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Juli
2019

ter all, he�s a defensively-minded

Will the Minnesota Vikings pick up where they left off Womens Trey Flowers Jersey , following their surge to the NFC championship game last season?Or will the Green Bay Packers rebound forcefully enough to take back the division they've mostly dominated for two decades?The annual report on the NFC North has almost always focused on the Packers, the Vikings or both of these fierce rivals since the NFL's most recent realignment produced the current eight-division format in 2002.With new head coaches in Detroit (Matt Patricia) and Chicago (Matt Nagy) this year, a big breakout by the Lions or Bears would be necessary to bump the Vikings and Packers from the lead story of 2018.The Vikings overcame early season knee injuries to quarterback Sam Bradford and running back Dalvin Cook to finish 13-3 and beat New Orleans on the last-second touchdown pass from Case Keenum to Stefon Diggs, before the league's best defense was dissected and humbled by eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia in the NFC title game.Bradford and Keenum departed with Teddy Bridgewater as free agents, but the Vikings signed the best available replacement on the market in Kirk Cousins . They upgraded at defensive tackle with Sheldon Richardson, too, toting as many top-tier players in the 22-man starting lineup as any competitor in the NFL.With the aspiration of winning the Super Bowl for the first time in the franchise's 58-year history, the Vikings must be concerned about an entire NFC that's as stacked as ever. But for Minnesota, there's no greater competition, now or over the past quarter-century, than Green Bay.The Packers are past the pain of losing two-time league MVP award winner Aaron Rodgers, whose broken collarbone in the sixth game of the season effectively ended the dream scenario of hoisting the Super Bowl trophy on Minnesota's home turf.Five-time Pro Bowl tight end Jimmy Graham has joined Green Bay's dangerous offense. As if Rodgers needed anymore motivation to go with his game-changing ability, the Vikings are the very team that knocked him out of action when linebacker Anthony Barr flattened him with a hard hit.So who's the favorite here? Well, the answer will start to form quickly, when the Vikings visit the Packers in the second game on Sept. 16.Here's a quick tour around the NFC North:TOUGH TASK: The pressure is heavy on Cousins to perform as well or better than Keenum did as a fill-in for Minnesota last fall. The offensive line is again carrying major question marks Womens Eli Harold Jersey , with right guard Joe Berger retired and left guard Nick Easton likely out for the year with a neck injury. Center Pat Elflein has missed the entire preseason with his rehabilitation from shoulder and ankle surgeries moving slower than anticipated.The schedule is stiffer for the Vikings, too, with road trips to NFC powers Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Seattle and a visit to AFC champion New England."It's trying to just restart that process and make sure that we know that we're not just getting handed 13 wins," wide receiver Adam Thielen said. "Thirteen wins in the NFL is extremely difficult. It doesn't matter how good you are."SECONDARY? MORE LIKE PRIMARY: Since winning the Super Bowl nearly eight years ago, in Rodgers' third season as the starter, Green Bay has not been back. The pass defense has been the biggest culprit, and for a second straight year the front office used the top of the draft to add cornerbacks. Kevin King was the first pick in 2017, and Jaire Alexander and Josh Jackson were the first two players off the board in 2018 . There's a new defensive coordinator now, too: Mike Pettine.Having a healthy Rodgers back was the biggest step the Packers could take toward returning to the playoffs, after their streak of eight straight appearances was stopped, but a deeper and stronger secondary was necessary to get back on that championship track."We all should be better for the negative experiences that we've encountered in the past," coach Mike McCarthy said.NEW BOSS: The Lions took two more significant steps toward lifting a lagging ground game by drafting Kerryon Johnson in the second round out of Auburn and signing LeGarrette Blount, who has carried the ball for two of the past three Super Bowl winners. There's no more important addition in Detroit than Patricia, though.Patricia was the defensive coordinator for the last six of his 14 seasons with New England http://www.lionslockerroom.com/authentic-taylor-decker-jersey , where he left with three Super Bowl rings. He's joining a franchise that has won one playoff game in the past 60 years, so the change in mindset and atmosphere he has brought to the Lions is even more important than his acumen in engineering a defense."He laid down the law. He gave us the rules, and he came in with energy," linebacker Jarrad Davis said. "He came in, made it clear, gave us the expectations, and now we have something we can chase."LETTING IT LOOSE: Over the past four regular seasons, the Vikings and Packers each went 39-25 and the Lions were close behind with a cumulative record of 36-28. The Bears went 19-45. That's why Nagy is here, after serving as the offensive coordinator in Kansas City last year.The most important part of his job for now will be guiding quarterback Mitchell Trubisky , the second overall pick in the 2017 draft who was brought along carefully after taking over as the starter midway