Clay Matthews is a classy guy …
Raymond T. Rivard photograph

Amid the vast coverage of the recent contract extension of Green Bay Packers All-Pro outside linebacker Clay Matthews, Packers fans may have missed his humility shining through.

Matthews was signed to a 5-year, $65 million contract that for the time being makes him a Packer for the foreseeable future. This is obviously great news for Packers fans who have been eagerly waiting for both Matthews and superstar quarterback Aaron Rodgers to sign contracts with the team.

With the cornerstones in place for the coming years on both offense and defense, the Packers can continue to sustain excellence and even build around that championship duo.

Clay Matthews will be a Packer for at least the next five years.
Raymond T. Rivard photograph

However, what some fans may have missed when Matthews officially signed was Matthews’ tweet in honor of the people affected by the Boston Marathon bombings.

Trivial amongst the recent tragic news, but happy to continue my career in Green Bay! twitter.com/ClayMatthews52…

— Clay Matthews III (@ClayMatthews52) April 17, 2013

This is a guy who had just signed a contract that should guarantee him financial security for the rest of his life. Most people would expect an NFL player to tweet a picture of himself celebrating or even a totally understandable “thank you to the organization” post. Instead, Matthews chose to put his contract news secondary to the people hurt by the recent tragedy.

This display of humility is one that paints a picture of the type of players the Green Bay organization has continued to pursue. The Packers have always been known as a community-driven organization, and with that expectation comes a responsibility to the community.

With the signing of Matthews to a lucrative contract, Green Bay is continuing the model of outstanding players on and off the field representing the city and its fans. When Rodgers signs, (most likely soon) the Packers will have All-Pros leading both units, and they will be fortunate enough to have incredibly humble guys as leaders.

The team is in good hands, and with young guys like Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson ready to continue that model, the Packers can look forward to another generation of Packers for which Vince Lombardi would be most proud.

Clay Matthews has plenty to celebrate today with his 5-year, $65 million pact he signed with the Packers. Raymond T. Rivard photograph

With Clay Matthews signing today for five years at $65 million and $31 million guaranteed, four-year linebacker will be wearing Green and Gold through the bulk of his prime years.

According to sources close to the situation, the Green Bay Packers front-loaded the deal. Matthews is said to be receiving $22 million by the end of 2013 and $27 million in the next year.

Wow! That’s one heck of a deal, but Packers fans can only hope that General Manager Ted Thompson and team President Mark Murphy have their ducks in a row. We all knew that locking up both Matthews and quarterback Aaron Rodgers was going to have a significant impact on the Packers cap numbers, but most of us also agree that keeping one’s own players leads to team unity and consistency and is much more favorable than spending one’s future away on unknown free agents.

One thing we know for sure is that the Packers will have Matthews for years to come. If he hasn’t already become the face of the Packers’ defense, with the release of Charles Woodson, he is now.

Just as Rodgers will continue to lead the Packers’ offense, it’s hoped that Matthews’ hamstrings hold out for another five years and he can continue to put up the productive numbers he has for the past four years.

With that said, below you will find a nifty infographic courtesy of Packers.com. This pretty much spells out what Matthews means to the team.

Clay Matthews will be a Packer for years to come.
Raymond T. Rivard photograph

A sigh of relief washed over Green Bay Packers Nation this afternoon as Clay Matthews and the Packers reached a long-term agreement, per a tweet from the Packer linebacker.

“Trivial amongst the recent tragic news, but happy to continue my career in Green Bay!” Matthews tweeted appropriately today.

Clay Matthews has not yet signed a new contract.
Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

Over the past two or three weeks we’ve been seeing and hearing reports from folks across the NFL spectrum that both Green Bay Packers stars Clay Matthews and Aaron Rodgers have been on the cusp of signing new long-term contracts that will keep them in Green and Gold for many years to come.

And today, in fact just minutes ago, the fan Twitter account, @ClayMatthewsNews, tweeted this:

Matthews appears to be getting close to signing a new contract with the Packers.

— Clay Matthews News (@CMatthewsNews) April 13, 2013

 

Really?

A quick search of reliable sources reveals nothing.

Which brings us to the point about accurate and timely news that will stand the test of time.

