Jermichael Finley's recent tweet and TT drafting of 2 TE's

[Patler]

You also have to account for the contracts that will be taken off the books when its time to resign these players like Barnett, Grant, Clifton, Driver, and Woodson.

I agree, but my point is still valid. As the roster gets better and better, the likelihood of having to let good players leave increases. It happens all over, and it is the way good teams stay good. They bring in cheap, quality young players and let selected expensive veterans leave. If the team really is one of the best in the league, it won't be able to keep everyone until they retire.

[Patler]

Of maybe MM saw something he liked with the way NE were using TEs in their system. You do know this is a copy cat league after all and giving Rodgers more targets in the red zone should never be overlooked. I mean who do we really have behind Finley? Quarles has shown NOTHING except that he has no hands and trips over his own feet on routes and Crabtree who is just a guy. Not to mention that the two guys drafted are also projected to be fullback/H back type players like Chris Cooley.

I'm sure he wants at least two legitimate pass-catching TEs. I just hope Quarless can improve from his 1st to his 2nd year like Finley did. Finley dropped too many and couldn't turn back for back-shoulder throws as a rookie, but had no problems his 2nd season. Unfortunately, the lockout will hurt guys like Quarless a lot.

[get louder at lambeau]

Of maybe MM saw something he liked with the way NE were using TEs in their system. You do know this is a copy cat league after all and giving Rodgers more targets in the red zone should never be overlooked. I mean who do we really have behind Finley? Quarles has shown NOTHING except that he has no hands and trips over his own feet on routes and Crabtree who is just a guy. Not to mention that the two guys drafted are also projected to be fullback/H back type players like Chris Cooley.

Exactly. Everyone seems to assume Quarless will learn to catch consistently this year and become Finely Jr., but until it actually happens he's very replaceable. Crabtree and Havner are the type of guys you should be trying to replace with more talented guys. Lee is gone.

Finley is the only "sure thing" and he hasn't even made it through 16 games yet in his career and is coming off a knee surgery with staph infection complications.

I don't see it as very surprising that they took two TEs in the draft. I was actually hoping for a TE in the first or second round, Kyle Rudolph. Damn Vikings got him.

[BobDobbs]

McCarthy, Philbin, and Rodgers love Finley. They are definitely going to want to keep him. TT will do it if he can afford it, but if it comes down to paying Finley or Raji/CMIII you have to go with those guys. Brandon makes a good point that a bunch of big contracts are going to come off of the books. And TT hasn't wanted to pay guards in the past, so maybe Sitton leaves.
We've got a corps of young superstars and they are going to be expensive we won't keep them all. It'll be interesting to see if TT's post championship plan is to do it like Indy and pay huge dollars to a few and then figure out the rest or do it like New England and keep trading guys and picks to have a steady supply of young guys coming through.

[RashanGary]

Finley is obviously an elite talent at TE or WR. He could play either and be a probowler at either.

The problems with Finley are not his talent. The problems with Finley are (resummarizing Patlers points):

1. He's coming of a major knee injury. Who knows how well he comes back
2. I don't know if it's him demanding the ball, but the offense often forced balls to Finley and uncharacteristic interceptions and incompletions happened when throwing his way in double and triple coverage.
3. The offense was more than fine without him
4. He's said some bone head things that make you think he knew more than Rodgers when he was a rookie.
5. He's been known to hang out with VY and when he switched agents there were stories about one agent trying to keep him away from the trouble he seemed to seek out


There are any number of possible things that could develop that would cause a person to not want to sacrifice other star players salaries for Finley, starting with the biggest one, they can win championships without him.

I want him around. I own one jersey. It's a Finley. He's my favorite player because of how tough and competitive his is on the field. I want him to work out really badly and I want him to be the greatest Packer TE I've ever watched. It's not a guarantee.

DJ Williams could be a great 2nd TE who can stretch the field and give versatility to our already multiple offense. Or. . . . he could end up being our starting TE because JF blew up and went to jail or stopped working out or had a drug charge or didn't come back from his knee injury or went complete primadonna.

I love Finley the player, but honestly, who has any clue what that guys is going to do with his life? He reeks of instability.

[mraynrand]

I'm not going to worry about Finley until he has a press conference while doing crunches.

[Smeefers]

Can you name 4 better TE's? I can't.

Last year Quarless was waaay better than Finley. Gotta be on the field to play and if you can't do that, you ain't no good.

Seriously though, I'd say Clark, Witton, Gates, Davis and Lewis are better right now. I have to frame my opinion though, I truly believe if Finley ever gets a full year under his boat, he's going to blow the water out of the competition and he'll be the hands down number one scariest TE in the league, if not receiver. He stays healthy, I think he has numbers that compete with Andre Johnson and is as terrifying as Calvin Johnson. I just have to see it from him. He has to stay healthy. If he can't do that, he's not worth anything and definitely not a top TE.

