What We Learned in the NFC North This Week: Injuries, Stadiums, Holdout

Every once in a while, it's good to sit back and take stock in what's been going on in the NFL and the NFC North.

Today, we'll talk a bit about what went on this week—three lessons we learned and one question that was raised.

Vikings Will Not Be L.A. Vikings; Jacksonville Moving Companies Breathe Sigh of Relief

OK, before some Jags fan says it, I will—the Jags aren't leaving Jacksonville.

In other news—finally, the state of Minnesota and the Vikings have hammered out a deal to build the team a new stadium and keep them where they should be—in Minnesota.

As reported by The Star Tribune, the plan has finally passed its last vote. After all the politicking, Viking fans can rest easy knowing the team will remain "at home" for the foreseeable future.

It will be interesting to see how stadium battles like this continue as the next few years go by. With the economy still struggling, cities and states are far more reluctant to sink money into things like stadiums.

Incidents like this one in Rhode Island with 38 Studios just makes them more wary of mixing public money in private ventures.

Teams will get their stadiums—they just might have to fight harder for them.

Players on the Mend

Along with the stadium news, the Vikings have been fed some more goodness in the guise of Adrian Peterson's continued rehab.

He's not the only one; Gabe Carimi, Derek Sherrod, Nick Fairley, Mikel Leshoure, Ndamukong Suh and Jay Cutler all are healing up and look to be ready to go, if not by Week 1, very soon after.

Add in rookie receiver Ryan Broyles while we're at it.

In a division as tight as this one, getting players healthy is critical, and teams have to be relieved that everyone seems to be on track.

Contract Negotiations Are Not as Much Fun as They Look

Between Matt Forte and Cliff Avril, the NFC North has a few unhappy players. At least none of them are Jets cornerback Darelle Revis, who's just barely into a contract he held out for not long ago.

Both Avril and Forte could hold out and both could impact their teams pretty seriously. The Bears brought in Mike Bush just for this reason, while the Lions have stood pat, feeling the remaining players can fill in for Avril if need be.

I've already said I like the way Avril is playing it—better to remain cool than pop off. Besides, there is still time for both sides to give a little.

So those were the three things we learned. The question? It's not a new one, but it got fresh legs this week.

Are the Lions Capable of Playing Under Control?

Titus Young sucker-punching Louis Delmas isn't the only thing a Lion has done in the past year that raises this question.

He's just the latest.

I feel like I have written the same article in variations regarding lions players. This week it was a call for Titus Young to grow up. We had similar conversations regarding Ndamukong Suh, Mikel Leshoure and Nick Fairley.

The team was one of the most penalized in the league again last year. They were successful overall in terms of wins and losses. Were they successful because their offense could overcome some bad penalties? Are they getting penalized more because of their (somewhat deserved) reputation?

If this team wants to win a Super Bowl, they need to play under control and stop the stupid penalties.

Is this a team which can do that? Is it a team with the leadership—on the part of both players and coaching staff—that can get it under control?

Do they want to?

That's a question once again spotlighted this week. We won't really know the answer until the end of the coming season.