The experts who cover the NFL have the accuracy and timeliness that we can depend on. Let’s allow them to do the job. When we see tweets like this, you know there are going to be peeps out there who are going to believe it … like when the “news” story about Clay Matthews breaking both his legs steamrolled across the Internet … yes, it WAS fake.

So in the meantime, we sit and wait and wonder – Just WHEN will Matthews and Rodgers sign? I guess they will sign when they are ready to sign.

When they do, believe me the guys over at NFL.com, ESPN, CBS, FOX and every other news outlet will be on it. When it happens, we here at Lombardiave.com will also be putting in our two cents.

But we’ll wait for the real news before hyping a tweet.

Clay Matthews
Raymond T. Rivard photograph

If you’re interested in casting your vote on the player who you would most like to see on the cover of EA Madden this coming season, check out the basketball-style tournament bracket page where you can cast your vote.

The brackets are set up into two categories – “old school” and “new school.” Clay Matthews, who has made it to this second round of the tournament, is of course bracketed in the “new school” portion and is matched up against Andrew Luck. The voting during this round will continue through March 27 before moving on to the third round.

There are no Packers included in the “old school” brackets.

Matthews, to date, is trailing Luck in their voting, 89-61 percent, so he’s got a ways to go if he is going to advance.

The question is, considering the jinx, does anyone really want to win this honor?

Well, somebody’s got to win, so it might as well be someone the Packers play next season – so it could be Kaepernick … he’s due for the sophomore slump anyway. Matched up against Cincinnati’s A.J. Green, Kaepernick trails in balloting, 69-62 percent.

Those players garnering more than 90 percent of the voting in the old school side of the brackets are Joe Montana, Barry Sanders, Jerry Rice, and Deion Sanders – Not a bad team in their own right.

If interested in voting, check it out here …

Clay Matthews was rumored to have broken both his legs in a car accident last night … IT WAS A RUMOR!
Raymond T. Rivard photograph

It’s been a great day on Twitter and the Internet … I’m sure you’ve see the “news story” about Green Bay Packers linebacker Clay Matthews that includes this information:

A spokesperson for the Wisconsin highway safety authority(HSA) has confirmed that Clay Matthews has broken both of his legs in a traffic altercation. He has been transported via ambulance to a local Wisconsin hospital for treatment, and the full extent of his injuries are not known at this time, however, both of his legs were visibly broken and not life threatening according to sources.

While the news page “looks” official enough … it’s from Global Associated News. So I first asked myself when I first saw it, What’s Global Associated News and why are they the first to break this story? Why not the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal, the Green Bay Press Gazette? Profootballtalk.com? or why not lombardiave.com?

So, I did what every good reporter does – I Googled it … ahahahha. After all, you can believe everything you read on the Internet, right?

But after a couple of clicks it became apparent the site was responsible for many, many hoaxes.

But there sure are a lot of people on Twitter who took it at face value.

Clay Matthews III was not one of them. The Green Bay Packers’ linebacker wasn’t about to let this slide by and wasn’t going to be considered a French model either.

Here’s is what he tweeted at about 2 p.m. CDT today:

Where’d you hear that? The Internet. And you believed it? Yeah, they can’t put anything on the Internet that isn’t true.

— Clay Matthews III (@ClayMatthews52) March 17, 2013

Number one, we’re happy that Clay is OK and that the story was a hoax. Secondly, don’t believe everything you read on the Internet … it’s NOT always true.

Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

 A disappointing 2008 season saw the Green Bay Packers finish a lackluster 6-10. This was good for the second to last spot in the NFC North, in front of only the lowly Detroit Lions who finished without a win that season. There is always an upside, and for the Packers their dismal 2008 showing positioned Ted Thompson with the ninth pick in the draft.

With that ninth selection Ted Thompson took B.J. Raji, a 6’2,” 337-pound defensive tackle from Boston College. Raji has proved to be a very good nose tackle for the Packers, the anchor of the defensive line. The 2010 Super Bowl season was Raji’s breakout year.  He recorded 39 tackles, 6.5 sacks, and defended three passes. Despite the impressive numbers in 2010, Raji’s most memorable moment that season was a “hula” dance that he did in the end zone following an interception against the Bears in the NFC Championship Game. At the conclusion of the 2013 season, Raji is due a new contract.

