Right move: Packers LB Matthews to switch sides

[SnakeLH2006]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/chi-right-move-packers-lb-matthews-to-switch-sides-20120523,0,4774068.story

http://www.trbimg.com/img-4fbd0376/turbine/chi-right-move-packers-lb-matthews-to-switch-s-001/600

The Sports Xchange 10:34 a.m. CDT, May 23, 2012

Outside linebacker Clay Matthews collected most of his 29.5 sacks lined up on the left side, but he's on the move to make room for rookie Nick Perry.
Matthews and Perry will be interchangeable, but the base formation calls for Matthews to move to right outside linebacker. He'll take on more elite pass blockers, but Perry's size and mass make him the ideal fit on the “power” side of the defensive formation.
“It's all about mismatches and preferable lineups,” Matthews said Tuesday. “Whenever we can take advantage of that, playing on the right side, left side, middle, wherever you want me to play, we're all about that, so I hope that's the case.”
The goal of defensive coordinator Dom Capers is to move Matthews around the formation to take advantage of his explosiveness off the snap. Capers has devised an expanded role at multiple positions for other players, including cornerback Charles Woodson. Woodson often is charged with what he called “playing the quarterback” than he is manning a single position.
Using Matthews as a pass-rush specialist and sliding him around the formation wouldn't be a new approach. Whereas past generations relied on right defensive ends and outside linebackers to be the superior pass rushers on the defense, getting pressure from all sides is becoming the norm.
“Things have changed a little bit (in that regard),” agreed Denver coach John Fox. “The rush doesn't always come from the right side, like it used to. People are getting lots of pressure anymore from the (left) side as well.”
Fox should know. His prize rookie, Von Miller, played primarily on the strong side, rushing generally from the left edge of the defense, in 2011.
The league's reigning defensive rookie of the year, Aldon Smith of San Francisco produced some of his 14 sacks in ‘11 from the left side. Philadelphia left end Jason Babin collected 18 sacks season, and he has 30.5 with the Eagles in 2011 and with Tennessee in 2010, while rushing from the left side.


-------------------

Should be cool. Clay..12 sacks. Perry..7 this year...unless he's Gholston. :shock:

[SnakeLH2006]

Perry looks jacked in the pic tho....strong side looks good.

[Gunakor]

Perry looks jacked in the pic tho....strong side looks good.

I think Perry's biggest impact as a rookie will be lighting up any backs that try to run at him. He doesn't look like an easy guy to push around. He'll get his opportunities in the pass rush, but if he and Matthews are racing to the QB I'd bet a shiny new nickel Matthews wins that race every time.

[SnakeLH2006]

Yep...thus 12 vs. 7.

[Gunakor]

Yep...thus 12 vs. 7.


I'm guessing it'll be closer to 15 vs. 4

[SnakeLH2006]

I'm guessing it'll be closer to 15 vs. 4

Still 19... ;)

[Fritz]

Perry looks big, even next to Matthews.

Well, there's quantity now on the defensive line, so hopefully enough guys will step up so that Perry and Matthews can wreak havoc.

[Pugger]

It will be a treat watching these two terrorize offenses this coming season. :-D

[Deputy Nutz]

For what ever reason, I have now decided that Perry is going to a bust. He is going to be stiff and won't be able to react and take advantage of his phyiscal prowess. Throw combine stats out the window with this guy, he won't recognize pass from run.

[pbmax]

For what ever reason, I have now decided that Perry is going to a bust. He is going to be stiff and won't be able to react and take advantage of his phyiscal prowess. Throw combine stats out the window with this guy, he won't recognize pass from run.

C'mon. If you are going to troll, at least go Justin's route and select the 2nd rounder to focus on. Look at the wreckage he caused by going with a first round name.

[Upnorth]

For what ever reason, I have now decided that Perry is going to a bust. He is going to be stiff and won't be able to react and take advantage of his phyiscal prowess. Throw combine stats out the window with this guy, he won't recognize pass from run.

If he is a bust it won't be for your reasons, it will be because Bretsky liked the pick. I will not feel confident with this pick until B is critical of the guy.

[George Cumby]

If he is a bust it won't be for your reasons, it will be because Bretsky liked the pick. I will not feel confident with this pick until B is critical of the guy.

C'mon Bretsky! Show Perry a little Hate!

I think he's gonna' be a player. Lunch pail, tough Detroit kid with apparently good family support and in the right situation.

I like him more and more.

