Friday Cheese Curds: Red zone regression, WR depth, and Charles Woodson

It’s a particularly varied collection of news on this Friday morning.

With a little less than two weeks to go until the start of training camp for the Green Bay Packers, finding any consistent storylines to track across the internet is a challenge. As a result, today’s Cheese Curds are particularly varied, with some interesting nuggets about a handful of different topics.

One is Packers legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer Charles Woodson, one of this writer’s favorite players who donned the green and gold. With the benefit of hindsight, Woodson recently reflected on his arrival in Green Bay (which he was not at all excited about) and how the team and the city changed his mind — and his life.

We also have an examination of one of the biggest drivers of the Packers’ offensive success last season: converting red zone possessions into touchdowns. The team did so at an unsustainably high rate, suggesting that regression is coming. However, the team maintains much of the same personnel on offense, with the players responsible for 45 of the team’s 48 offensive red zone touchdowns returning. Only Jamaal Williams and his three scores left this offseason.

Meanwhile, Devin Funchess is new to the mix on offense and could pitch in near the goal line. Funchess has been a red zone contributor his whole career, scoring 16 of his 21 career touchdowns from inside the 20, so perhaps there won’t be that much regression this year, particularly as the overall league average red zone conversion rate is on the rise.

Check out those items and much more as we get ready to head into the penultimate weekend before the start of camp.

Charles Woodson’s time with Packers took his game, and his life, to a better place | Packers.com
There was no recruiting battle or bidding war for Woodson when he became a free agent in 2006. That humbling experience led him to Green Bay when he finally signed with the Packers, but during his tenure with the team his life off the field transformed as much as his football career did.

A step back for the Packers? Six against-the-grain NFL predictions for 2021 | ESPN
A prediction that the Packers will regress on offense is based around the team’s red zone touchdown rate slipping from the all-time league high of 80% last year. In fact, the only team that has maintained a 70% red zone touchdown rate in two straight seasons since 2001 were the Titans the last two years.

Argue all you want, the Packers wide receiver room is loaded with talent | Packer Report
With the addition of Amari Rodgers, this wideout unit has a little of everything from size to shiftiness to deep speed to an all-out bully. The questions surrounding the group should be more about the expiring contracts next offseason.

Packers plan free concert at Lambeau Field before first home game | Green Bay Press-Gazette
The team opens up its home schedule on Monday night against the Lions, so this concert is scheduled for Sunday, September 19. But the team has yet to announce who is performing, and will not do so until sometime next month.

Taylor Moton, Panthers agree to terms on four-year, $71.25M extension ahead of deadline | NFL.com
Moton became the only franchise-tagged player this offseason to sign a new long-term deal, and his average money puts him third among all NFL right tackles behind Lane Johnson and Ryan Ramczyk.

A New Jersey Woman Has Been Fighting the IRS for 7 Years to Prove She’s Alive | Insider.com
A 25-year-old woman has been listed as legally dead for more than a quarter of her life.