 |
Tuesday, July 16, 2002
|
 |
Bruce Matthews |
| |
|
|
ProFootballWeekly.com
asks personnel expert Joel Buchsbaum for his thoughts on the hottest topics in
football.
Matthews gone from game, not forgotten
OL Bruce Matthews retired from the Titans after 296 games and 19 years spent entirely
with the franchise, including the first 14 when it was the Houston Oilers. Matthews was a
Pro Bowl pick 14 times which ties Merlin Olsen for an NFL record.
Buchsbaum: Bruce Matthews’ name is rarely mentioned in the same breath with John
Hannah, Jim Parker and Anthony Munoz. However, when you take all factors into
consideration, Matthews may have been one of the finest offensive linemen in the NFL. The
first factors to consider are longevity and durability. Who played longer, more games or
was more durable than Matthews? Position versatility was also a strength of Matthews.
Which other offensive lineman made the Pro Bowl at three different positions?
Team-oriented play was another strong suit, as was intelligence. Matthews would move to
any position on the line to help the team and became a more than competent long snapper.
Matthews always graded the highest in the mental part of the game of the Oilers’ and
Titans’ offensive linemen. Matthews wasn’t nearly as explosive as Hannah and
wasn’t as quick-footed or nimble as Munoz, but Matthews’ balance was as good as
anyone in the game. And, aside from the time he played out of position at right tackle,
Matthews rarely gave up a sack. It is mind-boggling to think how good the offensive line
Matthews broke in with could have been if not for injuries. Mike Munchak had a series of
injuries, but was in a class with Hannah, if not better because he was a better pass
blocker. Dean Steinkuhler, whom the Oilers took with the second pick in the 1984 draft,
was considered the best of the trio before he got hurt. Steinkuhler, with 4.8 speed, was
considered the best offensive linemen to come into the league since Munoz. However,
Steinkuhler hurt his knee as a rookie and was never the same. Harvey Salem, another player
on that line, also had injury problems. If Steinkuhler and Munchak could have stayed
healthy for a decade, this could have been the greatest offensive line in the history of
the game. |
|
 |
The Archives
2001 - 2002 Season |
| Online writers
— features and columns by our PFW staff, columnists, national correspondent, AFC
reporters, NFC reporters and contributing writers |
| College football
— articles, college notepad, key college game previews, PFW's college top 10,
Scouting Combine, Senior Bowl, top 25 predictions |
| Fantasy football
— articles, injury reports, weekly fantasy tips, weekly matchups, The Fantasy Doctor,
"In our opinion" daily fantasy columns, Fantasy spins |
| Free-agency
— news and notes, updates and features |
| General features
— Internet features, features from our print edition, MVP meter, Rookie meter, They
said it, team reports, training camp reports |
| Handicapper's
Corner — staff selections, games of the week, PFW Players of the Week, NFL
standings, weekly handicapping columns, predictions, trends, tips and timely stats |
| "In our
opinion" daily columns — opinions on general football topics |
| "PFW spins"
— short-takes on current events |
| Joel
Buchsbaum — college player evaluations, NFL player analysis, NFL draft coverage,
NFL notepad, NFList, college game previews and other NFL articles by PFW's contributing
editor |
| NFL Draft —
player evaluations, printouts, feature stories, commentaries, draft recaps |
| Ron
Pollack — articles and commentary by PFW's editor-in-chief |
| Season in
review — the 2001-2002 NFL season |
|
