Perhaps overpaid to keep him, and to keep someone else from having him and he reaching his potential with them, against the Packers. Chess?

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High stakes "chess" indeed.

Vikes could have paid for him... and I think they would have.

I considered taking a jab at the Vikes in my first comment, saying something along the lines of "I'd rather see him in green and gold than twice a year in purple." Opted against it in spite of their penchant for signing ex-Packers.

I'm not so sure they would have paid for him though. As it stands Kyle Rudolph is a stud and Christian Ponder's favorite target, so I don't see Finley being too high on their wish-list. I think the only interest from within division would probably be Chicago.

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I can't wait til Finley moves on, then the fan base finds a new target for their complaints.. at least Bush has gotten some reprieve.

Poor freaking AJ Hawk then will be on the front line all by himself. [grin1]

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It is unfortunate that there always seems to be that guy with the target on his back. I understand that sometimes it is entirely deserved, but not every year. Times are pretty good in Packer country right now... it's not like we have to deal with guys like Ahmad Carroll anymore...

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Or late-career Bubba "Stonehands" Franks. Although Finley's tried to emulate him at times.

I guess I don't understand how contracts work in the nfl ... so assuming the above is true; that makes sense ...
guess Id of done the same thing - Jennings being the weaker link so keep the one and pay him a bit more so you got that guarantee

The Packers were stuck here because both Jennings and Finley had to be dealt with in the same year. Jennings at 31 was going to go for as much as he could get plus for as many years as he could get.

They had Finley as a bird in the hand but only by virtue of paying him the $3 mil and with Jennings gone they had no choice really. Considering they are much deeper at WR than TE they played it the best they could.

Ted has made no move to extend Finley though (although he may down the road but I have my doubts) so I could see a TE like Ertz being in the cards. Finley is going to play his butt off knowing he can hit FA and once again look to get overpaid after next year. Also, you throw in that prick for an agent Finley has and him sticking around even looks less likely.

Ted has to have a good TE alternative ready or Finley will fall into a position with leverage again or they could end up with no athletic pass catching TE on the roster. Neither option is where Ted wants to find himself.

Ertz can catch AND block. With Finley focused and playing for the future I can see McCarthy coming up with Two TE packages that could really be interesting. At leas for a year.

It's a shame because I would really like Ted to have the option to trade down if the opportunity comes up but if you hear the name Ertz it's because he's thinking the same way I see it.

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Hey Pack93z,

It's not like the criticism is unfounded. I think fans can rightly be upset when an important drive is stopped by a drop, or a TD is missed by a drop. I look at a lot of these guys, hell, all of them, and hope they succeed. I want them to do well, and to be the best in the NFL. They make mistakes and we have to give them that. Everybody does. That's why they play the games.

But, when a player gets beat at his position in a game, and when it becomes a regular thing, either by his own fault or by the play of the opponent, then questions are raised about the player's effectiveness, and his value to the team. Not unlike Jarrett Bush, not unlike AJ Hawk, both great players on many levels, who exhibited deficiencies in coverage and were roundly criticized. Opponents didn't just make a play once on either of them, but they were shown to have been beaten routinely in just this one aspect of their play, costing the team in extended drives and scores.

Same with Finley.

Finley went a half of a season in 2012 with a bunch of key drops and some very public criticism of his relationship with our MVP QB (and it wasn't the first time). Oddly enough Jordy Nelson had a bunch of key drops too. They had about the same number of drops as I recall. However, Nelson had way more attempts, is paid a very reasonable figure on the value scale, and keeps his mouth shut. Jordy Nelson is not out there trumpeting his talents as being the best in the NFL. He's not calling out other top performers at WR in the NFL, saying he is better than them. I think fans are sophisticated enough to make those judgement calls with regards to top performance or under performance on the value scale, and whether or not the player is a positive influence on his team, or if his extraneous stuff and poor play is a distraction.

I think Finley has great potential as a receiver, and as a Packers fan, I would like to see him realize that in the Green & Gold. If he doesn't, then I'm not seeing the value. I think he's a horrific blocker with only half hearted effort in that part of his game. That is an important part of a TE's game, and that doesn't help his perceived value. I hope he cleans that up too. I want him to do well. I want him to win as a Packer, and to be a key contributor to our team's success.

Bush turned things around by becoming one of the top STs performers in the NFL. His coverage has improved over the last three seasons too.

Hawk has shown he can be a complete MLB with his play in 2010. He slipped greatly in coverage and in creating TOs over the last two seasons, and took a pay cut to increase his overall value to the team. Now, his pay is a bit more commiserate with his play. He's still a great leader on this team.

What has Finley done?