June is a rough month for football fans. While the gridiron faithful can whet their appetites by diving into a steady stream of news during minicamp, there isn’t much that can be used to predict the future.
For example, did Anthony Barr ever become a devastating pass-rusher? Did Mike Zimmer ever give up play-calling duties? Did Jordan Taylor become a trusted target for Kirk Cousins? (I think you can see where this is going.)
But sometimes a minicamp storyline can be used to predict the future. This could be the case for the NFC North, which may be the most interesting division in football — but also the NFL’s island of misfit toys.
It starts with the Minnesota Vikings, who are trying to introduce everyone to a competitive rebuild. Last year was a false start; the Vikings ran back several veterans in an attempt to show that Zimmer was the problem. But as the team departs for this year’s summer vacation, they have several questions hanging over them.
The Vikings let go of several veterans over the offseason, and it’s led to the same feel as the summer of 2020. Young players such as Alexander Mattison, K.J. Osborn, and Brian Asamoah were the stars of minicamp, but it’s hard to tell if they can replace Dalvin Cook, Adam Thielen, and Eric Kendricks.
With several contract issues looming, the Vikings wouldn’t seem like division favorites if they played in a different division. Thankfully, the rest of the NFC North has its own questions to answer.
It starts with a trip down I-94 to check on the Green Bay Packers. Like the Vikings, the Packers are in their own transitional phase. But the biggest change is who is under center.
Jordan Love has had a spotlight on him since the Packers traded up to select him in the first round of the 2020 draft. Like his predecessor, Aaron Rodgers, Love had to bide his time before becoming the starter. Now he has assumed that role on the field and when talking to the media.
“I think we’ve got a great team,” Love told Madison.com’s Jason Wilde. “I think we have a good offense, a young offense. We have a lot of work to keep putting in, keep building together, and I think we have a really good defense. Once we get everybody back and healthy, we’ll be really good. I think we’ve got playmakers on offense. I think all the weapons we have at receiver, tight end, and running back, we’ve got guys who can make plays. … I think once everybody gets rolling, gets comfortable with the offense and being where they need to play, the sky is the limit for us.”
This is all well and good, but Love won’t really dive into the QB1 lifestyle until he steps off the field. Love partied on a boat during Memorial Day weekend and attempted to wish Chicago Bears fans a “Happy Father’s Day,” which would imply that the Bears are “his daddy.”
At this point, Love is like the owner’s kid of a Fortune 500 company who just got promoted over the guy who has worked nine to five for the past 31 years. Everybody else in the NFC North wants to see Love stumble after enduring the three-decade-plus reign of Rodgers and Brett Favre, and Love’s comments put even more pressure on an undesirable situation for a young quarterback.
But Packers fans might not be the only ones longing for the days of Rodgers in green and gold. Bears defensive tackle Justin Jones told reporters that he wished Rodgers played one more year in Green Bay just so Chicago could beat him and stick it to Packer fans.
“Their fans are really s—y,” Jones explained. “I wanted to go back up there, and I wanted to play them and I wanted to beat them, and I wanted [Rodgers] to be there so he could see it. The fact that he’s gone, it’s cool. I guess it’s better for him not to be here. But yeah, man, I’m ready to take it over. It’s a good time to be a Bears fan. I’m not even going to lie to you.”
Some would disagree that it’s a good time to be a Bears fan as Ryan Poles enters the second year of a full-blown rebuild. Chicago has a treasure trove of 2024 draft picks and a ton of salary cap space, but it remains to be seen if they’re building the next version of the New England Patriots dynasty or Sashi Brown’s Cleveland Browns.
For whatever it’s worth, the Bears are talking themselves up. Justin Fields is the quarterback that is going to take D.J. Moore to the next level after Moore’s unfortunate stint in Carolina catching passes from Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold. Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards are expected to be game-changers on defense.
Yeah, sure. But they’re still a team with major holes. One that’s on the kind of full rebuild plan Vikings ownership may not have been willing to take on.
The Bears project as the ugly duckling of the NFC North. It’s the polar opposite of what’s going on in Detroit. After decades of misery, the Lions are ready for their close-up. They became America’s darlings on Hard Knocks and have four primetime games, plus a high-profile matchup against the Packers on Thanksgiving.
Unlike most teams, Detroit’s main attraction isn’t a player but rather their coach on the sideline. Dan Campbell has been a money-maker for the league since becoming the star of Hard Knocks last summer, and it has been rumored they could be featured again because nobody wants to be on the show.
At this rate, Campbell may become the NFL’s version of Ernest P. Worrell.
Forget the primetime games, there’s another cash cow to be made here. I’m talking about Dan Campbell Goes to [Training] Camp, Dan Campbell Saves Christmas, Dan Campbell Rides Again, and – the most exciting option – Dan Campbell Goes to Vegas. It’s an awful lot of Dan Campbell. Maybe too much. (Know what I mean, Vern?)
Betting on the Lions is a pretty big gamble, but it’s one that everyone – including the team – is willing to make. Detroit is actually favored to win the NFC North. If that happens, it would be their first division title since winning the NFC Central in 1993.
You read that right. The NFC Central. The “Black-and-Blue Division.” The division where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were still rocking the Creamsicle uniforms. The one where Dennis Green and Favre were in the early years of their runs in Minnesota and Green Bay, while the Bears…were the Bears.
That alone should tell you just how crazy this division can be compared to the others in the NFL. You could watch Patrick Mahomes battle Joe Burrow in primetime, but it might not be as entertaining as watching Campbell and Kirk Cousins square off in an absolute banger in the 12 p.m. time slot.
In truth, every division has its share of craziness. But when it comes to the NFC North, it might just be the land of misfit teams.
