The 49ers play the Green Bay Packers in three days. In the meantime, I’ll break down a few key matchups a day.
ROLB Aldon Smith: 6-4, 258 pounds, 22 years old, 35 3/8-inch arms.
vs.
LT Marshall Newhouse: 6-4, 319 pounds, 23 years old, 34-inch arms.
This is the key one-on-one matchup and if Aldon Smith dominates it, the 49ers should win. Marshall Newhouse got manhandled last season by defensive ends Tamba Hali, Cameron Wake and Jason Pierre-Paul. If Aldon Smith is 100 percent healthy, Newhouse will probably need help from a second blocker – a tight end or a running back – just to hold his own. But we don’t know if Aldon Smith is 100 percent healthy. He played in the first preseason game, bruised his hip and hasn’t played in a game since. He did suit up for practice on Wednesady and was a full participant according to the 49ers’ practice report.
Advantage: 49ers
LT Joe Staley: 6-5, 315 pounds, 28 years old, 33 ½-arms.
vs.
ROLB Clay Matthews: 6-3, 255 pounds, 26 years old, 32 ¼-arms.
Staley did not play well at the beginning of last season, but in the second half he was as good as any left tackle in the NFL, and he earned his first Pro Bowl appearance. A few weeks ago against the Denver Broncos in the third preseason game, he struggled with Elvis Dummervil, who is very good but not as good as Clay Matthews. Packers’ beat writer Bob McGinn ranks Matthews as the second-best player on the team behind Aaron Rodgers. McGinn also writes that Matthews might be able to “take over games by himself” this year. If this is true, Alex Smith and the 49ers offense will have a tougher time than usual of converting any third-and-longs.
Advantage: Packers
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Thats funny, I thought Matthews was a tad overrated, and didn’t AD already handle him once before? I think Staley will be just fine.
Exactly
Clay Matthews is SOOOO overrated. Where was this guy last season? He completely disappeared. Matthews gets so much hype because he’s a ‘legacy’ player. If Matthews is so great and suppose to be able to take over games, how come he and the rest of his defense were so putrid? Great players lift up the rest of unit when it struggles, not sink with them. Matthews got voted to the pro bowl on reputation alone last season, Staley actually put in the work and earned his way there. Advantage: Niners.
What is a “legacy” player?
Mathews use to be on the left side, so moving to the right side is new too him, but he is a good LB and should adopt to the new location. You never no something as subtle as changing spots where you play from can make you better or it could diminish his skills. Time will tell.
You mean GB homer Bobb McGinn? Matthews would be the 4th best LB on the Niners. That must mean we are a more talented team.
“McGinn also writes that Matthews might be able to “take over games by himself” this year.”
It sounds like McGinn doesn’t think Matthews will be able to take over too many of those games as he’s predicting a big Packers falloff this season.
“Nevertheless, despite playing one of the three or four softest schedules in the league, the forecast here is for a 10-6 finish, or a five-game drop from 2011, and elimination short of the Super Bowl.”
http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/a-packers-recession-may-be-ahead-u96lk0k-168562956.htm
It’s the hair. Duh
Lol +1
He is a solid player.
I don’t know the Oline competition he faced so I can’t make a judgement call on how good he really is. How many high quality Tackles did he beat last season? Did he get any sacks vs. the Giants? Did he have great games against mediocre talent like the Bears?
I couldn’t tell you if he’s overrated, but I know he’s been put in the position where he gets to tee off, as teams are forced to go into “throw all the time because we’re down 62-3″ mode. He gets lots of opportunities to make plays.
We’ll see in a few days. I think our offence will be fine. I’d like to see Matthews tackling Gore 10 yards downfield, by falling backwards and holding on, while Gore runs up his body. I’m just hoping our defence can harass Rodgers enough to disrupt their passing attack – GB won’t waste too many downs running for 1/2 a yard.
While Staley did struggle when the Niners were on autopilot against the Broncos, it was against Dummervil who in terms of purely rushing the passer is much better than the beloved Mathews.
I would be more concerned if Staley struggled against Mathews in preseason and then had to face Dummervil/Miller than vice versa.
Grant I don’t think I’ve disagreed with most of your matchups so far, but this Matthews vs. Staley one I couldn’t disagree more. Matthews is not a great player, and he isn’t as good a passrusher as Dumervil imo. Matthews got a lot of pub from being the long haired guy who got a bunch of sacks his first couple of years with a defense that blitzed on every second play. Last year he didn’t have a consistent pass rush threat opposite him and his numbers dropped dramatically. He’s not a bad player but he’s been built up to be this warrior who is carrying on his Dad’s legacy and it’s more style than substance. He did set a trend for a bunch of guys who try to look like him now though. If Nick Perry is the player they hope he is, Matthews will benefit, but Matthews is not going to make anybody else better.
He will also more than likely take on AD more than Staley as they tend to rush him from the right side more often these days. Another indication that he’s not quite the player you think he is. He could give Davis some trouble but I have little doubt Staley could shut him down on the other side.