Nutz's 2018 Mock Draft 1.0

[KYPack]

In hindsight, Packers should've tanked that season for Bush. Dude could've been the next Roger Craig had he played in a quasi-West Coast Offense like McCarthy's.

Then again, had the Packers tanked, we would've seen the Great Arm of Butte play a bunch. As Rodgers was clearly not ready for prime time as a rook, he would've stunk up the joint badly. Having seen Rodgers play miserably, Thompson would not have hesitated to trade Butte to Oakland for Randy Moss in 2007.

Packers would've won the Super Bowl after the 2007 season, and Favre would've rode into the sunset afterward. Packers would've finished 1-15 with Criag Nall at the helm in 2008. With the 1st overall pick in the 2009 draft, Thompson would've drafted Matthew Stafford.

This is all stupid shit.

Bush DID go to a WC offensive team, the Saints. He won a Super Bowl there. He might not have affected our fortunes at all let alone guarantee SB's!

Thompson would trade Rodgers for Moss so Favre would ride off into the sunset with an SB championship? Favre rode off into the sunset the same year WE won the SB.

Thank God Thompson didn't draft the guy you were ripping him for NOT drafting - Michael Huff the bust safety from Texas.

You live in some kind of weird fantasy world.

You've been watching this shit for a number of years now. Shouldn't you begin to understand pro football by osmosis or something?

[Anti-Polar Bear]

This is all stupid shit.

Bush DID go to a WC offensive team, the Saints. He won a Super Bowl there. He might not have affected our fortunes at all let alone guarantee SB's!

Thompson would trade Rodgers for Moss so Favre would ride off into the sunset with an SB championship? Favre rode off into the sunset the same year WE won the SB.

Thank God Thompson didn't draft the guy you were ripping him for NOT drafting - Michael Huff the bust safety from Texas.

You live in some kind of weird fantasy world.

You've been watching this shit for a number of years now. Shouldn't you begin to understand pro football by osmosis or something?

The 2007 team had studs like Favre, Jennings, Driver, Taush, Clift on offense. Al Harris, C-Wood, Collins, Kampman, Barnett on defense. Add Moss and Bush and 19-0 would've been feasible.

[Freak Out]

Except the old gunslinger still probably throws a pick to kill it at the end. Moss and Bush wouldn't stop him from doing it.

[hoosier]

At that time I said he was benefitting from weak competition. Every time he went one on one with a decent tackle he was stonewalled.

If you recall I predicted he would never have a season as good as Kampman from a sacks perspective and that stands.

I don't recall that. I recall him making some decent tackles, including Damian Woody, Gosder Cherilus, Winston Justice and Colombo, look terrible at times. But locking up with the tackle obviously does not play to Matthews's strengths. He's not Reggie White, after all.

[hoosier]

One of. His moves are 1) speed rush the edge 2) come from disguised position untouched 3) get stonewalled by good tackle.

Ok. And with the exception of a very few guys who have played his position, you have pretty much described the limitations of all 250 lb. linebackers.

[pbmax]

Matthews made some good Tackles look bad for a while. But the good and smart ones adjusted. He abused Joe Staley a couple of times, but Staley eventually figured him out and stopped him.

Matthews never developed a strong counter move to go with speed. His shoulder dip when he got an edge was fine but he often ends up on the ground. His bull rush and inside move were not frightening. He didn't have a hump, club or rip that worked regularly.

However, everyone keeps forgetting his motor. In a scouting report, motor usually means unskilled white guy. But in actual pro games, Matthews is still quick, fast and always moving to the ball. He earned a lot of his later career sacks by getting a second opening off his blocker when the QB was forced off their mark. Which is why if Clark or Wilkerson can move the pocket and the QB, Matthews numbers will climb. No tackle will be able to change direction with him.

The flip side of his pursuit and speed is that he can be colossally out of his gap at important times. See his first four games versus CK and the 49ers. His best move recently was providing quickness and penetration in the middle of the D while Perry built a stone wall at OLB versus the run.

Matthews is not bad against the run, but he likes to leave his responsibility and pursue. It works if the other team is predictable, and doesn't work if they are running any kind of option. He did eventually get more careful versus the likes of San Fran, but that came at the expense of his quickness off the ball which is his best trait.

[mraynrand]

^^ Seems like a swim and an inside spin (from a rip, maybe) with a solid drop step (good post up move, BTW) should have helped. Maybe he stopped developing when Greene left.*







* I reviewed no game film in making these claims. I reserve the right to have this all be called total BS.

