Casey Matthews Gets Good Reviews
by JasonB on Aug 13, 2011 10:00 AM EDT
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PrintOne of the themes I noticed in some of the reactions posted here after the game was that a segment of the BGN population didn't think Casey Matthews played particularly well in the Eagles first preseason game Thursday night. Some even went so far as to call him "poor." I was surprised at that characterization because frankly he did jump out either way to me watching the game live.
Then, I found that Matthews was actually only on the field for 8 snaps. That made me even more skeptical about reports that claimed to really take anything from his performance Thursday. I just don't know what you can tell about a guy after seeing him for eight snaps. So I checked out a few of the position by position reviews that a few Eagles writers I like did and it turns out, they were pretty happy with what Matthews showed in his extremely limited time.
Tommy Lawlor focused on Matthews and saw something he liked.
The guy I wanted to focus on was Casey Matthews. He wasn’t on the field all that much. He didn’t stand out, good or bad, vs inside runs. I liked what I saw from him on a couple of pass plays. There was a screen where he stuck with the RB and threw off the play. There was a 3rd down pass play where Casey hugged up tight on the RB and Joe Flacco had no options. The DBs took away the outside guys and Casey was all over Ray Rice. Those are subtle things, but they are exactly the kinds of things I think Castillo wanted from Casey.
Then I checked out Ray Didinger
So far Matthews hasn’t looked out of place. He has been good in camp and he was good again in limited snaps on Thursday. It appeared Matthews might have been fooled on a Joe Flacco to Ray Rice screen pass that gained 23 yards on the opening drive, but it was his tight coverage on the tight end that forced Flacco to hold the ball and allowed Trent Cole to record his first sack later in the first quarter.
Sheil Kapadia did his "man up" column and looked at Matthews.
Tough to judge him based on the small amount of plays. Against the run, the Eagles defensive line did a great job, but you could see that Matthews will have to work on getting around offensive linemen and shedding blocks. In coverage, he did a good job on the tight end on Cole’s sack.
So in general, these reports kinda confirmed what I felt on my first watch about him. He wasn't on the field much at all and when he didn't stick out as really good or really bad at all. So, if you've given the game another watch or paid special attention to Matthews, what did you see in those 8 reps he took?
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I don’t even understand how people can make these assumptions. He was on the field for like 2(?) drives in his first preseason game. I don’t even think it would be fair judge him after 4 preseason games; maybe even this entire season. He is after all a 4th round linebacker.
"If I can get you to think twice, I'm in your head."
-Brian Dawkins
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You’re right about the Pre-Season but we should judge him at some point in the season. I think the former Duck will do just fine though
Twitter- @kjbrophy
agreed.... if hes the starter we can absolutely judge him by mid season and we'll
Lb isn’t like WR or QB, they can step in pretty fast and theres not much of a learning curve
JoeD AKA The Voice Of Reason
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So far Matthews hasn’t looked out of place.
That’s all I could see, and to be honest, that’s all I’m asking of him.
Agreed.
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Its funny because so many BGNers thought this was such a wasted pick
and kept saying hes not his 3-4 olb pass rushing brother. I like what i see /hear from him so far
JoeD AKA The Voice Of Reason
He isn’t his brother, they play different positions & I wouldn’t expect Casey to put up the sexy stats like Clay
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by The Legend on Aug 13, 2011 10:26 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
As long as he can stop the run and short passes effectively I don’t care what stats he puts up
by eagles0133 on Aug 13, 2011 1:37 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
i don’t see how people can hate the pick because he is not his brother. It’s a fourth round pick, if everyone thought he was his brother he would have been a 1st round pick.
It wasn’t just random people either, I saw draft analysts rip it because he isn’t Clay which I thought was stupid because like I’ve been saying all along they play different positions. Some of them thought he was just living off of his family’s name.
Twitter- @kjbrophy
I’m pretty sure BGN people weren’t saying that. At all.
I reject your reality and substitute my own.
by alcatraz0109 on Aug 13, 2011 10:42 AM EDT up reply actions
I’m talking about in general. A good majority of people liked the pick a good deal.
