Finley getting 57th opinion on his neck today

[pbmax]

He had only one impressive play?

http://www.sportingcharts.com/nfl/stats/drops/2013/

Holy crap, good find. Is this new or do my Google skills need to be refined?

[Brandon494]

As pbmax pointed out, the Finley of 2011 - 2013 was nothing like the Finley we saw at the end of 2009 and the start of 2010. I think 2013 was a pivotal year for him. Defenses seemed to realize he was not the threat he looked like he might become. Sure, he had an impressive play from time to time; but he had as many excruciating drops. He was not reliable, and it was clear at times that Rodgers did not always have faith in him in crucial situations. In short, I don't think he impacted what defenses would do all that much anymore.

He dropped one pass last season...

[mraynrand]

Holy crap, good find. Is this new or do my Google skills need to be refined?

I checked the previous years and it seemed to be right.

[mraynrand]

Tom Crabtree dropped 14% of his passes

[pbmax]

Did you not see what I highlighted in bold? You said he was a shell of himself which is not true.

That is not the Finley I remember. It is impressive, none-the-less, but not what this offense needs in my opinion.

I remember a TE who could sky above coverage to snag a contested ball. His catch radius was huge. And he went deep with aplomb and fearlessness. He was never quite the seam breaker that Chmura (Chmura would get blasted on those routes sometimes aided by a Favre cannon shot right into a defender) or Keith Jackson were. But he regularly threatened the deep middle of the field, enough that you didn't let him simply run past a LB while you simultaneously left the safety deep.

Now, teams simply put a coverage DB on him and leave the safeties deep to defense Nelson and Jones. No idea what happens this year without Jones.

Oddly, if there was a season he needs to be here, this year might be it. But that is due to attrition elsewhere.

[Brandon494]

Serious question:

Brandon claimed Finley is a Top 8 TE when healthy. Harv thinks average TEs can be covered by a LB.

Where does Finley rank overall? Here are the Top 40 for the last two years according to Pro Football References' Approximate Value. This says nothing about their speed or athleticism, but focuses on their numbers compared to others in the League. Are there eight better than Jermichael? Are there 14 who don't see much linebacker coverage?

Jimmy Graham
Gronk
V. Davis
Witten
J. Thomas
J Cameron
Finley
Gates

[Brandon494]

That is not the Finley I remember. It is impressive, none-the-less, but not what this offense needs in my opinion.

I remember a TE who could sky above coverage to snag a contested ball. His catch radius was huge. And he went deep with aplomb and fearlessness. He was never quite the seam breaker that Chmura (Chmura would get blasted on those routes sometimes aided by a Favre cannon shot right into a defender) or Keith Jackson were. But he regularly threatened the deep middle of the field, enough that you didn't let him simply run past a LB while you simultaneously left the safety deep.

Now, teams simply put a coverage DB on him and leave the safeties deep to defense Nelson and Jones. No idea what happens this year without Jones.

Oddly, if there was a season he needs to be here, this year might be it. But that is due to attrition elsewhere.

[pbmax]

What year is that with Jennings (and Harris) in the picture? I assume 2012. Also, how often do they call this anymore?

The one I remember from last year left him with a concussion.

[Brandon494]

I have reiterated over and over that his career has been altered by injuries. But no matter how you look at it, he is now entering his seventh season, the downside of a typical career.

He just turned 27...hes in his prime, that statement might be true if he was a RB.

[Fritz]

Funny, but it looks like it was "only" a linebacker that Finley beat, and the safety had no deep coverage so he could come up and make the tackle.

I'm of the opinion that Finley's presence in GB is no longer the threat it was, and so I am okay with letting him move on, to retirement or Seattle or wherever.

[pbmax]

Funny, but it looks like it was "only" a linebacker that Finley beat, and the safety had no deep coverage so he could come up and make the tackle.

I'm of the opinion that Finley's presence in GB is no longer the threat it was, and so I am okay with letting him move on, to retirement or Seattle or wherever.

