#52, Terrible Middle Linebacker

[Deputy Nutz]

Certain guys are made to play on the edge, and others just have that instinct to play in the middle. Clay Mathews is an outside player who certainly lacks the instincts to play in the middle. He has no idea how to fill the cut back lane. It seemed to me the two big runs by McFadden came from the lack of backside fill from the inside linebacker. Clay either jumps a gap and takes himself out of the play, or he is too damn slow in his reaction.

Simply put if Clay is now a full time middle linebacker I would cut his ass for the money that he is making. As an edge player I would keep him, but man he is really no better than anyone else that Packers could put out there. I understand the Packers have more depth at OLB, but he is out of his element in the inside both in the run game and in the passing game.

Now that Jake Ryan, something could be made out of that kid.

[mraynrand]

Clay Mathews is an outside player who certainly lacks the instincts to play in the middle.

I agree: He can rush from anywhere (except directly across from the elite LTs), but is most effective from the edge in run defense.

Thing is that he's far better than the other ILBs available on the squad. That's the real problem.

[pbmax]

As an edge player I would keep him, but man he is really no better than anyone else that Packers could put out there.
.

We have ample evidence that every other ILB on the roster is demonstrably worse than Clay Matthews at ILB, even given his deficiencies. Even with the gap jumping, he is the best run defender they have had out there.

[smuggler]

What pb said.

[Teamcheez1]

Jake Ryan looked worse than AJ Hawk yesterday.

[SkinBasket]

Now that Jake Ryan, something could be made out of that kid.

I found you a Christmas present, but you might have to work out a bit to fit in it.

[texaspackerbacker]

I don't know what happened on the long runs - I would tend to blame Clinton-Dix more than anybody else. IMO, one of the best moves they've made in recent history was moving Clay inside. It seemed to me his blitzing from the inside, combined with faking the blitz and doing a fairly good job in coverage very much outweighed the run problems. I would tend to chalk up the being out of position at times to the kind of D they were running rather than Matthews' mistakes or lack of instinct, and it seemed like there should have been safety help covering for him.

[pbmax]

There was a big run up the middle that Matthews jumped into a gap (not sure it was the wrong one) and got tangled up with a Guard. RB went right by him to his right. He could have handled that much better. Will need to see replay on the two wide ones. But the run to the Cowboys right featured the worst, out of control, run right past the RB without touching him gap fill I have seen in a while, courtesy of a Packer DB.

[Fritz]

I never miss a thigh gap.

[Deputy Nutz]

I don't know what happened on the long runs - I would tend to blame Clinton-Dix more than anybody else. IMO, one of the best moves they've made in recent history was moving Clay inside. It seemed to me his blitzing from the inside, combined with faking the blitz and doing a fairly good job in coverage very much outweighed the run problems. I would tend to chalk up the being out of position at times to the kind of D they were running rather than Matthews' mistakes or lack of instinct, and it seemed like there should have been safety help covering for him.

What the fuck games have you been watching?

[Deputy Nutz]

We have ample evidence that every other ILB on the roster is demonstrably worse than Clay Matthews at ILB, even given his deficiencies. Even with the gap jumping, he is the best run defender they have had out there.

That's like comparing donkey shit to horse shit, it's still shit.

[pbmax]

That's like comparing donkey shit to horse shit, it's still shit.

Perhaps. But the run D has improved. And Matthews isn't the first Packer ILB to fail to get to the outside on a run. Hawk was too slow or injured. Jones reacted too slowly.

Matthews shares something with Bishop, in that both tend to get sucked inside and are delayed getting outside. Matthews, however, has the speed to correct it.

Packers did miss Perry out on the edge. I would love to have another run stuffer in the middle in addition to Ryan and then play Matthews wherever Capers pleases.

[Patler]

Packers did miss Perry out on the edge. I would love to have another run stuffer in the middle in addition to Ryan and then play Matthews wherever Capers pleases.

That brings up another question, for the first time in a number of weeks, I don't recall hearing Datone Jones name mentioned. I listened to more than watched the game. How did he play?

[pbmax]

That brings up another question, for the first time in a number of weeks, I don't recall hearing Datone Jones name mentioned. I listened to more than watched the game. How did he play?

Saw very little of him. He was close a couple of times but that was it. Maybe two flushes that I saw?

They ran several of an actual delayed LB blitz with Matthews up the gut through the Guard gap, where the D lineman tried to pull the O line toward the outside. Jones did get snaps at OLB and its possible he or Neal were partially responsible for the big runs wide.

[Smidgeon]

That brings up another question, for the first time in a number of weeks, I don't recall hearing Datone Jones name mentioned. I listened to more than watched the game. How did he play?

Didn't he have a batted ball or something? I remember him mentioned once.