I reject your reality and substitute my own.
by alcatraz0109 on Aug 13, 2011 10:57 AM EDT up reply actions
I think you might of misread what I said or I mis-said it. I saw a few analysts rip it because he isn’t Clay & they thought he got drafted higher because of his family name. I agree most of us liked it(I loved it) but there were some that didn’t like it as well.
Twitter- @kjbrophy
I was referring to BGN. I wasn’t accounting for what other sites/experts said.
I reject your reality and substitute my own.
by alcatraz0109 on Aug 13, 2011 5:04 PM EDT up reply actions
though my wording wasn’t clear
I reject your reality and substitute my own.
by alcatraz0109 on Aug 13, 2011 5:04 PM EDT up reply actions
No, you're wrong
Everybody believes the opposite of Joe_D, and Joe_D’s opinions have always been exactly what people are proving to be correct right now.
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Matthews is doing a damn good job
I’m not looking for Matthews to “stand out” all that much during the preseason, I’m just hoping he doesn’t look lost or make a ton of mistakes. As long as he does his job, fills his gaps, covers who he’s supposed to cover, I’ll be happy.
The people who were upset with his play need to remember he had NO minicamp and only a week and a half of practices before becoming the starting MIKE on a Super Bowl caliber team. He’s making the play calls for a team that’s LOADED with Pro Bowl talent, could overwhelm a lot of 4th round rookies, but not Matthews so far.
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by JerseySportsBullies on Aug 13, 2011 10:19 AM EDT reply actions
Casey needs a haircut.
Oh boy, is this great!
by MayIhave10,000marblesplease? on Aug 13, 2011 10:23 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
Smith, BTW, is wearing No. 19. He wore No. 12 with the Giants but no #Eagles player has wore that number since Randall Cunningham.
ohhh i forgot about that!!!!
I thought for sure he took 12 but I forgot randall scramble was the last person tohave that..man that would be weird
JoeD AKA The Voice Of Reason
Why only 8 snaps?
I hoped they would give him more reps than that. I mean, if he is going to be our starting MLB as a rookie you would think he could use all the snaps he can get in the preseason.
That’s how long the first team played, but yeah I think you make a fair point that maybe the rookies might have gotten more of a run out. He will in the next two games though.
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The dude looks like he is middle earth
So he should be fine at MLB.
I have to agree that 8 plays is a little early to declare him a success or a failure.
" I don't know if I prefer Astroturf to grass. I never smoked Astroturf." - Joe Namath
by stopyourcrying on Aug 13, 2011 10:50 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
if casey is middle earth
Would that make MoFo, to his west, Mordor?
/lotr
I would like to thank my hands for being so great, for allowing me to type this post.
by corn on the kolb on Aug 13, 2011 11:28 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
fail at literary geography.
I would like to thank my hands for being so great, for allowing me to type this post.
by corn on the kolb on Aug 13, 2011 11:29 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
if casey is middle earth
Would that make MoFo, to his east, Mordor?
/lotr
I would like to thank my hands for being so great, for allowing me to type this post.
by corn on the kolb on Aug 13, 2011 11:28 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I agree
but you could see that Matthews will have to work on getting around offensive linemen and shedding blocks.
with this… as far as my assessment. Decent post
yeah i was surprised as well........
at some of the assessments of his play on here, some people went so far as to say he looked lost out there which couldnt be farther from the truth. From the little bit i saw of him he didnt do anything spectacular and he didnt do anything terrible, actually i saw one play where i think he read the play well and reacted well to it even though he wasnt in on the tackle, Casey is gonna be fine if he can shut out all the talk and comparisons to his brother.
Against the run, the Eagles defensive line did a great job, but you could see that Matthews will have to work on getting around offensive linemen and shedding blocks
Why does this sound familiar?…
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This begs the question though, why did Matthews only get 8 snaps? Did they want to make decisions on other guys and figured Matthews would get more PT in the next few preseason games? As a rookie, he certainly can use as many reps as he can get.
by Eaglesadvocate on Aug 13, 2011 11:19 AM EDT reply actions
its a long season
Especially for rookies. He’s at the point where he can still learn both on and off the field.
Minimize the wear, tear, and injury risk for now. No need to take time away from choosing depth wisely.
