Green Bay - There are parts of tight end Jermichael Finley's game you can identify with no difficulty at all.
There are the catches (42), the yards (600) and the touchdowns (six). There are the drops (nine), the false-starts (four) and the lapses in blocking (occasional). There are the complaints to the officials (a few too many) and the brash statements (fewer than in previous years).
There are all those things that make Finley as recognizable on the field as any member of the Green Bay Packers.
Then there are the things you probably don't see at all.
Like the incredibly long list of plays he has to run from one of five positions he plays for the NFL's fourth-leading offense. Like the attention Finley draws from opponents on almost every passing play. Like the role he plays in helping quarterback Aaron Rodgers identify coverage before the ball is snapped.
Finley might frustrate the button-down fan who would prefer he be less demonstrative on the field, be a little more humble and care at little bit less about his next contract. From an opponent's perspective, however, he is a respected if not feared force.
"You have to deal with him," said Tampa Bay Buccaneers pro personnel director Shelton Quarles, whose team held Finley to one catch for 30 yards. "You can't cover him with a linebacker. He's too quick. It's tough to do it with a safety, too.
"You can try to cover him with a corner. But you have to put someone over the top against him. But then there's Jordy (Nelson). He can hurt you, too. It's sort of like pick your poison."
Based on the way teams have played the Packers this season, opponents have chosen not to let Finley bring them to their knees. There is rarely an occasion where Finley gets to run a route with only one defender to worry about.
"Usually, it's an inside linebacker underneath and a safety over the top," Finley said. "Sometimes it's a corner and sometimes it's a safety. But there's usually someone over the top. I don't know if everybody sees that."
Finley's value to the 2011 Packers is best quantified in team production.
Many fans argue that Finley's value isn't that great because the team won a Super Bowl last year when he missed all but five games with a knee injury. But the 12-0 record and offensive dominance this season suggest otherwise.
You have to factor in the flawless play of Rodgers, but it would be hard not to acknowledge Finley has played a large part in the offense seeing its numbers increase from 358.1 yards, 24.2 points and two passing touchdowns per game last year to 405, 35 and three this year.
And with the pressure on the offense greater because of the defense playing at a far poorer level than a year ago, those improved numbers have been vital to the team's success.
"I think he is critical," said an NFC personnel executive who asked not to be identified. "Look at the Packers and those receivers and think about that. I'm sure he's helping out Jordy. Jordy is playing his (butt) off from what I've seen. But (Finley) has a lot to prove."
What makes Finley especially valuable is the multiple positions he can play. Listed at 6 feet 5 inches and 247 pounds, he is as fast as many receivers in the NFL and quicker than a lot of them.
His big soft hands have deserted him at times this season, but that probably has more to do with him pressing a little bit - his coaches say he's taking his eye off the ball because of his desire to get yards after the catch. When it counted in a 38-35 victory over the New York Giants on Sunday, he plucked a Rodgers dart from the air and outran a linebacker for a 24-yard gain to start the game-winning drive.
During a game, he'll line up in as many as five positions: in-line tight end, slot and flex receiver, outside receiver and fullback. Often, he lines up wide by himself to draw a safety so a receiver on the other side can get one-on-one coverage.
Because Greg Jennings often gets the other double-team, Nelson, Donald Driver and James Jones get most of the one-on-ones.
"They move him a ton, too," the personnel executive said. "The backfield, they flex him out, they use him to see how a team is going to defend him so Aaron knows what kind of coverage he's going to get. He (Rodgers) has got this guy that can move around and see how the defense shifts.
"He's so fast and quick in and out of his breaks, just like a big receiver. A linebacker can't play him. You go straight man, you have to put a cover safety or a big corner on him and then put a safety over him. We don't have one of those. I really want Santa to bring us one of those for Christmas."
A perfect example of Finley's impact came on Nelson's 21-yard catch in the fourth quarter that set up the Packers' last touchdown against the Giants. Finley lined up in the left slot and motioned all the way to the other side of the field.
The safety who was covering him followed and Rodgers understood he had man-to-man coverage on Nelson. He threw the ball up and Nelson made a terrific catch over a cornerback who had no safety help.
Another time, Finley not only drew a linebacker in coverage, but the Giants removed defensive lineman Justin Tuck from their pass rush so he could jam Finley at the line and tie him up. The Giants sacrificed pass rush to neutralize the tight end.
Finally, on Driver's first touchdown, the Giants blew coverage and left the Packers receiver wide open. Two defenders went after Finley and a third seemed occupied by him.
"That's my thing right now, remembering we have a great receiving corps," Finley said. "I like being part of it. That's what I wish for and dream about. But I have to be patient. Sometimes you're opening things up for other guys."
This season Finley has played split end roughly 25% of the time, slot or flex receiver 28% of the time, tight end 43% of the time and fullback 4% of the time. In order to do that, he has to study the assignments of each position, be prepared to execute them from different spots in the formation and read the way the opposition is playing him.
The closest thing might be the receiver position, where wideouts must learn split end, flanker and slot.
"I don't think it's even close," tight ends coach Ben McAdoo said. "He has stuff from the backfield and stuff from the in-line position. It's like playing receiver, slot receiver, split end, tight end, tackle, fullback - you have to be able to do it all.
"You try to hone it in what you have for that particular week. But usually at some point in time he'll have something from every area."
Finley said remembering all the assignments is harder than actually executing, but he said while his grades might not have been the best at the University of Texas, his football knowledge is top-shelf.
McAdoo wouldn't dispute that.
"You can't be a (dummy), no," McAdoo said. "You have to be able to think quick. A lot of time book smarts may help, may not help. Usually they help you in the classroom.
"When you're on the field you have to think quickly. You have to be able to react quickly in space and naturally in space. That's something he does well. He's got a lot on his plate. We ask a lot of him."
Finley, it seems, delivers in more ways than one.
Tom Silverstein wrote: