Former Green Bay Packers outside linebackers coach Kevin Greene was on NFL Network this morning talking about rushing the passer. Of course, Clay Matthews’ name came up.
And Greene basically made it sound like he thinks Matthews is the best outside linebacker to play the game.
After mentioning guys like Lawrence Taylor, Derrick Thomas, Rickey Jackson and so on, and then more or less dismissing those guys, Greene started gushing about Matthews.
“Clay is so athletic and so fluid. I could have Clay, on one snap, absolutely run over a 330-pound offensive tackle with a violent, power bull rush. Then on the very next play, his job would be to carry a wide receiver vertical in our cover 2 pressures, in which he had safety help over the top, but nevertheless he had to run in a hip trail position on a wide receiver. Now I was limited. I couldn’t run vertical with Jerry Rice, but Clay is that fluid and that gifted that he can do those kinds of things and rush the passer like he’s a defensive end that weighs 315.”
Now, you always like your own guys a little bit better than everyone else does, but that’s still a heaping of praise from one of the best pass rushers ever.
Greene piled up 160 sacks in his career, which is still third on the all-time list.
You have to wonder if Greene is missing football. He abruptly resigned his coaching position with the Packers back in January.
As for Matthews, yeah, he’s pretty swell when he isn’t nursing a hamstring injury.
If you care to listen to what else Greene had to say, go here. He did not talk about, nor was he asked about, resigning from the Packers.
2009 sacks: 10
2010 sacks: 14
2011 sacks: 6
2012 sacks: 13
2013 sacks: 7.5
Nope, quit getting fucking hurt
If there were other actual pass rushers then he wouldn’t have to put his body on the line so damn much. He had 14 sacks and only missed one game in 2010 because Cullen Jenkins complimented him so well.
If Mike Daniels or Datone Jones actually replicate that, there’s good reason to believe Matthews won’t have to take the blunt of the hard work for the D’ anymore and therefore stay healthy.
Or Nick Perry. Or Mike Neal. Or Julius Peppers. Or Josh Boyd. Or Jerel Worthy. Somebody. Anybody. How bout everybody?
With all that talent you’d think we’d have the Giants’ 2011 pass rush.
So whats Demarcus Ware, Bruce Smith, Richard Dent, Lawrence Taylor, Reggie White, Michael Strahan, Jared Allen, and hell, Kevin Greene himself’s excuses? Hell I could list a ton more too. I’m just saying he gets injured too much to be considered the greatest