December 5
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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The play from the Packers-Giants game Tony Dungy of NBC's "Football Night in America" decided to examine on his coach's clicker segment was the one when Clay Matthews intercepted Eli Manning and ran in for a touchdown. Dungy observed that Giants quarterback Eli Manning missed Giants wide receiver Hakeem Nicks on a double move running past Packers cornerback Charles Woodson on the right, a pass if completed might have gone for a touchdown. Instead Manning went to Ahmad Bradshaw underneath, a route Matthews jumped and made the interception. "Fourteen-point swing had he gone to Nicks," Dungy said. "It could have been a different game.""
November 7
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Eight games in, it's pretty clear to Charles Woodson: The Green Bay Packers need to start using outside linebacker Clay Matthews more creatively. "We have to find ways to get Clay to the quarterback whatever that may be," Woodson said. "Draw some things up for him and just let him do his thing. We can't continue to allow him to be stuck on the side and double-teamed every time he gets upfield. So I think for us, finding ways to get him to be the 'Claymaker,' which he is. We've got to find some ways to get him to the quarterback." On pace for just six sacks this season, Matthews is one part of a struggling Packers pass rush. Against Philip Rivers, defensive coordinator Dom Capers was forced"
October 23
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Clay Matthews is not blind to the look on people's faces. Shedding a block and bearing down on the quarterback, he has raised expectations inside Lambeau Field to edge-of-the-seat levels. Down goes the quarterback, but when the crowd notices he has released the ball in time to avoid a loss, the looks turn to disappointment. Instead of having a sack, Matthews settles for a quarterback hit. Few people in the stadium will remember that as they exit through the gates. "That's how the game is.," said Matthews, the Green Bay Packers' star linebacker. "A hit on the quarterback is just not the same feeling as a sack. There's an emotional factor; it brings the crowd up. No one wants to see a"
September 29
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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When he's not making Sundays miserable for opposing quarterbacks, Clay Matthews is interested in lending a helping hand. It's why the third-year linebacker of the Green Bay Packers has thrown his name behind muscular dystrophy's CureDuchenne and other less-publicized causes. Now, he's out to promote AIDS Walk Wisconsin. Matthews has been appointed honorary chair of the event and on Tuesday taped a message for the event, which will take place Saturday at Milwaukee's Henry Maier Festival Park (Summerfest grounds). He doesn't think his schedule will allow him to attend in person - the Packers play the Denver Broncos on Sunday - but he wanted to encourage and thank those who will support the"
September 8
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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General Mills plans to feature Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and linebacker Clay Matthews on special-edition Wheaties boxes. General Mills Inc. praised the two members of the Super Bowl champions Wednesday, singling them out for their community work as well as their play."
August 13
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Linebacker Clay Matthews of the Green Bay Packers was an NFC Pro Bowl starter and runner-up to Pittsburgh's Troy Polamalu for the NFL defensive player of the year award in 2010. But he isn't resting on his laurels. In the off-season, Matthews determined that there were areas of his game, particularly in coverage, in which a few less pounds might help. So he reported to camp weighing 250, down from the 255 to 257 that he carried most of last season. His objective was to improve his agility on zone pass drops. "That's what I was going for," Matthews said. "I really wanted to focus on tweaking little parts of my game. "Between my first and second year, I did so and so, and now this year"
June 23
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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The last three Packers players to make the NFL Network's "Top 100: Players of 2011" will be revealed at 7 p.m. Sunday when players ranked between 11 and 20 are disclosed. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers, cornerback Charles Woodson and linebacker Clay Matthews all fall somewhere between 11 and 20, but a network spokesman declined to say where. The highest-ranked Packers player is at 11, and you assume that is Rodgers. The top 100 list was based on a vote by current National Football League players."
May 3
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Ricky Elmore knew that if he was going to make it in the NFL, it would be at outside linebacker and not defensive end. So he went to one of the best names in the business: Matthews. Clay Matthews Jr., the father of Green Bay outside linebacker Clay Matthews III, knows a thing or two about the position, having played 19 years in the NFL. And Clay Jr. - or "Big Clay" as he's known - was already training his other son, Oregon linebacker Casey Matthews, when Elmore asked for the guidance. Big Clay agreed to help Elmore as well. The three trained together for five weeks leading up to the combine, and Elmore hopes the effort pays off so that he can make the Packers roster as a sixth-round rookie"
March 23
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
columnist Mike Hart
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It was a time for joy in Titletown. There were the Green Bay Packers basking in the glow of Super Sunday. And what a green and gold glow it was. Ted Thompson's contract extension became official. It is possible that he cracked a smile, which coupled with the one after the Super Bowl might give him a career high for the calendar year. Coach Mike McCarthy also received a contract extension. And rightfully so. Here is the only man from sea to shining sea who has had the vision and courage to speak out against high pad level on a daily basis. He stands alone. He is a pioneer. You'll never hear Jesse Jackson, Ralph Nader or the gals from "The View" discuss the cons of high pad level. Therefore,"
January 27
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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It's a good thing Clay Matthews doesn't have male-pattern baldness. If he did, the run-up to Super Bowl XLV would be all about hum-drum football stuff, such as sacks and quarterback hits. Instead, get ready for a blitz - pardon the pun - of hair stories. Matthews, the all-pro outside linebacker for the Green Bay Packers, has joined Pittsburgh Steelers' safety Troy Polamalu in an exclusive club: Super Bowl participants with shampoo contracts. Matthews has signed a one-year deal with Unilever's Suave brand. The deal includes media appearances before and after the Super Bowl and a production day should the company want to film a commercial with him. Contract terms were not disclosed."