[Deputy Nutz]

I was real high on Perry before the draft, and thought of it as a good pick, but something just seems wrong with this guy. I don't know if it is his appearance or what. I want to stand by my previous opinions of this guy, but something just seems off. Call it my 6th sense.

[Upnorth]

I was real high on Perry before the draft, and thought of it as a good pick, but something just seems wrong with this guy. I don't know if it is his appearance or what. I want to stand by my previous opinions of this guy, but something just seems off. Call it my 6th sense.

You see dead people?
He has said the right things, now the question is can Greene get his motor running all the time. I think that was the question on him in college, and I think Greene can get him working. I know its just one picture, but Perry is looking right where Mathews is pointing, so he looks interested in learning.

[denverYooper]

C'mon. If you are going to troll, at least go Justin's route and select the 2nd rounder to focus on. Look at the wreckage he caused by going with a first round name.

Worthy is going to kill it. He seems like the kind of fella who knows how to take advantage of a good situation.

[Fritz]

I was real high on Perry before the draft, and thought of it as a good pick, but something just seems wrong with this guy. I don't know if it is his appearance or what. I want to stand by my previous opinions of this guy, but something just seems off. Call it my 6th sense.

Given your name and all, I think we should call it your third nut.

[Upnorth]

Given your name and all, I think we should call it your third nut.

LOL! My daughter looked at me funny when I laughed at that. Repp coming your way!

[Deputy Nutz]

I should be repped, I am the one with the third nut and all/

[sharpe1027]

Is a third nut really worthy of repping? I mean how much do you really gain much by adding yet another nut? I mean, redundancy has it's place, but you are getting significantly diminishing returns at some point.

[Fritz]

Well, if you have a third nut, a blind squirrel has a better chance.

[sharpe1027]

In the theme of the thread, would the squirrel have better chance if he lined up on the left or the right side?

[Upnorth]

In the theme of the thread, would the squirrel have better chance if he lined up on the left or the right side?

If he's blind he probably has a stripped shirt and is in the backfield during overtime of the 2009 NFC wildcard game.

[3irty1]

Perry's situation couldn't be much better this year and switching Clay to the right side shows they're confident that he'll be a handful. Clay's alright but he's not such a terror that he'll draw more protection than just a team's left tackle. If Perry can't win his one-on-one's we'll be worse off than we were since we'll have no pass rush and extra guys running routes.

[wist43]

This makes sense... I just wonder how Perry is going to handle moving to LOLB, where he has to take on the TE regularly and hold the point. He outright stated that he wanted to play DE at the NFL level, and now here we're telling him he has to play the less glamorous of the 2 OLB positions. If he pouts, we have problems... if he sucks it up and has a good attitude about it, we're fine.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Clay's alright but he's not such a terror that he'll draw more protection than just a team's left tackle.

I tend to disagree with this. I think Clay is such a terror and he'd eat up most LTs one-on-one. He'll still draw a ton of attention. However, if Perry is good, he'll take advantage of his one-on-ones or free up Raji and/or Worthy on the inside.

[rbaloha1]

Left side right side it does not matter -- its about the matchup advantage.

IMO CM had a good year. Yes, sacks were down but the combined number of qb hits, forced fumbles, qb hurries, etc. could have been number one in the NFL.

[smuggler]

Matthews was gauged to have one of the quickest corner turns in the NFL. If we can get some push up the middle, QBs won't be able to escape him by stepping up in the pocket.

[swede]

I think they should put both Clay and Perry on the right side. Kind of surprise the left tackle. He'll be all, "Whoa, there's like two guys here. Who am I going to block? Watch out, Jake!"

[woodbuck27]

Thank GOD for the EXCITEMENT of this GREAT News. Is anyone surprized?

Damn ....we're into the dark dark dreery days of 'the NFL Off Season'.

Please someone find something interesting to discuss.

We need interesting threads to discuss.

We need anything to discuss NOT related the a former PACKER QB that is happily retired in the deep south.

[RashanGary]

I thought Perry was being looked at as a DE in the draft. I thought he was too finesse to play 3-4 DE. Now, looking at him as a LB, I like him a lot more.

He has some limitations, but he has some big strengths too. The NFL is a pass and stop the pass league now. Perry Brings something a lot to the table in that regard.

It's a similar set up to the Steelers with Harrison on the right and Woodly on the left.

I could see us playing a 3-3-4 nickle with Perry as a down lineman in year 1 as well.


