Jermichael Finley has an NFL role model. He happens to play for the Atlanta Falcons.
"The tight end I would like to mimic is (Tony) Gonzalez. He's consistent," Finley told Paul Allen on KFAN-FM on Wednesday, via ESPNWisconsin.com. "That's where I would like to take my game."
Gonzalez will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer when he retires as the NFL's all-time leader for receiving yards and touchdowns at tight end. He caught 93 passes for 930 yards and eight touchdowns in his 16th NFL season.
Finley has all of the physical tools, but inconsistency has been the issue. He had a career-high 61 receptions for 667 yards and two touchdowns in 2012. Finley had career highs in yards (767) and touchdowns (eight) in 2011. He signed a two-year, $14 million contract before the 2012 season, and some thought the Packers might release him this offseason. That didn't happen and the team paid him a $3 million bonus last month.
"Fat and happy, I would never," Finley said. "You could give me $100 mill. I would never get fat and happy.
"I'm just working a little bit harder. Slimming down. I didn't try to do it; it's just how it worked."
Finley also dropped this gem about linebacker Brian Urlacher leaving the Chicago Bears:
"It'll be awesome, because he's one of the guys who's savvy," Finley said. "He's going to read the offense and pretty much knows our playbook in and out. It'll be nice to have him out of the NFC (North)."
Follow Kareem Copeland on Twitter @kareemcopeland.
