TGIFT — Thank God It’s Finley’s Twitter

When Ted Thompson pulled the trigger on a Texas Longhorn tight end named Jermichael Finley during the 2008 draft, we all remember the scouting reports. “Potential” seemed to be the word most often thrown around when describing Finley’s game at the next level. He was billed by many as a big, quick and explosive prospect, with the “potential” of being an elite tight end in the NFL.

With praise also came criticism. Finley declared for the draft following his sophmore season, because he felt his game was ready for the NFL. But Finley also stated that he chose to leave the Texas program early, because not nearly enough passes were thrown his way. Following a 28-21 loss to the Oklahoma Sooners, Finley made a statement regarding his lack of receptions. “I guess they didn’t want to [throw me the ball]. That’s what it was,” he said. “Now I’m at the next level. If they would have, I would have probably stayed.” Statements like that certainly gave off the vibe of a player void of the necessary team mentality.

With two young children and a recent marriage, questions surrounding Finley’s maturity also spread quickly. In an excellent article written by Greg Bedard of JS Online, Finley even described himself as a rookie as “Just being that young buck, thinking [I was] all that.” He also referred to himself as “young,” “immature” and “foolish.”

In the same interview with Bedard, Finley expressed how he wanted to be both trusted and believed in by Packer fans. He stated, “the new Finley, I think is going do the work, do what he’s supposed to do and be that player the Packers know I can be and all the fans out there too.”
 
That is the type of player I want to pull for, the type of player it is fun to cheer on. However, Finley’s devotion to both his family and his craft is not entirely what has spawned my man crush on the guy. Despite being a social networking site where celebrities such as Lindsay Lohan and Kim Kardashian spread their wisdom (If you had one bullet… Nevermind, won’t go there), Twitter is a place where Jermichael Finely posts daily. I understand certain media outlets troll Twitter just waiting for an athlete or celebrity to step out of bounds with their comments, and I realize the whole idea of Twitter can be somewhat ridiculous at times. But where else can we follow our favorite athletes, hear what they have to say directly from their own thoughts and reach out to them without being taken down by a police force for stalking? The answer, nowhere.

Jermichael Finley posts comments on his Twitter account throughout each day. He updates his daily schedule, responds to fan questions/comments and even reaches out to other professional athletes. So without further ado, and following much more rambling than I expected, here are some of my favorite Twitter posts by The Jermichael Finley, and why I enjoy them so much. Finley’s comments are in bold.

Honesty:

-Getting a pedi at the moment… Then going to hit some Madden10. Then dinner…

-I’m ready for this season to start. it needs to be year around..

Being male, I’ve never had a pedicure. If I ever do choose to get one, I highly doubt I would be willing to share that information with all 9,642 of my friends (Finley’s followers). You’ve got to love the honesty. Oh, and I threw that last Twitter post in there, because we all would love for the NFL to be year round. And I think it goes without saying we Packer fans are ready for this season to start already.

Appreciation:

-To all my fans, I love y’all, much love…

-One thing, I’m blessed to have ARod (@AaronRodgers12)

 Playing tight end or wide receiver in the NFL today, many athletes tend to be what is called a ”diva.” There is a fine line between cocky and confident, and I believe Finley has thus far walked it perfectly. He knows he has talent, but he also understands and appreciates his fellow teammates and countless fans.

Confidence, Commitment:

-Is Revis on Twitter? Tell him to contact TGIF…I love going against the best. Serving defenses since 1987.

-If u want to be the best u have to train like the best… Bc if u don’t I’m coming!

-Well in 7 on 7′s and 1 on 1′s… Im working on getting off the line and getting on top up the defense faster. It’s a must to get better, one day at a time.

 Like I said, there’s a fine line between confidence and blatant cockiness. Finley seems to be confident in his ability, and also willing to acknowledge his own skill set. Cocky players without skill (eg. Pacman Jones, Freddie Mitchell, etc.) are an absolute headache. However, if a player possesses the skills to be an impact player in the NFL, if he establishes himself as a team player first and if he understands the need to rely on his surrounding cast, then the occasional “smack talk” is a pleasure to endure. Finley knows he has the ability to be one of the best, and last year he gave us all a glimpse into his talent  as a true playmaker. We have to wait and see what this year brings, but for now here are more bantering comments directed at a couple NFL’ers you all may know a thing or two about. 

To Vikings TE Visante Shiancoe, during a Finley visit to Minnesota:

-I wonder how Shiancoe feels knowing he’s the 2nd best TE in the state of MN.

 Alright, alright. It’s all in good fun. Finley acknowledges that fact on more than a few occasions. It’s a couple weeks before Training Camp, and there is not a whole lot going on in Packer news at the moment. The stuff that matters, and the stuff we truly care about is what takes place on the field. Twitter simply passes the time as we wait for the real stories of the NFL pre-, regular and postseason to take place. Not only is Jermichael Finley ( @JermichaelF88 ) an interesting fellow to follow, but there is also a fair amount of other Packers online.  Aaron Rodgers ( @AaronRodgers12 ), Clay Matthews ( @ClayMatthews52 ), Nick Barnett ( @NickBarnett ), Ryan Grant ( @RyanGrant25 ) and others are all on Twitter as well if you feel the urge to join. The whole Twitter charade might be childish at times, pointless and irrelevant in the grand scheme of things, but being able to take a peak into the daily lives of our pedastal-placed idols is a newfound ability I can’t get enough of.

 JermichaelFinley has been very clear about his dedication to not only the Green Bay Packers, but to being a better husband, father and person in general. The Packers drafted Finley in 2008 as a 21 year old kid who even noted his own maturity and dedication issues. Now, only 2 short years later, we have seen Finley grow into a man on the football field. Each Sunday we are lucky enough to watch his progression as a player. We applaud each catch, first down and touchdown as Finley’s potential has barely begun to be realized.

 Now, with networks like Twitter accompanied by Finley’s honesty, committment, confidence and occasional playful cockiness, we are also able to see him mature into manhood as a well-respected and proud human being as well. Stats and accomplishments on the football field might be the driving force in judging an NFL player, but character is a close second in my book. Cheering on a player the likes of Jermichael Finley makes being a Packer fan all the more worthwhile. TGIF!

Tags: Aaron Rodgers, Jermichael Finley