NFC North Know-It-All 8/12/13

Aug 9, 2013; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions defensive end Ezekiel Ansah (94) celebrates in the end zone after intercepting a pass and running for a touchdown in the first quarter of a preseason game against the New York Jets at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Preseason is well underway. Week two is now coming upon us. So more starters will play more minutes, and more players will be cut from around the league. Here’s a recap of what went down in the NFC North.

Detroit Lions

The Lions have their Ansahhh. Sorry, too good to pass up. In their first preseason game against the New York Jets, Ezekiel Ansah shined bright by picking off Mark Sanchez and taking it back for a touchdown. The grab was quite impressive. The Lions staff thought that Ansah was a better fit than Cliff Avril before the start of the preseason, maybe they were spot on.

Lions added Bucs former third-round pick cornerback Myron Lewis. They’re hoping to add some depth to their secondary. Killer stats…19 tackles in his career.

Green Bay Packers

It’s clear that it’s unclear who the starting running back is going to be. Right now, James Starks was taking the first snaps at RB. But Mike McCarthy stated this week that he can’t wait for DuJuan Harris to return as he sees him (Harris) as the starter. Then there’s Eddie Lacy who might be the most explosive back, but out with a minor injury. Harris got back on the practice field as of today, but it’s going to be a toss up for who will be and remain the starter this season. The Bears will have to prepare for just about anything.

The even bigger news to come out of Green Bay this week was the addition of quarterback Vince Young. The former Rose Bowl and Tennessee Titans quarterback is back from his hiatus and now a backup Packers QB. Young looked a little rusty, but still athletic. Although, I don’t see him making an impact.

The Packers did see a new face at offensive line. Packers left tackle Bryan Bulaga tore his ACL about a week and a half ago, and is being replaced by rookie David Bakhtiari. He basically shared the spotlight at practice this week along with Young. But he has a strong build and great feet.

Minnesota Vikings

As I suspected, the Minnesota Vikings picked a stud in Cordarrelle Patterson. In his preseason debut, Patterson showed off his kick return abilities, hands, and his perseverance after a hit. Easily a starter for the Vikings and even the #2 wide receiver for Christian Ponder.

Vikings rookie Sharrif Floyd had a precautionary MRI this weekend that turned out to be nothing.