Thread: Best of NFL: NFC North teams

Originally Posted by The Benjamin

» Best of NFC: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

As part of Best of the NFL Week on ESPN.com, here are six bests for the NFC North:

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Ragnar is the Minnesota Vikings' game-day mascot.
Best mascot, Ragnar: Every now and then, a kid feels compelled to tug the beard of the "Santa Claus" sitting atop his chair at the local mall. I imagine the same urge strikes some football fans when they encounter Ragnar, the real-life Viking who serves as the Minnesota Vikings' game-day mascot. Joseph Juranitch has a real beard and has his own Viking-style life history to share. You might be surprised that he was born in the middle of Packers territory (Milwaukee), but you probably wouldn't be shocked to know he claims to hold the world record for shaving a beard with an axe (eight minutes, 43 seconds).

Best team facility, Allen Park: It might be cool to show up for work every week at Lambeau Field, but the Detroit Lions' Allen Park facility is a sparkling and first-class building with most every amenity imaginable. (And I'm not just saying that because the press room includes a stocked kitchenette.) Opened in 2002 at the price of $36 million, it is smartly organized and features a cool two-story hallway that separates the locker room from the weight room. For those interested, it was also ahead of its time in terms of renewable resources, including bamboo floors in the lobby and rubber floors elsewhere.

Best throwback uniforms to hate, Packers: Throwback jerseys generally get the benefit of the doubt, but I don't think I'm alone in hoping that the Packers never, ever, never, ever, never wear the 1929 uniforms they threw on for last season's game against the San Francisco 49ers. Brown pants, a different shade of brown helmets, along with blue jerseys and numbers centered in a circle on the front aren't my idea of a good time. Occasionally, progress is a good thing.

Best non-meddling owner: I've been critical of Vikings owner Zygi Wilf's communication skills, but I would have to imagine he's among the top five owners in the NFL to work for. Since buying the team in 2005, Wilf has given his football people almost everything they've asked him for. He has busted his player payroll budget on a number of occasions, going back to his minority investors to ask for cash infusions, and to my knowledge has never imposed his personal views on a football decision. Wilf is involved but doesn't meddle, the best combination imaginable.

Best training camp site, Green Bay Packers: Most people imagine ideal NFL training camps in a small college town away from the hustle and bustle of the team's big-city roots. The Packers have all that and more at their year-round facility surrounding Lambeau Field. (Players live in dormitories at nearby St. Norbert College.) Players face a long walk from the locker room to their practice field, so the tradition of kids lending out their bicycles and carrying helmets lives on. The ensuing scramble is one of the NFL's most endearing training camp scenes. The Packers have upgraded their facility to include bleachers and concessions, eliminating the need for fans to stand on a sidewalk outside a chain-link fence, but the Packers' training camp remains the most unique of experiences.

Best rivalry, Packers-Bears: A few years ago, I got in trouble for suggesting that the Packers-Vikings rivalry had surpassed Packers-Bears in intensity in recent years. I still think there was more animosity between the actual teams themselves during the Mike Tice/Brad Childress and Mike Sherman/Mike McCarthy eras. But from a fan standpoint, which is really all that matters, there is no substituting Packers-Bears. We found that out last January in the weeks leading up to the Epicenter of Humanity, a.k.a. the NFC Championship Game.

A long walk, LOL. Yeah, about the equivalent of a full city block long, hahaha. But I do agree that having camp right there in town two miles or less from my house was great. They didn't have the bleachers or the concessions when I lived there though. It was BYOB and a chair to sit on.

I guess the writer of this article (Kevin Seifert?) didn't bother to take into consideration the Bears/Packers rivalry back in the 1980s when Forrest Gregg basically was instructing his players to maim our players. Or that the games in the 1960s where almost always defensive slobberknockers. Or that the Packers and Bears have only been playing one another since 1921. Or that Lovie Smith's main goal when hired to take over as head coach of the Bears was to beat the Packers.

Originally Posted by Dagan81

I guess the writer of this article (Kevin Seifert?) didn't bother to take into consideration the Bears/Packers rivalry back in the 1980s when Forrest Gregg basically was instructing his players to maim our players. Or that the games in the 1960s where almost always defensive slobberknockers. Or that the Packers and Bears have only been playing one another since 1921. Or that Lovie Smith's main goal when hired to take over as head coach of the Bears was to beat the Packers.

I don't know about you but I'll be VERY happy when this lockout BS is over and these writers can start writing actual sports articles instead of keeping with the theme for he first paragraph and then losing interest and nose diving into some horrible concoction of horrible attempts at humor and useless information. A lot of the articles out lately completely lack substance (Seifert especially). It's too bad the writers didn't get locked out too.

Originally Posted by Evernight

I don't know about you but I'll be VERY happy when this lockout BS is over and these writers can start writing actual sports articles instead of keeping with the theme for he first paragraph and then losing interest and nose diving into some horrible concoction of horrible attempts at humor and useless information. A lot of the articles out lately completely lack substance (Seifert especially). It's too bad the writers didn't get locked out too.

Oh yeah, definitely. These writers are just grasping for straws at this point in terms of looking for stuff to talk about. Some of the lighthearted stuff that DB would post (the best Bears players at a given position) were articles that never would have been discussed had there have been regular offseason activities in the NFL. I can definitely see your point in the wish that the damn writers would be locked out as well.

Originally Posted by Evernight

I don't know about you but I'll be VERY happy when this lockout BS is over and these writers can start writing actual sports articles instead of keeping with the theme for he first paragraph and then losing interest and nose diving into some horrible concoction of horrible attempts at humor and useless information. A lot of the articles out lately completely lack substance (Seifert especially). It's too bad the writers didn't get locked out too.

Best idea yet. You should get post of the month for this pal!

Originally Posted by The Benjamin

We still do that?

Now why ask me? You're on the staff so you should know better than I. I really don't know if we do or not but I'll give him my personal vote for the best idea in a post yet. If I were an editor I'd have the lot of them writing obits, LOL.

Originally Posted by The Benjamin

LOL, just a bit of sarcasm my friend. We killed those awards ages ago due to lack of interest in people voting. And another issue

I know you were kidding. Not surprised they died from a lack of interest. I never was in favor or personal accomplishment awards anyway.