Will Clay Matthews at ILB Save the Green Bay Packers' Defense?

Clay Matthews is the most dominant player on the Green Bay Packers defense from his natural position of Right Outside Linebacker. In an effort to spark the Packers’ league-worst run defense, though, D-Coordinator Dom Capers moved Matthews to the Inside Linebacker spot alongside A.J. Hawk on Sunday night against the Chicago Bears. Within a quarter, it was evident that this was not a move of desperation, but a move of genius.

The spot next to Hawk has been unsuccessfully manned by Brad Jones, Sam Barrington and Jamari Lattimore, who was not on the active roster on Sunday. Clay Matthews looked re-energized at the position, using his elite athleticism to dominate the line of scrimmage and chase down Matt Forte on outside runs and screen passes. Matthews finished the night with a team-leading 11 tackles (9 solo), and 1 sack.

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Despite the success, there will still be push-back to moving Clay Matthews inside. Matthews makes $13M annually to rush the passer from a premium position on the defense, and many believe sticking him at ILB will take away his greatest talents. Those against the move, however, must look at the prime seasons of Charles Woodson in Green Bay, where he was moved freely between Safety, slot CB, outside CB and even OLB. His versatility freed Dom Capers’ defense to dominate, and contributed heavily to the Packers’ 2010 Super Bowl.

Now, it is important to keep in mind that this is not a long-term move. Clay Matthews playing ILB is about winning in 2014, and nothing else. Matthews will not forget how to play OLB, and should still see a steady dose of snaps at the position. His breakdown of snaps in Week 10 is as follows:

Inside Linebacker: 38 snaps

Right Outside Linebacker (natural position): 14 snaps, 1 sack

Left Outside Linebacker: 1 snap, 1 sack negated by penalty

The change in position is not just about Clay Matthews. This allows Mike Neal to see the field more, along with Nick Perry, who is beginning to flash the potential that the Packers have been waiting for. Moving inside puts Clay Matthews closer to the football and forces him to become involved in more plays, while still allowing him to exercise his pass-rush ability on passing downs.

Blitzing from his ILB position could prove to be impactful, as well, if he is to stay at the position, as Dom Capers loved to bring complex or delayed blitzes from the inside during his time with the Steelers. Keep in mind that Matthews would then be rushing against a Guard or Centre, not a franchise LT.

We will need to wait and see if this is a permanent move for the remainder of the season, or just a one-week scheme adjustment to catch a Chicago Bears team off-guard. It is clearly working, though, and I see no reason not to explore the potential of this scheme as the playoffs near. Green Bay will surely need to address ILB in the offseason, however, to return their star to the outside in 2015.

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Will Clay Matthews at ILB Save the Green Bay Packers’ Defense?

By Keegan Matheson | Nov 11, 2014