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CHICAGO BEARS
The Bears head back to Olivet Nazarene University looking to build on a mixed first season under head coach Marc Trestman. The team finished 8-8 but lost four of the final six games. Offensively the Bears were explosive (in spite of missing Jay Cutler for a third of the season) under Trestman, finishing 2nd in points scored (445). Unfortunately the defense was horrid, as the team gave up 478 points (30th) and 6,313 yards (30th) which prompted GM Phil Emery to make defensive line the focus of free agency and the NFL draft.
Preseason Game Schedule
- Aug 8 -- Philadelphia 8:00 pm
- Aug 14 -- Jacksonville 8:00 pm
- Aug 22 -- @Seattle 10:00 pm
- Aug 28 -- @Cleveland 8:00 pm
What We're Watching
- Is Jay Cutler a franchise building block? -- Jay Cutler hasn't been a top 10 fantasy quarterback since 2008, and he hasn't finished in the top 20 since 2010, yet we all seem to buy into him as an elite talent. The good news for Bears fans and fantasy owners is that Cutler was off to a career start under Trestman last year before getting hurt. Chicago rewarded Cutler with a major contract extension in January, so the team desperately needs him to live up to expectations.
- Brandon Marshall vs. Alshon Jeffery -- Jeffery vaulted into the upper echelon last season (89 receptions for 1,421 yards and 7 touchdowns) but not at the expense of Brandon Marshall (100 receptions for 1,295 yards and 12 touchdowns). Is this simply a case of 1 and 1a, or will Marshall's age keep him at a plateau while Jeffery shows further growth?
- Establishing the backups at all skill positions -- The Bears starting lineup is set in stone, but the backup roles (outside of RB where Ka'Deem Carey has the #2 job locked up) are wide open. Jimmy Clausen and Jordan Palmer are vying for the backup QB role. Zach Miller, Dante Rosario and Matthew Mulligan all want the TE2 job. At receiver, Marquess Wilson, Josh Morgan and Eric Weems all expect to push for roles.
- Rebuilding the defensive line -- GM Emery signed 32-year old Jared Allen (4 years, $32mm) and 27-year old Lamarr Houston (5 years, $35mm) to fix an ailing front line, and followed those moves up with draft selections of DTs Ego Ferguson (2nd round) and Will Sutton (3rd round). Expectations are high for a quick turnaround from last year's laughably bad unit.
- Conte vs. Vereen at free safety -- 4th rounder Brock Vereen has caught the coaches' attention in early preseason work and appears set to push Chris Conte for the starting free safety role.
DETROIT LIONS
The Lions improved to 7-9 last season (from 4-12) but it wasn't enough progress on either side of the ball to save Jim Schwartz' job. Detroit hired the polar opposite personality in Jim Caldwell -- a veteran assistant coach with prior head coaching experience in Indianapolis. Caldwell is a calm, measured persona in stark contrast to Schwartz' fire and brimstone approach. Both OC Joe Lombardi and DC Teryl Austin are installing new systems, but believe the talent level on the roster is high enough to contend quickly.
Preseason Game Schedule
- Aug 9 -- Cleveland 7:30 pm
- Aug 15 -- @Oakland 10:00 pm
- Aug 22 -- Jacksonville 7:30 pm
- Aug 28 -- @Buffalo 7:00 pm
What We're Watching
- Is Matthew Stafford more than a volume passer? -- Matthew Stafford has finished as a top-10 fantasy quarterback for three consecutive seasons, but many evaluators question whether he deserves the 'elite' label given uneven mechanics and a relatively low completion rate. Stafford has clearly benefited from a league-leading 2,023 attempts over the last three seasons -- a hallmark of former OC Scott Linehan. The great news for Stafford's supporters is that new OC Joe Lombardi comes from New Orleans; the team with the 2nd most attempts over the last three years (1,971).
- Will Reggie Bush and Joique Bell split touches? -- Both Bush (RB7) and Bell (RB14) finished last season as top fantasy options, something few predicted entering the season. The two combined for 496 touches last season leaving many to expect a similar split (and fantasy relevance) this year. It's always dangerous to extrapolate tendencies of prior seasons when a new coordinator takes over, but it's worth noting that Lombardi's Saints teams were notorious for an RB-by-committee approach.
- Integrating Golden Tate and Eric Ebron into the passing game -- It's hard to imagine the Lions threw for 4,650 yards yet struggled to find playmakers in the passing game beyond Calvin Johnson. Last year, Nate Burleson (39 receptions) and Brandon Pettigrew (41 receptions) were the #2 receiver and #1 tight end, respectively. It's not hyperbole to say Tate (free agent) and Ebron (rookie) are light years better than their predecessors. What does that mean for the overall potency of the offense? What does that mean for Calvin Johnson's targets?
- Hilliard vs. Waddle, Part II -- Corey Hilliard and LaAdrian Waddle were supposed to compete for the right tackle job last preseason, but the job went to Jason Fox. Fox left in free agency, which sets up another battle between the two road graders.
- Putting Teryl Austin's stamp on the defense -- Teryl Austin is installing an entirely new defense, one that will barely resemble the system Jim Schwartz and Gunther Cunningham preferred. He promises a defense that favors multiple looks and brings pressure from different positions. Austin prefers a 4-man rush generally, and will mix and match man and zone coverage in the secondary. Unlike his predecessors, Austin prefers his defensive backs to press. The critical component to Austin’s defense is on-field communication.
