Do we NEED finley?

[PackersRS]

There's only one player we NEED in this offense, and it's Rodgers. The rest are replaceable. Not easily, but without any of them for one game, or even for one season, we can win. Rodgers is the only guy on offense that, if he misses significant time, we're screwed.

And this has nothing to do with Flynn, there's no other backup I would feel more comfortable with than Flynn running the offense. But he's not Rodgers, Flynn can't lead us to a SB. Neither could Romo, Cutler, Eli Manning, Flacco... for that matter.

And, on defense, there's no single guy the defense is tailored to. There is, Woodson, but we have enough talent to shift the scheme if Woodson goes down for a significant period of time. But the key contributors on defense are Woodson, Matthews and Raji. If any of them goes down, the dropoff in production is too big for us to keep the scheme.

So, regarding Finley, we don't NEED him. He makes us that much better, though, particularly against cover 2 teams like the Lions and Bears, where he can dominate the middle when they go all coward and put every effort into covering us deep on the sidelines.

 

[AllouezPackerFan]

Yes. Especially against teams like the Eagles....we need as many weapons as possible.

 

[Pat4DaPack]

He creates one of the biggest mismatches against any of the teams we play. Throwing him out there with Jennings Driver, Nelson and Jones makes our offense virtually unstoppable.

 

[2411t]

I think Finley plays in the perfect system for him. Maybe NE who utilizes the 2 TE sets as well, but any other team, he would not produce as much.

 

[mor4les]

We dont need him to win games, last season prove that.
Are the packers with Finley an even more difficult team to cover? No doubt. So keep him in the team as long as we can. He is going to be a Top 3 TE in years to come
We are the champions but we could use all the help we cant get, and Finley sure can help us

 

[JoshuaRHuffman]

They won the Super Bowl last season without him, so they obviously don't NEED him.

He is a very nice luxury to have, however...

 

[gatorpack]

I think him going down last year was good for rodgers. Now with Finley back we should be unstoppable on offense. I think if he is still healthy around week 10 we need to offer him a new contract during this season and hope he takes it.

 

[2411t]

I think him going down last year was good for rodgers. Now with Finley back we should be unstoppable on offense. I think if he is still healthy around week 10 we need to offer him a new contract during this season and hope he takes it.

Agreed. Beginning of last season, Rodgers seemed to use Finley as a crutch instead of an option.

 

[slaughter25]

One question i have heard from a few people is, " Now that Finley is back does that make Rodgers focus on him again like he did at the beginning of '10?" Meaning that would he be seen as more of a luxury item now that the offense knows they were good enough to be champs with out him ?
Or does all the hype surrounding the greatness and explosiveness that is to be expected from them with Finley back make him a focal point again? I think Aaron Rodgers is smart enough, and knows this offense well enough to make the decision on where to throw the ball on any given play regardless of the weapons on the field. The confidence among those WR's and him is off the charts and I fully believe the ball will be spread around to all of them using the incredible mismatches McCarthy puts those guys in on a weekly basis.

 

[jrdulka]

Thanks for all the support on the article. Love the discussion. I would love to keep Finley, but struggle based on how much it might cost if he hits the open market. hopefully we can lock him up this season.

 

[Shawnsta3]

What do you all think the chances are that Finley gets resigned? It seems to me it'll come down to him or Jordy. Jordy will come cheaper and keep some room to lock up other players. And we have 4 very capable TE's behind Finley. All that being said I hope TT can work out some kind of deal with him because he's a dynamic game- changing player.

 

[Powarun]

What do you all think the chances are that Finley gets resigned? It seems to me it'll come down to him or Jordy. Jordy will come cheaper and keep some room to lock up other players. And we have 4 very capable TE's behind Finley. All that being said I hope TT can work out some kind of deal with him because he's a dynamic game- changing player.

Next year is going to be a tough year I think for the Packers management. Finley is great to have, and it sucks that the Packers seem to have too much offensive talent, yet I can see them cutting Nelson for Finley if Finley can produce.

 

[Kitten]

What do you all think the chances are that Finley gets resigned? It seems to me it'll come down to him or Jordy. Jordy will come cheaper and keep some room to lock up other players. And we have 4 very capable TE's behind Finley. All that being said I hope TT can work out some kind of deal with him because he's a dynamic game- changing player.

If Finley puts up good numbers this year, which I have no doubt he will, I think they will have no problem resigning him. Look at him in the Saints game. He was unbeatable. The Saints had no answer for him. If he can play like that through the season, he is going to be a huge threat.

 

[bozz_2006]

Haven't read the posts, but I think the question needs a qualifier;
Do we need him? Obviously not, since we won a SB without him.

BUT...
Can we afford to lose him? I don't think so. I look at the AP contract. It's outrageous money for a RB. The cost of keeping him in purple was enormous, but not as high as the cost of losing him, IMO. The Vikings paid him because they just couldn't afford to lose him. I think Finley is one of those players that I don't know whether we can afford to keep him, but I do know that we really can't afford to lose him.

 

[realcaliforniacheese]

Do you need both balls? Technically no, but it keeps you balanced.

 

[bozz_2006]

I need 'em both.

 

[Pat4DaPack]

They showed last year that they didnt NEED him but he is an amazing weapons and makes things a lot easier for the offense.

 

[Jebsta16]

definitely need to keep him. He and Jennings are the center pieces for this offense. One of them goes down the other steps up their game just like Jennings showed last year. They create each other more opportunities as well by demanding so much and it even gives people like Nelson and Jones the chance to shine. Realistically he won't be paid more then 7 million a year I say we should hold onto him.

 

[Jordyruns]

Damn it if Jordy gets cut in favor of JJ and Jermichael I'm going to be pissed

Beacause right now the big FA we have left are Finley, Jordy, and Wells I think???, if so he has become a must with the way he's playing and especially no legit backup on the roster. Grant is as good as gone at ths point. One of those 3 (or hopefully JJ is traded or cut) wll probably be gone.

 

[PackersFanfromCali80]

There were certain times in that NFC Championship game against the Bears where I was wishing for Finley. Those 3rd and short or 3rd and longs we couldn't convert, Finley would have been a huge asset and I think he may be the difference in this Sunday's game.

 

[Bogart]

We don't need him, last season proved that, but I find him to be a nice accessory to the offense.

 

[cheeseheadfanatic87]

Personally I think it's important to keep Finely. He plays a big role in our offense, and having a great tight end in the NFL is a top priority. There's no doubt he's one of the best in the league, and the Packers need to figure a way to resign him.

With Driver probably retiring in a few years, it would be a great idea to keep Finley, since he can line up as a tight end, or wide receiver.

 

[AllouezPackerFan]

He is an unbelievable talent and a definite go to weapon, but we proved last year we can win without him. Nevertheless I think we should resign him.

 

[lookoutblock]

I think Finley opens up a lot for us. We pulled together last year without him, but how much can he command assuming he stays healthy this year?

 

[Bensalama21]

Looks like the Bears game answered that question...