If Finley and Rodgers were routinely making that play, I would break the bank for him (given a healthy neck). But that play is precisely what has been missing from the Packers passing game. That seam route and check downs in front of LBs not on 3rd down.

[Brandon494]

I believe we should move on without him as well but just find it funny how some of you don't see how talented this guy is.

[Brandon494]

If Finley and Rodgers were routinely making that play, I would break the bank for him (given a healthy neck). But that play is precisely what has been missing from the Packers passing game. That seam route and check downs in front of LBs not on 3rd down.

When was the last time this offense has been fully healthy? Like Harvey said the guys who really know football (TT and MM) know how valuable having a TE of Finley's skill set is to this team.

[pbmax]

I believe we should move on without him as well but just find it funny how some of you don't see how talented this guy is.

We see it. But its on its own agenda now. Kinda like a former QB.

Speaking of which, Rodgers shouldn't get off scot free. Mr. Go Deep Early and Often frequently misses opportunities to extend drives waiting for something big to break. Its not just Finley.

[Brandon494]

What year is that with Jennings (and Harris) in the picture? I assume 2012. Also, how often do they call this anymore?

The one I remember from last year left him with a concussion.

2012.

[mraynrand]

Funny, but it looks like it was "only" a linebacker that Finley beat, and the safety had no deep coverage so he could come up and make the tackle.

I'm of the opinion that Finley's presence in GB is no longer the threat it was, and so I am okay with letting him move on, to retirement or Seattle or wherever.

Of course any discussion depends on physical recovery and all that, but the worry about Fin is not just how good he is - which I think is a top ten TE - but what remains behind him. The kid from Oregon has potential to be, but the others really aren't in Fin's class. Some can block better of course, but so could Tom Crabtree, and he drops 1 of every 7 passes he sees - and he only gets 7 passes/year and is gone. The Packers stable of TEs without Fin thrill me about as much as Ed West did.

[pbmax]

When was the last time this offense has been fully healthy? Like Harvey said the guys who really know football (TT and MM) know how valuable having a TE of Finley's skill set is to this team.

They are never fully healthy, but Finley was around for most of 2012. And much of this was still going on. In fact, I think end of 2011 or early 2012 was when Rodgers and Finley finally decided where to meet the night before the game in the team hotel (Rodgers went and invited him if I recall the story).

Its was then that those shallow crosses and flares started to become his dominant route. I don't remember where I read that he was interested in those more than seam routes, but that info came out after QB and TE got on the same page.

If the Packers want to solve the Cover 2 conundrum, this kinda stuff has to end. You can't always run your favorite non-life-threatening routes versus good Ds.

[Patler]

He had only one impressive play?

http://www.sportingcharts.com/nfl/stats/drops/2013/

McGinn has him with three drops and the worst drop rate on the team last year, admittedly with a very small sample:

Jermichael Finley: It's 50-50 at best that he resumes his career in Green Bay, if anywhere. After suffering a concussion Sept. 22, he underwent a cervical fusion Nov. 14 for a spinal-cord contusion. It's a serious injury, not unlike other cases in which the Packers wouldn't run the risk of allowing players to play football again. By signing Finley to a short-term contract (two years) in February 2012, the Packers now are off the hook financially. Finley is hell-bent on resuming his career. However, he would collect $10 million tax-free from an insurance policy if he can't play. In 252 snaps, Finley dropped three of 34 balls, the worst drop rate on the team.

[Brandon494]

Lmao you really quoted McGinn to prove your point? You lose by default.

[Patler]

Lmao you really quoted McGinn to prove your point? You lose by default.

Aren't you the one who has argued McGinn as an NFL god, of sorts? Or am I think of another of our fellow ""Rats"?

I think McGinn does two thing very well:
- Accumulate and report the evaluations made by others regarding draftable players. (He asks questions and takes good notes.)
- Report stats at the end of the season (He can count and add.).

I don't put much stock in his opinion pieces, and his Packer insight is not very insightful.