Chris Matthews may not have punched his NFL ticket just yet ...

[IC Khari]

... says Gil Brandt NFL.com's senior analyst. He is their main personnel guru. Interesting take from one of the top talent evaluators in the league.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000468175/article/malcolm-butler-chris-matthews-legit-plus-future-surprise-stars

 

 

Chris Matthews: Not a lot to get excited about

 

I had Matthews -- a cousin of late Hall of Famer Reggie White -- ranked as the 49th-best receiving prospect heading into the 2011 NFL Draft. Like Butler, the former junior college and Kentucky product took a circuitous route to the NFL, playing in the CFL and even working at Foot Locker at one point before winding up in Seattle. Heading into the Super Bowl, he was best known as the special teams player who grabbed the onside kick at the end of the NFC Championship Game. He has excellent size and long arms, and he's a red-zone threat because of his impressive height (6-foot-5). But he's not a very good route-runner. I'm sure the Seahawks, who tend to develop prospects well, worked with Matthews to improve that area of his game, and they obviously thought enough of him to play him in the Super Bowl despite the fact that he didn't catch a single pass in 2014.

Matthews obviously made an impact, racking up 109 yards and a touchdown on four receptions. And I think teams always like to have guys with his size. But because he doesn't have much speed, I sense that his time in the sun might have come and gone Sunday. He didn't make any exotic moves to get open on the three big catches he made (a 44-yarder and an 11-yard scoring toss in the second quarter, and a 45-yarder early in the third); it seemed like he was just a tall guy who was able to go up and grab the ball. After all, he does have seven inches on Pats cornerback Kyle Arrington, who covered him on the 44- and 45-yarder, and six inches on Logan Ryan, who covered him on the touchdown. Matthews quieted down considerably after Brandon Browner (6-4) began covering him. Consider that when Russell Wilson tried to go deep to Matthews on the Seahawks' final drive, Browner simply knocked the ball away.

Matthews reminds me of a guy who played for the Dallas Cowboys in 1975 named Percy Howard, a tall (6-4) basketball player out of Austin Peay who never played a game of college football. He didn't do anything that season but return two kickoffs -- and then he caught a 34-yard touchdown pass in Super Bowl X. We'll never know how good Howard could have been, since he tore up his knee in the subsequent preseason and didn't play augain. As for Matthews, I don't see much of a future for him as a receiver in the NFL.

 

 

Hey if the Seahawks ever decide they don't want him, course that's just one guy's opinion, we'll take him back

[gbill2004]

Talk about Debbie Downer. Boo!!

[Bigblue204]

He's right though. It's not totally uncommon for someone to show up big in a playoff game and then dwindle out and never really make a big impact again. Hopefully Matthews doesn't let that happen.

[M.O.A.B.]

He has a point though. Matthews seems to struggle facing tall DBs like Pat Watkins.

[Mark F]

just a tall guy who was able to go up and grab the ball.

 

 

 

That alone seems like enough to play in the NFL doesn't it?

 

and can't route running be learned? 

 

The Seahawks are very good at taking players that experts say are not good enough, (Richard Sherman) and training them to be more than good enough.

 

And not rewarding Matthews  for his great post season play would be out of character for that team.

[bearpants]

He may be right... but it's only one scouts take... if the Seahwaks like him I don't think they really care what a guy who works for NFL.com (and not employed as a scout) thinks...

[mbrg]

 

just a tall guy who was able to go up and grab the ball.

 

 

 

That alone seems like enough to play in the NFL doesn't it?

 

 

It's not enough to turn it into a legit career.  The narrower confines of a NFL field make the speed and route running a bigger job requirement.  Being a tall guy who can go up and grab the ball will get you a career as a tight end though.  It's not like he's slow, but the guys who catch balls in the NFL are the biggest, fastest, best receivers in the world.  That he is not.

