Green Bay Packers tight end Jermichael Finley is not feeling the love from his quarterback and he’s starting to lash out.
Recently Finley’s agent made some disparaging remarks about Aaron Rodgers leadership or lack thereof.
Finley was supposed to become the next great tight end in the NFL, but his play has declined in the past few seasons.
During that period Rob Gronkowski, Vernon Davis, Jimmy Graham and a few others have descended to that height, and Finley is not pleased about it.
According to Fox Sports Wisconsin, Finley blames it on a lack of chemistry with quarterback Aaron Rodgers and feels it’s something they both can fix.
“It’s OK,” Finley said Wednesday. “Not good enough at all. Something to be worked on, and try to work on it as much as I can, try to talk to him as much as I can, but like I said, it takes two people.”
When asked if he can get to the heights of the upper echelon tight ends, Finley feels he can but Rodgers has to help him.
“I can, (but) it takes two people to do that,” Finley said. “And I need the quarterback on my side, and I need to catch the ball when he throws it to me. So it takes two things to get that going, the chemistry. I feel we need to get that going.”
“I’m not blaming it on my offseason, but me and the QB didn’t have chemistry,” Finley said on June 1 following Green Bay’s first OTA practice. “The routes were off sometimes, and that’ll mess with your head when the ball comes.”
“I think everybody’s gotten lost in the (Rob) Gronkowski numbers and Jimmy Graham numbers, going for a K (1,000 yards) a year,” Finley said of the standout tight ends from the New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints. “I mean, that’s unheard of. Five years ago, you’d get in the Pro Bowl (as a tight end) at 500 yards. It’s just gotten lost.
“I think I’m doing fair. I think I’m doing well, doing what I’m supposed to do. I think I’m giving my all out on the field, for sure. I think I’m doing fair. I’m not doing the best I can do, of course, but hey, who said it was going to be a great year?”
“(Tom Brady and Drew Brees) threw them the ball 20 times a game. You get the ball 20 times and you catch 10 of them, you should be doing something.”
For his part, Finley says he feels Rodgers is taking to much of the Packers struggles on himself.
If Finley wants to help Rodgers and himself prosper, he must regain his form from a few seasons ago and become the matchup nightmare he’s suppose to be.