With Perry, Raji and Worthy getting after it up front and Clay roaming around where-ever the matchup problem is, I could see some nice pass rush out of this group.

[HarveyWallbangers]

I could see us playing a 3-3-4 nickle with Perry as a down lineman in year 1 as well.

I hope we don't play a 3-3-4. Opposing offenses might be good enough to exploit us if we only had 10 guys on the field.
:)

Or maybe you think the defense will be so good that we have to give the opposing offense a chance.

[swede]

I could see us playing a 3-3-4 nickle with Perry as a down lineman in year 1 as well.


I hope we don't play a 3-3-4. Opposing offenses might be good enough to exploit us if we only had 10 guys on the field.
:)

Or maybe you think the defense will be so good that we have to give the opposing offense a chance.

If you think about it, the 3-3-4 nickel adds up to fifteen.

[pbmax]

This makes sense... I just wonder how Perry is going to handle moving to LOLB, where he has to take on the TE regularly and hold the point. He outright stated that he wanted to play DE at the NFL level, and now here we're telling him he has to play the less glamorous of the 2 OLB positions. If he pouts, we have problems... if he sucks it up and has a good attitude about it, we're fine.

Well regularly now means about 33% of the time if you subtract the plays with the TE in a route and add in plays with blitzes where a protection TE will be otherwise occupied. I think they can sell him on handling the TE and point if its only in obvious run situations.

[pbmax]

I tend to disagree with this. I think Clay is such a terror and he'd eat up most LTs one-on-one. He'll still draw a ton of attention. However, if Perry is good, he'll take advantage of his one-on-ones or free up Raji and/or Worthy on the inside.

McGinn has some stats on Matthews one on one versus the Tackle and its not in Matthews favor.

[mission]

McGinn has some stats on Matthews one on one versus the Tackle and its not in Matthews favor.

Is that kind of like baseball where failing 2 out of 3 times makes you a HOFer? Is he supposed to win the majority of the matchups?

[smuggler]

That was my thought, also, misson. If he beats the tackle outright 2 of 5 times, that's amazing.

[woodbuck27]

I hope we don't play a 3-3-4. Opposing offenses might be good enough to exploit us if we only had 10 guys on the field.
:)

Or maybe you think the defense will be so good that we have to give the opposing offense a chance.

Yea sure harvey ... let's 'just' go with the really tedious 3-4-4 'D'.

[pbmax]

Is that kind of like baseball where failing 2 out of 3 times makes you a HOFer? Is he supposed to win the majority of the matchups?

For DEs, maybe. But the vast majority of his sacks occurred when he was NOT matched up against a tackle. For Matthews to be a 10-12 sack a year guy, he needs to move around. There is a reason Woodson has been saying that for a year.

I think being on the right side might give him more chances to move, especially if he doesn't have a TE across from him.

Matthews does not trash tackles on pass rush regularly. He is not at his best in that role.

[smuggler]

His bull move isn't great. He uses the speed move and the swim (to a lesser extent).

[Joemailman]

When Matthews got off to his great start in 2010, my recollection is that he was moving around some. What makes him great is his explosiveness once he disengages from whoever is blocking him, not so much his ability to overpower the blocker.

[pbmax]

Moving him around makes it hard to double team him and messes up protections. That helps everyone.

If Perry (or someone) helps ensure fewer double teams, then Matthews will get more shots against weaker foes one on one, which will increase his success rate. Against better tackles, he can still get there with explosiveness or on broken plays with his motor. He can also deke a rush and back into coverage, effectively tying up the tackle who would block no one.

He doesn't need to beat a LT like LT every play to be very good. But he clearly needs a hand.

[cheesner]

Holy crap! I thought Perry would be good, but he already took Matthews position! I hope CM3 can make the switch to the right side and beat out Jones and Zombo. Be a shame for him to ride the pine, he is pretty good.

[Joemailman]

Holy crap! I thought Perry would be good, but he already took Matthews position! I hope CM3 can make the switch to the right side and beat out Jones and Zombo. Be a shame for him to ride the pine, he is pretty good.

Wait until you see Graham Harrell.

[cheesner]

TT has historically missed on guys with the last name of Harrell. Graham has yet to help out the team and is proving to be yet another TT mistake.

[red]

its scary when a guy can make CMIII look like the whimpy little guy in the picture

[MJZiggy]

its scary when a guy can make CMIII look like the whimpy little guy in the picture

For the opposition, maybe. I rather enjoy it.