 

Seattle will likely reward Matthews in some manner, and he'll probably get on the roster with some regularity next year.  I don't think he'll move ahead of anyone though, and Robinson Richardson (oops) is the guy they're looking at as one of their future stars at receiver.  If Matthews can continue to do enough to remind people that he's a quality role player, he'll stick around for a while.  Every team needs guys like that.  But it's unlikely that a star emerged last Sunday.  His future in the NFL is as a role player, there is nothing wrong with slotting in as the 3rd/4th receiver and taking advantage of favourable matchups.  But as a number 2 guy in Seattle's offence?  There is a pretty good chance those deficiencies Brandt is talking about get exposed and highlighted, and what could have been a five year career making occasional contributions of great value turns into "not good enough, cut ties, let's move on".  He was/is a bubble guy in the NFL, but I hope it works out for him.

[Mark F]

Not arguing here, but 

 

There are lots of small fast receivers in the NFL…. Steve Smith senior, Antonio Brown, Edelman, T.Y. Hilton, Broncos, Steelers, Eagles, Giants, all  have a small fast guy…. 

 

and there are some big slow guys, like Boldin, 49ers, who gets open and catches everything.

 

But I won't disagree about what you're saying about Chris Matthews. 

[IC Khari]

I think Matthews will prove that guy wrong and stick, he's a weapon because he can catch the high ball better than most, and is better than Lockette at least.

[JuranBoldenRules]

 

just a tall guy who was able to go up and grab the ball.

 

 

 

That alone seems like enough to play in the NFL doesn't it?

 

and can't route running be learned? 

 

The Seahawks are very good at taking players that experts say are not good enough, (Richard Sherman) and training them to be more than good enough.

 

And not rewarding Matthews  for his great post season play would be out of character for that team.

 

 

It would be enough if 100 tall and reasonably fast guys didn't graduate from the NCAA every season.  Matthews really benefited from New England's defensive gameplan and Seattle's offensive gameplan.  New England put their two best corners on Kearse and Baldwin.  Once one of those corners was put on Matthews, he didn't make a catch for the rest of the game.

 

But he put his name out there and gave himself another opportunity to prove himself heading into next season, and if nothing else he went for 100 yards and a touchdown in the Super Bowl.

[iso_55]

The oldtimers on this board will remember the scouting report on Soviet goalie Vladislav Tretiak going into the 1972 Summit Series. That he flopped too much & had a vulnerable high glove hand. Scouting report went on to say that he isn't good enough to be an NHL goaltender & that Canada's pros will pump tons of goals by him. That, based on one game they saw Tretiak play.... the night before he got married. Who were these scouts? Why Toronto Maple Leaf scouts, of course. My point? Matthews already beat corners in the Super Bowl. Sometimes scouts don't know squat. 

[coach17]

He's got height, hands and decent speed - everything else can be taught.

[Mr Dee]

Why anybody bothers to qualify what accomplishments and numbers that players put up is beyond me.

If the guy had a good game…the guy had a good game.

It was no fluke.

[iso_55]

Reading that report Brandt wrote it has a definite bias against Matthews. And I respect Brandt for what he did in Dallas but really...

[Mark F]

Gil Brandt NFL.com April 2014 NFL draft projections top fifty

 

"1.Johnny Manziel QB, Texas A&M

Previous rank: 1
Manziel (5-foot-11 3/4, 205 pounds) is a unique athlete who produced 10,000 yards of offense in two seasons with the Aggies. I had his 40 timed at 4.56 seconds at the combine. He's a very smart player and has great vision at quarterback."

[mbrg]

Why anybody bothers to qualify what accomplishments and numbers that players put up is beyond me.

If the guy had a good game…the guy had a good game.

It was no fluke.

 

I don't think that was Brandt's point - more that the expectations people might have of Matthews going forward will be magnified because of the stage he had his breakout game on, and he probably can't and won't meet those expectations.  Should other teams be making trade offers, and should the Seahawks extend him with a multi-million dollar contract to make sure he doesn't reach free agency at the end of next season?  Did the next Randy Moss just jump out from behind the curtains?  Probably not.  He went for 100+ yards and a TD in what was essentially his first NFL game, which also happened to be the Super Bowl.  It's pretty easy for the hype to snowball into ridiculous proportions when something like that happens.

