NFC North Notes: Aaron Jones, Edgerrin Cooper, Lions, Packers, Vikings

Lions

Lions HC Dan Campbell said special teams were a big factor as to why OLB James Houston was a healthy week 1 scratch.

“What about injury in other areas? So, maybe you need the insurance. Some of it is, what kind of production is that going to bring or how many snaps is he going to get? So, I can’t answer that clearly, but he’s another guy – I mean he’s here, he’s working, we’d love to get him up if the possibility presents itself or the opportunity presents itself, and so we’ll just take it as it comes,” Campbell said, via Lions Wire.

Packers

Packers rookie LB Edgerrin Cooper was excited about making his NFL debut and believes his confidence is rising.

“I was really excited. I’ve been itching to go out there for a long time and hit people,” Cooper said, via the team’s website. “So, being able to get out there is a great confidence builder to get everything settled in.”

Cooper said it was a challenge to get back into the swing of football after missing most of training camp with a hip injury.

“It was a real challenge,” Cooper said. “It’s hard to play football without actually being able to practice and going out there and getting reps and seeing what I see and preparing for each team. Coming back was one of the best things that could happen. Just a challenge I had to attack.”

Packers HC Matt LaFleur said he’s looking forward to getting Cooper involved more in the coming weeks.

“It was good to get him out there,” LaFleur said. “He certainly flashed and made some plays. I would anticipate him getting more time moving forward.”

Vikings

Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell called RB Aaron Jones‘ performance in Week 1 “pretty darn special” and thinks the running back showed why they signed him as a free agent. 

“You saw some pretty darn special stuff running the football from Aaron there,” O’Connell said, via Kevin Seifert of ESPN. “Making people miss in space, a great feel for bouncing it in the red zone. So there’s a reason why Aaron Jones is here, and I think Vikings fans got to see a little bit of that [Sunday].”

Jones said he’s altered the way he prepares during the week so he can stay healthy for a full season. 

“As you get older as an athlete, you’ve got to do different things and add things to your regimen to be ready for when you step in,” Jones said. “So that’s been huge for me, and I hope to stay healthy all year long and show who I really am, like I was in the last five games [last season].”