January 26
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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One of the great things about football is that with 22 men on the field for every play, a game will have plenty of jersey-against-jersey, individual battles worthy of their own boxing ring. Super Bowl XLV is a perfect example. Bring in Green Bay's whirling dervish, Clay Matthews, and his 17 sacks this season and turn him loose against Pittsburgh's imposing quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, and just wait for the punches and counterpunches to unfold. It's not that Roethlisberger can't be sacked. In fact, he has been 274 times in the regular season in his seven-year career. The opportunity to get to him is there. But getting to him and bringing him down can be two different matters entirely."
January 10
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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If Oregon linebacker Casey Matthews should need to seek any outside advice - or even any words of encouragement - before the national championship, he's got a couple of solid options. Matthews has quite a pedigree when it comes to football. His father, Clay, won a national championship with Southern California in 1974 and spent 19 years in the NFL. His uncle, Bruce, was a Hall of Fame offensive lineman in the NFL. Casey's brother, Clay Jr., won a title as a redshirt freshman with the Trojans in 2004 and is now a linebacker for the Green Bay Packers. Another brother, Kyle, was a safety on USC's 2003 national championship team. Even his grandfather, another Clay, played for the San Francisco"
December 24
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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It had been a long time since Green Bay Packers linebacker Clay Matthews had worn his pads on a weekday. It was the final week in October to be exact. So, when Matthews was out there Thursday knocking shoulder pads with teammates and running through his assignments, it represented a fairly significant moment heading into the biggest game of the year for the Packers. "Clay has done a lot more this week than he's done in the past month or so," coach Mike McCarthy said after practice. "It was great to have him out there. I know he feels good about it. It was quality work, especially padded work on a Thursday. "I had a chance to watch him exclusively today, and I thought he looked good.""
December 11
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Linebacker Clay Matthews of the Green Bay Packers has been playing through a shin injury that has gotten progressively worse and won't heal until the off-season. "It's constant, I'll say that," Matthews said Friday. "I would say it's constant throbbing. Sharp pain. Tightness. The only thing that will heal it is rest." Matthews hasn't participated fully in a practice since Oct. 29, two days before a 9-0 victory over the New York Jets on the FieldTurf surface of new Meadowlands Stadium. Since that game, he has been listed as probable on the injury list five straight weeks and has been categorized as limited in the last 15 practices. "It's been gradually getting worse," said Matthews. "I"
November 15
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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In the 53 years The Associated Press has named a most valuable player of the NFL, there's been just two seasons that award went to a defensive player. The first came in 1971, when Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Alan Page won the honor. The second was 1986, when linebacker Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants claimed the award. Could Green Bay Packer linebacker Clay Matthews become No. 3? Matthews is the odds-on favorite to win defensive MVP honors. But after another stellar performance in Green Bay's 45-7 win over Dallas on Sunday, Matthews has to be mentioned for league honors, as well. Peyton Manning or Tom Brady will probably capture the league MVP, an award that's typically"
November 1
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Linebacker Clay Matthews has always had compassion for kids who want his autograph, but when he heard of a little boy with cystic fibrosis, he knew he had to do something more. Matthews grew up with a childhood friend who had cystic fibrosis. Melissa Stone was lively and fun, but the chronic lung disease made her frail. She had to take a lot of medication for CF and breathe with lungs that didn't work well. "It was a constant battle," said Matthews. "It's a terrible disease." A few months ago, Clay's older brother, Kyle, met a boy from New York named Logan McGovern. The boy happens to be a New England Patriots fan. And a major fan of Green Bay's Clay Matthews. Logan is also a distant"
November 7
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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"What was I thinking?" was Clay Matthews' only thought. His pulse raced. He had no idea what he had gotten himself into. All he knew was that his older brother Kyle had walked on to the football team at the University of Southern California and lived the dream. "My dream," Clay said. And now he was the walk-on. At USC. Dad's school. Maybe this wasn't the best idea. He began to formulate a bailout plan. "I remember calling home, contemplating, do I really want to do this anymore?" Matthews said. "I talked to my dad. "He said, 'One thing about us - once we decide to do something, we stick with it.' " Clay Matthews III was embarking on his first journey as his own man, but he was still a"