Clay Matthews has played outside and Clay Matthews has played inside, but there’s still more ways to utilize him according to Dom Capers.
The Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Capers says he has packages that haven’t been unveiled yet and those will put his star linebacker in positions that no one has seen.
“We have plenty of different ways,” Capers said of using Matthews. “It’s just figuring out what’s going to work and what’s going to give (the opponents) the most problems. But we’ve got a lot of different packages.”
Thus far, using Matthews as an inside linebacker has given opponents the most problems.
Matthews has been exactly the playmaker the Packers needed in the middle of their defense. In the process, he has turned what was looking like a lackluster campaign into a potentially great one.
Matthews currently has 35 tackles and 4.5 sacks. Sixteen of those tackles and two of the sacks came in the last two games, after he was moved to inside linebacker.
You can do the math there. He’s accounted for nearly half of his numbers since Capers started using him in positions other than outside, and in only two games.
Another factor at play here is teams now expect Matthews to be inside most of the time. They can prepare for him. Against Chicago, when Matthews’ move inside was a surprise to everyone, he had 11 tackles and a sack. Against Philly, when it was expected, he dipped to five tackles and a sack.
Moving Matthews all over the place will keep the opposition guessing and should ultimately make him more productive.
It has been said here before. This was an inspired move by a coaching staff known for the exact opposite.