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When the Detroit Lions hired Jim Schwartz as their coach in 2009, hope emerged from the sports analytics industry. Had it gained a patron saint? Schwartz, after all, had acknowledged his interest in the subject during his time as the Tennessee Titans...

Adrian Peterson's oft-stated goal of 2,500 yards in 2013 continues to reverberate around the world of sports debate, kept alive in part by memories of his doubt-erasing 2012 MVP season. In this Insider piece , Football Scientist KC Joyner admirabl...

Over at NFC North central, Kevin Seifert wrote a nice companion piece to his podcast on hidden needs for his teams. Look beyond the obvious needs and a smart team is also lining up successors for holes that could arrive in a year. Fans are often s...

If the best day of the NFL offseason is the release of the regular-season schedule, the next-best is the release of the preseason schedule. Thursday, we got part of the next-best thing. Or something like that. Below are the preseason matchups for ...

Because we still have more than a week until the free-agent market officially opens, and because it appears the NFC North did not add to its list of franchise players Monday, we'll bring you an entertaining response to one of last week's posts. As...

You know the drill. A player is asked whether he will outperform a contemporary. The player says, "of course." And off we go. Tennessee Titans tailback Chris Johnson said on ESPN that he will rush for more yards than the Minnesota Vikings' Adrian ...

INDIANAPOLIS -- It's fair to assume the Minnesota Vikings will draft a wide receiver this year. Sunday, we learned at least one important fact about the pool they'll have to choose from: It has some elite speedsters. Two receivers -- West Virginia...

A newsy week has delayed my plan to circle back on the Detroit Lions' release of defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch, a move that gives us an opportunity to reflect on the unique role he filled for the team. A Pro Bowl pass rusher in his prime with th...

As word filtered out Monday night on the finalists for the Chicago Bears' coaching job, some of you immediately expressed support for Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell. Why? Everyone has their reasons, but without a doubt, age is ...

We're Black and Blue All Over: As we noted late Monday night, we are now waiting for the Chicago Bears to complete the second round of interviews in their coaching search. We are also waiting to find out if the Green Bay Packers will make any coac...

By the end of Sunday, it's possible the Chicago Bears will have concluded their first round of interviews in what has already been an epic coaching search. Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator Bruce Arians was scheduled to be the 13th known candi...

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Thanks to our friends at ESPN Stats & Information and the Elias Sports Bureau, I can bring you the following stunning note. This is verbatim from the information I just received: "Joe Webb will be the first quarterback in NFL hi...

After the Detroit Lions' 26-24 loss to the Chicago Bears, here are three issues that merit further examination: The Lions were lulled into thinking they were on the brink of consistent success after last year's breakthrough, but they found out th...

The holiday week pushed ESPN.com's Week 17 Power Rankings up one day to Monday. Let's see how the NFC North fared: 4. Green Bay Packers Trending: Up two after a 55-7 victory over the Tennessee Titans. Comment: The Packers are peaking at the end ...

After the Green Bay Packers' 55-7 victory over the Tennessee Titans, here are three issues that merit further examination: Maybe the lasting impact of the "Fail Mary" is that it will produce the two most dangerous teams in the NFC. I'm sure the A...

The NFC North got four productive and efficient quarterback performances in Week 16. Let's take a closer look with our usual help from Jacob Nitzberg of ESPN Stats & Information: Aaron Rodgers Passer rating: 125.1 QBR: 88.8 Impact plays: 44 Co...