After toiling in the trenches for 3 years as the starting tight end for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Michael Matthews is ready for the NFL.
He's NOT Calvin Johnson... the wunderkind who could leap tall buildings, catch just about everything Reggie Ball didn't throw to him, and go to the dreadful Detroit Lions who have squandered 4 of 5 number one picks on highly touted wide receivers in the last 5 years! Calvin Johnson is destined to do great things in the NFL, but I just think his opportunities for greatness will be limited by the ineptitude of the Detroit Lions' front office and personnel on the field; he'll have to wait until they get new management or he gets a new team!
Mike Matthews is cut from a different cloth. He originally came to Georgia Tech to play defense, thus the 48 on his chest! He quickly converted to tight end and occasional special teams play. As a tight end, he didn't get the traditional tight end role of blocking on some plays, and then releasing the block and looking for a pass on other plays. At Georgia Tech, he was relegated to being a blocking tight end 95% of the time. The handful of times that the play called for a pass to the tight end, the ball was either thrown way over his head, way behind him, or at his feet (I guess that goes with the territory of playing with a QB who only had eyes for Calvin Johnson)!
Well, Mike is an articulate, clean cut, family man (father of two) who knows the value of hard work and perseverance. He had been fielding calls all week from teams like the Cincinnati Bengals (his hometown team), the Atlanta Falcons, the New York Jets, and the New York Giants. Steeling himself for a late round draft pick, Mike hunkered down for a long weekend. The call finally came on Sunday evening: although not a draft pick due to his limited role as a blocking tight end, the New York Football Giants have tendered a free agent contract for the recent Georgia Tech graduate. He's pumped up and ready to challenge Jeremy Shockey for the tight end position in New York!plez sez: You heard it hear FIRST, because I heard it first from the man himself: Big Mike! I received a call shortly after he got his contract from the Giants and I am really happy for Mike. He is a solid citizen, a real smart guy, my frat brother, and he'll be ready to play when the ball is snapped. He is a little let down at not being drafted, but I gave him a small piece of advice: "it's not how you get to the NFL, it's what you do when you get there, that matters." I'm sure he'll take that to heart and I look forward to seeing Mike Matthews playing on Sunday!
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10 comments:
hey, I'd like to know what you think about the Eagles draf pick...and please be gentle, they're not always good but I still luv them.. LOL.
Philly must've traded their first round pick away, because they didn't have a pick until the second round. That pick was Kevin Kolb, a quarterback out of the University of Houston. He was a 4-year starter for Houston and from my recollection, he was a pretty good QB. Since Donovan McNabb is injury prone (he's been on injured reserve for the better part of the last 2 seasons) and is getting older, and Kelly Holcomb isn't getting any younger either; I guess Philly needed some younger insurance at the QB position. I believe this is a pretty solid pick for the Eagles.
Thanks for dropping by. Because of my job, I spend a great deal of time in the City of Brotherly Love (I've been commuting up there to do consulting work since December 2005).
Good for your buddy Mike!
I'll keep an eye out for him. I would love to see him in the NFL and would love to see Richard Seymour blow him up on the way to decapitating Eli Manning. :)
How about those Patriots and Randy Moss?
ROTFLMAO!!!
Oh, you'll be seeing Big Mike (as we call him) in the NFL and I pity poor Richard Seymour if he has to line up against him... he won't stand a chance! *smile*
I will admit to some trepidation about Randy Moss joining the Patriots. If Randy Moss and Tom Brady get on the same page, I think you guys will be hoisting another Lombardi trophy come January!
YES... they most certaintly DID trade they first round pick and to DALLAS... (the idiots) LOL! D-Mac is soooo accident prone...lol, and I really think he's going to be replaced, but I can't wait for the season to start. LOL. I don't think we can call it the city of brotherly love anymore, since we're the #1 Murder City...
yeah... i've heard Philadelphia referred to as Killadelphia these days! that's unfortunate.
Big Mike will have no problem in the NFL. The only reason he wasn't drafted was because the poor decision Georgia Tech's crazy quarterback Reggie Ball made. He only had eyes for Calvin Johnson. Now Mike's time has come and he will get to show everyone what they have been missing out on and that is one great all around tight end!
Dear Anonymous,
don't be ashamed of who you are or what you feel... make sure that when you come to plezWorld, you leave your mark... AND YOUR NAME!!! *smile*
but i do agree with you, BIG MIKE was underutilized and unappreciated during his last 3 years at Tech. i couldn't name anyone who was more committed to the YELLOW JACKETS winning than him. i was just bubbling with PRIDE when he called me on sunday evening and said that the NY GIANTS had offered him a deal as an unsigned free agent. i have no doubt that we'll be seeing BIG MIKE (#88) on sundays this fall.
a group of my frat brothers and i are already planning a tailgate party here in Atlanta when BIG MIKE and the Giants come to the Georgia Dome on October 15th (monday night football, baby!).
Of course the last anonymous comment was by me, Laura Matthews his lovely wife. Your article was great and we really enjoyed reading it. We have had a lot of good feedback on it and are excited to read plenty more in the future. Go Giants and #88 is our number 1 fan! Much love to you and your family.
hey there, Laura... thanks for dropping by. much love to you and Mike... and kiss the little one's for me! take care!
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