There was an article in today's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about Jermichael Finley and his future, or lack there-of, with the Packers.
If they keep him for the final year of his contract, the price tag is over 8 million dollars, and that makes the team's upcoming decision serious business.
Will he ever be the player we saw in the wild card game at Arizona three years ago, where he had six catches for a team-record 159 yards, or will he wind up remaining the wildly inconsistent player he's been ever since.
A few things about Jermichael. He is every bit as talented as you've heard, and he does work at his craft. He's also not a pansy, receiver only, tight end. He'll stick his nose in on the rough stuff and I've seen him knock full grown defensive ends on their rear ends on chip blocks.
At the same time his blocking technique, not to mention his consistency catching the ball, can be all over the place. He's also had a penchant for saying precisely the wrong thing at precisely the wrong time.
That having been said, if I had a vote, I'd vote to keep him. For whatever reason, he turned into a consistent player down the stretch this past season, and perhaps he's starting to get a handle on what being a pro is all about.
Although Jermichael is heading into his 6th season, he is just 25 years old. Too a lot of us, he's still just a kid, and generally speaking, with age comes maturity and with maturity comes consistency.
And finally, the Packers have invested five years in the guy, and while it won't come cheap, why not see if he can put it all together in his sixth.
It would be rather painful to pick up the tab for all the growing pains and then see another team reap all the benefits.
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