I agree Finley's excuses are inexcusable - particularly the chemistry excuse since the only starting QB he's had in the NFL is Rodgers. Rodgers is great with his other receivers so… The day we'll know Finley has grown up (if that ever happens) is the day he stands up in front of the press and takes full responsibility for his drops, route-running mistakes, missed blocks and general lack of production. Unfortunately it looks like its unlikely that'll ever happen in Green Bay. But I think you've gone a bit too far with this. From the reports I read and heard before the game, Finley was lobbying to play last night. If the medical staff didn't think his shoulder was injured, no lobbying would have been required.
Yes and no. I agree it's probably not the case, but it is certainly believable with him. Even Finley knows there's a limit on his excuse of poor chemistry between him and Rodgers. An injury would actually be a better excuse than the one he's been pitching us for this season. He would of course lobby to play regardless of anything, trying to appear that he's doing everything he can to "help" the team, and also lowering the expectations of himself. That's a big part of his problem after all. He built himself up as a game changer and he can't even get through football 101: Block well and catch the football. I remember the raves he drew from Rodgers early on in his career about having the best hands on the team. Bet he's changed his mind, as have most of us. With all that being said, it's probably not the case, but would you really be surprised if it were?
Well here's what I think. Finley appears to me to be a guy who has lost confidence in himself. I watched his eyes last night and there was a look of a deer in the headlights to them. You could see how upset he was that he dropped the ball when he went back to the huddle. So I actually think some of his comments are a facade for his lack of self confidence. I do think he heaped a lot of this on himself to explain his drops and things just snow balled on him to the point where it has become a head case with him. But you know what, I'm still rooting for the guy. I'm not going to wish him injury as some have or single him out soley for his drops. Jordy dropped a wide open TD last night and has as many drops as Finley. No one has made mention of this. Can you imagine what the uproar would have been if it had been Finley?
Making TDs and scoring erases the bad and redeems the mistake maker. And if Jordy had a big yapper, I don't know how we would respond to him but there would probably be a thread or two calling him out for being a cocky SOB the way JF is. I'm guessing that a lot of us, myself included, have tolerated JF enough.
Jordy redeems himself last night by scoring 3 touchdowns and getting 130 yards receiving. I'd say Jordy gets thrown to a lot more than Finley so the drops can be relative
Well I tried to explain my reasoning for the yapper part. And it was nice that Jordy got a chance to redeem himself. Carry on with the hatefest.
The drops are a bit troubling, but the fact of the matter is Finley has no more drops than Nelson this season. The mouth...it's just Finley being Finley and I don't think anybody takes it that seriously except fans who have a preconceived idea about how players should behave (while willing to forgive transgressions if on-field performance meets their approval) and media types who like an easy story. Finley's "chemistry" comments, past and present, don't seem to affect Rodgers or the play calling. He's been getting 6 targets per game this year...the exact same rate as in '09 and '10, albeit fewer down the field. And after the drop in the HOU game, Rodgers came right back to him on the next play. What concerns me is what seems to be his loss of some athleticism from what we saw in '09 - '10. He seems to have lost a 1/2 step, he doesn't seem to get out of his breaks as quickly, and he doesn't get much separation on his routes, despite dropping some weight. Maybe it's a function of opponents figuring out they need to cover him with a back instead of a LB which makes him appear slower in comparison, but I don't think that's the entire story. I don't think he recovered entirely from his knee injury. Never a great route runner, Finley has failed to improve the intelligence of his game to compensate for whatever lack of athleticism he's experienced. I've been a supporter of Finley, and still am. But the bloom is nearly off the rose. I guess that means he'll go 6 for 100 against the Rams.
Finley reports he will give $$$$ out of his salary for every DROP he makes.....Hope he goes BANKRUPT before mid season........
I'll give this to Finley: He considered himself a wide-out when negotiating his contract, and he is a wide-out. He can't block like a tight end. He can't run over people like a tight end. He just doesn't like contact, which is not good if you're a tight end. He's a whiner, which is not typical for a tight end. Combine these things with the fact that he's the 4th or 5th best wide-out on the team doesn't bode well for him in the long run with the Packers.
Are you a Packers fan? I ask because you must realize every time Finley or any other Packers receiver drops the ball it hurts the team. That means fewer first downs, fewer points scored and potentially fewer games won. I'm extremely disappointed in Finley's immaturity and inconsistency but you post as if you'd have mixed emotions if Finley catches a game-winning TD. I heard on the radio that Quarless and Zombo are more ready than Sherrod to come off the PUP list and contribute. I don't know how far Quarless is along - he had a nasty injury - but if he's close to 100% healthy and quickly gets into game-shape, he jumps to the top of the list as far as pass-catching TEs that could take Finley's spot.
Good point Jack. We can hope for a house to fall on him but as long as it doesn't happen just before making a game winning catch. And with ours and Finley's luck, that would probably happen. LOL
Did anyone see how wide open Tom crabtree got on his 40+ yd TD catch? Was that a blown coverage? Maybe? Or did ge RUN HIS ROUTE and beat the defense, maybe? Either way do you see finley that wide open making TD catches? Nope. Crabtree for starting TE, that gets my vote. The guy plays to win and plays hard.
^ Of course he does, because he knows his play time is limited and he makes the best of what he gets. He seems to be a more humble guy.
Why do you hope for a Packer receiver to drop the ball? Are you a fan of some other team? Call me silly, but I hope that Finley never has to give any $$$$.
That was a great play design and play-call. It started with play action and Crabtree pretended to stay in to block. If I remember correctly, all the other receivers ran routes to the offense's left. IMO his delayed release worked in large part because he isn't viewed by defenses as much a pass catching threat as Finley is. To his credit, Crabtree caught the ball with his hands - that may sound funny but I see far too many NFL players body catch.