If there is one draft in which Thompson displayed his genius, it was in 2009. One thing that was omitted in the opening paragraph, was 2008 was also the year Brett Favre retired and then un-retired and then traded to the New York Jets. Provided Favre took a majority of the snaps for the Jets in 2008 the Packers would be awarded the Jets’ 2009 third round pick. Favre did take the majority of snaps. Ted subsequently packaged the Packers’ second round pick with the third round pick from the Jets, number 83 overall, for the New England Patriots’ first round pick, number 26 overall.  With that selectin the Packers took Clay Matthews III.

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Matthews for the aging gunslinger – some might say that Brett Favre is the gift that keeps on giving for the Packers. I mean all Matthews has done since his arrival in 2009 is record 204 tackles, 42.5 sacks, four interceptions, seven forced fumbles and score three defensive touchdowns. Not to mention the accolades – four-time Pro Bowl selection and two-time All-Pro, Super Bowl Champion and 2010 NFC Defensive Player of the year.

If Favre had just stayed retired, all the Packers would have gotten is a retired number and most likely some public relations.

Without a second or third round pick the Packers didn’t make another selection until the fourth round. With that pick they chose T.J. Lang. Evidently Ted was fond of players that went by initialized first names in 2009. Nonetheless Lang has evolved from a scrappy, undersized tackle with a frat boy mentality to a mauling guard who is yet to reach his suspected ceiling. Lang is a solid starting guard on an average offensive line with a knack for attracting attention on twitter – @tjlang70

Per usual, Thompson hit on about 50 percent of his draft selections in 2009. After selecting Lang in the fourth round, Ted didn’t snag another true keeper until the seventh round, when he selected linebacker Brad Jones from Colorado. Jones has been up and down, battling injuries, and learning multiple positions during his time in Green Bay. Last season was arguably his most productive. As a result he may very well make some money in free agency this offseason.

Outside of the aforementioned players, the Packers had two fifth round picks and two sixth-rounders. None of the four developed into players for Green Bay. Defensive end Jarius Wynn played quite a bit, including the 2010 Super Bowl run, but was released in 2012 during training camp and later signed by the Indianapolis Colts. Fullback Quinn Johnson from LSU also played on the Super Bowl XLV team. The Packers thought they had a bruising fullback who could block and run. Johnson was cut in 2011 after demonstrating that he could not do either exceptionally well. The biggest disappointment of these four was Brandon Underwood. An immature cornerback who you suspect the Packers thought they could capitalize on his potential and assist in his maturation process. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. Underwood had multiple scrapes with the law and did not produce on the field. Another guy Thompson missed on was fifth round selection Jamon Meredith, a big offensive tackle from South Carolina.

Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports

Ted Thompson’s 2009 draft was very solid. He selected two guys who became Pro Bowl-caliber and one of them is multiple hamstring injuries from being a perennial All Pro. Six of the eight players selected were contributors on a Super Bowl team. Four years after the draft and having four players starting is a sign of success.

Clay Matthews, pictured here with Desmond Bishop, is due a huge payday, but is the time right?
Raymond T. Rivard photograph

I was blown away today by the John Rehor’s post that takes an intriguing look at Clay Matthews, his importance to the Green Bay Packers and the reasons why team officials should not rush into re-signing their best defensive player.

Rehor comes clean – he’s a huge Clay Matthews fan. He understands that there isn’t a defensive player on the team who has contributed more since being drafted.

“A four time pro bowl selection, Matthews already has an impressive resume,” Rehor writes. “Third in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting in 2009, second in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2010, 42.5 sacks, good for fifth all time in Packers history, along with regularly making quarterback’s lives miserable, he is by far the best player on the Packers defense.”

Matthews prepares for 2013 making a mere $3.7 million – a veritable steal for not only the best player on the team but one of the top defensive players in all the league. He enters the season as one of three Packers who have been mentioned as top signing priorities. In addition to Aaron Rodgers and B.J. Raji, Matthews’ contract is primed for extension. And he’s due a big payday.

