Nfl’s Oldest Active Player Still Has Energy Of A Rookie
Another practice is drawing to a close. Clay Matthews eyes the locker room door across a great expanse of grass at the Atlanta Falcons training camp. He’s got to be the first one there.
The horn blows. Matthews begins his mad dash toward the door, intent on beating everyone else. Only this day, someone yells, “Hey, Clay, they need you.” Matthews stops to look and quickly realizes he’s been had. He won’t be first today.
What is this game that Matthews plays with himself? A bit of youthful exuberance? Hardly.
At age 40, Matthews is the oldest active player in the NFL and has played more games than all but two players in league history. But after 18 NFL seasons, he still has a passion for the game, a passion for competition, that is exemplified in his first-off-the-field ritual.
“Probably the one thing that’s allowed me to play as long as I have is I really enjoy the game,” Matthews said.
“A lot of people enjoy specific parts of the game. They maybe enjoy the Sundays, enjoy the paydays, enjoy the notoriety or the six months off. I really enjoy the whole thing. I enjoy working at it, practicing. I enjoy getting better, trying to work things out. Sunday is a bonus for me.”
Matthews insists that this will be his last season. If he plays in 16 games this year, he’ll finish his career with 279, trailing only Jim Marshall (282) and George Blanda (340).
“To be honest, it’s like I entered the league yesterday,” Matthews said. “It all goes by so fast. When you’re doing something you enjoy, the time flies by.”
Now, time is starting to win the battle with Matthews. His face, except for a few more wrinkles, has hardly changed since he came into the NFL with the Cleveland Browns in 1978. But the body doesn’t react quite as quickly, doesn’t bounce back from injuries quite as well.
“I think the last couple of years, I kind of realized that time was catching up with me. I still feel like I can do all the things I always did, I just can’t do them day in and day out, play in and play out.”
Some of Matthews’ Falcons teammates were born the year he began his college career at Southern California. Also playing for Southern Cal that year, 1974, were Pat Haden, Anthony Davis and Charles White - all long gone from the NFL.
For his 19th and final season, Matthews has moved from linebacker to defensive end, where he will be used mostly as a pass-rushing specialist on third down.
“He’s going to have a fun season,” Falcons coach June Jones said. “We needed to look at some younger players we had drafted at linebacker, and he understood that. But we felt like he could still rush the passer for us.
“He’s told me this will be his last year,” Jones added. “But, shoot, if he gets 15 sacks, he’ll be playing again, I’m sure.”