Green Bay Packers: Defense still belongs to Clay Matthews

The Green Bay Packers defense has gotten more star power over the years, but Clay Matthews is still the top dog — for how long, though?

Clay Matthews has been the star of the Green Bay Packers for years now. The emergence of Nick Perry and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix have made it so he’s not alone anymore though. While Matthews isn’t getting any younger, those two (along with others) are just entering their prime. These types of things tend to cause shifts in the defense. The old superstars become mere veteran presences, while the new guys become the focus.

Although you can’t deny the skills of some of the younger players, the Packers defense isn’t at that point yet.

Last season, Matthews appeared in 12 games and started only nine of them. He had just 24 tackles and fives sacks in that time. Both were career worsts. In fact, last time he appeared in just 12 games (2012), Matthews had 13 sacks.

The signs of a decline are right in front of you. There’s no reason to deny it. That doesn’t mean it’ll happen though. Matthews is more than just a physical specimen, he’s a hard-worker, a game planner, and a leader. Those are skills that don’t go away. Thanks to a lot of those traits, Matthews is more important than his stat sheet. They’re also excellent reasons as to why he won’t decline in 2017.

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Fellow linebacker Perry enjoyed a career year in 2016. He posted highs in tackles (52) and sacks (11), as well as pass deflections (4) and interceptions (1). The jury is still out on whether or not this was a one-year deal though. Perry 12.5 sacks in the previous four seasons, so there’s some obvious reasons to be wary.

Meanwhile, Clinton-Dix is far-and-away the best member of the Green Bay secondary. He posted career-lows in tackles (80) and sacks (0.5) last season. He did, however, collect career-highs in pass deflections (7) and interceptions (5). The safety gives the Packers a major safety valve for their weak cornerback corps. At 24, he’s still shown some flaws in his game though.

There are other candidates to run the defense as well. Rookie Kevin King’s too inexperienced, while Mike Daniels is inconsistent. Ricky Jean-Francois is a vocal leader, but doesn’t have the stats to back himself up. Blake Martinez is definitely on the right track, but with just 13 games under his belt, needs more time.

That brings us back to Matthews. The Packers defense is definitely growing. They’re no longer a one-trick-pony. Thanks to that, a case can be made for multiple players when asked who the defense runs through. In the future, this will be a much tougher question to answer.

Right now though, it’s still Clay Matthews’ domain.

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