Black and Blue Wrap-Up: NFL Week 10

Welcome to the Second Edition of the Black and Blue Wrap Up. Here is our lineup of writers: Andy Smith with the Vikings, Zach Kruse with the Packers, Scott Rieger with the Lions, and Tom Krems with the Bears will also be moderating these discussions.

Today’s NFC North topic questions include who is the best in the division and what will happen with the QB situation in Detroit. Enjoy!

With the Packers losing to the Vikings and the Bears losing to the Titans, which team has the most momentum going down the stretch to win the division?

ZK- It would be easy to pick Minnesota, coming off their big win against Green Bay, but I'm going to say Chicago. The Bears played the Titans tough and had chances to tie the game in the fourth quarter.

Quarterback Kyle Orton says he wants to play Sunday against the Packers, and his comeback will be vital to this team. Matt Forte is as versatile a running back as we have in the NFL, and his development this season will continue as the season goes on.

Trust me, I wanted to say Green Bay, but with all their problems both offensively and defensively, this team might be done. The Vikings have problems of their own, namely turnovers and special teams play, and they don't have the passing prowess to win this division.

Nothing really needs to be said about Detroit, so that leaves Chicago as your de-facto NFC North champion.

AS- I feel like after Sunday's games, the two teams who have the best shot to win the NFC North are the Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings. The Green Bay Packers lost a tough one to the Vikings but still have a shot to beat the Chicago Bears on Sunday and stay alive.

Aaron Rodgers has proved he can handle almost anything under pressure so expect him to make accurate throws and control the game all season long. The Minnesota Vikings can win this division if they keep challenging teams by running Adrian Peterson, and if Gus Frerotte can make precision throws, not make the mental mistakes he made against the Packers.

If he plays smart football, the Vikings have a chance.

SR- Sitting at 4-5, with upcoming games against Chicago, New Orleans, and Carolina, things aren’t looking good for the Packers. The Vikings have recovered nicely from a 1-3 start to a share of the NFC North lead with the Bears. While they are performing much better with Gus Frerotte and have a pretty solid defense, they have the toughest schedule for the remainder of the year.

I think that they are the team with the most momentum, but with that schedule, momentum might not matter much. The Bears have some important division games ahead, including two games against the Packers and one left against the Vikings. If they can win two of three in those contests, they will be sitting in the catbird-seat in December.

Two of their remaining four non-division games should be wins, the St. Louis and Houston games, while the New Orleans and Jacksonville games might be a bit rough but are winnable. The key for the Bears will be Rex Grossman.

TK- The Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings are my picks as well. After seeing the Vikings able to win the game by just running the ball in the fourth quarter while being behind was crazy, but it worked.

Imagine how well they would have been if Frerotte didn’t throw those picks and Berrian had some receptions. I have to go with the Bears as well, but they have now taken a backseat to the Vikings after Sunday’s games.

The Bears let one of the worst passing teams in the league look like the best, even though they held the Titans to 20 yards on the ground they lost. Matt Forte helps, having another great game with 120 plus total yards and a score. Once Orton is back, we may be able to take the division. We just need Rex to keep us at .500 or above until then.

After all the Lions have been through this season, do you think Culpepper was the right move them and who will be the starter next week for the Lions at QB?

ZK- When you're 0-9, there is nothing wrong with trying out someone who has had decent success in the NFL. He still has a big arm and if his knees hold out, he could still be a pretty good quarterback in this league. He just needs more time to digest the playbook and get comfortable with the offense and his receivers.

Don't get me wrong, Culpepper is not this team's savior, but he could provide this team with a veteran quarterback who knows the ropes and can teach the team's project quarterbacks how to play in the NFL.

Culpepper will probably start, but it wouldn't surprise me to see Michigan State product Drew Stanton get the nod. Again, what do the Lions have to lose by trying out Stanton? He is a young gunslinger, and if your the Detroit brass, you have to see what you actually have in this kid.

AS- I think the Detroit Lions signing of Daunte Culpepper is a smart move because this 0-9 team is in need of something to spring them from this nightmare of a season. They are trying to get wins from Dan Orvlosky. At least Daunte will be able to move the ball and possibly get them a win; however, the chance he gets the offense firing on all cylinders is to me still doubt full. 

I still think with their record and the teams they still have to face it's going to be a tough task to get them to do much of anything or get a win.

SR- I believe that signing Daunte Culpepper was the right move, and he will start next week, as Rod Marinelli prefers veterans. The Lions haven’t had a quality QB in years and Culpepper, when healthy, is certainly a quality NFL QB. Many would argue that the Lions needed to see the young guys play and that signing Culpepper was pointless, to which I steadfastly disagree.

This year is done! We are looking at the potential of being the first winless franchise since the 1976 Bucs and are in the midst of a 1-17 slide. Daunte Culpepper gives them a talented, experienced veteran leader to go into next year with. That will allow them to use free agency and the draft to stockpile talent at other key positions like OL, DL, LB and in the secondary.

TK- I agree with Zach, Andy, and Scott about Culpepper, what can they lose? Being 0-9 ends their season, so they should start using these games to see who they want for next year and use them as the ultimate tryouts. I think our own Keith Shelton touched on this last week and it is a good idea.

As far as starting this week, I would say put Culpepper in again considering he has had some more practice with the team. If he does not get the job done, then go to Stanton. I just hope the Lions did not think that Culpepper was the missing piece when they signed him.

Continue to the next page for individual team reports.

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