Well, fear not – we’ve got Packers football tonight. Green Bay heads into Soldier Spaceship – er, Soldier Field – for a Monday Night contest with the Chicago Bears (7:30 p.m. Lambeau Time).

In this matchup of 2-0 teams, who has the edge [...]]]> Man, Sunday’s kind of stink when there’s no Green Bay Packers game, don’t they?

Well, fear not – we’ve got Packers football tonight. Green Bay heads into Soldier Spaceship – er, Soldier Field – for a Monday Night contest with the Chicago Bears (7:30 p.m. Lambeau Time).

In this matchup of 2-0 teams, who has the edge in the position battles? Let’s take a look now. This is part one; part two will run Monday morning.

Quarterback - It’s been an up-and-down first two games for everyone’s preseason MVP, Aaron Rodgers. By my count, he’s played four really good quarters, three bad quarters and one decent quarter. That’s not to say he’s been terrible, just that he hasn’t been flawless. Jay Cutler has been the Cutler that Bears fans thought they were getting a year ago so far, throwing five touchdowns against just one pick. Mike Martz’s system appears to be suiting him just fine, though it is just two games. Edge: Packers

Running backs - One game into the Brandon Jackson-John Kuhn experiment, things aren’t looking so great. While it shouldn’t hurt the Packers too much, long-term, you have to wonder how the offense will hold up in a game where Rodgers struggles. Matt Forte hasn’t done much better on the ground (2.9 yards per carry), but he is bringing great value in the passing game (12 catches, 188 yards, three scores). He’ll act as Martz’s Marshall Faulk in this offense. Packers fans know Chester Taylor from his Vikings’ days as an outstanding pass-catcher and very good pass protector. Look for him to get involved more than a few times in this one. Edge: Bears

Wide Receivers - Things are going pretty much as expected for Green Bay’s highly touted receiving corps, although you have to wonder why the team is dead-set on making James Jones such a factor. Note to broadcasters: He is not a No. 1 receiver for any team in the league and is only a two for about one-third of the teams. No clear No. 1 has emerged for the Bears yet, but the group of Johnny Knox, Devin Hester and Devin Aromashodu is young with plenty of upside. Upside doesn’t win the day here. Edge: Packers

Tight ends - While he has not set the league on fire, as many expected, Jermichael Finley has still turned in two very good games. Last week, we saw what happens when teams decide to single-cover him. Not sure if we’ll see much of that again. Donald Lee has not been a factor at all and Tom Crabtree is a blocker. Much has been written about how Martz does not like to use the tight ends in the passing game. So far, that seems correct as Greg Olsen has just five catches for 76 yards (and a score). Olsen is very talented, though, and should not be overlooked. At 295 pounds, Brandon Manumaleuna is primarily a blocker and will stay in to help cover Cutler. Edge: Packers

Offensive line - Green Bay’s offensive line has been decent so far, but Rodgers has faced more pressure than you’d prefer . The group needs to reach another level. Chad Clifton (knee) is a game-time decision; if he can’t go, in steps rookie Bryan Bulaga. Either way, Chicago will attack that side of the field. The Bears’ front five hasn’t been great, either, and will be going with a pair of guys, Frank Omiyale (left tackle) and Kevin Shaffer (right tackle), playing out of position due to injuries. If the Bears think they can get away with all those five-and-seven-step drops behind this group, they’re nuts. Edge: Packers

So far, the Packers hold the edge in four of five categories. How will things shake out in part two? Again, check back Monday morning to find out.

-Chris Lempesis

Makes sense – this is a Packers’ blog, after all.

But there are three other teams in the NFC North, of course, and we’re going to kick off our draft week coverage – seriously, [...]]]> The last few weeks at OBOD have been dedicated entirely to discussing the upcoming draft as it pertains to the Green Bay Packers.

Makes sense – this is a Packers’ blog, after all.

But there are three other teams in the NFC North, of course, and we’re going to kick off our draft week coverage – seriously, the draft is three days away…holy crap – by taking a look at what those teams could/should do Thursday through Saturday to improve themselves.

(Quick note: I’ll be rolling out a Packers version of this on Wednesday.)

Chicago Bears

Day one: Have everyone over at head coach Lovie Smith’s house to watch game four of Blackhawks/Predators. Study the Blackhawks. Take notes on how to use the draft to build a competitive team, as the Blackhawks did. Feel free to watch game three of Bulls/Cavs during the commercial breaks. Keep Jay Cutler away from the open bar, though.

Day two: During the early part of the evening (i.e., the second round), you can go with either Cubs/Brewers or White Sox/Mariners. Again, you have no picks here and baseball is a good way to pass the time. Personally, I’d go with the Cubs/Brewers game – Adam’s right, I am a closet Brewers fan - but the choice is yours. Once the third round gets rolling later in the night, get excited – you finally get to draft someone!

