After every single Green Bay Packers game here at Railbird Central, we bring you the silver lining. In a loss, it's the reason for optimism. In a win, it's an unexpected performance. Either way, it's good news for Packers fans.

This week's silver lining: Jermichael Finley.

The Packers' 2008 draft class went clunk, splat, kerpoot, pffffft. And the top half of the draft choices were especially appalling.

Jordy Nelson did well enough, but the second rounders were atrocious. Brian Brohm was supposed to be the team's backup quarterback this year, but he didn't even come close. And fellow second rounder cornerback Pat Lee barely played at all. When he did, he didn't do anything noticeable.

And that brings us to third rounder Jermichael Finley. After losing Bubba Franks and David Martin (good riddance), the Packers needed some help at the tight end position.

Finley was young and wasn't expected to be a contributor right away, but the team at least needed him to show some potential.

He couldn't have started off the year any worse. He began the year playing on special teams, and he's wasn't especially good at that in the beginning. If memory serves me correctly, Finley had a penalty on special teams in his first ever NFL regular season game.

And then the bottom fell out.

"The rookie, whose only notable achievement before Sunday’s season finale was catching the ire of the coaching staff for questioning whether they knew how to use him early in the season," writes Rob Demovsky of the Green Bay Press-Gazette.

But Finley finally started to show a little promise in the final two games of the season. Coming into the Bears game Finley had three catches on the season for all of 10 yards.

In the Bears game Finley showed some of his athleticism with a catch that went for 35 yards. He followed up that performance with two catches in the regular season finale against Detroit including one that went for a touchdown.

He also showed that he had the confidence of Aaron Rodgers by being the intended receiver on several other passes on Sunday that went incomplete. One went off his hand that would have been a tough catch, but it's a catch Finley is going to have to make next year and beyond.

The good news is that Finley provided at least a glimmer of hope that he can be the tight end of the future for the Packers. He has the tools to be a Pro Bowl type player if he gains a little maturity, makes catches he's supposed to make and works on his blocking.

And that's your silver lining.