NFC North Notes: Munnerlyn, Lions, Packers
When Vikings newcomer Captain Munnerlyn signed with the team in March, he envisioned being the starting cornerback to start the regular season. Even after he was listed beside Josh Robinson as a “co-starters” on the team’s first depth chart, the 26-year-old is still convinced that the starting gig belongs to him.
“Basically, I didn’t know that I was going to come off the bench and just slide into the nickel,” he told Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. “I don’t think that was the plan. I always thought I would start outside and slide in… I’ve played a lot of football in this league. I’ve started a lot of games.
“I really didn’t even know there was any competition.”
Let’s see what else is happening in the NFC North…
- Lions rookie T.J. Jones will remain on the team’s PUP list when the season begins. While this wasn’t the best-case scenario for the wide receiver, Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com writes that it could ultimately help the player, who would have had a tough time making the final squad.
- In the same article, Twentyman notes that Lions defensive end George Johnson has continued to move up the depth chart. “He played pretty well,” said head coach Jim Caldwell. “Lot of effort plays, he was active, he was tough and threw his body around, he did a nice job in the scrimmage plays and special teams, as well.”
- Instead of keeping three quarterbacks, Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette thinks it’d be best for the Packers to keep only one of Matt Flynn or Scott Tolzien. With the extra spot, Dougherty suggests the team carry an extra linebacker, safety, tight end or receiver.
Dunne On Replacements For B.J. Raji
An unfortunate injury to Packers’ nose tackle B.J. Raji has left the team looking for a way to replace his size and athleticism in the middle of their defense. The arm injury has been confirmed to be torn biceps, and will more than likely force him to miss the season, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN (via Twitter).
As big of a loss as this is for the defense, the team is not yet panicking, according to Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (via Twitter). The team has a number of in-house replacements, including Josh Boyd, Letroy Guion and undrafted rookie Mike Pennel, according to Dunne.
Guion was one of the favorite free agent signings this offseason, but has missed virtually all of training camp with a variety of hamstring problems. He was thought of as a possible PUP candidate, but Dunne notes that the team might not feel comfortable waiting that long to see him in action now without Raji (via Twitter).
Dunne also notes that former Packer Ryan Pickett is an option (via Twitter). Pickett, who played nose tackle and defensive end for the team since 2006, is a free agent who has expressed interest in continuing his career with the Packers, as Dunne wrote earlier this offseason.
However, Dunne also mentioned that the team would most likely stand pat with what they have, knowing they have the option to play more nickel packages, which would put Mike Daniels and Datone Jones on the field, and alleviate the need for a true nose tackle (via Twitter).
Johnny Jolly, another former Packer defensive lineman, is also not currently in the team’s plan as a replacement for Raji, (via Twitter).
Friday Night Game Notes: NFC North
This morning, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport said the Packers were pessimistic about an arm injury suffered by nose tackle B.J. Raji last night. In his latest tweet, Rapoport reports (via Twitter) the belief is Raji tore his biceps, and tests will determine whether it’s fully or partially torn.
12:29: Raji’s biceps tear is confirmed, per JSOnline’s Tom Silverstein (via Twitter), who says the fear is Raji will be lost for the season.
Here’s some more links derived from last night’s action involving the Packers, Bears and Lions:
- “There’s a good chance that rookie TE Richard Rodgers will be the Green Bay Packers’ starter against the Seattle Seahawks Sept. 4.,” says JSOnline’s Tom Silverstein.
- Casey Hayward is nursing a hamstring injury, and ESPN’s Rob Demovsky wonders if it’s time to worry.
- The Bears were drubbed in Seattle, and ESPN’s Michael C. Wright provided his observations, including the continued struggles of young linebackers Shea McClellin and Jon Bostic.
- Safety Chris Conte saw his first game action since last season. . .and promptly sustained a concussion (confirmed by the team via Twitter), adding yet another question mark to the Bears’ unsettled safety situation.
- Tahir Whitehead‘s strong play is making the Lions’ strong-side linebacker competition a three-horse race, writes Josh Katzenstein in the Detroit News.
