A look at a player entering a contract year on each NFC North team who must deliver in 2013: Chicago Bears: More than a half-dozen prominent starters have contracts set to expire after this season, including returner Devin Hester, center Roberto Garza, defensive tackle Henry Melton, safety Major Wright and cornerbacks Charles Tillman and Tim Jennings.
I liked what I heard -- er, read -- from Detroit Lions tight end Brandon Pettigrew this week. As Tim Twentyman of the Lions' website writes, Pettigrew has pledged to rectify the series of negative plays he made last season.
We're Black and Blue All Over: Now that we've dissected Brian Urlacher's retirement and assessed his chances at enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, we should ask the next question: Will the Bears retire his No.
I didn't attend the Detroit Lions' rookie minicamp, but in my mind's eye, I imagine it would have been difficult to miss two tight ends as big as Michael Williams and Joseph Fauria. Williams, one of the Lions' seventh-round draft choices, is 6-foot-5 and nearly 280 pounds.
We're Black and Blue All Over: In our pre-draft Inside Slant podcast, Mike Sando and I agreed it would not be surprising if the Detroit Lions used a draft pick on a tight end. While they are set for the 2013 season with Brandon Pettigrew and Tony Scheffler, both incumbents are entering the final year of their contracts.
Conventional wisdom suggests there are two explanations for any draft pick. The team either has an immediate need for the player's services, or it has followed a "best player available" approach. In a special draft edition of the Inside Slant podcast , Mike Sando and I considered a third classification: the "hidden/future" need.
The Detroit Lions bottomed out and had desperate needs at nearly every position in 2009 when, with the draft's No. 20 overall pick, they selected ... a tight end. No one doubted the skills and potential of the Lions' choice, Oklahoma State's Brandon Pettigrew, but it seemed fair to question why they targeted a supplemental position while leaving presumably more important areas critically bare.
Let's get inside our last Friday injury report of the 2012 season. Sniff, sniff… Chicago Bears: Linebacker Brian Urlacher practiced for the first time since injuring his hamstring Dec. 2, but he was limited and is listed as doubtful for Sunday's game against the Detroit Lions.
We're Black and Blue All Over: In our fantasy dramas, we expect all hands on deck for our Wild Week 17, in which two of our teams need victories to help ensure a playoff spot while a third is hoping to improve its playoff seed.
Good evening. As we noted Friday, I'm monitoring Saturday night's game between the Detroit Lions and Atlanta Falcons from NFC North blog headquarters. I'll post when necessary during the game, especially if receiver Calvin Johnson breaks Jerry Rice's record for receiving yards in a season, and will have a wrap-up shortly afterwards.
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