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Jermichael Finley to attend music boot camp

Packers TE Jermichael Finley will be one of 20 current and former NFL players getting a crash course on breaking into the music industry at the NFL’s second annual ‘Business of Music Boot Camp,’ slated for March 18-21 at New York University’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music.

The four-day workshop covers various aspects of the music industry, including production, artist development and management, digital music, publishing, marketing and touring. Participants will be given guidance on how to develop business plans and establish a career in the music industry.

Faculty members at the boot camp will include Tom Calderone, president of VH1, and Darryl “DMC” McDaniels from the rap group Run-DMC, among several others.

Jermichael Finley was ‘different man, different player’ down the stretch

Head Coach Mike McCarthy spoke rather positively about TE Jermichael Finley in his season-ending press conference on Tuesday, praising the fifth-year tight end for finishing the 2012 season very strongly.

While battling a shoulder injury early in the season, Finley’s production dipped. He started the season with seven receptions in the season opener, but through the first nine games he had 60 yards receiving in a game just once. Following the bye in Week 10, Finley reached or surpassed 60 yards in a game five times over the final seven weeks of the regular season. He had four games with at least five receptions over the final five weeks.

Finley finished the regular season with 61 receptions, a Packers single-season record for a tight end. He gained 667 yards and scored two TDs. He added five catches for 45 yards in the two playoff games.

Amidst some media speculation that Finley, who has one year left on a two-year contract he signed following the 2011 season, might not be back with the Packers next season at his current price tag, McCarthy made it sound as though he has every chance to return. Though McCarthy, as he said repeatedly on Tuesday, wasn’t making any final declarations about anybody.

“I’ve really felt Jermichael Finley was a different man, different player from the bye week on,” McCarthy said. “I had an opportunity to talk to him about that at length in his exit interview.

“I feel very good about the way he finished the year. He did some good things Saturday night. There was a change in that young man. But we also have to look at that first half, too, and make sure that’s part of the evaluation. Because we’re all judged on (18) games.”

Nelson, McMillian not at practice on Tues.

WR Jordy Nelson and S Jerron McMillian were not at practice on Tuesday during the portion of the workout open to the media.

On the other side of the injury equation, TE Jermichael Finley (hamstring) and WR Jarrett Boykin (ankle) were practicing. Finley left last Saturday’s wild-card game, while Boykin was inactive.

Mike McCarthy will be addressing the media shortly.

Tramon Williams probable for Packers; Ponder, Winfield questionable for Vikings

Packers CB Tramon Williams, who missed Thursday’s practice due to illness, is listed as probable on the injury report for Saturday night’s game.

Of the four Packers pass-catchers on the injury report, only WR Jarrett Boykin (ankle) is out. WR Randall Cobb, WR Jordy Nelson and TE Jermichael Finley are all probable.

Also listed as probable are RB Alex Green, CB Davon House and DB Charles Woodson.

RB James Starks (knee) is listed as questionable, while DE Jerel Worthy (knee) is out. Worthy’s injury is season-ending.

The Vikings are listing two starters as questionable — QB Christian Ponder (elbow) and CB Antoine Winfield (hand). Ponder developed a sore elbow following a hit from Packers S Morgan Burnett on a blitz last Sunday but finished the game without incident. Winfield tried to play with a soft cast on his broken hand but removed himself from the game by halftime.

The only player the Vikings have ruled out is backup LB Tyrone McKenzie (shoulder). The other eight Vikings on the injury report — including starters DE Jared Allen, DE Brian Robison, S Harrison Smith and RB Adrian Peterson — are all probable.

Finley’s agent ‘has his own opinion’

TE Jermichael Finley distanced himself from agent Blake Baratz’s Twitter comments on Thursday after Baratz questioned QB Aaron Rodgers’ leadership of the Packers.

“He has 30 clients around the league,” Finley said. “He has his own opinion.”

Finley added that everything is fine between him and Rodgers over the matter. Rodgers brushed everything off, likening Baratz’s disparaging comments to something a guy at the burger restaurant “Five Guys” might say about him if he thinks he’s a bad tipper.

“He’s the leader of this team,” Finley said of Rodgers. “He’s the man, and I respect him as a player. Outside the locker room, I’m a fan of Aaron Rodgers. We’re all good.”

As for the rest of the team, the injury report is rather extensive, but the only significant concern may be with WR Greg Jennings (groin), who missed practice. Jennings has by no means been ruled out of Monday’s game, however.

