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There are just twelve more days until the NFL's free agency period opens for the 2014 season, and teams have five days left to decide to use the Franchise or Transition tags on said free agents. With those deadlines approaching fast, the NFL blogosphere is circling the wagons on getting players evaluated, and the Packers' inside linebackers go under the microscope today.
Outside of free agency, we have some stories about the draft and the Scouting Combine, as is to be expected, including one on some notable players who didn't even get a Combine invite.
Enjoy!
NFL locker rooms are built using varying styles of brick - JSOnline
This goes back to the age-old "character" quality, and how much impact it really has in the draft process. The one caveat here is that Bill Polian drafted Rae Carruth, though maybe that was a learning moment for Polian as a GM.
Packers want Lattimore back, but probably not at RFA tender | Packersnews
Much like M.D. Jennings, Lattimore probably will have a chance to hit the open market as the Packers seem inclined to sign him to a cheaper deal.
Teams wait, see on Francois' recovery from Achilles surgery | Packersnews
I expect the Packers to draft an inside linebacker in May, which will leave Rob Francois with a really tough road to make the roster, even if they do re-sign him.
Deconstructing the Criticism of WSU Safety Deone Bucannon | Cheesehead TV
This is great stuff, as CTV explains why downgrading a safety because he "lost" a few one-on-ones at the Senior Bowl is foolish.
Is the Bills in Toronto deal causing late season ticket renewals? - Buffalo Rumblings
Here's an interesting rumbling (see what I did there?) coming out of upstate New York, where the Bills might be pulling out of their annual game in Toronto.
NFL combine snubs can still find NFL success - SBNation.com
The only reason I knew of Julian Edelman before he entered the NFL was because I liked playing as Kent State in the NCAA Football video game and looked up the players' names, finding Edelman as their starting QB.