Welcome to the first Monday of the new league year, Green Bay Packers fans! The Packers' defense has been a focus over the past few days in free agency, as the team added Julius Peppers and brought back B.J. Raji and Mike Neal on the front seven.
In today's cheese curds, we find a look at all the 3-4 defenses across the NFL and how the Packers' 2013 defense weighed in at the end of the season compared to the rest of the league. We also look at a pair of former Packers who remain free agents and are looking for jobs around the league, as well as fascinating talk about grass.
Enjoy!
Casey Hayward eyes playmaking role on Packers defense - JSOnline
Note that the first sentence of this article is out of date. Still, the point is critical - that Casey Hayward is ready to contribute at any cornerback position, inside or outside.
Free agent WR James Jones would 'love' to play for Panthers - JSOnline
There's no debate now that Jones is the top wide receiver on the market. With Emmanuel Sanders getting $5 million per year over three years, look for Jones to try to get a similar deal.
More than cutting grass: Packers' Johnson a leader in SportTurf industry | Packersnews
Interested in cutting-edge turf and grass technology? Here's a Q&A with the guy who has taken care of the Lambeau Field field for the past 18 years.
Julius Peppers should give Green Bay Packers' D a boost - ESPN
Rob D. has the jokes, everybody.
James Starks To Visit The Pittsburgh Steelers - Bull Run
The former Packers running back will be in the Steel City for a free agent visit today.
All 15 NFL 3-4 defenses ranked by weight (plus Falcons takeaways) - The Falcoholic
Interesting - by The Falcoholic's calculations, the Packers had the heaviest front seven for a 3-4 defense in the league in 2013. I think some of those weights aren't necessarily accurate (Mike Neal at starting OLB and listed at 285 for example), but it shows that we have had one of the bigger groups in the league recently.
2014 NFL mock draft: Every team has options - SBNation.com
It's still C.J. Mosley. This is quickly turning into a consensus.
Jim Irsay arrested for DUI, possession of a controlled substance - SBNation.com
Sigh. I'd stay off Twitter for a while if I were you, Jim.