opportunities to sign Colledge to an extension in recent years. He is now an unrestricted free agent. Clearly, the Packers are comfortable with depth along the offensive line and decided to allocate their cash and salary-cap space elsewhere.

So who will take over for Colledge at left guard? The best guess, as suggested by ESPNMilwaukee.com's Jason Wilde, is T.J. Lang. I believe Lang has played every position except quarterback in his three seasons with the Packers, and if anything he's proved a quick study. And although it's totally irrelevant, Lang has also demonstrated a solid John Madden-like sense of humor on his Twitter feed (@TJLang70).

Recently: "I hate dropping ketchup on clothes I just washed."

Who doesn't?

Seriously, there are two other backups who could figure into this competition: Nick McDonald and Marshall Newhouse. But what interests me the most is if the Packers will feel compelled, as they have in the past, to shift a starter or rising starter from another position into an open spot in the name of getting their best five linemen on the field.

In this case: Would the Packers move right tackle Bryan Bulaga to left guard, where he spent a bit of time in training camp last summer? Or would they try to get first-round draft pick Derek Sherrod, a left tackle in college, onto the field as a left guard?

We have no immediate indication on those possibilities. Coach Mike McCarthy is scheduled to speak with reporters Saturday morning. Stay tuned.

Recent Packers posts: The Packers trust Mason Crosby as their place-kicker of the future. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers really, really wants the Packers to re-sign receiver James Jones. To little surprise, the Packers told linebacker Nick Barnett he will be traded or released.

In March, we wondered whether the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears were really prepared to part ways with a pair of aging but reliable specialists who appear to have several years remaining in their careers. We've now gotten our answer.

The Bears did indeed inform punter Brad Maynard that he won't return in 2011. And on Wednesday, the Vikings agreed to terms with place-kicker Ryan Longwell on what ESPN's Adam Schefter reported is a four-year contract extension worth $12 million, including $3.5 million guaranteed.

The timing of the deal made sense; earlier in the day, the Green Bay Packers and Carolina Panthers helped set the market for placekickers. The Packers agreed with Mason Crosby on a five-year deal that included $3 million guaranteed, while the Panthers will soon sign Olindo Mare to a four-year deal that includes $4 million guaranteed.

What never made sense was why the Vikings might replace a kicker who has converted 43 of 46 attempts over the past two seasons. Longwell will turn 37 next month, but age is of moderate relevance when it comes to place-kickers. The Vikings clearly agreed, even if it took longer than expected for them to show it.

The hopes of quarterback Aaron Rodgers aside, the Green Bay Packers' top post-lockout priority has always appeared to be ensuring the return of place-kicker Mason Crosby. In the end, that's exactly how it worked out.

Overnight, the Packers agreed to terms on a five-year contract with Crosby. Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported the deal is worth $14.75 million, including $3 million guaranteed. Those are some eye-popping numbers, but keep in mind that the Oakland Raiders busted up the place-kicker market last year by re-signing Sebastian Janikowski to a four-year deal worth $16 million, including $9 million in guarantees.

Some of you would suggest that Crosby and Janikowski don't belong in the same sentence, and it's true that Crosby hasn't put up the kind of accuracy numbers you would hope to see from an elite kicker. In fact, he has the lowest conversion rate (78.1) among all place-kickers with 100 attempts since he entered the league in 2007, according to the database at pro-football-reference.com.

But the Packers have tended to grade Crosby on a curve for two reasons. First, his strong leg has prompted 21 attempts from 50 yards or longer. He has missed 11 of them. Subtract those attempts, and his career conversion percentage is 83.6.

Second, coach Mike McCarthy has placed value in the institutional knowledge Crosby has gained from kicking at Lambeau Field for four seasons. It isn't the worst conditions in the NFL, but it's unpredictable and potentially extreme and can certainly have a psychological impact on kickers.

I don't think the Packers could have done better if they opened up the job this summer. I've seen it with my own eyes: A palatable unease can settle on a training camp that opens without a proven place-kicker on the roster. McCarthy might encounter some headaches this summer, but this decision means they aren't likely to come from the kicking game.