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Matakevich to the Steelers


Virgil

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1 hour ago, mrags said:

Thank god this guy is gone. Now this coach can’t bring him in to cover Travis Kelce in the playoffs this year. 

You're thinking of AJ Klein. Any time Matakevich actually played on defense, he always seemed to do fine to me. I'm not sure why he didn't get a bit more playing time, honestly.

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9 hours ago, Miyagi-Do Karate said:


I think he was there before we signed him, right? 
 

I actually always thought he was solid even as a backup LB, in addition to a ST player.

He was so solid they signed AJ Klein off his couch and played him over Matakevich.

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10 hours ago, ChronicAndKnuckles said:

He has quietly put together a 9 year career in a league where players average about 3. Not bad at all 

 

I was just about to say this.  You will hear it on the board all the time that a player like Matakevich is a wasted roster spot.  How has he lasted 9 years?

He lasted in the NFL, longer than Stevie Johnson just to give a comparison.

7 hours ago, Beast said:

Diggs, Davis, Poyer, White….I thought we’d be fine.

 

Not anymore.

 

If we lose Josh Norman....is that a clear sign of tanking?

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He's been a key part of the core of the Bills STs, and they'll miss him. I think McBeane figured they can get good replacement value from a cheaper player, probably a rookie.  The vet minimum or even the amount vets expect to get paid, are going to get a lot of players released when they still have gas in the tank.  

 

Anyway, I wish him well with his new team except of course when they play the Bills.

A team's culture is a fragile thing.  The Bills have cut or traded so many key veterans this year that I am a little concerned about keeping the winning culture going.  Each cut or trade was made for a different good reason, but the overall impact is going to be tricky to overcome.  The one I'm most worried about losing is Morse, but losing Hyde and Poyer is also a real loss.  

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Special teams ace?  Yeah, sure, but the Bills are engaged in an ongoing process to upgrade the roster where they can.  Matekevich was OK on defense in spot duty, but because he's limited athletically, the defensive coordinator likely had to compensate for his shortcomings by making adjustments in the defense.  If the Bills could replace him with a player who could do similar things on special teams and have the athleticism to be more versatile on defense, then changing Matekevich out was a no brainer.  Add to that the fact that he's 31 years old, it's likely that he's in physical decline.  If anything, his athletic limitations are likely to become more pronounced over time.

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On 7/17/2024 at 5:24 PM, Miyagi-Do Karate said:


I think he was there before we signed him, right? 
 

I actually always thought he was solid even as a backup LB, in addition to a ST player.

 

He was solid as a backup LB a couple years back.  Father Time was catching up with him the last couple years - he's the type who makes up for athletic limitations by going full-throttle every play, which, you can continue to do on ST as you age, but not every down as an LB

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Damn! We are totally screwed now,

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On 7/17/2024 at 6:02 PM, Virgil said:

 


Given the new kickoff rules, it makes sense for teams to use LB’s like Matakevich who can tackle in space (to an extent) and shed blocks.   The problem is you’re getting a one dimensional ST’er who doesn’t off much on defense

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