[pbmax]

^^ Seems like a swim and an inside spin (from a rip, maybe) with a solid drop step (good post up move, BTW) should have helped. Maybe he stopped developing when Greene left.*


* I reviewed no game film in making these claims. I reserve the right to have this all be called total BS.

Actually, that is fair, his spin move is not bad, but my first thought is that this has been a more recent development.

And I did think at times that sacrificing him to a Guard/Tackle double team to open lane for a DT or ILB to stunt was fabulously unproductive. The tackle/end twist with him and the DT also rarely seemed to work.

[bobblehead]

Ok. And with the exception of a very few guys who have played his position, you have pretty much described the limitations of all 250 lb. linebackers.

This doesn't diffuse my point. He is a very good player with many strengths. He is not an elite pass rusher. Von Miller is smaller and better. Wake is similar size and better. Aldon Smith was entirely better. There at any time were 5-10 BETTER OLB in the league than clay...especially from a pass rush perspective, but he was top 3 as and ILB....alas stubby misuses talent all the time.

[bobblehead]

Actually, that is fair, his spin move is not bad, but my first thought is that this has been a more recent development.

And I did think at times that sacrificing him to a Guard/Tackle double team to open lane for a DT or ILB to stunt was fabulously unproductive. The tackle/end twist with him and the DT also rarely seemed to work.

A spin is fine in must pass situations with a less mobile QB, but for a speed rusher like Clay he needed an inside hand push with a duck under move for OT that overplayed his speed. Sort of a club, but a half club that would allow him to adjust to the inside and exploit the positioning.

[Deputy Nutz]

Matthews is overrated, injury prone, lacks the ability to cover, misses far to many tackles, and blows his responsibilities to try and make a "me" play, also almost forgot to mention that he is a dirty player.

In the 3-4 Defense and the position Matthews plays the expectation of an above average outside linebacker is to average ten sacks a season. Matthews has had only 4 seasons with double digit sacks, never more than 66 tackles in a season and never more than 9 passes defended and doesn't create turnovers I wish I could find a stat for missed tackles because it appalling. I am not saying he is garbage, what I am saying is there are comparable options out there for way less than 12 million.

Kevin Greene was a great player, Matthews is no Kevin Greene.

[Deputy Nutz]

A spin is fine in must pass situations with a less mobile QB, but for a speed rusher like Clay he needed an inside hand push with a duck under move for OT that overplayed his speed. Sort of a club, but a half club that would allow him to adjust to the inside and exploit the positioning.

Matthews is horrible at using his hands.

[Deputy Nutz]

This doesn't diffuse my point. He is a very good player with many strengths. He is not an elite pass rusher. Von Miller is smaller and better. Wake is similar size and better. Aldon Smith was entirely better. There at any time were 5-10 BETTER OLB in the league than clay...especially from a pass rush perspective, but he was top 3 as and ILB....alas stubby misuses talent all the time.

He was not a top 3 inside linebacker. He has no instincts and would fuck the defense many times as he would try to go underneath blocks and make the tackle. This exposes the defense. If an ilb does this he needs to make the play 100% of the time. He didn't have the body to take on blocks from interior linemen or the technique so he cheated by cutting underneath.

Fan don't recognize this, what they see is every fifth time he does it and and makes a tackle for 2 yard loss and they claim he is a better inside linebacker than outside.

[mraynrand]

He was not a top 3 inside linebacker. He has no instincts and would fuck the defense many times as he would try to go underneath blocks and make the tackle. This exposes the defense. If an ilb does this he needs to make the play 100% of the time. He didn't have the body to take on blocks from interior linemen or the technique so he cheated by cutting underneath.

Fan don't recognize this, what they see is every fifth time he does it and and makes a tackle for 2 yard loss and they claim he is a better inside linebacker than outside.

You and a handful of enlightened fans see this so what do you think the coaches see? You think they don't know this is what he does? Or do they know and compensate? I seem to recall other players covering gaps he'd vacate, but that's just an impression. I'd have to re-watch the games and It's too much work being that it's the heart of bowling season and I have to keep up with all that.

[Deputy Nutz]

He moved to the inside because of lack of production and injury. He then managed to miss two of the last three games and hard,y played the last game of 2015. If he was so damn dynamic at inside I am sure the coaches would have kept him there, but he wasnt exactly good enough, he got beat up, and he cost too much to play inside. Coaches see this, Matthews is obviously a fan favorite so it doesn't do any good to make negative comments to the media.

Now for Matthews to be productive he needs to be moved around. He should line up in the middle to blitz and to threaten a blitz. He is the best pass rusher the Packers have at the moment, other teams still need to account for him, but they don't have to commit more than one blocker in his direction any more.