Jermichael Finley says Packers offense lacked heart in 2015

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Former Packers tight end Jermichael Finley believes the team didn't leave everything it had on the field last season.

[Editor's note: The following interview comes from the Two Deep NFL Podcast, a weekly football show hosted by our own Jason B. Hirschhorn and Sports Illustrated's Peter Bukowski. You can subscribe to the podcast and find past shows through iTunes or by visiting TwoDeepNFLPodcast.podbean.com.]

On the same day that the Green Bay Packers signed Jared Cook, the team's last field-stretching tight end made an appearance on the Two Deep NFL Podcast to discuss his time in Green Bay and the Packers' offensive struggles in 2015.

Finley spent six seasons with the Packers, including the team's record-breaking 2011 campaign that saw Aaron Rodgers win his first MVP award. Green Bay's offense looked remarkably different last year, with the team finishing near the bottom of the league in passing (218.9 yards per game) for the first time in decades. While the absence of Jordy Nelson played a part in the production decline, Finley saw other reasons for Green Bay's offensive struggles as well.

"I just didn't see them clicking," Finley said of the offense. "I hate to throw my guys under the bus, but I didn't see much heart on the field and guys playing as a team, playing Packer football. Once again, you're missing a guy like Jordy Nelson, who's a Pro Bowler. That can hurt a team."

The Packers certainly appeared uninspired at times last year. They dropped three straight games coming out of the bye week, including their first loss to the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field since 1991. In particular, Rodgers saw his efficiency fall off significantly during the second half of the season, finishing with his lowest completion percentage (60.7) since becoming a starter. Finley doesn't put all the onus on Rodgers, however.

"If you get an MVP quarterback that's on the ground all the time, he's not going to be comfortable sitting in the pocket, throwing the ball, three-step or a five-step drop," Finley explained. "I would put more heat on the O-line to keep him off the ground, keep him upright, so he can do what he does best."

Injuries hit the offensive line harshly in 2015, with both tackles and center missing multiple weeks and only Josh Sitton starting every game. As Finley noted, Rodgers often looked uncomfortable in the pocket. As a result, the offense never regained its high-flying form.


Listen to Finley's interview in its entirety here:


[BCOLOR=#FFC20E]Jason B. Hirschhorn is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and covers the NFL for Sports on Earth and SB Nation. He also serves as the senior writer and editor for Acme Packing Company, a Green Bay Packers blog.
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coincidentally, the packers offense says jerkmichael finley lacks brain.
 
Not sure how anyone can complain about that.......he didnt say anything bad and is 100% correct. The offense lacked any drive and at times looked like they just gave up. If anyone else had said what he did, everybody would agree and not even say anything.
 
He's right they played flat most of the season starting with #12 who seems too be beyond criticism with most fans. Favre part 2 in the making. Finley can flap his gums ( they all can) but on this subject he hit the nail on the head.
 
realitybytes said:
coincidentally, the packers offense says jerkmichael finley lacks brain.
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One word for you, "Dallas Texas Super Bowl Baby!"



Nevertheless, I agree with him here. Seems like there were times last year the Packers offense didn't want to be out there. Receivers and TE's were running poor routes and failing to catch passes while the RBs were missing curfew because they were either too busy clubbing or driving thru Wendy's. Just didn't look like there were many guys that were dedicated to the game of football last year on that side of the ball. We're not used to seeing that from the offense.
 
I followed some of his tweets, and it seems he's still not over his injury mentally. On one hand, he follows the Packers closely and is a sort of a fan. On the other hand, he seems to have the impulse to critique them. It's sorta tragic.
 
What did he say that's wrong and not plainly obvious?
 
salmar80 said:
I followed some of his tweets, and it seems he's still not over his injury mentally. On one hand, he follows the Packers closely and is a sort of a fan. On the other hand, he seems to have the impulse to critique them. It's sorta tragic.
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I think it makes perfect sense though. The players in the locker room probably have similar critiques of coaches or other players but in public they're only allowed to critique themselves. I imagine Finley is saying what a lot of players are thinking. Sometimes it may come off as petty but in other ways he's free to just tell the truth, e.g. his comments about TE being about lack of good players rather than the coach who got fired, or his comments above. Is he wrong? The team was lax on the field, and lacked any ability to finish all year. They got as far as they did on talent and smoke and mirrors, which is a compliment in a way, but they left a lot out there that they may have seized with a different attitude. That starts with the HC and QB and goes on down the line.
 
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