We've all heard it all about Jermichael Finley. He's a special talent--a body type that isn't true wide receiver or tight end, an ability to block, great speed. He drops the ball too much. He's mouthy with really 1 good season to back it up.
If you follow me, you probably know that I get emotional about my favorite sports teams. I admit to not having a good analytical football mind--I follow probably a dozen non-writer people on Twitter who "know" football better than I do. And I follow probably a handful of non-professional, "non-writer" people on baseball that I trust and appreciate on baseball--from a pure analytics standpoint. When it comes to sports, I don't fall for liking the players too much (sure, I like Ryan Braun and enjoying feeling as though he's a Brewer for life and I like Aaron Rodgers as a person) because at the end of the day, I'm going to be a fan a lot longer than any of these guys are going to be playing (at least, I hope so). So there's no sense getting "attached" to someone and letting that blind me to the only important thing: performance.
That's it. As long as you're not a child molester, an ax murderer (side note: I hate that: isn't an "ax murderer" one that murders axes? Not really, since murder only applies to humans. Right? ANYWAYS...), or a con man stealing from grandmas, I couldn't really care less if you're an asshole. Hell, I'm an asshole. So there's that.
The things I DON'T tolerate are stupidity and lack of effort. Personally, for much of the season, Finley's only had himself to blame for minimal involvement in the Packers offense. His juvenile "me and 12 just need to have better chemistry" whinefest falls on deaf ears. You are a professional. If you don't like how you're being targeted or used, you can do this thing that grown-ups do: TALK ABOUT IT. Not with me or the media--with your coach and your quarterback. If you don't like the answer, then that's tough shit. I don't really want to hear about it. Why? Because it's not my problem. I only want my favorite team to win and I don't care it's done. This isn't t-ball. They keep score and only ONE team gets a trophy at the end. Your feelings are irrelevant.
If he's weak enough where this chemistry or his feelings are affecting his play, well then, he'll just stop being part of the offense. He catches the ball, he'll be thrown the ball more. That's it. Look at Sunday's game. The numbers, in total, weren't eye-popping, but his catches were critical. I suppose if that helps his confidence, then good for him. But realistically, Sunday was the Packers 5th win in a row and somehow they managed 4 of those wins with minimal Finley involvement. It's apparent to most fans (I hope) the Packers have greater problems (and NO, one of them isn't Mason Crosby) that present the roadblocks to success in the playoffs. While I am enjoying the run for the playoffs and hopefully another Super Bowl win, I WON'T be worrying, stressing and ranting over Finley's attention-deficit antics.
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