The argument is being made that now is the time to trade Matt Flynn, because his value is high and we're going to lose him soon in free agency.  Therefore, the logic goes, we can either lose him sooner and get something for him or we can lose him later and get nothing for him.  Between those choices, who wouldn't choose the former?

Valid point.  But here's my counter-argument: If we're talking about the value of our quarterbacks and the amount we'd get in trade, then why wouldn't we trade

...wait for it...

Aaron Rodgers

(gasp!)

Here me out and listen to my point.

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Citizens of earth,

This is my first fanpost, but something happened that I'm not sure anybody paid attention to, and I don't want it to go un-noticed.  What happened is not earth-shaking, by any means, and it's probably not a big deal at all.  I don't know.  But it's... something.  ...I think.

What happened is: Jermichael Finley refered to himself in the third person.  Now, it was a subtle example.  We've seen plenty worse.  This wasn't Rickey Henderson talking to a reporter about referring to himself in the 3rd person while referring to himself in the 3rd person or anything.  ("Everybody's freakin' out cause Rickey's sayin' 'Rickey'!")  It also wasn't LeBron referring to himself in the 3rd person while dwelling on himself in an hour special about himself and trying to plum the depths for us of his own thoughts and decisions.  (Thanks for that, Bron-Bron, 'preciate it.  'Cause everyone was really, REALLY curious about your inner-life.)  Or it's certainly not Navin Johnson asking rhetorically "Who IS Navin Johnson?" and then answering himself,  "Well, he's a complex character..."  ( couldn't find the correct YouTube clip, so I'll have to go with this one instead)

No, it was nothing to that level.  This was, again, more subtle.  It was quick, and I don't even know if this is just going to be a one-time thing or what the deal is.  But, anyway, in a recent GBPG article by Mike Vandermause talking about how the team is trying to guard themselves against over-hyped preseason expectations, this happened:

Even tight end Jermichael Finley, who hasn’t been shy about publicly sharing lofty goals for himself or the team, believes talk without action means nothing.  “I hear it all the time that I’m the best tight end, that I’m going to be the best tight end,” Finley said. “I’ve still got to prove myself and come out and play the way Finley knows how to play.”

I don't know if I'm the only one who's eyebrows jumped when reading this, but I thought "we just can't let this go by without saying anything!"

 It's fitting that this comment came in the midst of an article talking about how the team's got to keep a grounded self-understanding and not let their egos get carried away with talk.  I say it's fitting because, this simple manner of speaking is often one of the more tell-tale symptoms of a, shall we say, rather healthy ego. 

And I don't know if this is a bad thing or not.  I mean, it's not like we've got to live with the guy.  Y'know, as a fan, don't you want your team's leaders to have a little bit of the ol' "I believe in me" syndrome?  Like, when Michael Jordan used to close his eyes while shooting a freethrow every once in awhile just because... well, just because.  He did it because, "I'm Michael Jordan, and so I can do these things."  Or when Larry Bird played left-handed for stretches of games just because he was, after all, Larry Bird, and he knew it.  Y'know, again, it's kind of a healthy thing for a team sometimes.  Not that it's an admirable trait, but it's kinda' confidence-inspiring.  And, as a player, wouldn't you want to sit in the locker room and look around and see a guy and know "that guy over there is good and he knows he's good"?  Wouldn't that be comforting?

On the other hand, of course, it's obviously incredibly narcissistic and vain and what-have-you...  And, if any of us actually met a 3rd person guy, we'd probably want to punch him in the kisser within 5 minutes...  And, if two 3rd person guys met each other, the space/time continuum might very well shatter, so you can't have more than one on any one team, but...

You know, is overconfidence really such a bad thing in sports?  I suppose it could be if it makes a guy play tight in big games.  But there's mixed evidence here.  LeBron may have kinda' choked so far in his career, but then again, he just started the 3rd person thing, so the test will be from here on out.  And, anyway, Rickey's got rings and Rickey's in Cooperstown.  So, people can dump on Rickey for sayin "Rickey" all they want, but he's still the one who took that million dollar bonus check, framed it, and stuck it on his wall.  (True story!)

So, yeah, anyway, I don't know if I'm the only one who notices and thinks about this stuff, but just thought I'd bring it up so as to say "Please note: we now have a 3rd person guy."  Also, I guess I'm asking what you think.  ...and not just about Finley saying "Finley," but generally about the Packers' confidence.  Are they over-confident?  Properly confident?  Not confident enough?