[swede]

Wow I actually agree with skin

Finley is a top 5 TE in the league and you guys think taking a TE in the 5th and 6th round somehow means TT is trying to replace him? It's known Finley isn't the smartest guy but stop comparing him to TO and Moss just because he's excited about getting back on the field since his injury. After Finley our TEs arent even that good! Lee is old, I never did see what some saw in Quarles, and Crabtree is just a guy. Finley is going to remain a Packer for awhile.

I think this is correct.

[HarveyWallbangers]

I think Finley sticks around. Thompson has shown he doesn't let guys like Finley go. He came out raw, but when the bell went off, it went off in a big way. 27 receptions for 460 yards in his last 5 games before his injury. You can watch him and now that he had become a top 5 TE in the league. His pass catching skill is elite. He's turned himself into a willing, if not always able, blocker. Now, he just needs to get healthy. As far as Williams and Taylor, Williams is more of a threat to the backup TEs and FBs. Taylor is a long shot to make the team.

[prime311]

Here's my thought. Finley = Shockey Awesome, confident, cocky, and on IR while his team wins a Super Bowl. Maybe it'll all come together for his sometime and somewhere like it did for Shockey in 2009 with NO, but there's no need to invest too many millions in a payer like that.

[prime311]

McCarthy, Philbin, and Rodgers love Finley. They are definitely going to want to keep him. TT will do it if he can afford it, but if it comes down to paying Finley or Raji/CMIII you have to go with those guys. Brandon makes a good point that a bunch of big contracts are going to come off of the books. And TT hasn't wanted to pay guards in the past, so maybe Sitton leaves.
We've got a corps of young superstars and they are going to be expensive we won't keep them all. It'll be interesting to see if TT's post championship plan is to do it like Indy and pay huge dollars to a few and then figure out the rest or do it like New England and keep trading guys and picks to have a steady supply of young guys coming through.

I'm going to give a big hell no to that. Thompson (smartly) refused to shell out QB like money for an aging Wahle and big dollars for a quickly diminishing Rivera. Thus far he has refused to give a big extension to the inconsistent Colledge. I will all but guarantee that a young, dominant home grown guard like Sitton gets a big extension. He is exactly the type of player that Thompson signs long term.

[Tarlam!]

What you say is true, prime311. They did win the big Dance without him - and a bunch of other guys. No one saw it coming. It was somehow freaky. I don't know how often that kind of freaky happens. I believe the Giants had that type of season when they won. Look what they've done since.

For that reason, I think TT and M3 do their utmost to keep Finley. He is good whn he's on the paddock.

PS: You mention Shockey, but I believe he was missing from the Giants lineup or was that your point?

[pbmax]

snip...
5. He's been known to hang out with VY and when he switched agents there were stories about one agent trying to keep him away from the trouble he seemed to seek out

Finley: The Right Route

Yes, but the #5 story is old and no longer the case. He did switch back to Major Adams in the Spring of 2010, but after a month in Austin realized his mistake when Adams had nothing planned for him. He is back with the respected agent, the one who insisted he make amends with the Packers staff after the trip to Austin.

I think we are making a mountain out of a Twitter molehill. Finley has been in exactly zero serious jams. A bad agent choice (twice) which has been corrected and shooting his mouth off once about the QB and once about a photo. He behaves like Steve Largent compared to TO, Ochocinco or Moss.

There are only two questions: can he stay healthy? and if he does and he hits his stride mid-season, can the Packers convince him to sign before FA.

[prime311]

What you say is true, prime311. They did win the big Dance without him - and a bunch of other guys. No one saw it coming. It was somehow freaky. I don't know how often that kind of freaky happens. I believe the Giants had that type of season when they won. Look what they've done since.

For that reason, I think TT and M3 do their utmost to keep Finley. He is good whn he's on the paddock.

PS: You mention Shockey, but I believe he was missing from the Giants lineup or was that your point?

Ya that was my point with Shockey, as good as he was he is always injured and is a negative in the locker room. He eventually was traded to the Saints. While I agree the Giants have not done much since, I think that has a lot more to do with the play of the defense after Steve Spagnuolo left then the offense. Shockeys replacement, Kevin Boss, has been pretty good and at a fraction of the cost with none of the locker room drama.

[Tarlam!]

There are only two questions: can he stay healthy? and if he does and he hits his stride mid-season, can the Packers convince him to sign before FA.

This. IMHO, you nailed it with this.