When Jermichael Finley said he wanted to "freestyle" in 2012, this wasn't what he had in mind.
Drops. A midseason disappearing act. Sound bites that set his fan base ablaze.
There's been more frustration than freestylin.' Yet in light of a Journal Sentinel report that the Green Bay Packers tight end will be released or traded after the season, Finley is producing. After Sunday's 55-7 win over Tennessee, Finley said he "no doubt" views the rest of Green Bay's games as a chance to prove his worth to management.
"I want to be a Packer for life," Finley said. "I'll say it until my face is blue. I love it here."
If Finley's days in Green Bay are numbered, he's starting to make them count. Against the Titans, Finley had five catches for 70 yards. More telling, quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw to him eight times - the most targets Finley has had since the season opener. His future in Green Bay murky, Finley says this past month he has been playing more relaxed.
The numbers back him up. Finley has 324 yards on 24 catches his last six games after only 138 yards on 14 catches the previous six.
"I've been doing this since I was 5 years old," Finley said. "Just go back to my junior high and high school days and play my ball. If I do that, everything else will take care of itself. I know that deep down."
Before heading to Lambeau Field on game day, Finley says his wife tells him to "relax, relax, relax, relax." On Sunday morning, she "beat it in me," he said.
And against Tennessee, Finley did appear loose. Even his one "drop" led to laughs instead of boos. After nearly making a circus, one-handed catch up the right sideline, Finley jumped up in excitement - fully knowing the ball hit the ground.
"I need to be an actor," Finley joked later. "Hopefully I get to Hollywood this off-season and get it going."
Academy Awards aside, Finley excelled in the Packers' no-huddle offense. Playing on instincts, adrenaline, on the run, Finley caught passes of 23, 14 and 2 yards through Green Bay's final first-half possession. After the two first downs, Finley made a benign first-down signal. He said he's saving his "fin" celebration for the postseason.
Overall, he'd like to see Green Bay use the no-huddle more.
"Our no-huddle offense is our bell cow," Finley said. "We need to use it right now going into this postseason. We have single-tight end, a little double-tight end no huddle. So it was all great today. It gets defenses tired, gets them lackadaisical. We can get them on their heels and try to make a play downfield."
Coach Mike McCarthy planned to run 10 series of no-huddle and it worked.
"They challenged us, they came after us with pressure," McCarthy said. "We saw a lot of three-shell coverages. They played us aggressively and I thought we did a good job of staying with the run/pass mix. And obviously, we were very productive."
Personally, he's done a few things differently. During warm-ups, Finley is practicing specific types of catches. At his locker, he moves his arms around to demonstrate.
Along the way, he may be regaining Rodgers' trust. After the tight end's rash of drops early in the season, the ball stopped coming his way. Rarely did Rodgers drive the ball downfield to Finley