However, there is the downside to all this. Over the past three years, Matthews has been plagued by bad hamstrings, injuries that have kept him out of preseason action in 2009 and 2010. He missed one game in 2010 and four games this past season. Rehor points out that it has been an issue during Matthews’ early years and what’s to prevent it from continuing to be an issue?

“If it has been an issue since he was 23, will it still be an issue when he is 30? 31?” Rehor asks.

In addition to the fact that Matthews has been affected by injury, Rehor says that Matthews’ success has come because he is the perfect player for the 3-4 defense, but what would happen if the Packers decided to move to a hybrid defense or go to a pure 4.-3?

If you remember, this is the defense that was gashed for monumental offensive outputs the past two seasons. The defense was the worst in the league in 2011 and though the unit played much better overall last season, there were performances by Adrian Peterson and Colin Kaepernick that exposed major weaknesses in the Packers’ scheme.

Clay Matthews
Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

Obviously, this wasn’t the fault of Clay Matthews, but it could be endemic to the entire scheme as designed by defensive coordinator Dom Capers. If the team continues its defensive meltdown into 2013 and Capers hits the road, what then?

We hope that we don’t have to answer that question. But what if the Packers move ahead with signing Matthews this year instead of waiting until after the 2013 season and the defensive scheme is altered?

Rehor says it best:

Let’s speculate for just a moment: the Packers sign Clay Matthews to a long-term deal, the team fails to win the Super Bowl, and Dom Capers is fired. It is possible that McCarthy hires another 3-4 Defensive Coordinator (he has said he likes the aggressive nature of the 3-4), or they begin a switch to a hybrid or back to the 4-3. While I personally think this may not seem impossible with current personnel, the contract he is going to sign is as a 3-4 outside linebacker, somewhere in the $12-15 million range. Is paying him that much to play a 4-3 OLB a smart decision? Could he even play with his hand on the ground and still be productive making that kind of salary? It is all speculative at this point, but it is something that Ted Thompson has to consider.

Clay Matthews
Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

Strong words with the bottom line being that the Packers need to consider if and when they extend the contract for Clay Matthews. While we all think that Matthews is an incredible talent who would be a crucial element in bringing another Lombardi Trophy back home to Green Bay, Packers officials also have to be realistic and re-sign players when the time is right.

Rehor says that the time might not be right just yet.

I agree.

Give this some time and let things play out before pulling the trigger on a deal.

Again, I’ll let Rehor sum up the reasons:

“… ongoing issues with his hamstrings and potential question marks regarding the scheme the Packers operate might make Ted delay his signing just a bit. Perhaps he should wait until late in the 2013 season to resign Matthews, until some of the uncertainty is gone, before making such a large financial investment in one of the cornerstones of the current Packers roster.”

John Rehor is a  staff writer at PackersTalk.com and co-host of Cheesehead Radio. To contact John follow him on Twitter @jrehor or email johnrehor@yahoo.com

Nov 20, 2011; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers linebacker Clay Matthews (52) takes some water before the game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Mary Langenfeld-US PRESSWIRE

If interested in rubbing elbows with Clay Matthews and learning the game of football at the same time, you might want to check out his football camp being sponsored by Bellin Health and Associated Bank.

The most recent press release sent out to promote the camp proclaims there are only a few spots left, so don’t hesitate if interested.

Here’s the release:

Only a few spots remain at the Bellin Health Clay Matthews Football ProCamp presented by Associated Bank!

The two-day event is June 10^th-11^th at Ashwaubenon High School. Day 1 is from 1:00PM-4:30PM and Day 2 is from 9:00AM-12:30PM.

Matthews will be on site the entire camp to direct camp activities and provide instruction. He will be joined by a selection of the top prep and college coaches from the Green Bay area.

The camp is open to boys and girls ages 7 to 14 and focuses on the team concept and fundamentals of football. Groups will be small to ensure that each camper gets personalized instruction. Matthews will also give daily talks highlighting the finer points of the game of football and beyond.

Each camper receives an autographed camp team photo with Matthews, exclusive camp T-shirt, goodie bag with over $145 worth of merchandise, and the opportunity to win additional prizes. Cost of the ProCamp is $199.

Additional camp partners include Sargento, WLUK and 107.5 The Fan.

Additional information and registration is available by visiting www.claymatthewscamp.com or by calling 888-389-CAMP (2267).