North Notes: Bears, Tucker, Gordon

Seahawks defensive end Cliff Avril experienced the lowest of the lows with the Lions, which makes being at the top that much sweeter. “It’s been amazing, man. It’s been amazing,” Avril said, according to Kyle Meinke of MLive.com. “I’ve been blessed to see both ends of the spectrum, you know. From not winning any games to getting to the top the last two years. I appreciate it a lot, just for the simple fact of what I’ve gone through. I probably appreciate it a little more than some of the younger guys.” A look at the North divisions..

• The University of Alabama hired former Bears defensive coordinator Mel Tucker to serve as its defensive backs coach, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Tucker was let go earlier this offseason in favor of Vic Fangio, who will serve as the new defensive coordinator under new head coach John Fox.
• It’s rather unlikely that the Bears can find a suitable successor to Jay Cutler in the draft, writes Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. No one has stepped forward and said that Cutler will be Chicago’s quarterback in 2015, but his contract and the scarity of outside options available likely means that he’ll be their QB for the immediate future. An informal survey of five scouts at the Senior Bowl indicated that Oregon State’s Sean Mannion was the best QB in attendance, but no one exactly raved about him.
• The Browns should cut Josh Gordon, Jeff Schudel of The Morning Journal writes. If GM Ray Farmer and head coach Mike Pettine really want to change the atmosphere in Cleveland, they have to sacrifice the star wide receiver in order to let the rest of the players know they are running a professional operation. If Gordon is found to be in violation of the league’s substance abuse program, his contract would carry over to 2016 as though 2015 did not exist. Still, Schudel feels that the Browns wouldn’t garner respect from anyone on the roster if they let Gordon remain with the team.