Finley is a talent. But season after season we are still talking about his potential. He’s too big to be covered by a DB and too fast to be covered by a LB. So why then is Finley not separating himself from these coverages and standing wide open all of the time?

Finley is whining like a little kid as if to say he’s not being thrown to because his QB is angry, upset, disgruntled, etc. My experience in watching Rogers is that he hits the player who is open. Get open, get the ball and there’s plenty of evidence to suggest this. Nearly every color analyst speaks of how well Rogers distributes the ball and “you never know week to week who the hero is going to be. So much talent, so many weapons, you cannot shut them all down”. I agree with this assessment and further agree that Rogers is an equal opportunity passer, get open get the ball. Here’s the caveat, when you do get the ball you have to catch it and you have to secure it, respect the possession of the ball!

If one reads between the lines of comments by coaches and players regarding Finley you often hear things like “he’s finally preparing for games like a professional”, “he needs to spend more time in the film room”, “he ran the wrong route or he cut off his route to early”.

These types of comments suggest to me that Finley is trying to get by on talent alone. That is he does not yet get how important the preparation and understanding of what the opponent is trying to do. Two years ago the Packers were preparing to design their entire offensive strategy around Finley, this enormous talent. Now he’s metaphorically being referred to as the invisible man.

Finley needs to understand where he is and how significant his role could be in Green Bay. He needs to study like a freak, catch extra balls at practice until his hands bleed so that he becomes the most trusted receiver in the Packers arsenal.

Compare Finley to Randall Cobb. I heard Rogers on at least 2 occasions comment on what a professional Cobb is, that he gets what it takes to succeed in the NFL. That he runs ultra precise routes and has excellent hands.

To Finley I would say this; its not as much about trust as it is about performance. Go 3-4 games without dropping a ball. Blow up the DB trying to tackle you in space. Get up from the tackle and had the ball to the ref rather than putting on a show for the 1 of 2 catches you’ve made all game. Finley thinks the NFL is about flash and perception. The NFL my friend is about performance, wins and championships. Use those immense talents, get separation, catch the ball and be the beast you were labeled to be then not only will you be trusted, you’ll be loved and then you will get paid for performance not potential.

Thank you and good luck Michael Finley, we really need you now!