2015 NFC North Trash Talk Thread: GB loses Div Rd, MIN loses WC Rd, DET/CHI N/A

Vikings OL Phil Loadholt has torn Achilles, will miss season

Ben Goessling, ESPN Staff Writer

MINNEAPOLIS -- A MRI on Sunday confirmed the Minnesota Vikings' initial fears about right tackle Phil Loadholt: He has a torn Achilles tendon.

Loadholt, who limped off the field after two plays of the Vikings' 26-16 preseason win over Tampa Bay on Saturday night, will need season-ending surgery on his left heel, according to a league source.

If it wasn't clear before Saturday night that the Vikings are facing a time of transition on their offensive line, it became clearer after Phil Loadholt's injury, Ben Goessling writes.

The Vikings believed Loadholt had a torn Achilles tendon on Saturday night but were holding out hope a MRI would show the injury wasn't as severe as they thought.

Instead, they'll prepare to start a different right tackle while the 29-year-old Loadholt tries to recover from his second major injury in less than 12 months. He missed the Vikings' final five games of 2014 with a torn pectoral muscle and had worked to return from that injury in time for training camp.

"He worked his tail off getting back here to be a hundred percent but that's the game of football," guard Brandon Fusco said on Saturday night. "Stuff happens, freak accidents, and it's unfortunate. He's a hard-working guy and he cares so much about the game of football, and he's a big time locker room guy. It's a big loss."

The Vikings put fourth-round pick T.J. Clemmings in after Loadholt's injury on Saturday night, and it seems likely they'll give the Pittsburgh product the first chance to replace Loadholt.

Many projected Clemmings would be a first-round pick until concerns about a foot injury caused him to drop in the draft.

Coach Mike Zimmer sounded pleased on Saturday night with how Clemmings held up in Loadholt's place.

"I think T.J. Clemmings did a good job, so we will see," Zimmer said. "We draft these guys to get them in here and play."
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TJ Clemmings is going to have step up big time. Losing Phil hurts. Rookie just got to step up and play. Next man up.
 
Packers' top pick Damarious Randall must catch up

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Rob Demovsky, ESPN Staff Writer


GREEN BAY, Wis. -- If Green Bay Packers' first-round pick Damarious Randall is to contend for immediate playing time -- let alone a starting job -- he's got some catching up to do.

While the promising cornerback has dealt with a nagging groin injury, two other rookies -- second-round pick Quinten Rollins and undrafted free agent LaDarius Gunter -- already have shown their chops at the position.

Randall's injury prevented him from even making the trip to last week's preseason opener at New England, where Rollins and Gunter turned in two of the most impressive performances on defense. Rollins broke up a pair of passes, both of which could have been interceptions. Gunter actually picked off a pass and in the process showed he's perhaps more than just a practice-field phenom.

When the Packers picked Randall at No. 30 overall, he looked like an immediate possibility to replace starting left cornerback Tramon Williams, who signed with the Cleveland Browns in free agency. Now there's a chance he's not even among their top five cornerbacks if you include versatile defensive back Micah Hyde, who almost certainly will play the nickel (or third cornerback) spot while Casey Hayward and Sam Shields start on the outside.

A little more than three months into his NFL career, Randall already has dealt with two injuries. He arrived with an ankle injury he said he sustained working out prior to the draft. He did not practice in the rookie minicamp and was limited early in OTAs, and now he has the groin injury.

He went through tests before practice Saturday with the hope that he could return, but it didn't happen. Afterward, he said he couldn't put a timetable on his return.

"I'm hoping I'm going to get out there pretty soon," Randall said. "I'm definitely still there mentally. It'll just probably take a day or two just to get back into shape, or practice shape, but I don't think I'll miss a beat."

If that's the case, perhaps Randall can carve out a role in the dime package as the sixth defensive back. But for that to happen, defensive coordinator Dom Capers and cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt will have to be willing to move someone -- most likely Hayward -- to the slot because Randall has played only the outside spot.

"That's the only position that I've played," Randall said. "So I'm going to have to master it."

It wouldn't be a major adjustment for Hayward to play outside in base and nickel and then move inside in the dime. Hayward played the slot in the dime last season.

If nothing else, Randall showed his athleticism before his groin injury. But in order to play right away, he's going to need the reps required refine his technique and show coach Mike McCarthy he has grasped the playbook.

"He does some things that are very natural, and he has very good make-up speed," McCarthy said. "But I think you also learn a lesson as a young guy that you can't rely on that because the other guy can run too. But I like the way he's transitioned. He's just got to get healthy."
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Antone Exum hopes his big plays will get him in the conversation to start

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Matt Vensel, Star Tribune


Outside of a handful of snaps here and there during training camp, Antone Exum has not spent much time with the first-team defense this summer.

But if he keeps popping up near the football, perhaps that will change.

The second-year safety intercepted Buccaneers rookie quarterback Jameis Winston on Saturday night, his second takeaway in as many games.

On his big second-quarter play Saturday night, Exum was aligned as the last line of defense, stationed in the middle of the field 15 yards deep. At the snap, Exum sat tight and watched Winston lock on to top Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans. When the quarterback cocked his arm to throw, Exum made his move and was there to pick off Winston’s off-target throw.

Exum sprinted down the left sideline for 34 yards before Buccaneers back Bobby Rainey knocked him out of bounds at the Tampa 23-yard line.

“I was reading his eyes and he took me right to the ball and I was able to make a big play for the defense,” said Exum, a 2014 sixth-round draft pick. “It flipped the field and put the offense in a position to score.”

It will take more than a couple of big plays for Exum to overtake safety Robert Blanton. But that interception and his fumble recovery against the Steelers might convince the coaches to give him more first-team reps.