- Ndamukong Suh‘s roughing-the-passer penalty drew headlines, but the quantity of Lions penalties is concerning to head coach Jim Caldwell, says MLive.com’s Kyle Meinke.
NFC North Links: Lions, Ponder, Packers
Roster construction is a collaborative effort in Detroit, but head coach Jim Caldwell acknowledges that general manager Martin Mayhew will have the final say on the 53 players the Lions carry into the regular season, as he tells Justin Rogers of MLive.com. If Caldwell were making the final decisions, he’d like favor production over potential, for one obvious reason.
“I’m in the business of winning games and winning games now,” Caldwell said. “So the most important thing to me is getting guys who can be in a position to help us win right now. There are other, businesses (and) positions within the organization that may look at it differently, but we have to look at it as coaches. We’re looking for the best guy to help us win, at this particular moment in time, and that’s what counts for us.”
Here’s more from around the NFC North:
- Although Christian Ponder has made comments indicating he’d be open to a trade, he clarified today that he’s not asking to be dealt by the Vikings. “As a competitor you want to be the guy out there playing,” Ponder said. “But I do feel like in the situation I’m in right now, I am getting better” (Twitter links via Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press).
- Colt Lyerla was waived-injured by the Packers yesterday after tearing his MCL and PCL, but agent Vinnie Porter gets the sense that the team still has his client in its plans, according to Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Assuming Lyerla clears waivers, he could spent the year on injured reserve and continue on with Green Bay next season.
- In a separate piece for the Journal Sentinel, Dunne explores whether or not there’s still room on the Packers for former first-round pick Nick Perry. The linebacker’s roster spot probably isn’t in jeopardy, but 2014 could be a make-or-break season for him.
- By signing Julius Peppers and having him make the transition from a 4-3 defensive end to a 3-4 outside linebacker, the Packers are hoping the ex-Bear has a career renaissance similar to the one experienced by Charles Woodson when Woodson joined the Packers and began to play positions besides just cornerback. Andy Benoit of TheMMQB.com has the story.
Nick Collins To Retire
Veteran safety Nick Collins, who spent all seven of his NFL seasons with the Packers, has announced his retirement (via TwitLonger). Collins hasn’t played in the league since 2011, as he’d been dealing with a neck injury suffered during Week 2 of that year. Though doctors were reportedly uncomfortable with approving his health, Collins was eying a comeback attempt as recently as February, but it seems as if that plan has been aborted.
“[I’ve] officially announced my retirement from the NFL,” said Collins. “I also would like to thank my family, friends, and the Packer Nation for the love and support.”
Collins underwent cervical fusion surgery following his neck injury in 2011, and was eventually released by the Packers in 2012 when the team expressed unease with allowing him to return to the field. Later that year, Collins’ agent conceded that his client’s playing career was likely over, but the former second-round pick himself always maintained that he wanted to return to action
During his prime, Collins was among the best safeties in the NFL — he was named to the Pro Bowl each year from 2008-10, and won the Super Bowl in 2010. After joining Green Bay out of Bethune-Cookman in 2005, Collins went on to start 95 games, and recorded 340 tackles and 21 interceptions during that span. In 2008, he led the league in interception return yards, taking his picks back a whopping 295 total yards.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Minor Moves: Tuesday
Here are Tuesday’s minor moves from around the NFL, with additional transactions added to the top of the list throughout the afternoon and evening:
- The Colts added guard Andre Cureton, an undrafted free agent who was let go by the Cowboys last week, per Mike Chappell of the Indianapolis Star (Twitter link). He takes the roster spot of kicker Cody Parkey, who was waived.
- Chargers defensive end Damik Scafe has been placed on injured reserve, ending his season, reports Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego (on Twitter).
- Linebacker Dom DeCicco has cleared waivers and reverted back to the Vikings’ injured reserve, tweets Matt Vensel of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
- Receiver Shaq Evans, one of the Jets’ three fourth-round picks, has been placed on injured reserve, and will miss his rookie year after suffering a shoulder injury, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Players with no NFL experience have to pass through waivers before being placed on IR at this point, so it’s unclear if the Jets will actually make this move official until September.
