NFC Notes: Bears, Lions, Vikings

Bears

• ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler writes the sense around the league is it might make more sense for the Bears to re-sign QB Mitchell Trubisky to a short-term deal with an out after one year, as he’s played better recently but still not exceptionally. 

Lions

Lions’ QB Matthew Stafford is desperate to get back on the field and says that he doesn’t feel the need to rest until the offseason.

“I mean, (resting) is part of what the offseason is, right?” Stafford said, via Kyle Meinke of MLive.com. “We’re not there yet. Part of the offseason is letting your body heal and get it feeling better, but I signed up to play this year and part of signing up is hopefully getting 16 chances at it. … So if I’m healthy enough to get out there, I want to be out there.”

The future of the former number one overall pick with the franchise that selected him is in question and has been for quite some time, yet Stafford says he doesn’t put much thought into it.

“I’m not thinking about it,” Stafford said. “All I’m thinking about is the Vikings and trying to get myself healthy. I know that’s probably hard to get people to believe, but that’s the way this business is. I’ve been in this business a long time, and I understand you got to do everything you can to focus on what’s in front of ya in the immediate future. That’s what it is for us, and for me at the moment. I mean, that’s so hypothetical and so far into the future, it’s tough for me to even wrap my head around that. So many decisions that are out of my control. All I know is where ever I’m at — if I’m here, if I’m somewhere else — I’ll be doing everything I can to be the best football player and as good of a teammate as I possibly can be. And that’s something that I’ve always tried to be, and always will continue to try to be as long as I play this game.”

Lions’ interim HC Darrell Bevell added that the Lions’ playoff status will not affect Stafford’s availability as the season comes to an end.

“Obviously, it will be health-based,” Bevell said, via Dave Birkett of The Detroit Free Press. “We’re not going to put him out there if he can’t protect himself, or if he’s got a chance of something major happening from the injuries that he already has. But as I said, the guy’s tough as nails. The guy respects the game, he loves his teammates, he wants to be out there. Obviously, he gives us the best opportunity to be able to win a game when he is out there. I know he wants it. So those are all positive deals.”

Vikings

Vikings’ HC Mike Zimmer said that while his defense was “undermanned,” he still places blame on himself for not preparing his group against the Saints. 

“I think we had 17 missed tackles,” Zimmer said, via Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. “We didn’t do a good enough job, I didn’t do a good enough job getting those young kids ready to play. They can play way better than what they played, and I put that on me more so than on the players. That’s my job, and I need to get it done better.”