The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Matthews belongs in the Pro Football Hall
Former Browns linebacker Clay Matthews is a semifinalist for the Hall of Fame, and he should be voted in, Jeff Schudel writes. Plus, thoughts on the Cavaliers and tanking.
Clay Matthews, one of the most iconic players in Browns history, is a semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame for the third time.
Let’s just cut to the chase. He deserves to be enshrined in Canton at least as much as some of those who were elected to the Hall the other two years he made it this far.
Matthews was a semifinalist for the first time in 2012. Cornerback Jack Butler, center Dermontti Dawson, defensive end Chris Doleman, defensive tackle Cortez Kennedy and running back Curtis Martin were inducted that year.
Matthews was also a semifinalist in 2017 when kicker Morten Andersen, quarterback Kurt Warner, running backs Terrelle Davis and LaDainian Tomlinson, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, defensive back Kenny Easley, offensive tackle Willie Roaf and defensive end Jason Taylor were inducted.
Matthews, drafted with the 12th pick in the first round by the Browns in 1978 (the Browns drafted Hall-of-Fame tight end Ozzie Newsome 23rd overall the same year), played in Cleveland 16 seasons and then played three more with the Atlanta Falcons. His 278 games played are the most ever by an NFL linebacker.
“I’ve called the Hall of Fame myself,” former Browns coach Sam Rutigliano said on Nov. 23 in a phone interview. “Clay played as a three-down linebacker. He wouldn’t come out of the game. He was really a unique player.
“He had no ego. He was really a team player. I can’t remember, in my seven years coaching him, that I had anything to say about Clay that wasn’t the best. He belongs in the Hall of Fame.”
Matthews had 1,561 tackles – third-most in NFL history.
He had 83.5 career sacks. His 76.5 career sacks with the Browns are a franchise record. Linebackers already in the Hall of Fame with fewer career sacks include Junior Seau (56.5 sacks), Ray Lewis (41.5), Brian Urlacher (41.5), Mike Singletary (19).
The Browns made the AFC championship game three times with Matthews patrolling his spot at outside linebacker. He might already be in the Hall of Fame had the Browns made it to the Super Bowl at least once, but the Denver Broncos knocked them off each time.
It is ridiculous for the Hall of Fame committee to reject Matthews just because the Browns missed out on the Super Bowl if that is their reasoning, as though is was his fault.
Former Browns coach Marty Schottenheimer often said Matthews was underrated. As good as Clay’s numbers were, they would have been better if he weren’t so unselfish.
As an outside linebacker, one of Matthews’ roles was to set an edge and funnel the ball carrier inside where another player would make the tackle. Those numbers don’t show up in any stat sheet. He also sacrificed sack opportunities by following the game plan.
The list of 25 semifinalists will be trimmed to 15 on Jan. 3. Next the Hall of Fame voters will meet on Feb. 2, the day before Super Bowl LIII, to select the 2019 Hall of Fame class.
Each year a minimum of four players/coaches/ contributors are inducted.
Favorites for enshrinement from this year’s group include former tight end Tony Gonzalez, safety Ed Reed, wide receiver Hines Ward, running back Edgerrin James, cornerback Champ Bailey, former Cowboys executive Gil Brandt and Broncos owner Pat Bowlen.
Matthews is facing stiff competition again. That doesn’t change the fact he deserves to be enshrined.
Who’s tanking?
It isn’t showing in the standings, but the Cavaliers are more competitive than when the season began nearly six weeks ago.
They are hanging around long enough to have a chance to win compared to the early part of the season when losing by 12 points was a good night. This has to be encouraging to Coach Larry Drew, because he is still without injured Kevin Love (foot), George Hill (shoulder) and Sam Dekker (left ankle).
The improvement started with a 102-100 loss to the Magic in Orlando on Nov. 5 nine days after Drew replaced fired Ty Lue as head coach. Five nights later they lost by one point, 99-98, in Chicago.
The Cavs led the Los Angeles Lakers, 99-91, with 5:41 remaining Nov. 21, but faltered at the end. Even taking into account the two games they won, the effort against the Lakers was perhaps the best of the season for the Cavs – until they shocked the 76ers in Philadelphia on Nov. 23, 121-112. It was Philadelphia’s first home loss this season.
Still, the perception overall is the Cavaliers are losing on purpose, tanking to improve their chances of winning the lottery so they can get the first pick in the 2019 draft. It is a charge that infuriates Drew. To him, the “T” word is like blasphemy.
“I think when you look at our team and forget about the record, my guys are playing hard,” Drew said recently “They’re playing hard and when they’re not playing hard, I make them aware they’re not playing hard.
“I just try to prepare these guys as best as I can, and to make sure every time we step in between those lines that they give their all. And what I’ve seen thus far is they’re playing hard. I haven’t seen any quit in them.”
Guard J.R. Smith made such a stink accusing the Cavaliers of tanking the team last week decided to part ways with him.
With Hill and Love out, the Cavaliers have little choice but to use the younger players more. It will be interesting to see how Drew juggles playing time between Hill and rookie guard Collin Sexton when Hill returns.
Asked point-blank whether he is trying to win, Drew, a former player and a former head coach, had a terse response.
“Am I coaching to win?” Drew said. “Well, I’m not coaching to lose. I don’t put my time in to put guys out there to lose. I’ve never done that, I never will do that. I don’t know how to do that. We prepare our team the best that we can. We put them out on the floor. I expect guys to play hard.
“I expect guys to do what I ask of them. To coach to lose, I don’t understand that, I don’t know how to do that. I don’t know how anybody can do that. That’s something I would never, ever do.”
More games like the one they played against the Lakers, and especially like the one they played against the 76ers, is the best way of silencing the tanking talk.
I didn’t know that
… Until I read my Snapple bottle cap.
The planet Saturn would float if placed in water. … To cut groundskeeping costs during World War I, President Woodrow Wilson brought in a flock of sheep to trim the White House grounds. … There are more nerve connections or “synapses” in a person’s brain than there are stars in the galaxy. … Frogs never drink. … Charlie Chaplin failed to make the finals of a Charlie Chaplin look-alike contest. … Light could travel around the earth nearly 7.5 times in one second.