Cheese Curds, 9/5: Mike Pettine & Korey Toomer look for fresh starts with Packers

The Green Bay Packers have a host of new faces on their defense in 2018, and none are likely to have a bigger impact than new coordinator Mike Pettine. Pettine has not formally coached for the last two seasons, which made him a bit of an unexpected choice when Mike McCarthy hired him for the job early this year.

However, Pettine had a slew of good reasons for stepping away from the game after the Cleveland Browns fired him following the 2015 season. Now rejuvenated and excited about the game again, Pettine will reveal his full defense on Sunday night against the Chicago Bears.

One of the players who will be suiting up for him is new Packers linebacker Korey Toomer, a player who has suited up for a quarter of the NFL’s 32 teams in some capacity. Toomer’s journey to Green Bay was circuitous and very much unlike Pettine’s, but the two share a desire: to reinvent themselves with the Packers and earn a Super Bowl ring.

In today’s curds, check out stories on these two men and much more as we inch closer to the start of the 2018 regular season.

Korey Toomer hoping for ‘restart’ with Packers | Packers.com
Toomer has bounced around to eight different teams now that he's in Green Bay and he sounds disappointed that he hasn't received more attention or consideration for a significant role this offseason. However, with Oren Burks banged up and James Crawford also reportedly suffering some sort of injury on Monday, Toomer will almost certainly be in uniform on Sunday night.

Inside the two-year ‘sabbatical’ that steered Mike Pettine to Packers | Packersnews.com
When Pettine was fired by the Browns — just two years into a four-year deal — he got the financial flexibility to sit back and take a break. He did just that, first throwing his efforts into building a new home before gradually stepping back into football with consulting jobs. However, the most defining part of that time off is probably the death of his father in early 2017.

6 available edge rushers the Packers could still pursue | Packers Wire
Our Erin Underwood broke down a few options on Monday, but here are a few other interesting names who might pique the Packers' interest. A pair that jump out to me are John Simon and Tyrone Holmes, the latter being a great athlete who would fit the trend of the Packers' last few acquisitions.

How every team can win Super Bowl LIII: Making the case for all 32 | ESPN
The Packers have the sixth-best chance of winning it all this year, according to Bill Barnwell, with 6.6% odds. One of the biggest keys, however, is the health of the Packers’ offensive tackles.

How Jerick McKinnon’s season-ending ACL tear impacts the 49ers’ offense - SBNation.com
The Packers host the 49ers on Monday Night Football in week six, and McKinnon was figuring to be a big part of San Francisco's offense - particularly as a receiver out of the backfield.

Montréal Man Gets Four Years for Smuggling Guns Through Library | Off Message
The man was convicted of smuggling a hundred guns through a library that straddles the US-Canadian border and got 51 months in prison for his crime.