I would like to thank my hands for being so great, for allowing me to type this post.
by corn on the kolb on Aug 13, 2011 11:32 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Haha interesting. If that’s the case, I’ve never seen that phrase used correctly. Just one of those things where the wrong usage has become just about the only usage.
by Eaglesadvocate on Aug 13, 2011 12:13 PM EDT up reply actions
YES
..and “should of” instead of “should’ve.” Makes me facepalm every time.
by ChillBillinChina on Aug 14, 2011 2:51 AM EDT up reply actions
my personal pet peeve...
in your link describing the improper use of “begging the question”, they improperly use the term “laissez-faire” It doesn’t mean “lazy”. The literal translation is “let them act”.
You have been banned from Big Blue View... "trolling the post game stuff at BBV is just classless and a great mark of a tool. Grow up man, enjoy your victory, but try to not reinforce every stereotype of a Philadelphia fan. Bye bye."
It's a misnomer because of the way it was used to describe the government
Also, its direct meaning is ‘let them do’, which indirectly implies ‘leave it be’.
And 'leave it be' is a more laid-back approach, allowing people to use it when terming someone 'lazy' or something similar
They’re not right, but it technically is indirectly connected to the usage of the word.
I’m guessing/hoping that he’ll be getting more reps in upcoming pre-season games.
"Asomugha was only targeted 31 times in 14 games last season. Samuel: 36 times in 11 games."
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by PhiladelphiaEagles on Aug 13, 2011 12:17 PM EDT up reply actions
Well, the starters will probably play almost a half next week. So he should certainly see a lot of time against Pitt, which will be a nice to test to see how he holds up against the run.
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And then the starters should be playing a decent amount of time in the 3rd game against Cleveland before not playing at all in the 4th game against the Jets, right?
"Asomugha was only targeted 31 times in 14 games last season. Samuel: 36 times in 11 games."
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by PhiladelphiaEagles on Aug 13, 2011 12:25 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah that’s normally the case. 3rd game they should play into the 3rd quarter.
"Get 'Em"
by FlyEagles15 on Aug 13, 2011 2:13 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
We're
playing a college team next weekend?
by ChillBillinChina on Aug 14, 2011 2:52 AM EDT up reply actions
i said in the game log thread
Matthews did a good job in coverage, especially on the screen play to rice. He blew it up by sticking with him. In run defense, I agree he did a poor job getting off blockers. However I think his real problem in run defense was not just trusting his read and reacting. He looked hesitant. Also that long ray rice pass was not Matthews responsibility it was fokous. I rewatched the game this morning. Matthew and fokou were blitzing on the play. However fokou still was responsible for rice and should have checked his blitz when rice immediately came out of the back field at the snap.
by VRFC8 on Aug 13, 2011 11:34 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
In the game but not standing out one way or another
I take that as a very promising sign for a rookie who only got the playbook recently and who is being asked to lead the defense as a middle linebacker. A player in that situation I would expect to look bad, but he didn’t.
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I am fine
with him as depth but to come in and start at MLB?
Eh i think that is pushing it & why only 8 snaps?
Players have to start somewhere. Look what we did with Chaney last season. He started as a rookie and we got BETTER.
by cliphord on Aug 13, 2011 11:58 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
That makes no sense at all
If the team believes he’s the best option (which they clearly do), why the hell wouldn’t they make him the starter?
And don’t give me the bullshit line ‘Oh, but options outside of the organization are available.’ You have no ground to stand on when saying the team hasn’t looked at those options.
They think Casey is the best. And that should be enough for you.
In coverage, he did a good job on the tight end on Cole’s sack.
/Immature snickering
"Asomugha was only targeted 31 times in 14 games last season. Samuel: 36 times in 11 games."
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by PhiladelphiaEagles on Aug 13, 2011 11:45 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Matthews will have haters
The “fans” who desperately wanted a LB this off-season will continue to ride Mattews, who will suffer from rookie ups and downs. I’m just going to block it out because, frankly, Matthews is probably a step in the right direction for our team at the LB position. Stew Bradley looked horrible last season. It was clear that WR got better when Chaney was on the field. Hopefully, Matthews can replicate some of that early success.
by cliphord on Aug 13, 2011 11:57 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
I don’t think you can go wrong either way.
"Asomugha was only targeted 31 times in 14 games last season. Samuel: 36 times in 11 games."
