Matthews, Rodgers express support for wildfire victims
GREEN BAY – Clay Matthews went to sleep Friday night not knowing if his family, or his home, were safe as wildfires spread across Southern California.
The Green Bay Packers linebacker said after Sunday’s victory over the Miami Dolphins that he lost contact with his parents Clay Jr. and Leslie, as they were part of many communities that were forced to evacuate their homes due to the fires.
Matthews also said the fires reached entryway to the community in which he is building a home. After leaving Lambeau Field on Friday afternoon, he spent six hours watching local news from Los Angeles for updates, but he said he went to bed not knowing what news he may wake up to.
A social media group helped him establish contact with family and friends, including his parents, but the California native said his mind was on the people of his home cities and state as they still battle the fires.
“With the mandatory evacuation, I had no one to report on (what happened),” Matthews said. “Furthermore, with all the fires in which they had, the firefighters were all spread out . ... I told my wife when we went to sleep, I said we’re really going to have a house in the morning or not. Fortunately, on Saturday my neighbor sent me a picture of the house and it’s still standing. I’m sure there’s a little bit of damage with embers and all that.
“It’s terrifying. Those Santa Ana’s (winds), it’s not a good deal. I know there’s been a couple lives lost and a bunch of homes and structures burnt down. Unfortunately it’s one of those natural disasters that California has to deal with. It’s truly unfortunate. But hopefully firefighters and responders can get a handle on this thing soon and if the weather permits start getting this under control.”
In his postgame news conference, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers wore a baseball hat with the Santa Monica Fire Department logo on it. He also had friends who were forced to evacuate.
“It’s been a tough week, it has,” Rodgers said. “I’ve been on the phone with a lot of folks close to me in northern California and in southern California. I had the fortune to meet some great firefighters from Santa Monica in the offseason. They sent me this hat, and I was thinking in my house today, this was the only paraphernalia I had that could represent my support for those folks who are fighting the fires. My heart goes out to the great people of Paradise, California. Growing up in Chico, I spent a great deal of time up there, I played a lot of football and basketball and sports up in Paradise, basically lived in Magalia at one point, which is an even tinier town off of Paradise. The devastation there, is tough.
“Hearing the stories of people running down the highways to avoid the fire. Knowing that people burned alive in their cars. It’s heartbreaking, for sure, and then you have a fire in my adopted home of southern California, so it’s been a tough week for sure, and myself and the guys from northern California, our thoughts and our prayers are with those folks. Not only the great firefighters fighting the fire, but all the people displaced. In my home area, Butte County, and then obviously down south in the L.A. area.”
Wave good-bye
In what would be an odd sight if not for its regularity, fans inside Lambeau Field broke out the wave late in the Packers’ blowout win against the Dolphins.
Usually, the home team gets a quiet reception when its offense takes the field. Not in Green Bay. But if Rodgers was amused at the rowdiness, he stopped short of asking fans to knock it off when asked after the game.
“No, just keep playing ‘Roll Out the Barrel,’ and doing the beer races, and we’re good to go, man,” Rodgers said, smiling. “Don’t have to change anything.”
Rodgers said his feelings might be different if the same noise from hometown fans came in a close game.
“It’s OK when it’s 31-12,” Rodgers said. “It’s not that big of a deal. If it was 31-all, maybe take it easy. I think they get a little bored maybe sometimes, and they’re like, ‘What are we going to do here?’ Because I was watching from the sideline at one point, it was in the third quarter, and I saw like four people right across from me — this would be about behind their bench from the 40-yard line — kind of stand up and do it. and I was thinking to myself, ‘I bet you they’re going to do it when we’re on offense.’
“And they did, and we love them.”
Injury concerns
With the Packers heading to Seattle on Tuesday, the rehabilitation time for injuries suffered on Sunday will be short.
Starting safety Kentrell Brice suffered what looked to be a serious left ankle injury early in the first quarter, as he had to be helped off the field and onto a cart early in the game. The television crew caught him in an emotional moment on the Packers bench prior to his departure to the locker room.
Starting linebacker Nick Perry had his right leg awkwardly bent late in the first half, resulting in a knee injury that also knocked him from the game. Backup offensive lineman Lucas Patrick was evaluated for a concussion after being sandwiched by three Dolphins on a kick return.
Corner Bashaud Breeland, who started in place of an injured Kevin King, hurt his groin and left the game for good in the third quarter.
Fellow corner Jaire Alexander was pulled off the field late after a hard collision and was evaluated for a concussion, but he was cleared before the game ended.
Raven Greene has career day
No better time to play your first defensive snaps in the NFL than with your back against the goal line — and no better time to help force two field goals that kept the game tight. That was the situation undrafted rookie free agent safety Raven Greene was placed in Sunday against Miami.
Primarily a special teams player until this week, Greene was pressed into action at his own 11-yard line with the Dolphins facing a 3rd-and-8. Greene covered tight end Mike Gesicki, helping force a sack by Kyler Fackrell. That led to a Dolphins field goal and kept the Packers ahead 7-3 in the first quarter.
Then in the second quarter Greene nearly intercepted Brock Osweiler on 3rd-and-goal at the Packers’ 7-yard line, forcing another field goal and Packers’ up 14-6.
Greene followed that up with a sack on third-and-7 at the Packers’ 26 that forced a punt.
Greene capped his day with a 26-yard run on a fake punt in the fourth quarter that helped the Packers salt away the game.
“I got into the huddle and the guys were all looking at me with these wide eyes and I’m just like, all right, I guess were really going to do this and went out and executed,” Greene said. “It’s just a blessing man.”