Cleft Crusty
04-26-2009, 01:37 PM
“They’re gonna play defense in Green Bay!!” That’s a direct quote from one of the more famous weekend NFL draft pundits, as he assessed the 2009 draft of the Green Bay Packers, in between combing and spritzing his pompadour. Well, actually, Clefty just made it up, but you get the point. With his first two picks in the 2009 NFL draft, personnel guru Ted Thompson reinforced Mike McCarthy’s off season decision to scrap the ‘don’t bend but break’ defense of 2008, in exchange for the punishing 3-4-like scheme of Dom Capers. How so? Start with the essentials. All defenses, and especially a 3-4, rely heavily (pun intended) on a massive anchor in the middle of the defensive line. The Packers got that with DT B.J. Raji, a mountain of man who runs a 5.15 40 and who moves faster than Packer Fans when you shout ‘free beer’ or faster than ‘Ole Clefty after he drinks two glasses of Metamucil. Big heavy destructive things like hurricanes and cement trucks typically move slow so you have time to get out of the way, but opposing offenses haven’t been so lucky with Raji, who registered 105 tackles in 49 games, with 12.5 sacks (Incidentally, that’s why people get real nervous when cement trucks go 85 mph – just ask my cousin who got hit by one - well, you can’t really ask him, but if you find any of him left on Wisconsin Ave., just inform the coroner). Some compared Raji with former Packer Gilbert Brown. Let’s be reasonable here folks. Gilbert Brown was a quick bulk of a man who loved to eat a burger or ten and wash it down with a case or two of beer – a good Wisconsin pre-dinner snack – but he was a cut down acquisition from the Vikings for Petes sakes. Raji is the real deal – and the Packers could be set at DT for ten years.
Now if you really want old school, just dial up Clay Matthews. Clay is supposed to be the next coming of his father – who played 43 years for Cleveland from 1948-1991. His uncle Bruce Matthews played for the Houston Oilers from their inception in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League all the way through to their transition to the Tennessee Titans, retiring in 2001. Clay Matthews Sr. (the Packers pick’s grandfather) also played in the NFL (and some reports indicate he is still playing). Some note that Matthews fits in the mold of former Steeler and Panther OLB Kevin Greene, who played a bit crazy and gave great effort. That’s probably a good thing, as the driven Greene will now coach Matthews for the Packers. Given the fact that Ted Thompson played with Bruce Matthews in Houston, he was asked if Clay III was a ‘legacy pick.’ “That’s total bullshit,” said an obviously irked Thompson. “Legacy crap is for those pantywaists at the Ivy League schools. But you can’t deny the fact that he has great football genes.” Indeed. So with this lineage of football longevity, many say Clay is a chip off the old block – but he really is a clone. That’s right, Clay Matthews III is a clone of his father, as are the three football-playing sons of Bruce Matthews. Packer fans are desperately hoping that the QB attack of this clone will give them a new hope for the 2009 season.
Note: Material from Waldo and Bob McGinn were plagiarized in the writing of this article
Now if you really want old school, just dial up Clay Matthews. Clay is supposed to be the next coming of his father – who played 43 years for Cleveland from 1948-1991. His uncle Bruce Matthews played for the Houston Oilers from their inception in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League all the way through to their transition to the Tennessee Titans, retiring in 2001. Clay Matthews Sr. (the Packers pick’s grandfather) also played in the NFL (and some reports indicate he is still playing). Some note that Matthews fits in the mold of former Steeler and Panther OLB Kevin Greene, who played a bit crazy and gave great effort. That’s probably a good thing, as the driven Greene will now coach Matthews for the Packers. Given the fact that Ted Thompson played with Bruce Matthews in Houston, he was asked if Clay III was a ‘legacy pick.’ “That’s total bullshit,” said an obviously irked Thompson. “Legacy crap is for those pantywaists at the Ivy League schools. But you can’t deny the fact that he has great football genes.” Indeed. So with this lineage of football longevity, many say Clay is a chip off the old block – but he really is a clone. That’s right, Clay Matthews III is a clone of his father, as are the three football-playing sons of Bruce Matthews. Packer fans are desperately hoping that the QB attack of this clone will give them a new hope for the 2009 season.
Note: Material from Waldo and Bob McGinn were plagiarized in the writing of this article