 

He isn't the next great player, but he still can be a good one.  And considering how underwhelming the Seahawks receiving corps is, it's a better situation for him to be in than most.  Plus a large percentage of their passing game is deep, so a role as 3rd receiver going up for jump balls against other team's weakest DBs is also ideal (as shown last Sunday).  Just don't expect 100 yard games with a TD to become a common thing going forward.

 

His good game was no fluke, but it was a set of perfect circumstances for him to succeed in.  Would the same thing happen if the circumstances change?  Brandt thinks it's unlikely.

 

I hope Matthews proves him wrong, but the explanation as to why he probably won't makes sense.

[Mr Dee]

 

Why anybody bothers to qualify what accomplishments and numbers that players put up is beyond me.

If the guy had a good game…the guy had a good game.

It was no fluke.

 

I don't think that was Brandt's point - more that the expectations people might have of Matthews going forward will be magnified because of the stage he had his breakout game on, and he probably can't and won't meet those expectations.  Should other teams be making trade offers, and should the Seahawks extend him with a multi-million dollar contract to make sure he doesn't reach free agency at the end of next season?  Did the next Randy Moss just jump out from behind the curtains?  Probably not.  He went for 100+ yards and a TD in what was essentially his first NFL game, which also happened to be the Super Bowl.  It's pretty easy for the hype to snowball into ridiculous proportions when something like that happens.

 

He isn't the next great player, but he still can be a good one.  And considering how underwhelming the Seahawks receiving corps is, it's a better situation for him to be in than most.  Plus a large percentage of their passing game is deep, so a role as 3rd receiver going up for jump balls against other team's weakest DBs is also ideal (as shown last Sunday).  Just don't expect 100 yard games with a TD to become a common thing going forward.

 

His good game was no fluke, but it was a set of perfect circumstances for him to succeed in.  Would the same thing happen if the circumstances change?  Brandt thinks it's unlikely.

 

I hope Matthews proves him wrong, but the explanation as to why he probably won't makes sense.

 

 

My point really, is that Matthews was inserted in the lineup and performed.

It doesn't matter whom he played against..he performed in that game.

The fact that New England had to change their coverage does mean something.

As to being shutdown…if Wilson had made a proper throw on Browner's knockdown, Matthews would have had 2 TDs.

 

It's not about what Matthews does in the future, it was about how he performed when he had the chance, and he did.

That's all people have to worry about at this point.

And I wasn't necessarily talking about only Brandt.

[Booch]

Long story short, he has to earn a spot next year and a lot can happen between then and now...be it free agency and the draft down there. He could be a front runner for the #3 spot, or could be even 2-3 pegs lower than when season ended with new signs, drafts....and politics...which in a lot of cases play a deciding role in NFL moreso than talent.

 

He probably caught the pat's off guard a bit as really there was zero game film on him, and no history of play whatsoever this year, so he was an unknown, and quite possibly overlooked and under estimated.

Happy for him though, well deserved and hope he parlays it into more success, but noting is gauranteed.

 

Worst case scenario he knows he has a place here, with a chance at decent money and being a focal point and have star status in a rabid football community...

[Mark F]

It doesn't matter whom he played against..he performed in that game.

 

 

 

We also saw him make the exact same kind of catches when he was with the Bombers.

 

As you said, his performance was no fluke. People are reluctant to believe a CFL player can succeed in the NFL? What about Browner?

 

jeeze louise

[Atomic]

 

It doesn't matter whom he played against..he performed in that game.

 

 

 

We also saw him make the exact same kind of catches when he was with the Bombers.

 

As you said, his performance was no fluke. People are reluctant to believe a CFL player can succeed in the NFL? What about Browner?

 

jeeze louise

 

 

Funny because when Browner went to the NFL, lots of CFL fans said he would never make it, all he does is hold, he is the most overrated DB in the CFL, etc. etc.

[17to85]

big tall guy with decent speed and great hands and is good at going up and getting the ball... yeah he'll get chances just based on those facts alone. You can't teach size, and a player that knows how to use his size is always going to be given opportunities.