But who should you draft? Well, you’re lucky in the sense that you’ve got clearly defined needs (offensive line, cornerback and wide receiver). I’d go with an offensive lineman; Cutler’s your biggest asset going forward and you need to protect him much better than you did last season. Ole Miss’ John Jerry should be on the board at pick No. 75 and he’d be a nice fit. He’s an old-school mauler type at 6-feet, 5-inches and 332 pounds. He played right tackle in college, but is likely a guard in the pros. Either way, he’d provide immediate relief to that group.

Day three: I’d hold off on a wide receiver in round four. You’ve got some young talent there (Johnny Knox, Earl Bennett and Devin Aromashodu) and you should give those guys one more year to see if any of them can turn into a true No. 1 wideout. You need to snag a safety or corner. If you go the safety route, I’d look long and hard at Florida’s Major Wright. He’s raw, but his speed, recovery time and zone skills make him a nice fit for your Cover-2 scheme. As for a corner, UCLA’s Alterraun Verner would work nicely. He’s small (5-feet, 10-inches) and a bit slow, but he’s got great ball skills and knows how to play the zone.

In the fifth round, take either a corner or safety (whichever spot you didn’t address in round four). Round out your draft by taking a wide receiver in the sixth round and a developmental quarterback in the seventh.

Detroit Lions

Day one: First, let me say that – for the first time in my life, seemingly – there appears to be a legitimate plan in place in Detroit, one that doesn’t rely on drafting wide receivers. That bodes well for the future.

I’ve had you taking Nebraska’s Ndamukong Suh with the No. 2 pick in each of my mock drafts and I’ll stick with that. He’s a dual-purpose difference-maker and could be a force for the next decade. Suh, Corey Williams and Sammie Hill give you a nice three-man rotation at d-tackle. Those guys, along with Cliff Avril and Kyle Vanden Bosch, will give you a greatly improved d-line next season.

Day two: You have almost no corners. That must be fixed (and for God’s sake, stay away from Pacman!). Alabama’s Kareem Jackson was dominant in a pro-style defense. He brings a real swagger with him and he can play – and make an impact – right away. Take him in the second round. He’ll be around for a long time. 

Now it’s round three and your truly bad offensive line can no longer be ignored. Trading for Rob Sims cleaned things up at the left guard spot. But left tackle Jeff Backus has never been anything special and he turns 33 in September. Luckily for you, your future left tackle resides in-state: Hillsdale’s Jared Veldheer. He’s 6-feet, 8-inches, 312 pounds and boasts the athleticism of a tight end. He could cover Matthew Stafford for the rest of Stafford’s career once he steps in. Some say he needs a year; I think he could be ready by mid-season.

Day three: I like running back Kevin Smith, but more as a dual-option back. You need a true smash-mouth runner to compliment him. He’s a major gamble, no question about it, but Oregon’s LeGarrette Blount would fill that role perfectly. He’d bring great value as a fourth-rounder and I think Jim Schwartz can keep him in line.

Round out your draft with more corner and o-line depth and grab a safety somewhere in there, too, if you can.

Minnesota Vikings

Day one: Before we begin, I just want to reiterate that I hate you.

Okay, with that out of the way, I think you need a corner more than anything. Antoine Winfield is getting older and Cedric Griffin could miss the first six weeks (torn ACL). But I’m just not sure the value will be there. It’s a deep draft at that spot, anyways. Defensive tackle Pat Williams is still very good, but he turns 38 in October. You need to find his eventual replacement. Alabama’s Terrence Cody is a gamble because of his weight troubles, but when you put on the tape, this guy dominates. Cody, Kevin Williams and Jared Allen could be a scary threesome for the next eight-to-10 years.

Day two: We’ve reached the second round and it’s now time to take a corner. Wake Forest’s Brandon Ghee has tremendous speed and is an excellent tackler (he reminds me of Winfield in that sense). His ball skills are a work in progress, but could improve with good coaching.

In the third round, you must fill the void left by Chester Taylor’s departure and find a backup for Adrian Peterson. USC’s Joe McKnight would be a good fit. He’s not an every down runner, but that’s not a big deal – you’ve already got one of those. McKnight has great speed and vision (particularly outside the tackles) and is a very good pass catcher.

Day three: Left guard Steve Hutchinson is an elite player, obviously, but he turns 33 in November. Your other guard, Anthony Herrera, is average. In other words, you could use some depth there. One guy I love as a fourth-rounder is Arkansas’ Mitch Petrus. He’s raw (just converted to guard two years ago), but he’s got the athleticism of a fullback/tight end (the spots he played before his conversion). Plus, he tied the combine record with 45 bench press reps – simply astounding.

I’d round out my draft by looking for depth at safety, outside linebacker and wide receiver.

So there’s my two cents on what the other three NFC North teams should do in the draft.

I can’t wait until later in the week when they take me up on exactly none of it.

-Chris Lempesis