through his rookie season. Trubisky was also handed three new targets: wide receivers Allen Robinson and Taylor Gabriel and tight end Trey Burton."Just go out there and play freely and let your instincts take over," Trubisky said. "And then when we make mistakes, just go back and learn from it."PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH: Vikings, Packers, Lions, Bears.Hypothetical Golden Tate-to-Patriots trade makes little sense for the Lions The New England Patriots aren�t exactly desperate Womens Jarrad Davis Jersey , but they are in need of some serious help. Their wide receiver depth chart has been dismantled by injury, suspension and retirement. Julian Edelman will miss the first four games for using performance-enhancing substances. Eric Decker just suddenly retired from the NFL, and free agent addition Jordan Matthews suffered a hamstring injury and was promptly released with an injury settlement.Seeking some desperate help, the Patriots media has been looking for solutions to New England�s problem and two analysts have ended their searches in Detroit. Both ESPN�s Mike Reiss and The Athletic�s Michael Lombardi think Golden Tate would make a ton of sense in a Patriots uniform.�I don�t know if the Lions would consider it, but receiver Golden Tate is the type of trade target I�d inquire about for the Patriots,� Reiss wrote in his personal blog this week. Lombardi agrees: But would it make any sense from the other end of the bargaining table?Tate is on the final year of his contract, and there have been no indications whether the Lions are interested in retaining the 30-year-old receiver. For the past four years, however, Tate has been an integral part of the team�s offense, racking up at least 90 catches in every season in Detroit and crossing the 1,000-yard threshold three out of four years.Tate�s impact hasn�t just been statistically-based, but his skillset has allowed offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter to essentially make Tate the centerpoint of the offense. His ability to take short passes for long gains forces opposing defenses closer to the line of scrimmage without the need of an efficient running game. That allows the likes of Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones to be freed up over the top for big gains. And the Lions were one of the best downfield passing teams in the entire league last year.Some believe the preseason emergence of Brandon Powell�an admittedly similar receiver to Tate�could make Golden expendable, especially since there�s no guarantee he�ll be around after 2018. But expecting the offense not to take a considerable step down by replacing one of the most consistent pieces of the offense (and the #YACKing) with an undrafted rookie is reckless thinking. I understand the Lions offense is looking to change things up with an improved running game, and that could make Tate�s role a little less important in 2018. However, the offense is the strength of this team Matthew Stafford Jersey White , and I haven't seen enough out of this �new and improved� Lions rushing attack to confidently believe they could still be a dominant offense without their centerpiece.But like anything in the NFL, every player has his price. If the Patriots were to offer something extravagant, the Lions would have to seriously consider it, knowing Tate could be gone next year. So what is Reiss suggesting as compensation?�Playing fantasy GM, a package of defensive tackle Malcom Brown and linebacker Elandon Roberts would be something I�d float out there to see if there was a bite,� Reiss wrote.Admittedly, this is a somewhat intriguing offer. The Lions obviously have a big weaknesses on their front seven, and adding two players already well-versed in Matt Patricia�s defense scheme (and slated starters, no less) could make a serious immediate impact for Detroit. Brown is a younger version of Ricky Jean Francois. At 24 years old, Brown ranked fourth in run-stop percentage last season, per Pro Football Focus. Though he, too, is on the last year of his contract, Brown could be the long-term solution where Francois is the stop-gap. Roberts is an up-and-coming outside linebacker who saw his first real starting action last season. The 2016 sixth-round pick saw mixed reviews as a starter. PFF graded him poorly as a liability in both in run defense (49.2 grade) and coverage (51.1). However, the Patriots were confident enough in him to trade away Pro Bowler Jamie Collins Nick Bellore Jersey White , meaning that Matt Patricia obviously sees something in him.And it may be very tempting for Patricia to accept an offer like this. After all, he�s a defensively-minded guy, and he�d be getting two commodities he�s more than familiar with. But while these are two young players the Lions would be adding, there�s no guarantee it would make them better long-term. If Brown has a strong 2018 season, he�ll be asking for a huge pay raise next offseason, much like Tate. And Roberts is still in �unknown commodity� territory. He could regress just as easily as he could progress.And if you look at the formula that�s made the Patriots such a successful franchise over the past two decades, it starts with Tom Brady and the offense. That team has ranked among the top four scoring offenses in every single season dating back to 2009. Giving away Golden Tate�even for two high-ceiling defensive players�makes the Lions a worse team in the short term, and there�s no guarantee they�ll be any better in the long term. Thanks, but no thanks, Mike Reiss.