PFW NFC North Notes

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see below

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Chicago
Urlacher, Hester far from reaching new deals
With the Bears recently making Tommie Harris the highest-paid defensive tackle in league history with a four-year, $40 million contract extension, could new contracts for Brian Urlacher and Devin Hester be far behind? The way we hear it, the Bears still could have a long way to go before reaching new deals with a pair of players who have expressed their displeasure over their current deals, particularly Urlacher. Talks with Urlacher’s camp have become amiable after a well-documented impasse, but word is the star middle linebacker is looking for a lot more money up front than the $5 million the Bears appear willing to offer. “I don’t see the Bears budging one penny,” a source close to the team told PFW. As for Hester, a major problem continues to be the contract parameters for a player who has no doubt excelled as a return specialist but wants to be paid like a receiver, even though he remains relatively unproven in the latter role. “You can be sure lots of incentives will be built into whatever kind of deal they do for Hester,” the source said. “It’s been a tricky process, because his role is so undefined.”

Detroit
Lions concerned about their rookies’ behavior
It was reported Thursday that ORT Gosder Cherilus must pay a fine of $52,000 and serve a year of probation stemming from a 2007 incident with former Boston College teammate DeJuan Tribble, in which the two players were charged with assault and battery during a bar brawl. Although the Lions were aware of the situation and are not concerned with the outcome, they have to be worried about the behavior of their rookie class to date. It turns out that second-round LB Jordon Dizon was arrested six days before the NFL draft on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, a charge that only recently was reported. And even though RB Kevin Smith, the team’s third-rounder, has not been involved in any shenanigans, to our knowledge, he told PFW that head coach Rod Marinelli had stressed to him numerous times following the draft and during rookie minicamps that he must stay out of trouble. Some teams red-flagged Smith as having a character question during the draft-evaluation process after Smith reportedly missed or chose to skip one team’s scheduled private workout with him. Expect Marinelli’s message for his rookies — to stay out of trouble — to be echoed throughout training camp.

Green Bay
Taylor looks like unlikely fit in Green Bay
In more than a few ways, a deal that would dispatch disgruntled DE Jason Taylor from Miami to Green Bay actually makes a lot of sense. Taylor would be playing for a strong playoff contender, which he has mentioned as a major criterion in his career moving forward. In addition, the Packers would be fortifying a pass rush that lost some of its potency down the stretch last season and could use another end to possibly replace Cullen Jenkins, who might be better-served moving inside, where injuries to DTs Johnny Jolly, James Harrell and Daniel Muir have taken a toll. But the way we hear it, while the Packers have indeed given such a trade some consideration, the odds of Taylor landing in Green Bay are extremely slim. Word is it could be a different story if the Packers had any real concerns about the recovery from offseason knee surgery by veteran situational sack specialist Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila. “But there’s nothing wrong with ‘KGB,’ " a longtime team insider told PFW. “I just don’t see it happening. It’s too unlike (Packers GM Ted) Thompson, and Jenkins is a better base end than tackle.” Another fly in the ointment is Taylor’s apparent preference to play on a team in a major TV market that is close to either Florida or California.

Minnesota
Picking up blitz will be telltale signs of Jackson’s, Peterson’s improvement

The Vikings are likely to see a lot of blitzing until QB Tarvaris Jackson proves he can make sound decisions in the face of pressure and until RB Adrian Peterson proves he can pick up the rusher that comes free. It was a major concern last season that hindered the offense, and it’s sure to be a major factor in how effective the passing game is this season. It’s difficult to grade offseason practices for such a specific element, but sources say that Jackson especially has proven to be more calm in the face of pressure in terms of decision making, getting rid of the ball more cleanly and effectively and standing in the pocket amid a heavy rush. The good news is that the Vikings now have the defensive juice, with the addition of DE Jared Allen, to give Jackson and Peterson good looks in practice all throughout training camp.

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“Brian Urlacher may be a great player, but he’s not a very smart guy. The Bears tried to pacify him and offered him more money, and he went public with the negotiation. When a team is attacked publicly, rarely does it result in a positive outcome. (Urlacher) has been hurt a lot. He’s on the downside of his career. He may be the face of the franchise now, but the face is going to start peeling off if he does not stop crying. You saw what happened with Lance Briggs. His agent gave him bad advice. He thought he was worth more than he was, and he came walking back to the Bears with his tail between his legs. Where Urlacher could hurt himself the most is with his life after football. I was through Chicago, and they were killing him on the radio, questioning why he was crying to the papers. All they do is talk sports in that city, and it did not sound like he had a lot of support. Look at Michael Jordan on the back end of his career. He was playing for nothing and donating his salary to charity. From an individual marketing perspective, what Urlacher is doing is not smart.”

“It seems like no one ever leaves the Packers’ front office, and if they do, they always come back. Ted Thompson and John Dorsey left but came back. John Schneider was never gone for too long. There has not been a lot of turnover there. Most of their staff has been in place since Ron Wolf brought them in.”