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Green Bay rookie tight end Jermichael Finley had a surprisingly big role in the Packers' offensive game plan Sunday at Tennessee. It'll be interesting to see if he has now talked his way back to a supporting role.

Finley

Finley has spent the season behind starter Donald Lee and backup Tory Humphrey and didn't have a catch before Sunday. So more than a few people were surprised to see Finley the target of a key fourth-down pass in the first quarter of a 19-16 loss to the Titans.

The pass from quarterback Aaron Rodgers glanced off Finley's hands and feel incomplete. Afterwards, Finley directly pointed the finger at Rodgers for the missed connection. Rodgers had thrown the ball toward Finley's back shoulder to keep the ball away from Titans safety Chris Hope, but Finley said he isn't equipped to make that type of catch.

"I've made plays like that in practice -- several," Finley said, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "I think he should have led me a little more. Well, a lot more. Really, he didn't throw it good at all, to be honest. I just think ... He knows my game, coaches know my game. I'm more like a run and jump. I'm really not no back shoulder or whatever he had going on back there. They just have to know what kind of player I am and use me in that aspect of the game."

Wow. I didn't hear Finley's interview, so I can't judge his tone or body language. But on paper, the words are a pretty frontal criticism of Rodgers and the Packers' offensive coaches.

Offensive coordinator Joe Philbin called the comment "interesting," and on Monday coach Mike McCarthy said he didn't agree with Finley's assessment. Instead, McCarthy blamed Finley for taking a "poor release" from the line:

"He was too high, and Aaron was trying to back-shoulder him. It's a play that we practice all of the time. It's a common throw in our offense."

Chances are Finley won't have to worry about it again anytime soon.

At the time, we wondered if such a low-percentage play was the right call in a fourth-and-1 situation. Monday, however, McCarthy stood by his decision.

"I'm fine with the calls," he said.