Green Bay Packers to return Clay Matthews to OLB

When you have an absolute star at a particular position, it’s not a good idea to put him at other positions. No matter how versatile or how good an athlete he is, you’re taking a dominant player at one position and turning him into an average player at another position. Stars don’t grow on trees in the NFL so when you have one, play him where he’s a star.

It’s better to pick up an average player and plug him in where you are weak and let your star continue to be a star. Stars have big impacts on football games so you decrease your chances of winning by not allowing your star play where he’s best. And it looks like the Green Bay Packers have finally come to that conclusion with one of their stars.

Head coach Mike McCarthy is ready to end his experiment with Matthews at inside linebacker. He said his “goal” is for Matthews to return to OLB next season where he is a “great weapon” and “so destructive.” Matthews has been at ILB most of the last season and a half as the Packer got thin at the position.

Defensive coordinator Dom Capers said that Matthews did an “outstanding job” this season, but they wouldn’t be moving him back outside if it was the best use of his skills. To put it to you plainly, Matthews just isn’t that good at ILB while at OLB, he was a 1-man wrecking crew coming of the edge.

With the move coming and the Packers set at their other positions, it looks like they’ll be drafting an ILB this year. It will be interesting to see what Matthews and Julius Peppers do coming off opposite edges. That is of course, if Peppers continues playing football beyond this past season.