Champion Packers: Improved Detroit Lions will be a 'challenge to us'
By Tom Kowalski
NEW ORLEANS - After losing 19 straight games in the NFC North, the Detroit Lions have won two straight - including a 7-3 win over the eventual Super Bowl-winning Green Bay Packers.
The head coaches in the division have taken notice of Detroit's rise and now believe the NFC North will be competitive from top to bottom.
"We spend a lot of time on our division games and I'll put our division up against anybody's,'' said Packers head coach Mike McCarthy. "I think it's very obvious that Detroit has improved their personnel. With the high picks they've had, they've done a good job of late. They have a lot of positives, from their offensive perimeter which is going to be one of the better ones in the league. It's just the consistency at quarterback. It's hard to play with three quarterbacks and they did a helluva job playing with three quarterbacks.''
"In our division, it's hard to win without the right guy under center. Green Bay is a great example of that,'' said Minnesota head coach Leslie Frazier.
While the Lions are waiting for Matthew Stafford to stay healthy - and join the production of guys like Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers and Chicago's Jay Cutler - the Vikings are still looking for their quarterback.
A good quarterback can cover up a lot of ills. There's a reason people do whatever they can to find that franchise quarterback,'' Frazier said.
"The Green Bay Packers are world champs - man, it's hard to say that,'' said Bears head coach Lovie Smith. "When you have the world champion in your division and Minnesota was in an NFC championship game not long ago and everybody wants to talk about the improvements that Detroit has made, it's a tough division. It's a quarterback division - with tough defense. From top to bottom, you've got to be ready. We think we match up well within the division.''
With the Packers winning the Super Bowl last year, some forget that it was the Bears who won the NFC North. All the coaches believe the competition will only get better and, for a change, it will include the Lions.
"I think we have gained a little bit of confidence in our division,'' said Lions head coach Jim Schwartz. "We played Chicago - they were a final four team - and we played them really close, less than a touchdown both times. We split with Green Bay and played a tough game at Lambeau and we haven't played a good game out there in awhile. It's business as usual in the NFL - everybody's good, everybody's dangerous and every coach can find a way where every team can potentially beat them.''
McCarthy believes the Lions will take a big step up when Stafford stays healthy and in the huddle.
"I think they're a young, excellent football team that is going to be much improved next year,'' he said. "Any time you play with a number of different quarterbacks, it's going to affect your team. I think once they get Matthew healthy and get more consistency there, they're definitely going to be a challenge for us.''
While quarterbacks might grab the headlines in the NFC North, the division is also becoming a haven for pass rushers. The Bears added Julius Peppers last year, the Packers have Clay Matthews and the Lions revamped almost their entire defensive line. And all four teams are looking to add more defensive linemen in this off-season because, as Smith says, you can never have enough.
"No, never can. Even if you love every one, the next year we'll be looking to see if we can get an improvement because it all starts there with us,'' Smith said. "Detroit hasn't maybe played as well defensively, but offensively with Stafford quarterbacking, they have good skill. There's a lot of offensive power in this division and that's why you have to put an emphasis on your defensive line to try to slow them down.''
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