“I hope that it starts talk,” Exum said. “I think that that’s a big part of the game, being able to be around the ball. That’s something that I pride myself in, being able to make that big play that can spark the game. Being around the ball and being able to come up with it, I feel like that’s a quality I have.”

The interception impressed coach Mike Zimmer, who recently remarked that Exum has grown up after he was one of the Vikings’ rookies who “didn’t really know how to act” last season. But Zimmer also made sure to point out that Exum whiffed when trying to tackle Rainey later in the game.

“He’ active. He’s active. He obviously made a nice play on the interception,” Zimmer said. “He got down in there one time on a run, he was in good position [but] he didn’t finish the tackle. Those are things he’s going to have to improve on. Safeties have to be able to tackle. But he’s a very good athlete and we just have to get him disciplined.”

We’ll see if Exum, who says he will continue to let his play do the talking, gets more first-team reps next to Harrison Smith in practice this week.

“That’s not my call,” Exum said. “I just go out there and play hard, give it my all and change the game. The coaches will decide who’s on the field.”
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Alshon Jeffrey won't play this week, but Bears aren't worried about Week One

Posted by Josh Alper on August 19, 2015, 8:33 AM EDT

The Bears and Colts will be practicing together for the next couple of days, which means we could see more fighting like we saw from the Cowboys and Rams on Tuesday if things get overly heated during the session.

Should that happen, one thing the Bears won’t have to worry about is wide receiver Alshon Jeffery finding himself in Dez Bryant’s shoes by winding up on the receiving end of a punch to the face from a Colts defender. A calf injury kept Jeffery from playing in Chicago’s preseason opener and General Manager Ryan Pace said that the wideout will be on the sideline again this week, although he added that the team isn’t worried about a long absence.

“He has a mild calf strain,” Pace said, via ESPNChicago.com. “He’s not going to participate versus Indianapolis. But this isn’t a long-term injury with Alshon,” Pace said. “We don’t anticipate that [he’ll] miss the Green Bay game.”

With Kevin White out for at least the first six weeks of the season and possibly the entire year, the Bears aren’t going to take any unnecessary risks with Jeffery in August because the prospect of their offense without both wideouts is an ugly one.
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Michael Cohen @Michael_Cohen13
Nick Perry, Bruce Gaston and Casey Hayward are all back in pads today. Perry had been out for roughly two weeks.

Pete Dougherty @PeteDougherty
Clay Matthews IS practicing, McCarthy didn't think he would be because of elbow injury

Michael Cohen @Michael_Cohen13
Letroy Guion is also practicing.

Michael Cohen @Michael_Cohen13
No sign of Morgan Burnett so far at practice. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Micah Hyde lining up at safety for first-team defense.

Tom Silverstein @TomSilverstein
Hayward starts out as LCB with the 1s. Rollins was there while Hayward was out.
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JPZx staying the the Lions slander even though we put a whooping on your crappy little team every year :rofl:
This year will be no different.

I see the Lions gonig 11-5 or 12-4 this season. D Line is a question mark but I think we will be okay
 
I'm to the point to where I'm not even kinda concerned about any team except the Packers.

Going 5-1 again in the division.
 
airblaster503 said:
JPZx staying the the Lions slander even though we put a whooping on your crappy little team every year :rofl:
This year will be no different.
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Detroit's .500 against Minnesota in the last three years Skip.
 
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Too bad there's barely any NFC north fans on this board because this thread would be hilarious all season long
 
Lions fans are out of their ******* minds. 12-4, 5-1 in division predictions with dead seriousness 
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SneakerPro said:
The Lions went 4-2 and 5-1 in the division the last two years

The **** you talking about
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You also lost the best player on your team, who was the primary reason you had the best DLine in football last season, and even with other teams in the division all at least somewhat improving you not only think you wont drop off at all but will magically turn into some sort of powerhouse. Keep on dreaming, I respect it. Ignorance is bliss.

Also just a quick glance at your schedule and it only looks like you have only one or two gimme game outside of the division. You have games in Seattle, San Diego, St. Louis, and KC in addition to home games against Denver, Philly, and Arizona. all of those teams at least have playoff potential and in a couple of them you will definitely be underdogs. Predicting 12-4 for yall this season is more than a little bit hopeful but respect for the positive thinking I guess.
 
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THE GR8EST said:
You also lost the best player on your team, who was the primary reason you had the best DLine in football last season, and even with other teams in the division all at least somewhat improving you not only think you wont drop off at all but will magically turn into some sort of powerhouse. Keep on dreaming, I respect it.
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I don't at all it's flat out embarrassing :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
 
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@christomasson: Zimmer said loadholt surgery was Tuesday
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I can't tell if I despise or tremendously respect this guy's completely indifferent stance on punctuation, capitalization and grammar. I think tremendously respect.
 
Aj Mansour @AjKFAN 2m
Anthony Barr told Eric Sugarman he's feeling "better than he has in a long time" heading into Saturday's game. #Vikings

Matt Vensel @mattvensel 2m
Zimmer said no nickel duty for Trae Waynes this week. “Maybe that was too overzealous and trying to get him to do too many things.” #Vikings

Alessandro Miglio @AlexMiglio 3m
The Vikings are set to make the NFL's biggest leap. I think they have a real shot to win the NFC North. Here's why: http://t.co/MXFyAT5AyV
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Vikings not winning no damn NFC North [emoji]128514[/emoji][emoji]128514[/emoji] you can tell that guy doesn't know ****.

Preseason game vs the ******** tonight, hope we get a few more series with the 1st team. I think this year it'll be our offense that carries us instead of the Defense. I fully expect the Lions to average 30 a game
 
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