GREEN BAY PACKERS
The Packers return to St. Norbert College on looking to put an odd season behind them and re-assert themselves into the Super Bowl picture. Green Bay finished 8-7-1 last season and lost to the 49ers in the first round of the playoffs. The W-L record is deceiving though since Aaron Rodgers missed nearly half of the season. In Rodgers' starts, the Packers were 6-3 and finished 2-4-1 in games started by the powerhouse trio of Matt Flynn, Scott Tolzien and Seneca Wallace. Amazingly, Green Bay finished 8th in points (3rd in yards) in spite of missing Rodgers, Randall Cobb and Jermichael Finley for a large portion of the season; it was the defense (24th in points allowed, 25th in yards allowed) that let the team down and needs significant improvement.
Preseason Game Schedule
- Aug 9 -- @Tennessee 8:00 pm
- Aug 16 -- @St. Louis 4:00 pm
- Aug 22 -- Oakland 8:00 pm
- Aug 28 -- Kansas City 7:00 pm
What We're Watching
- Keeping Aaron Rodgers healthy -- Expect the Packers to treat Rodgers with kid gloves in training camp, even more than usual. His absence last year turned a division contender into an also-ran, and it took a Week 16 return (and victory over Chicago) to save the season.
- Figuring out the RB stable beyond Eddie Lacy -- Lacy shrugged off fitness concerns to dominate as a rookie, and he's slotted as the consensus #5 fantasy running back according to early ADP data. What's unclear is whether the Packers are wiling to continue to feed Lacy the ball in all downs and distances, or if OC Tom Clements intends to carve out specific roles for the likes of James Starks, John Kuhn and DuJuan Harris.
- Randall Cobb's health -- Cobb seemed on the verge of stardom after his 80-catch, 954-yard, 8 TD season in 2012, but he missed 12 games last year with a broken leg. He scored twice in his return in the pivotal final game against Chicago, and will be given every opportunity to be Aaron Rodgers' most targeted weapon in 2014. Yet the team also has an elite option on the other side of the field (Jordy Nelson) and showed last year that Jarrett Boykin is a competent alternative.
- Finding a tight end -- Since Jermichael Finley was lost to a neck injury, the Packers have been without a reliable tight end -- something that's essential for the Packers offense to run optimally. Andrew Quarless caught 32 passes, while Brian Bostick (7 receptions) and Ryan Taylor (6 receptions) were bit players. The TE depth chart is wide open entering camp, as the aforementioned trio are joined by rookies Richard Rodgers and Colt Lyerla. Jermichael Finley remains hopeful of a return, too, but only if the doctors give him medical clearance.
- Replacing Evan Dietrich-Smith -- T.J. Lang and rookie Corey Linsley enter training camp on even footing for the starting center role. Linsley is viewed as the long-term answer, but the team isn't going to force him onto the field if Lang outplays him over the next month.
- Did the Packers do enough to fix the defense? -- Signing Julius Peppers was a surprise given his age (and the Packers general tendency to avoid free agent signings) but he should be an improvement over what the Packers fielded in 2013. Less clear is how quickly the crop of rookies -- FS Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix, DE Khyri Thornton, and LB Carl Bradford -- will contribute.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS
The Vikings will make their 49th consecutive trip to Minnesota State University (Mankato) for training camp, with a new coaching staff ready to right last year's sinking ship. Minnesota finished 5-10-1 last season and has plenty of room for improvement on both sides of the ball. New head coach Mike Zimmer has fielded top 10 defenses in three stops (Atlanta, Dallas and Cincinnati); a welcome fix for a unit that finished 32nd and 31st in points and yards allowed, respectively. On offense, Norv Turner takes over a team that lacked a passing identity yet managed a respectable 13th place finish in points scored.
Preseason Game Schedule
- Aug 8 -- Oakland 8:00 pm
- Aug 16 -- Arizona 8:30 pm
- Aug 23 -- @Kansas City 8:00 pm
- Aug 28 -- @Tennessee 8:00 pm
What We're Watching
- Norv Turner's system -- Turner will call plays for his eighth NFL franchise, and by now his system is well understood. Turner believes in a balanced approach that utilizes a power running game in order to create space for a downfield passing attack. Although Turner's stint in Cleveland wasn't stellar, remember that Turner's Chargers ranked in the top 5 offensively for five consecutive seasons (2007-2011).
- Matt Cassel vs. Teddy Bridgewater -- We're going to assume Christian Ponder is out of the running, leaving the choices a veteran with minimal upside (Cassel) and a rookie with enticing upside but no experience (Bridgewater). Fans want to see Bridgewater win the job in camp, but the veteran nature of the coaching staff argues for Cassel to get the nod early and eventually give way to Bridgewater -- particularly if the Vikings fall out of the playoff picture.
- Adrian Peterson's role in the passing game -- Peterson is tailor-made to be the centerpiece of Turner's power-running game, but there's the chance Peterson could see more work this year as a receiver. Turner prefers to keep his top back on the field in all packages, and has expressed a belief that Peterson can make plays as a route runner if given the chance.
- The development of Cordarrelle Patterson -- Patterson caught 45 receptions for 469 yards and 4 touchdowns as a rookie (38th ranked fantasy WR) yet is consistently being drafted among the top 20 receivers in drafts this year. The excitement stems from a combination of Patterson's rare physical gifts, his strong finish to the season, and reports out of mini-camps that Turner plans on making Patterson the focal point of the passing game. A strong preseason likely vaults Patterson into the 3rd-4th round while a quiet preseason may lower Patterson's ADP enough to turn him back into a value play.
- Mike Zimmer's defensive system -- As mentioned, Zimmer is a proven defensive coach whose hallmark is flexibility. Zimmer’s hiring is about more than scheme, it’s about his ability to adjust in-game – something that many defensive coaches try but few excel. Zimmer has enjoyed success with both 3-4 and 4-3 base fronts, but most expect the Vikings to use the 4-3 primarily. He loves to blitz and will call a more aggressive game than Frazier. He brings pressure the secondary, and asks his defensive backs to play man coverage frequently as a result.