[img_r]http://www.espnmilwaukee.com/includes/news_items/40/4317/finleyrodgers.jpg[/img_r]PHILADELPHIA Just because quarterback Aaron Rodgers and coach Mike McCarthy probably would have preferred for Jermichael Finley not to say it doesnt mean that the Green Bay Packers ultra-confident tight end wasnt right.

We can be the best offense in the league and thats that's what we're going to be, to tell you the truth, Finley told a gaggle of reporters at his locker late in training camp. How good can we be? (As) everybody can see, we can score when we want.

Informed of his favorite targets boast, a wide smile creased Rodgers face.

Sometimes when youre watching maybe MTV, and maybe Jackass is on, and it says something like The producers of the show arent condoning this material ... Sometimes you have to (do) that as far as Jermichaels comments, Rodgers said with a chuckle. He doesnt always speak for the entire team when he speaks.

But thats one of the things I love about J-Mike. His swagger. We need that confidence. Thats great.

The Packers enter Sundays season opener against the Philadelphia at Lincoln Financial Field with plenty of confidence on the offensive side of the ball. Rodgers was lights-out in the preseason, completing 41 of 53 passes (77.4 percent) for 470 yards with six touchdowns and no interceptions for a passer rating of 141.2. His favorite target was Finley, who caught a team-high 12 passes for 163 yards and a pair of touchdowns during the preseason.

Were pretty excited about what we did in the preseason, said wide receiver Greg Jennings, who caught six passes for 133 yards, including a 56-yarder and a touchdown, in preseason. Just the fact of knowing our personnel and what were capable of accomplishing this year, the goals that we have for ourselves, the standards that we hold each other to, its definitely going to be an exciting year.

Of course, thats what the members of the Packers offense thought last year, too, when Rodgers had almost identical preseason numbers (29 for 41, 465 yards, six TDs, no INTS, 147.9 rating) and the team went into the regular-season opener against Chicago brimming with confidence about the offense.

Then the games started to count, and the offense lost its swagger. While Rodgers fourth-quarter 50-yard touchdown pass to Jennings beat the Bears, he absorbed a wicked beating during the first half of the year, absorbing 37 sacks in the first eight games behind a patchwork offensive line. At midseason, the Packers were a .500 team at 4-4 and the offense wasnt looking like the dominant outfit it had been in preseason.

The lesson?

Humility, Rodgers said. I think last year we didnt have the same kind of confidence. This year its a real confidence. Its a mature, realistic confidence. Last year, you know, everybody was saying we were a good team. And we were kind of like, Yeah, we can just show up and nobody can stop us, just like the preseason. Well, that wasnt the case. This year, I think its just more of a realistic confidence that, Hey, we know were a good team, but weve still got to execute.

And execute they did in the second half, winning seven of their last eight games with the one loss coming in the closing seconds of a shootout at defending Super Bowl-champion Pittsburgh to finish 11-5 and make the playoffs. Rodgers finished the year having completed 350 of 541 passes (64.7 percent) for 4,434 yards with 30 touchdowns and only seven interceptions (103.2 rating); Finley was a breakout star at tight end (55 catches, 676 yards, five TDs in 13 games) and both Jennings (68 catches, 1,113 yards, four TDs) and Donald Driver (70 catches, 1,061 yards, six TDs) eclipsed the 1,000-yard receiving mark. While Rodgers still ended up being sacked an NFL-high 50 times, he was taken down only 13 times during those final eight games.

While their 51-45 overtime loss to Arizona in the NFC Wild Card round was a heartbreaker, the offense was unstoppable, with Rodgers recovering from an interception on his first pass to completed 28 of 42 passes for a franchise playoff-record 423 yards and four touchdowns (121.4 rating) while Finley (six catches, franchise playoff-record 159 receiving yards) and Jennings (eight catches, 130 yards, one TD) had huge days.

I liked the rhythm we were in last year (during) the second half of the season, Rodgers said. I thought we did some really good things, moved the ball efficiently, cut down on the sacks. I think you can take some of the confidence (from 2009) over and some of the things that worked well over to the regular season (in 2010).

But youve to realize the first week youre playing Philadelphia, theyre going to be a diverse front, theyve got some very strong pass-rushers, and theyre going to bring a system and a scheme for us that is going to give us some challenges. We cant expect to score every time.

Perhaps not, but the offensive firepower is the primary reason why so many national pundits are picking the Packers to represent the NFC in Super Bowl XLV in February in Arlington, Texas. Beyond Finley, Jennings and Driver, they have James Jones and Jordy Nelson jockeying for the third and fourth wide receiver jobs when they could be starters elsewhere, and running back Ryan Grant, despite limited work in the preseason, is coming off his second consecutive 1,200-yard rushing season.

Weve got to stay healthy and know our roles and make plays when our numbers called, because there are a lot of numbers to be called, Jennings said. Its a unique situation because weve got a lot of unselfish guys. You have to be selfish somewhat because you want to make that play, but with the kind of guys we have on offense, we understand that any one of us can make the plays. Its just a matter of time when youre number is getting called and its your turn, so be ready.

While the coaches show considerably less bravado than the players, they know the groups potential as well. Head coach Mike McCarthy has made no bones about how good he thinks the offense can be, and running backs coach Edgar Bennett likens the group to the 1996 team that won Super Bowl XXXI. Bennett was a 1,000-yard rusher on that team, which scored a franchise record 456 points that season a record last years team broke with 461.

Nonetheless, you wont hear offensive coordinator Joe Philbin over-inflating his players egos. Hell leave the talking to Finley.

Were excited about the possibilities that lay out in front of us, but personally, for me to say, Were going to do this to this team and that to that team, I dont think in those terms. We have confidence in our guys, we have faith in them, and were excited about what were capable of doing. What exactly we do, were going to find out Sunday, Philbin said. The great thing about football as I told our guys Monday when we started meeting about it is, it's a kind of a 'What have you done for me lately' profession. You get challenged every single week in this league big time. We're going to face a huge challenge on Sunday. I'm confident in our guys that we'll have success. But again, that has to be proven out there."

And thats exactly what Finley says the offense is ready to do.

Oh, man, I'm stoked. I'm just ready to get it rolling, ready to get the regular season going, Finley said. In preseason, the starters get about 20 plays max. That's when I start rolling and get warm, and the coach says you're on the shelf. That kind of tees me off. I'm just ready to get rolling full time here.