Behind Enemy Lines: NFC North Round Table Part Four
By Mike Payton
How do you feel about your team through the first four weeks?
Sep 20, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson (81) looks down after the game against the Minnesota Vikings at TCF Bank Stadium. The Vikings won 26-16. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Payton, SLR: “Not to good. The Lions are off to a horrible start and lack the identity so intensely needed to give me or any Lions fan hope that this team will turn it around. If the Lions offense can play to the strengths of the talent it has, they might be able to go on a run. But the Lions certainly haven’t shown that they are going to make the necessary adjustments.”
Roethlisberger, LA: “It’s been up to expectations and right along with where we thought the Green Bay Packers would be. This is an elite football team, that has the capability of winning the Super Bowl. If both the offense and defense keep playing like this, we may see the Packers playing in February for the first time since 2011”
Carlson, TVA: “Other than the initial disappointment from the Monday Night Football meltdown against the San Francisco 49ers, things are looking okay for the Minnesota Vikings. They’re stepped up their defense to a level that the team hasn’t seen in a long, long time and Adrian Peterson is leading the league in rushing through 4 games. Despite all that, no team should be happy with a 2-2 record in the NFL, but having one win in the division and the bye week coming up to get healthy, things could get much better from here.”
Burzawa, BGO: “You would be hard pressed to find many fans that thought the Bears would be much better than their 1-3 record. The schedule makers didn’t do the Bears any favors with their first three games against Green Bay, Arizona and at Seattle. I think the Bears have shown some pretty solid improvement in a short time under new head coach John Fox. The offense has been able to control the clock and move the ball when Cutler has been healthy and the defense is coming together.”
Next: What excites you about the next 12 games?