New Packers TE Jared Cook says he's comparable to Jermichael Finley
For years, Green Bay Packers fans had a love-hate relationship with former tight end Jermichael Finley.
They loved his speed down the middle of the field and his ability to finish drives with big catches in the end zone, but they hated his inconsistent hands and the way he occasionally was at odds with quarterback Aaron Rodgers when he didn’t feel he was getting the ball enough.
Finley, though, has been gone since suffering a career-ending neck injury in 2013, and the Packers haven’t come close to finding a suitable replacement for his playmaking ability.
Jermichael Finley
Until Monday -- when the team signed former Rams and Titans tight end Jared Cook to a one-year free-agent contract. The hope in Green Bay is that Cook is everything last year’s starting tight end -- the slow-footed and easily tackled Richard Rodgers – isn’t.
The tight end situation in Green Bay had gotten so bad – with Richard Rodgers taking the blame for much of the usually prolific offense’s struggles in 2015 – that Finley’s name was mentioned with reverence when Cook was introduced to Wisconsin reporters Tuesday.
Cook, 28 and recently released by the Rams, was smart to embrace the on-field comparison. Like Finley, he’s athletic (he ran a 4.51 40 and had a 41-inch vertical as a rookie) and big (6-foot-4, 255). In fact, Finley (6-foot-4, 240) ran a 4.82-second 40 at the Combine.
Even though Cook led NFL tight ends in drops lasts season, Packers fans will think twice before booing their new tight end for muffing a pass as they used to do to Finley if he does nothing more than give Aaron Rodgers a threat who draws attention from the team’s receivers.
Finley – for one – is eager to see how it all turns out.
Can't wait too see how 12 & @JaredCook89 connect on the field. Should be a good QB & TE connection. #Packers https://t.co/8g6oUPMKGh
— Jermichael Finley (@JermichaelF88) March 28, 2016
