Jermichael Finley, TE or WR?

[red]

after i saw the one practice this week i mentioned that finley was lining up out wide, that got me thinking

the guy dropped 15 pounds this off season, so that means he's under 230 by my count. now finley isn't a blocker, we don't expect him to be one, and he really isn't much of one

so is he really a TE, or is he a WR? if he lines up outside as a WR all the time he would be a nightmare for other teams to try and cover. too big and strong for cb's, way too fast and athletic for Lb's to try and cover. i'm thinking teams would have to cover him with a safety WITH some help maybe from a CB. this of course should open up the middle of the field for the running game or the other recievers.

i don't know. i just think if you get him out of the traffic in the middle and put him out on the edge he would be even more unstoppable

i really think he's capable of putting up elite receiver numbers this year if he can stay healthy. i'm thinking like 1100 or 1200 yards and he should easily be over double digit td's

i said it last year and i'll say it again, he could be the most unstoppable offensive threat since randy moss in his prime

thoughts?

[Smidgeon]

He came into training camp at 240.

[Noodle]

This has me perplexed. I just don't know if he has the fluid moves to be effective against a corner. He can eat an LB or many safetys for lunch, sure, but a true DB is a different kettle of fish.

I prefer that he be able to handle the traditional strong-side TE role, as this makes him all the more difficult for the defense. Otherwise, when he's in, defenses will just go nickel or will otherwise account for him as a receiver.

It's the will-he or won't-he that makes him a killer.

[Tony Oday]

TE ALL THE WAY!!!!! Cheaper to tender a franchise tag too

[3irty1]

He came into training camp at 240.

Calvin Johnson is still nearly the same size.

[Guiness]

He came in at 240? That's only 5lbs off his reported weight from last year, and a ways from the 230lb he insinuated he was going to come in at.

There are a lot of WR's around 6'3 and 220 - Jordy Nelson for instance. His size/strength give him a nice advantage when he splits wide, but I agree with Noodle - if he drops too much weight, he's just another tall skinny WR, and when he's covered by the #2 CB on a team instead of their dime guy, he'll be in trouble.

[vince]

He's in the perfect position in this offense. Tight Receiver.

[Brandon494]

Hes a TE with WR skills. He doesn't have enough elusiveness to play WR.

[MadScientist]

The Packers don't need another WR. They need a guy to run though the middle. If Finley isn't a TE, he isn't nearly as valuable.

[Scott Campbell]

Remember back when TE's used to block people sometimes?

[Brandon494]

The game has changed, its a passing league now. Having a strong running game doesn't win championships anymore.

[RashanGary]

Finley isn't all that fast. He's fast for a guy his size. He's big, pretty fluid and has the best ball skills I've seen in a Packer. Tony Gonzalez is a good comparison. Moss had those elite ball skills but was lightning fast. Finley is more ball skills and body positioning.

And yes, he's an unstoppable weapon if he's healthy. Gonzo #2. He's one of the toughest covers in the NFL.

[Harlan Huckleby]

I thought it funny that the first time McCarthy saw Finley this summer he said, "What, you don't want to block anymore?"

[bobblehead]

The game has changed, its a passing league now. Having a strong running game doesn't win championships anymore.

Game one: rodgers 180 yards passing, vick 292, starks 123, mccoy 46
Game two: rodgers 366, ryan 186, starks 66, turner 39
Game three: rodgers 244, bears 233, starks 74, forte 70
Game four: rodgers 304, Rothlesburger 263, starks 54, mendenhall 63

So basically we outrushed all three teams in the division games, including one where we were severely outpassed. We finally were outrushed by the Steelers who are masterful at both running and stopping the run, but we won the turnover battle in a big way.

The league has changed, but you still MUST run the ball effectively to be successful.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Game one: rodgers 180 yards passing, vick 292, starks 123, mccoy 46
Game two: rodgers 366, ryan 186, starks 66, turner 39
Game three: rodgers 244, bears 233, starks 74, forte 70
Game four: rodgers 304, Rothlesburger 263, starks 54, mendenhall 63

So basically we outrushed all three teams in the division games, including one where we were severely outpassed. We finally were outrushed by the Steelers who are masterful at both running and stopping the run, but we won the turnover battle in a big way.

The league has changed, but you still MUST run the ball effectively to be successful.

These stats are misleading. We got out to two TD leads in all three games. The other teams barely ran the ball, and we barely ran the ball until we got the big lead (except for the Philly game). We mostly came out throwing the ball early in those games, got the lead, and then ran a lot (although not all that efficiently).