Clay Matthews Jr rightfully announced as Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalist
By Mitch Zoloty
Clay Matthews Jr, former Browns linebacker and Cleveland legend, was recently announced as a semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame again. Here’s why he should finally be accepted in the Hall of Fame.
19 seasons. 278 games, 248 games started. 1561 solo tackles. Former Cleveland Browns linebacker Clay Matthews, Jr. was a staple in the NFL during the ’80s and ’90s.
It was hard to find a week in the NFL where Matthews wasn’t on the field except for in 1982.\His efforts in the NFL are being rewarded again as he made the list of semifinalists for the 2019 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.
Making 4 Pro Bowls in his career, 3 straight from 1987-1989, Clay Matthews was a Cleveland favorite. He deserves to be in the Hall of Fame arguably more than any other semifinalist who is not on their first ballot. To prove this claim lets take a look at how Clay compares up against other Hall of Fame linebackers.
https://twitter.com/ProFootballHOF/status/1065047649085255681
Clay has more sacks than Junior Seau and Ray Lewis, despite Matthews playing a few seasons before sacks were officially recorded. Clay has 69.5 sacks, Seau 56.5, and Ray Lewis 41.5.
More from Browns News
- How the Browns could maximize Nick Chubb in 2023
- Can Deshaun Watson get to Patrick Mahomes level for Cleveland Browns?
- 3 Cleveland Browns who should see an expanded role in 2023 and 1 who should not
- Is Marcus Davenport on the Browns radar in 2023?
- 5 Free agents from Super Bowl LVII Cleveland Browns should target
Matthews forced more fumbles than Derrick Brooks, Ray Lewis, and Junior Seau with a whopping 27. He also has more interceptions than Lawrence Taylor and Mike Singletary, with 16 over his career. Matthews also played in more games than Junior Seau, Ray Lewis, Derrick Brooks, Lawrence Taylor, and Mike Singletary.
He might not be considered one of the greatest linebackers of all time but his numbers look great compared to some of those who are considered greats.
In terms of all time numbers, Clay Matthews Jr is high on all-time boards also. He is seventh in combined tackles in NFL history, and he played before assisted tackles were counted. In terms of solo tackles, he is third. He ranks 90th all-time in sacks, and he is tied for 30th in all-time forced fumbles.
When looking at approximate value, a statistic used to compare the value players bring to their teams over their careers used by pro-football-reference.com, Clay Matthews Jr is 103rd in the statistic all-time. This is tied with Hall of Famers Terry Bradshaw and Mean Joe Greene and fellow semifinalist Isaac Bruce.
If one of the Browns teams that Matthews was an anchor on would’ve won a Super Bowl, this conversation wouldn’t be happening. He would’ve already been in the Hall of Fame if he had a Super Bowl ring. Sadly, the Browns couldn’t get him one.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame voters shouldn’t hold his lack of a ring against Clay. They shouldn’t hold his small amount of Pro Bowl appearances against him either. Sometimes great players get snubbed from the Pro Bowl and that doesn’t deter their legacy.
dark. Next. Baker Mayfield jabs at Hue Jackson
Clay Matthews, Jr. is one of the unsung heroes of the NFL, especially the Cleveland Browns franchise. It is about time he gets honored as such. Putting him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame would be a good start.