Nashville, Tenn. - On two of the biggest plays in the first half of their 19-16 loss to the Tennessee Titans, the Green Bay Packers decided to throw to - of all people - rookie tight end Jermichael Finley.
He with zero career receptions entering the game.
Not only does the third-round pick think his targeting was warranted in those plays, Finley thinks the Packers need to get him more involved in the offense.
"I'm ready to execute," Finley said. "I'm ready to play now. You know what I'm saying? And I think I should get used more."
Offensive coordinator Joe Philbin was amused by Finley's suggestion.
"Interesting comment," Philbin said. "I think that's interesting. I'll withhold comment."
Both Finley and Philbin said Finley's sudden emergence as a viable receiving target wasn't because of some matchup they liked. It just happened.
"I just came in just like another day ready to play, not knowing what's going on, not knowing what's going on with the coaches," Finley said. "And then the ball came and I took it and I do what I can."
Finley got his first chance with 4 minutes 26 seconds left in the first quarter, when coach Mike McCarthy decided to go for it on fourth and 1 at the Titans' 44-yard line.
Against an all-out blitz and with Titans linebacker David Thornton in his face, quarterback Aaron Rodgers targeted Finley, who was matched up with safety Chris Hope. Rodgers threw to Finley's back shoulder and the ball was too difficult to handle.
"I've made plays like that in practice - several," Finley said. "I think he should have led me a little more. Well, a lot more. Really he didn't throw it good at all, to be honest. I just think. . . . He knows my game, coaches know my game. I'm more like a run and jump. I'm really not no back shoulder or whatever he had going on back there. They just have to know what kind of player I am and use me in that aspect of the game."
Although Rodgers was not asked directly about Finley's comments, he agreed that he didn't throw the ball well.
"If I could do it again, I probably would have put more air on it to give him a better chance to come up with the ball," Rodgers said. "So I'm disappointed about that throw as well because Coach goes for it on fourth down, gives you a lot of confidence but you've got to execute those plays."
On the Packers' next possession, Finley went in motion to the left and found he was matched up one-on-one against linebacker Josh Stamer. When safety Michael Griffin came over to help, Rodgers threw the ball away although Finley again was able to get his right hand on the ball.
"That was more a specialized play that we'd been practicing that play, for a while," Philbin said. "And we felt like it was a good time to call it and a good situation to call it. It looked like a decent ball but we weren't able to come down with it."
Later in the game, Finley did get his first career catch on a 6-yard pass in the right flat.
"That's just like I got both my feet in the door," Finley said. "Now I'm ready to kick it down."
A mixed bag: The returns of cornerback Al Harris and safety Atari Bigby to the Packers' secondary went well for the most part.
The Packers allowed Titans quarterback Kerry Collins to complete only 48.6% of his passes and his rating was just 62.9.
Collins completed only eight passes to his wide receivers, as Harris had good coverage throughout at right cornerback. But he did not knock down any passes, make a tackle or record any other statistic, according to the official game statistics.
"I felt good, moving around," said Harris, who suffered a lacerated spleen in Week 3 against Dallas. "Just have to get my football legs under me."
Harris said he did not wear any additional protection for his injury.
Bigby, who had been out since the first half of the second game against Detroit, had five total tackles. He was not thrilled by his performance. Bigby on several occasions had trouble making his normally sound open-field tackles.
"Not quite, not quite," Bigby said as if he was back to his normal self. "Just the extra burst that I normally have (wasn't there). Just the extra first step. You know? (I have a ) pretty good first step. Wasn't quite there."
Take back the hit: Packers linebacker Brady Poppinga admitted that he erred on his personal foul penalty in the first quarter, which directly led to a Titans field goal.
After Collins had thrown incomplete on third down, Poppinga was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct when he slapped Titans tackle David Stewart on the head in retaliation for a push and a swipe. The penalty gave the Titans a first down.
"He was just trying to be an instigator," Poppinga said. "He punched me in the face and I just punched him back. That's not the way to react to somebody punching you in the face.
"Would I do it again? No. I would have just held my ground and kept my cool. But sometimes your own aggression and killer instinct gets the best of you. That happens sometimes."
Not quite close enough: McCarthy said he needed about 3 more yards before letting Mason Crosby attempt a go-ahead field goal with 2 minutes left in regulation and the score tied at 16-16.
A screen pass on third and 10 to running back Brandon Jackson only went 2 yards, partly because left guard Jason Spitz failed to execute his block. The Packers were at the Tennessee 43. McCarthy said he needed to get to the 40.
"I was disappointed in the third-down production, frankly, based on the defense they had called and the play that we had called," McCarthy said. "My initial thought was to go for it, but I didn't really like the time left on the clock at that point of the game. The decision was to punt. We had them backed up to the 8. I still think it was the right decision."
Titans kicker Rob Bironas, who kicked the winner in overtime in that direction, said the wind was with the kicker. Bironas said his range would have been "50 to 55, whatever we needed." His career long is 60.
Short yardage: Besides left tackle Chad Clifton's allergic reaction to medication, the only in-game injury was to running back Ryan Grant, who had to go out a few times with an unspecified injury. . . .
According to wide receiver James Jones, he was a healthy scratch and he didn't know why he was inactive. "My knee's fine," Jones said. "I don't know. I don't know. That's something you have to ask Coach. I don't know. I have no comment on that."