Earlier updates:
- Defensive lineman Jibreel Black (Buccaneers) and quarterback Pat Devlin (Dolphins) have been removed from their respective teams’ injured reserve lists with injury settlements, according to ESPN.com’s Michael Rothstein and Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun, respectively (Twitter links).
- Nothing is official yet, but ex-Bears receiver and returner Eric Weems, who was just cut this weekend, is set to sign with the Titans, reports Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Weems had been released by Chicago when the team signed Santonio Holmes.
- Although linebacker Jason Phillips was said to be recovered from the ACL injury that sidelined him for the 2013 season, he was cut by the Eagles today, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter). Philadelphia’s first transaction since June, the move was made because the special teams ace wasn’t going to make the team and the Eagles wanted to give him a chance to catch on elsewhere, tweets Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News.
- Tight end Colt Lyerla, who suffered a knee injury during training camp, has been waived-injured by the Packers, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today. Per Jason Wilde of ESPN Wisconsin (Twitter link), Green Bay intends to place Lyerla on injured reserve for the season if he clears waivers.
- It appears the Bills may be getting an early start on next week’s roster cutdowns. The team has opened a couple roster spots by waiving offensive lineman Edawn Coughman and wide receiver Kevin Elliott, according to ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak (Twitter links). No corresponding signings to fill the two openings have been announced yet.
NFC North Notes: Packers, Lions, Vikings
The Packers have yet to make a roster move in August, but that’s not necessarily by design, according to GM Ted Thompson, who says it’s just the way it’s worked out for the team. “Sometimes if you keep adding salt to the mix, and it gets too salty,” Thompson added, according to Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Let’s round up a few more notes from around the NFC North….
- Within Dunne’s recap of Thompson’s comments, the GM also addresses the increased practice squad limits, the benefits of keeping a veteran vs. an undrafted player, and what effect the early start to the regular season will have on the Packers‘ roster prep.
- Receiving depth has been an issue in Detroit for a few years, but the Lions are pleased with their current group of wideouts behind Calvin Johnson, headed by free agent signee Golden Tate. Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press has the details.
- If there was an open competition for the starting left cornerback job with the Vikings, it was news to Captain Munnerlyn, who signed with the team this offseason expecting to be a starter, as he tells Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. With little competition provided by Josh Robinson and others, Munnerlyn will head into the regular season as the Vikes’ top option at the position.
- Noting that he was “disappointed” by the boos Christian Ponder has received from Vikings fans, offensive coordinator Norv Turner said today that he expects the quarterback to be a valuable part of the team (Twitter link via Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune). Considering Ponder heads into the year as the third QB on the depth chart, the club is probably hoping he doesn’t need to be too valuable this season.
NFC North Notes: Bears, Kluwe, Packers
Considering Marquess Wilson is a candidate for either the injured reserve list, or the IR with a designation to return, veteran wideout Santonio Holmes has a chance to be more than just a stopgap solution for a Bears offense in need of a No. 3 receiver, says Tom Pelissero of USA Today. A source tells Pelissero that Wilson is expected to be sidelined until at least midseason, so Chicago will have an interesting decision to make on whether to carry the young wideout on the active roster, or shift him to short- or long-term injured reserve. Each club is only allowed to place one player on the short-term IR.
Here’s more on the Bears’ signing of Holmes, along with a couple other items out of the division:
- Holmes may be a viable third receiver, but he won’t solve the team’s kick return issues, writes John Mullin of CSNChicago.com. Mullin also points out that the signing of Holmes continues a trend that has lasted all offseason, as the Bears have opted for veteran additions rather than young developmental pieces, strongly suggesting they’re in win-now mode. As we saw when we broke down their offseason moves, the Bears were one of the NFL’s most active teams in signing veteran free agents.
- With an agreement reportedly in place between Chris Kluwe and the Vikings, Kluwe’s press conference will take place tomorrow at attorney Clayton Halunen’s office, according to the Star Tribune (Twitter link). However, it doesn’t appear it will be a joint presser with the team.