Also missing practice were TE Tom Crabtree (shoulder) and LB Jamari Lattimore (ankle). Five players were limited participants in the non-padded practice: WR Randall Cobb (hamstring), CB Davon House (shoulder), G Josh Sitton (knee), RB James Starks (toe) and DE C.J. Wilson (groin). Both LB Nick Perry (wrist) and Terrell Manning (concussion) were also listed on the injury report, but they were full participants in practice. Mike McCarthy said he  expects Cobb and Sitton to be fine by Monday, and he has no doubts Perry will play.

June 5 OTA practice notes

The Packers began their third and final week of OTAs on Tuesday with a two-hour workout at Ray Nitschke Field that was open to the media and public.

Here are some news & notes:

–Not practicing: RB Alex Green, CB Charles Woodson, S Charlie Peprah, FB John Kuhn, LB Frank Zombo, DL Johnny Jones, G Jaymes Brooks, DT Mike Daniels, DT Daniel Muir, T Derek Sherrod, TE Andrew Quarless, WR Greg Jennings, TE Jermichael Finley, and DE Lawrence Guy.

–With Finley out, second-year TE D.J. Williams made the play of the day. Split wide to get matched up against a safety, Williams ran a go route and then looked a bit like Finley in acrobatically outjumping S M.D. Jennings to haul in the long throw from QB Aaron Rodgers. Toward the end of practice, however, Williams dropped a pass over the middle in 7-on-7 that hit him right in the hands.

–The defensive play of the day was turned in by CB Tramon Williams. As a deep ball to Cobb hung up against the wind a little bit, Williams had inside position on Cobb and then broke off at the right time to make a diving interception.

–Without Greg Jennings on offense, WRs James Jones and Randall Cobb both got their share of throws. Jones and Rodgers appeared to be on the same page, particularly in an early no-huddle period.

Watch Inside OTAs: New depth at running backs

–Rodgers managed to draw the defense offside with one of his patented hard counts. The ensuing “free play” didn’t amount to much, but Rodgers certainly hasn’t lost the touch with his cadence.

–Almost without fail, when K Mason Crosby attempts an onside kick he gets that nice, high bounce kickers are looking for. Crosby does it by chopping down on the ball and having it bounce up right away (rather than hope for a large bounce on the second or third hop, as some kickers do), and he was executing that flawlessly again.

–Rookie DE Jerel Worthy continued to work alongside B.J. Raji as the two inside rushers with the No. 1 nickel package, and Worthy rotated in with the first unit in base for some snaps as well.

–Newly acquired DE Phillip Merling was on the field for his third practice with the team. Merling was at practice for the final two days last week and now has this week plus next week’s minicamp to get the playbook down as best he can to prepare for training camp. Merling said in the locker room after practice that he’s learning a whole new system, but he believes he’ll pick it up fast.

“I’m just trying to get the plays down, so in training camp I can show my ability,” he said. He added that Green Bay felt like home to him when he made a free-agent visit, so he signed a contract right away.

–Fellow DE Anthony Hargrove is still in the midst of the appeal process surrounding the eight-game suspension for his alleged role in the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal. Head Coach Mike McCarthy said the team is in wait-and-see mode, just like everybody else, but he’s been impressed with how quickly Hargrove is picking up the defensive system.

“We’re preparing him to play football and compete for our football team until the NFL and his team of lawyers make everything clear to us,” McCarthy said. “We’re going to wait and see what happens in the future, but we’re coaching him just like everybody else.”

–McCarthy said next week’s three-day minicamp will be an “extension” of the OTAs that are wrapping up this week. The OTAs have been focused on installing the schemes, with the players still focused on strength and conditioning, but the minicamp will have a different emphasis.

“Practices will be very situation-conscious, trying to hit almost every situation in one practice,” McCarthy said, referring to red-zone and two-minute drills, and the like. “Minicamp will reflect more of what a real Wednesday or Thursday in-season practice would look like. That’s a change for us.”

Only the first of the three minicamp practices will be open to the public, at 10:45 a.m. on Tuesday, June 12. The other two minicamp practices will be closed to the public.

Related links
Harrell increases arm strength, ready to compete
McCarthy press conference video
Locker room interviews

Jermichael Finley chat transcript

Packers tight end Jermichael Finley chatted live with fans on packers.com on Thursday, May 17. Read the chat transcript to see what Finley said.