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It's been a painfully slow week of football news, and one that shows little signs of getting any better. As such, we decided to look around SB Nation at the various blogs covering the Green Bay Packers' divisional rivals to see what's going on with the other teams in the NFC North.
Quarterbacks are (as always) the biggest source of news, and each of the three rivals' blogs have features on their teams' signal-callers. In addition to those articles, we found another interesting tidbit from each of those teams to bring to you on this Sunday afternoon. Enjoy!
Bears (Windy City Gridiron)
Former NFL QB McNabb criticizes Cutler's contract - Windy City Gridiron
Never one to mince words, Donovan McNabb's critical words for Jay Cutler earn some backlash from our Bears bloggers. Check out this quote from McNabb: "I think Jay might be the luckiest dude in Chicago, to be honest with you, with the contract that he received for what we haven't seen thus far."
Alshon Jeffery was the best at the Go route in 2013 - Windy City Gridiron
Jeffery's height was certainly a big plus for him when running straight down the field, as it helped him out-jump defenders for deep passes. Jordy Nelson wasn't mentioned for any particular route, but Packers fans will likely say that's attributable to the fact that he runs every type of route and doesn't get pigeonholed into one in particular.
Lions (Pride of Detroit)
A fair breakdown of Matthew Stafford vs. Colin Kaepernick - Pride Of Detroit
Personally, I was surprised when I read that Stafford was ranked higher than Kaepernick by ESPN's QB rankings (though they're of course designed to spark discussion). The stats so far bear out that Kaepernick is the better QB (though in a much smaller sample size).
A closer look at the Lions' 2017 salary cap - Pride Of Detroit
Each of Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson have a cap hit of $21.3 million or more in 2017, while Aaron Rodgers' hit will be $20.3 million that year.
Vikings (Daily Norseman)
Christian Ponder and Matt Cassel – Comparing and Contrasting the 2013 Season - Daily Norseman
If you're into number-crunching, DN does just that when looking at their two returning QBs from last year. The trick against Matt Cassel is to sit back in a 3- or 4-man rush, while Christian Ponder should not be allowed to throw deep.
Vikings Stadium Meeting Or Exceeding Hiring Goals - Daily Norseman
Well, even if we don't wish their football team well, it's nice to see that a lot of the work being done on the Vikings' new stadium will be done by local workers and companies.