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by PhiladelphiaEagles on Aug 13, 2011 12:15 PM EDT up reply actions
I remember seeing this tweet from Ike Reese during the game:
I saw nothing from Matthews tonight, hope he’s better next week vs Cleveland. He should of played more tonight, he’s not a veteran.
My opinion of Matthews so far seems to go along with the consensus: we haven’t seen enough to make a fair judgment either way so far. I hope they give him some more reps in the upcoming pre-season games.
"Asomugha was only targeted 31 times in 14 games last season. Samuel: 36 times in 11 games."
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by PhiladelphiaEagles on Aug 13, 2011 12:13 PM EDT reply actions
Hope Ike realizes they play Pittsburgh next week…
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by JasonB on Aug 13, 2011 12:19 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
ike is also an idiot
He said that Matthews played olb in college and mlb is not his natural position….he clearly knows nothing about the guy and his college career.
by VRFC8 on Aug 13, 2011 1:38 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I REALLY hope
he nailed Erin Anderws! come on man, look at her, she wants him lol
Who cares as long as the Erin Andrews photos keep coming. jk Go Casey!….and Andrews photos!
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dude…trust me I am juggling women right now, but I would like to have a shot with Andrews.
One of the girls im darting is a smoking reporter where I live. Very nice.
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by FlyEagles15 on Aug 13, 2011 2:17 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions 2 recs
VRFC8 Said it was fokou’s responsibility after he watched the game again. Its a few comments up if you want to read it.
the set was split backs with three wide.
Matthews and fokou both break upheld as soon as the ball was snapped, I assume it was a blitz bc the dbs appeared to be in man. Fokou should have checked the blitz or mirrored rice…atleast in my opinion.
by VRFC8 on Aug 13, 2011 1:43 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
The only play I even noticed Matthews was the attempted screen pass to Rice where Flacco just had to throw it into the ground because Casey was covering Rice very well. I thought he did just fine.
He's slick, he's quick, he's Michael Vick.
75% of the Earth is covered by water, the rest by Nnamdi Asomugha.
I still don’t understand why it was fine for the game recap to say Vick played well (he was out there for eight snaps), the starting offensive line played well (they were out there for eight snaps), Ronnie Brown played well (he had nine carries), Vince Young played well (seven snaps where he didn’t just hand it off), but when someone says Casey Matthews didn’t look great in his eight snaps the response is “how can you tell anything on just eight snaps?”
First of all, what several of us said on the recap was that he did well in coverage but struggled in the run game, which none of these writers disagreed with.
Second of all, the objection wasn’t “I disagree, I think he played well”; it was “you can’t say anything based on eight snaps”. I just don’t see how someone can write a game recap and judge a bunch of guys based on their eight snaps, and then proclaim that eight snaps isn’t enough to judge.
Well
Vick is a known quantity, so we can tell if he looks good or not. The O-Line less so, but half of the line didn’t change. Casey is a complete unknown. It’s hard to formulate a decision when 8 snaps are ALL you have on him.
That's easy
Because for one the offensive guys actually touched the ball and therefore there’s a lot more to go on. It’s easy to see a RB gain yards or a QB complete pass and evaluate that. It’s tougher to know exactly what a defender was assigned to do on a given play, especially if the ball doesn’t come near him.
But otherwise, we have a baseline of expectations for guys like Vick, Young & Brown because they’re veterans. Matthews is a rookie who has never played an NFL game. We really have no baseline.
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by JasonB on Aug 13, 2011 2:09 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
hmmm
but what if on a couple of run plays the point of attack is his gap and he’s stepping towards that gap and then a guard comes and moves him backwards a couple of yards rendering him out of the play. Can you assess that in 8 plays?
Can I just say this did anyone else notice that page and mccoy where both wearing number 25 that freaked me out
by justinkali24 on Aug 13, 2011 2:19 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Never wrote about Matthews in my rant, didn’t really “stick out” but he played well. I am a huge Matthews fan.
Formerly number5
"If Revis has an Island, Asomugha should have a continent." - #5
RIP JJ
Ugh
Why I hate preseason football. 8 snaps for a rookie in the 1st preseason game where you had an extremely abbreviated training camp? Tells you Jack and Shit.
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