- One of the Packers‘ areas of focus this offseason was on the defensive line, where the team made a concerted effort to get smaller and more athletic — B.J. Raji returns, but wide-bodied players like Ryan Pickett, Johnny Jolly, and C.J. Wilson are no longer in the mix. Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel examines how the new-look Green Bay defensive line is holding up so far against the run.
Sunday Roundup: Clemens, Fairley, Bortles
The preseason has reached its unofficial halfway point, and teams must trim their rosters to 75 players in just over a week from now. As position competitions continue to smolder and as bubble players strive to prove themselves in preseason contests, let’s take a look at some notes from around the league:
- Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean offers some lessons learned from the Titans‘ second preseason game against the Saints. He notes that Travis Coons‘ accuracy has made the kicking competition with Maikon Bonani much more interesting than anticipated, and while return specialist Marc Mariani still faces an uphill battle to make the club, his returns on Saturday night have kept him in the picture.
- Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com believes the Ravens should keep starting corners Lardarius Webb and Jimmy Smith on the shelf until the regular season opener against the Bengals. Baltimore has been “snakebitten” at the cornerback position and Hensley believes the team’s best bet is to hope that a decent player gets released as the preseason rolls on. He writes that, if free agents like Asante Samuel and Dunta Robinson could help, they would have jobs by now.
- Kevin Acee of U-T San Diego writes that the Chargers are thrilled to have Kellen Clemens as Philip Rivers‘ backup, as they are confident Clemens could win games for them if he were pressed into duty.
- Mike Klis of the Denver Post ranks undrafted free agent Juwan Thompson as the Broncos‘ biggest training camp surprise. Though Thompson entered camp as the No. 6 tailback on the roster, he now appears to have a legitimate shot at making the club.
- Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press writes that the Lions need to salvage Nick Fairley, who represents their last hope from the now infamous 2011 draft, but if Fairley does not show improvement soon, he could be a midseason trade candidate.
- Birkett (Twitter links) and Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com offer brief discussions of the Lions‘ wide receiver competition and predict which wideouts may make the club.
- Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com provides a list of which Packers bubble players helped themselves and who hurt themselves in Saturday’s preseason game against the Rams.
- Ben Volin of the Boston Globe believes the Browns and Jaguars should hand the reins to Blake Bortles and Johnny Manziel right away, rather than have them sit behind the players they will eventually overtake. Since Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan led their clubs to the playoffs during their rookie seasons in 2008, rookie quarterbacks have fared very well when thrown into the fire from day one. For what it’s worth, Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida-Times Union tweets that Bortles will finally get reps with the first team offense on Monday and could play with the ones in the second quarter in the team’s upcoming preseason game against the Lions.
NFC North Links: Neal, Peppers, Lions, Bears
Packers‘ running back Rajion Neal has been impressive this preseason, but he must return quickly from injury if he wants a chance of making the team’s final roster, writes Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. Neal is currently behind Eddie Lacy, James Starks, and DuJuan Harris on the depth chart, even though a knee injury forced him out of the preseason opener and will cause him to miss this week’s game as well. He will have to come back and impress in the final two games if he intends to convince the Packers to keep a fourth back on the roster.
Here are some other links from around the NFC North:
- New Packer Julius Peppers saw limited action in the preseason opener, and failed to make his impact known, writes Demovsky. He has vowed to improve on his performance. “It matters, it matters,” said Peppers. “We all are going to need these reps to get ready for the season, which is going to be upon us pretty soon. It’s a chance to get better. We have a couple more opportunities to try to accomplish those goals.”
- The Lions have a running back who is also looking to make a 53-man roster, in George Winn, who has been impressive this offseason according to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com. Winn has a reputation as a hard runner, scoring a touchdown from the one-yard line, and had two special teams tackles against the Raiders.
- The wide receivers competing to make the Lions‘ roster after Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate will likely come down to some extremely tough decisions, writes Twentyman. Jeremy Ross, Kris Durham, Ryan Broyles, and Corey Fuller have all made a case for a roster spot during the preseason thus far.
- The Bears have transformed from a defensive minded team to an offensive force over the years, but they could see an improvement on defense from linebackers Jon Bostic and Shea McClellin, writes Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun Times.